After spending some time Bahía Concepción, the next easy stop along Highway 5 is Loreto, which is 1.5 hours south. We had nearly ran out of pesos and food staples… and let’s be honest, we were in desperate need of a hot shower!
Loreto is designated as a Pueblo Mágico, which are distinguished destinations in Mexico that are special in a cultural or historical way. It’s also considered to be the first human settlement in Baja California. Between its natural beauty, cultural riches, historical relevance, and authentic charm it’s pretty obvious that this town is indeed magical! ✨
What To See & Do in Loreto
As with any new town that we enter, our first objective was to find a place to stay. Because Loreto is a walkable town, we wanted to be in a centralized location so we weren’t relying on driving. We found a quaint little campground called Romanita RV Park that was literally steps away from the historic main square, Plaza Juárez. (More on the campground down below.) There is quite a bit to do in Loreto, especially when it comes to exploring its history, dining on delicious comida or just relishing in this tranquil, serene community. Here are some of our favorite things to see and do!
See the Historic Main Square, Plaza Juárez
Many of the buildings in the square have restored the historical architecture and have been adapted into hotels, restaurants and boutiques. It’s a great spot to sit down with a good book, people watch, or come back in the evening for live music. Surrounding the plaza are pedestrian walkways that offer a shaded archway of topiary trees. There are plenty of small souvenir shops to chose from, as well as the opportunity to get a massage or pedicure at Spa Las Flores & Boutique.
Visit Misión De Nuestra Señora de Loreto Concho
For any of you history buffs, Baja California has a rich cultural past, and in most towns you can find a mission. In fact, there are 27 missions in Baja altogether! In Loreto, Misión De Nuestra Señora de Loreto Concho is the oldest mission in Baja, established in 1697. It’s worth a quick stop and a few photos. We loved marveling at the beautiful, old architecture, and even got some oohs and ahhs from the kids. Next door is the Museo de las Misiones, where you can view spiritual art, ancient tools and documents that are more than 300 years old. (Editor’s Note: In 2021, the Misión was closed due to some nearby construction.)
Take a Boat Tour to See the Parque Marítimo Nacional Bahía de Loreto
While we didn’t splurge for an excursion, there are lots of places that offer blue whale tours. Off the coast of Loreto, the waters and five islands are home to Mexico’s largest marine preserve called the Parque Marítimo Nacional Bahía de Loreto. There are more than 800 species of marine life that inhabit the Sea of Cortez, so a boat tour to one of the five islands within the park would likely offer up much to see.
Visit Sierra de la Giganta
Another possible excursion is to Sierra de la Giganta, where you can visit the renowned Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó. It’s a beautiful, historic mission that is worth the day or quick overnight trip. There’s fantastic hiking nearby as well. The book Hiking Loreto is a great resource for exploring this area!
Peruse the Books at El Caballo Blanco
Our first year in Loreto, Levi and I discovered the cutest little used bookstore called Baja Books (also known as El Caballo Blanco). There are tons of used books here, as well as a considerable collection of Baja-related books. The original owner, Jeannine Perez, was the sweetest woman. She has since passed, but her legacy remains thanks to a group of volunteers who have come together to run the bookshop in her honor.
Where to Eat in Loreto
If you learn anything from these posts before traveling to Baja, know this — if you see a food stand with a long line of locals, stop. Guaranteed to be the best place to eat some delicious food! We recommend steering clear of Plaza Juárez for sit-down restaurants. These are usually overpriced and geared towards tourists. As far as Loreto goes, you don’t have to go far to get a great meal. Only a block away from the plaza, Blvd. Salvatierra has some delicious, inexpensive options.
La Route Bikes + Coffee
One of my favorite places to go get some work done in Loreto is La Route Bikes + Coffee. It’s right in the plaza, and offers up delicious coffee options as well as pastries from a local shop. I’d argue that La Route has the best coffee in Loreto! The location of the place is perfect to enjoy the tranquility of the little square. There are three tables outside where one can work, meet up with a friend or just hang after a bike ride.
