What is your favorite summer activity in Baja California Sur? A few years ago, expats in La Paz created social communities for people living here year-round, braving the season. Their special group was the Summer Survivors/Warriors. The rules were simple: one had to be here full-time, throughout the hottest months, to participate. The reality for many full-time expats is that these months can feel quiet and isolating, even though summer remains an important travel season for domestic tourism. Many expat residents choose not to visit or live here during this stretch. For those who are full-timers, finding creative ways for an active life, outdoor or social, becomes a skill.
Taking the example of the Summer Survivors/Warriors in La Paz, organizers and participants encourage everyone to keep active through group activities such as weekly beach meetups, moon circles, camping, and rotating pool parties.
If you have never experienced this season in BCS, this might not resonate as much with you. However, if you’ve experienced a full winter in Northern Europe, Canada, or parts of the US, this is not so different from the blues one might experience at the peak of the winter in February. When everything is grey, dark, and cold, and going outside and having a social life don’t make it into the same sentence.
Now in my fifth summer in Mexico, I find that a little planning and a genuine desire to explore can change your relationship with it. Whether you find a group similar to the Summer Survivors/Warriors and become part of an active community that helps curate some of these experiences, or create your own bucket list and travel solo, or a combination of both, you can keep socializing and enjoying life through these months.
Sky Camping and Astro-Tourism
If you prefer nighttime activity, I suggest researching sky camping and astro-tourism. BCS is blessed with many areas of near-zero light pollution. Take advantage of camping in those areas, where you can enjoy the night sky away from polluted cities. This can be an inexpensive, unique experience for both nature enthusiasts and campers alike. For those who want to learn more, astro-tourism is a growing niche in this area. You can hire a trained professional for a private sky-gazing evening or join pre-planned retreats that usually bundle multiple, unique BCS experiences. (Resources listed below)
Museums and Historic Towns
For fun daytime activities, an air-conditioned museum is always a good cultural and historical option. A few favorites worth the drive: Todos Santos has its Centro Cultural, which houses a small museum on regional history, a collection of historic photographs, and a gallery of work donated by local artists. El Triunfo, on the way toward La Ventana, is the better-kept secret. It’s a former silver-mining town with three small museums packed into a few blocks: the Museo Ruta de Plata on the town’s mining history, the Museo de la Música with its collection of restored pianos shipped in during the boom years, and the Museo Vaquero de las Californias on the history of the Baja cowboy.
Mountain Escapes and Waterfalls
About an hour to an hour and a half north of Cabo San Lucas, Highway 1 climbs into the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna. The higher elevation brings a small drop in temperature, but you’ll feel the shift: less coastal humidity, more dry mountain air. Miraflores and Santiago sit right in that transition zone, where farmers and rancheros have worked the land for generations, growing what the coast can’t: mangoes, guavas, sugarcane, in small irrigated plots fed by mountain springs.
Just outside of that region, Rancho Ecológico Sol de Mayo has been run by the same family for generations. From the ranch, it’s a short, steep hike down into Cañón de la Zorra, where a waterfall locals call Cascada Sol de Mayo drops into a cold, clear pool surrounded by rocks and canopy. You go from full desert sun to shade and cold freshwater runoff in about ten minutes.
Supporting Local Economies
While planning your activities, consider beyond a fun day out: this is when the region goes quiet, and small inland economies feel it most. The ranches, family restaurants, and artisan shops that depend on tourism keep operating as the heat sets in, with fewer visitors. Every meal you eat, every entrance fee you pay, every souvenir you buy is money that keeps a small operation running through its slowest stretch. Supporting these places keeps them here for the rest of the year, for you and for the next visitor.
If you’re going to make the drive, go with intention. Follow the access rules, and pay the entrance fee without haggling. Skip chemical sunscreen before entering any natural pool, and remember to pack out everything you bring. Enjoy the rest of your season! — Naailah Auladin
Resources:
Urania Adventures: award-winning astro-tourism and scientific tourism project based in La Paz. For more info, contact: Aracely Angulo @urania.adventures on Instagram.
