Visiting Baja California: when to go, budget and itinerary

La Paz, on the Sea of Cortez, is the quietest town in the south: a malecon for the sunset, Balandra beach and its shallow turquoise water. From the harbour, a day by boat leads to Espiritu Santo island, a biosphere reserve, to swim with the sea lions of Los Islotes and skirt red sandstone cliffs. From October to April, you can also swim with whale sharks in the bay, under supervision, with strict limits on numbers and time in the water.

At the southern tip, Cabo San Lucas concentrates a marina, nightlife and El Arco, the rock formation where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, reachable only by boat. San Jose del Cabo, 30 kilometres away, is calmer, with its gallery district and its bird estuary. Between the two, the corridor lines up big hotels and a few swimmable beaches, most being dangerous because of the currents.

From mid-January to late March, grey whales travel 8000 kilometres from the Arctic to calve in three shallow Pacific lagoons: Ojo de Liebre near Guerrero Negro, San Ignacio and Magdalena. The panga trips are strictly regulated; the mothers often approach the boats and sometimes let people touch the calves. It is one of the few places in the world where this happens.

Halfway up the peninsula, Loreto was the first mission of the Californias in 1697. The restored seafront opens onto a marine national park of five islands: Coronado and its white-sand beach, Danzante, Carmen. It is a base for diving, kayaking and sport fishing, with an airport and far fewer people than Los Cabos. The canyons of the Sierra de la Giganta, just behind, hide rock paintings.

The far north of the peninsula, around Ensenada, has a cool Mediterranean climate, about 13 degrees on average in January against 19 in La Paz. It holds the Guadalupe valley, Mexico's main wine region, with dozens of cellars and open-air restaurants, an hour and a half from the border. Note, however: the rest of the state of Baja California, notably Tijuana and Tecate, is formally advised against by French authorities, and the road down from California needs careful planning.