Veganautas Smoothies
I’m not a big smoothie person, but after stuffing my face full of tacos during most of our days in Baja, I tend to gravitate towards the healthy stuff after awhile. I was pumped to see a new smoothie shop right in between our campground and the plaza, so I gave it a try. Let me tell you right now — you haven’t had smoothies like this before! Each Veganautas smoothie is hand-created with good energy and love from the owner Suli, who is an absolute pleasure to chat with. I tried a few things off of the menu, and everything was fab. My faves were the detox green smoothie and the papaya special!
Alma del Sur
Tired of tacos by this point? (I know… it doesn’t sound possible but taco fatigue is real.) I highly recommend Alma de Sur, a soul food restaurant with kind people and fantastic food. You’re probably thinking, Soul food in Baja? Trust me on this. The owner and chef is a New Orleans native, now living in Loreto. You can have your pick of chicken pot pie, gumbo, country fried steak or BBQ pork ribs. There are also incredibly tasty sandwiches and sides here as well. We recommend the Sea Bass ceviche, the beet salad with green goddess dressing (SO GOOD!), the hushpuppies, fries and mac and cheese. Honestly, after eating here twice, I’m convinced you can’t go wrong with ordering anything off of the menu! Plus, do yourself a favor and get a cocktail here too. And the beignets! ???
Waicura
Traveling with two vegans in Baja has shown me that it IS possible to eat vegan here. Fortunately, Loreto has a few great options in this regard! Our friends loved Waicura so much that after they departed back to the states, I had to sneak in and try the food. The owner Andres is super accommodating and incredibly friendly! I ordered a vegan pizza, which tasted just as amazing as it smelled. While there, I saw folks come in and rave about the vegan burgers, as well as some of his cashew and blackberry ice cream. I also overhead something about truffles?! If you have food restrictions, including gluten and dairy, this is a must-stop!
Birrieria el Valle
Our first year in Baja, Steven and Harvey discovered what would become one of our favorite spots to eat in Loreto: Birrieria el Valle. For $35 pesos (which is around $1.75 depending on the exchange rate), you’d get five birria tacos (yes, FIVE!). I think we ate here at least three times during our stay in Loreto — it’s that good! Between the four of us, we can easily eat 20 tacos. Each taco can be eaten in 2-3 bites!
La Michoacana Ice Cream
It’s a pretty good walk from Birrieria el Valle to Romanita RV Park, which helped settle our tummies after literally eating ALL the tacos. On the way back, there’s another must-stop spot for a sweet treat: La Michoacana Ice Cream. This place has every paleta (popsicle) flavor you could dream of, as well as ice cream. (I’ll also admit it — we stopped by here 2-3 times too!)
Tacos and Beer Cesar’s
When you’re looking for authentic Mexican food without the tourist prices, check out Tacos and Beer Cesar’s. Steven enjoyed the fajitas, while I went off-course and order a hamburger. Both were fab! We especially loved the margaritas — a staple for any Mexican meal.
Where to Camp in Loreto
A quick note about camping in Loreto — it can be tough to find a spot! There truly aren’t any good campground options here (yet?), and most of the places you can camp pack you in like sardines. I recommend calling ahead to the RV park of your liking to see if they have availability. Make a reservation in advance, especially if you’re traveling with other folks. If you’re in a van or truck camper, you can easily park on the streets of Loreto as long as it’s permitted.
Romanita RV Park
We knew that a few folks that we had met earlier in our travels had stayed at Romanita RV Park, so we decided to check it out given it’s proximity to Plaza Juarez.
Getting to Romanita RV Park is a bit tricky, as it requires that you drive on a pedestrian walkway in order to access the entrance. Romanita RV Park is relatively small as far as campgrounds go. Luckily when we arrived, there were a few open spaces available, and we were able to secure one underneath a large palapa. (We didn’t worry about not having direct sunlight on our solar panels, as we were able to plug in to electricity there.) We were glad that we made it at the time we did — several other rigs came in immediately afterwards, and before you knew it, the campground was sold out. With that said, the manager Alberto got pretty creative when it comes to fitting more folks in — and it can get pretty tight.
