Isla Monserrate & Isla Danzante, Baja California Sur, México
Dawn spreads across the Gulf of California with a rare golden light filled with warmth and promise. In the glow the mesa-like Isla Monserrate beckons. Clear water and rich fish life welcome our first opportunity for snorkeling. Curious schools of sergeant majors, yellow-tailed surgeons, balloon fish, and chorus lines of damsel fish observe us as much as we observe them. Urchins dot the rocky bottom like so many chrysanthemums. Pastel sea stars strike so many dancers’ poses. Afterwards we shower and join the exploration of the arroyos cutting into the flanks of Isla Monserrate. The desert we encounter is a phantasmagoria of shapes. Corrugated columnar cardons tower into the deep blue sky. Below, scattered about are candelabra of organ pipe cactus. Between the boulders are mounds of fish hook cactus. Although a desert, small trees and shrubs abound. In all, nine different cactus species are identified including a rare pitayita displaying delicate stems emerging from a fleshy turnip-like root.
During lunch we cruise northward a short distance to Isla Danzante. In sharp contrast to the tableland of Monserrate, Danzante’s volcanic rock is magnificently eroded into cathedral spires. Hikes set off inland to climb a ridge that affords views of several neighboring islands. Others launch a small fleet of kayaks to explore the precipitous coast populated with brown pelicans, cormorants, and egrets. The all too quickly, the day ends as it started with a fiery sunset over the jagged profile of the Sierra de La Giganta.
Dawn spreads across the Gulf of California with a rare golden light filled with warmth and promise. In the glow the mesa-like Isla Monserrate beckons. Clear water and rich fish life welcome our first opportunity for snorkeling. Curious schools of sergeant majors, yellow-tailed surgeons, balloon fish, and chorus lines of damsel fish observe us as much as we observe them. Urchins dot the rocky bottom like so many chrysanthemums. Pastel sea stars strike so many dancers’ poses. Afterwards we shower and join the exploration of the arroyos cutting into the flanks of Isla Monserrate. The desert we encounter is a phantasmagoria of shapes. Corrugated columnar cardons tower into the deep blue sky. Below, scattered about are candelabra of organ pipe cactus. Between the boulders are mounds of fish hook cactus. Although a desert, small trees and shrubs abound. In all, nine different cactus species are identified including a rare pitayita displaying delicate stems emerging from a fleshy turnip-like root.
During lunch we cruise northward a short distance to Isla Danzante. In sharp contrast to the tableland of Monserrate, Danzante’s volcanic rock is magnificently eroded into cathedral spires. Hikes set off inland to climb a ridge that affords views of several neighboring islands. Others launch a small fleet of kayaks to explore the precipitous coast populated with brown pelicans, cormorants, and egrets. The all too quickly, the day ends as it started with a fiery sunset over the jagged profile of the Sierra de La Giganta.
