Where the desert meets the sea
The natural environment of Baja California Sur is
one of the most unique of Earth. La Paz is just one of a few
places on the planet where the desert meets the sea. This
makes for some striking juxtapositions of vivid blue and green waters
against desert flora and rock formations.
La Paz has warm winters and hot summers with cool breezes coming from
the west each afternoon. August and September sees most of the annual
average rainf all, which is just six inches. Except
for the
hotter summer months, the weather in La Paz for the rest of the year
are in the high 70’s to mid 80’s.
The
Sea of Cortez is world renowned for its marine life and the La Paz area
is a favorite ecotourism launching point. There are many
excursions available for exploring the bay, sea and islands to view the
plentiful and varied marine life.
Whether on an
excursion or just relaxing at Casa Tranby, you’ll have many
opportunities to see signature species of the area such as the Caracara
Mexican Eagle, Frigate birds, blooming cactii and ocotillo plants,
desert foxes, rabbits, owls, and more.
Aquatic Life and fishing
The La Paz area is the Eco Tourism center of Baja due to the large number of isolated islands and the bays that serve as the incubator for much of the marine life of the entire Pacific Ocean. The late explorer, Jacques Cousteau, considered the Sea of Cortez his favorite body of water in the world due to the abundant variety of marine life. Visitors enjoy kayaking trips to Espiritu Santo Island as well as many other pristine and environmentally protected areas nearby La Paz to observe the birthing grounds of migrating whales, sea lions, dolphins, and countless other fish and marine life. There are many local tour services that offer these excursions.
The area also provides access to the best fishing in all of Baja. From Punta Arenas to Espíritu Santos and Cerralvo Island, the waters of La Paz are the home of marlin, sailfish, dorado, wahoo, pargo, yellowtail and tuna. Cerralvo sits between two massive deep-water channels that literally funnel huge schools of pelagic fish along its flanks. Considered by many to be among the top five fishing spots in the world, the island and its surrounding areas produce tuna nearly year round. Marauding schools of dorado travel through the area from June to October. The world-record 114-pound roosterfish was caught here. Marlin, sailfish and other "deep water" gamefish have been hooked within a stone's throw of Cerralvo’s massive cliffs often in water so shallow and so clear that the bottom is clearly visible. For this reason, the northern and southern tips of the island are especially popular with sport fishermen.
Birds of Baja and other critters
A distinctive and impressive variety of birds and other animals in the La Paz area. Frequently seen flying over Casa Tranby is the Crested Caracara or Mexcian Eagle (pictured to the right).
Another iconic bird of the area, one you'll see while sipping a cerveza along the malecon is the Frigate Bird.
cactii and flowers
The natural environment of Baja California Sur is one of the most unique on Earth, where the desert meets the sea. The Saguaro, pronounced "sah-wah-roh", (Carnegiea gigantea) is a large, tree-sized cactus species common throughout the area.
It has night blooming flowers appear April-May and the sweet, ruby-colored fruit matures by late June. The Octotillo bush, for much of the year, appears to be an arrangement of large spiny partly green sticks. With rainfall the plant quickly becomes lush with small leaves, which may remain for weeks or even month.
The bright red flowers appear in spring and summer, occurring as a group of small tube shapes at the tip of the stem.
