The Director of Municipal Tourism of La Paz, Natalia Ruffo Castaño, announced that access to Balandra Beach will be managed through digital bracelets. These can be purchased through the web portal of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP).
Those interested in visiting Balandra, must access the site “Discover the Protected Natural Areas of Mexico” at: https://descubreanp.conanp.gob.mx/, select Baja California Sur and then choose Playa Balandra. They must register and select the time of their visit. For now, visitors will need to register online and obtain the newly implemented digital bracelet to access the most famous beach in the state’s capitol.
The payment process is done online, and upon completion, the user will receive a QR code that must be presented when entering the beach. “It is important to remember that this digital bracelet is valid for one day only,” explained Castaño. The cost of the bracelet is $120 pesos per person, but it only applies to visitors who do not reside in La Paz. Locals get in free and are exempt from these $120 pesos charges after providing their address with a valid official government INE “Credencial” identification card.
Castaño highlighted that, since there are two shifts available, visitors must pay attention to the selected time to arrive before it’s their turn on the beach. The shifts are from 8:00 to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with a limit of 450 people per the scheduled morning and afternoon visits.
The digital bracelet system seeks to regulate access to the beach to guarantee its conservation. These new digital bracelets allowing access to Balandra have already faced criticism for their complexity and lack of clarity, especially among tourists. Furthermore, if any tourist arrives without a bracelet, they will not be able to purchase it on-site due to the lack of internet reception in the area, which has caused frustration among those who were unaware of the new dynamics.
Alejandro Torres, a tourist from Tijuana, shared his experience trying to register for digital bracelets. “The information, I think, is not very clear for both national and foreign tourists as to how to basically get to this point on the platform to have your digital bracelet, because I had to go to their Facebook page and in one of the comments already said there that you could enter CONANP. You register as a user and the payment is made later,” said Torres.
María Katoku, visiting from Morelia, Michoacan, thought the regulatory measures are necessary to protect the natural environment, although she stressed that it is important to ensure adequate use of the resources collected and the need for transparency, so it doesn’t become another measure steeped in the long line of corruption that Mexicans are all too familiar with pertaining to government officials. “It seems very good to me that they protect this beach that is almost virgin or practically virgin so that it continues to be preserved and that there is not so much crowding, or capacity of people and we can all enjoy the beach at a pre-established and sensible time. It seems right to me that there be a contribution per person, per visitor, that we can contribute financially to the conservation of the beaches,” said María.
Juan Antonio Román, a visitor to Mexico City, expressed concern about the lack of environmental education in general, which, according to him, justifies strict measures like this. “I think it’s very good that this organization takes care of the beach because people destroy it without measure, they leave garbage, we don’t have environmental education about all this, so going about this way to take care of the beach seems appropriate to me,” said Juan.
Although most travelers have become accustomed to checking information about tours, restaurants and beaches, before they make their plans and reservations, an advertising campaign advising people who visit La Paz with the intent of going to Balandra would have been appropriate.
Balandra continues to be one of the most visited destinations in La Paz, and despite all these new hurdles, and doubts expressed about the authorities’ ability to guarantee transparency in the use of resources and resolving accessibility problems using the internet, Alejandro of Tijuana added that the virtual site contains information about the Protected Natural Areas, their characteristics, geographical location, regulations and references, among other information of interest.
Click here to visit the CONANP website to but your bracelet…
What’s the link to buy bracelets for the beach?
https://descubreanp.conanp.gob.mx/es/conanp/ANP?suri=9