Romanita backs up to a pedestrian walkway that will take you straight into the heart of Plaza Juarez, where all the action happens, or down to the malecon (waterfront). Although the campsites could be pretty tight if there’s a full house, the walkway was the perfect “backyard” for the kids to ride scooters back and forth. I should note here that the RV Park is very family-friendly, and there are usually a lot of kiddos congregating in the middle by the palm trees, where they can hang and climb around the tree stumps.
As I mentioned earlier, the RV park is really close to the downtown area, where you’ll find cafes, restaurants and community gatherings. Nearly every night, we would be serenaded by the live music down the pathway, which was lovely! It certainly didn’t hurt to be close to the 2-for-1 margaritas too.
The campground offers dry camping or full hookups. There’s also a sink area where you can wash dishes or produce, and a washer that can do a load for $80 pesos. While there’s only one bathroom for each gender, it was always stocked with toilet paper and the shower area is very clean. And even better, the showers were always HOT! My only gripe is that there is only one restroom for each gender. Sometimes waiting to go potty can take awhile if the shower is occupied.
There’s also WiFi on site, but as I’ve mentioned in previous campground reviews on Baja, don’t get too excited. The service was hit or miss most days. While the amenities are basic, this campground is relatively quiet. There’s a gate at the entrance that is closed at night, and we always felt safe there.
The cost to camp at Romanita RV Park was $200 pesos a night for dry camping, plus an additional $50 pesos per night for electrical, water and sewer hookups. If you’re traveling in a van or small travel trailer, this is a perfect place to stay in Loreto!
I should also note that the owner, Alberto, is developing a new campground under the same name near the highway on the outskirts of town. We scouted it out, and it looks good for vans, truck campers and smaller travel trailers. There’s also dry camping available in a large dirt lot adjacent to the full hookup sites for larger rigs. If all else fails in town, this is a solid option that has mountain views and a quieter atmosphere.
Loreto Shores RV Park
For those with travel trailers, you’ll want to bypass Romanita and check out Loreto Shores. It is way off of the beaten path — too far to walk to town in our opinion, although it can be done. However, it’s just a short drive to the main square. The camping spots here are extremely tight, given that have of the property are small casita homes owned by expats. You’re basically paying to pay in a dirt lot without much shade, and without any views. However, the manager can get creative with finding you a site depending on the length of your stay. They have laundry on-site, as well as a community center and a warm-water pool. We believe that the RV spots subsidize many of the costs for the casita owners, so with that comes a lot of rules about what you can/cannot do. This includes adults only pool hours (9-11am and 3-5pm), no laundry hanging from your campsite and no campfires (propane firepits are allowed). It’s also one of the most expensive RV parks we’ve ever stayed at in Baja at $580 pesos per night (~$31 USD) for two people and $100 pesos for each additional person (limited to four people total). However, there are weekly and monthly discounts available in you choose to stay longer.
Rivera del Mar RV Park
This is a nicely manicured RV park with 25 spaces with full hookups. Like Loreto Shores, Rivera del Mar RV Park packs RVs in here tight, so don’t expect a “front yard” to hang out in, especially if your neighbor has slide outs. But if you prefer something within walking distance, it’s two blocks from the waterfront and five blocks from the historical plaza, which makes for a nice stroll through Loreto. The restrooms are clean and the showers are hot! There’s also WiFi and laundry services on site, which is a perk. If this place was completely full it may feel like everyone is on top of each other, but it still seems like a decent option with great nightly rates: $16 dollars for dry camping (1-2 people), $19 dollars for full hookups (1-2 people, or $5 (per person) for tent, van or small car camping.
Side note — we did experience some older snowbirds who come here every year and did NOT appreciate that we had our kids traveling with us. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t camp here, but these crappy old farts can be very vocal and even aggressive. We had an older man bang on the side of our trailer one night, which led to a very uncomfortable confrontation the next morning.
Regardless of where you camp, everyone is in the same boat down here with the lack of options available — so please lead with kindness and respect above all.
Final Thoughts on Loreto
Loreto is a really cute, walkable city that is well worth a stop on a Baja road trip. You can also fly into Loreto — it has an international airport. It’s totally worth renting a car to also visit San Javier, Mulegé or Bahía Concepción!
Have you ever visited one of Mexico’s Pueblo Magico cities?
Updated February 2023
