San Ignacio travel guide

The highway continues southeast and, 20 km from the Vizcaíno Junction, reaches the first of 23 microwave relay towers that follow Highway 1 almost to the cape. They are closed to the public but make excellent landmarks and, in some cases, offer excellent views.

The turn-off right for the oasis town of San Ignacio, marked by a grey whale skeleton, is at San Lino, 143 km from Guerrero Negro. A road of about 3 km (US$2 in a taxi) leads to the small, attractive town of San Ignacio with pastel-coloured buildings and lush palm groves. Located close to a vital natural spring, the Cochimí called San Ignacio ‘Kadacaaman’ or ‘Red Grass River’, until Francisco Piccolo ‘discovered’ it in 1716. The town mission was founded by the Jesuit Juan Bautista Luyando in 1728 and completed by Dominican Juan Crisostomo Gómez in 1786. It is constructed of solid volcanic bricks over 1m thick. The interior contains carved wood features, a statue of the mission’s founder and several religious oil paintings.

San Ignacio is one of the places along the coast where whale-watching tours can be arranged and it’s a far more enjoyable place to spend time than Guerrero Negro. The best season for whale watching is January to March.