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Bienvenidos to Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, México! You’ve found the perfect vacation spot for relaxing on the beach, fabulous dining, bountiful shopping, and exciting sightseeing, maybe even catching a fish or two. This resort area is famous for its gorgeous ocean and sea, but don’t forget, the beautiful and mysterious desert is right here, too. At first glance, you may see just a desert, but upon better exploration, it is much more. You’ve arrived in the Cape Region, the “Garden Spot” of the Baja Peninsula. The flora and fauna of the Los Cabos area are significantly different from a traditional desert. Everything is greener, and there’s more of it!
It’s time for an adventure where you will experience the sights, smells, and sounds of Los Cabos and the Cape Region’s diverse variety of plants, animals, and insects. Grab a map, rent a car, and do some exploring on your own. Or, you may want to join a guided tour with one of our adventure groups. Either way, you will find that the trip is a sensory experience.
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If you decide you prefer to rent a car, most types will be appropriate, but best to tell your rental car agency your plans so a proper vehicle can be recommended. Begin by exploring the foothills on the east side of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range, along Highway #1 north of San José del Cabo. Here you will find a semi-deciduous forest with a rich composition of shrubs and trees of different heights, spreading and intermingling with each other. During winter and spring, many of these trees shed their leaves but in summer and fall, during the rainy season, the area is densely forested. Many species of plants growing here are unique to this region of the peninsula. Representative groups that are easily found in the Cape Region include Jacolosúchil, Ciruelo, Palma Colorado, Palo de Arco and Palo Zorillo.
Jacolosúchil is our local plumeria. This shrub-like tree is known for its sweet scented snowy white flowers that bloom before the leaves show. It is most easily seen along Highway #1 or throughout the arroyos and canyons of the foothills from Los Cabos to La Paz. The Ciruelo is a wild plum tree. It produces a tasty yellow or red edible fruit that ripens in late summer and fall. Palma Colorado is the smallest of the peninsular palms. It flowers from February through March. The trunks of Palma Colorado are tough and durable and are used to make the palapa posts, roofs, fences and baskets. Palo de Arco is one of the most graceful plants in the Cape Region. Its yellow flowers bloom most of the year, making it popular as an ornamental throughout México. The strong, straight stems of the Palo de Arco are used to make crates for carrying food and building fences, furniture, and house walls. Yellow flowers produce a mass of color on the Palo Zorillo in June. Soon after the flowers begin to fade, the small green leaves appear. Zorillo is Spanish for skunk. Crush a leaf or break a twig and you will never have any trouble identifying this tree. However, don’t think its only feature is a bad-smell since it is also used to treat a snakebite.
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Three of the largest arroyos on the eastern slopes of the Sierra de la Laguna pass through the towns of Miraflores, Santiago and San Bartolo north of Los Cabos. These arroyos have forests of willows along their courses at lower elevations. All three have streams that are perennial in the mountains. However, even during periods of drought, you can find deep pools and natural hot springs at the lower elevations. Zalate, a wild fig that grows on rocky walls and slopes, is common here. You can see the white roots of these beautiful trees in the small community of San Bartolo along Highway #1. The roots clasp to the rocks like octopus tentacles, reaching for water in underground streams. Although the fruit of the Zalate is not edible, ranchers make a wash from the leaves to treat cuts and infections. The Cardón-Barbón cactus can be seen in abundance in this area. This cactus is about half the height and size of the larger, more massive Cardón Pelón that dominates the deserts of the Baja Peninsula.
One of the world’s truly fantastic phenomena is the migration of the Monarch Butterfly. Each winter, Monarch Butterflies migrate from the northeastern US and Canada in order to reproduce. Mexican colonies are extremely large. One starts counting in millions. These butterflies begin their long, unwavering flights back to the sheltered groves that safeguarded their ancestors. Sometimes to the exact same trees! How? It's still a mystery. However, individual monarchs only make the round-trip once because their life span is only a few months. Their great-great-grandchildren return south the following fall. The time to see them is November through March during their yearly migration to México. It's an amazing sight any time, but especially in January and February when numbers peak: whole trees are smothered in monarchs, branches sagging under the weight. When they take to the air, millions of fluttering butterflies make more noise than you'd ever think possible.
While you are exploring the Cape Region, you’ll no doubt encounter some of the birds that enjoy their yearly winter migration to México, too. We have strikingly colored black and yellow Scotts, Bullocks, and Baltimore Orioles. Loud aggressive Cactus Wrens, Gila Woodpeckers, and Blue Jays are with us year-round. When the small red-breasted Finches arrive, they busily begin working on nests in the shrubs. The Red Cardinal pops by for a brief visit in the summer months. If you hear a series of dove-like coos followed by clacking sounds, it’s a Road Runner, better known here as a “Correcamino.” Squawking crows, ominous buzzards, and Caracara, the national bird of México, can be seen and heard almost everywhere. The most majestic of all our birds is the Red Tailed Hawk that soars quietly overhead looking for small prey below.
A wide variety of lizards scamper silently through the brush and under rocks. Iguanas can reach over two feet and are recognized by their ridge-like backs. Finally, it’s possible you may encounter a Diamond Back Rattler. Fortunately, this “bad boy” lets us know that we’re getting too close by furiously shaking his rattles, giving us an opportunity to head the other way.
We’ve only given you a sample of the natural wonders you will find in the Los Cabos and the Cape Region. You’ll want to return again and again to discover more. Resources that will assist you in this discovery are Baja California Plant Field Guide by Norman C. Roberts, and Peterson’s Field Guide to Mexican Birds. Both can be found in bookstores and on Amazon.com. Local activity companies and resources for guided adventure tours include:
• Cabo Adventures
Ph: (624) 173-9500
• Baja Buggies
Ph: (624) 105-9331
• Baja Outback Hummer Adventures, brought to you by Terramar
Ph: (624) 142-9200 ext. 249
• Buggy Adventures
Ph: (624) 105-0770
• Baja Salvaje Ecco Expeditions (Baja Wild) Ph: (624) 142-5300
• Desertica
Ph: (624) 146-9601
• Rancho Carisuva
Ph: (624) 105-1046
Call or stop by their offices
for more information.
Car rental agencies such as Thrify, Alamo, Europcar, Dollar, Payless, Cactus, All Over Baja, and others, will be able to provide vehicles for your self-guided outings. Many have rental desks at resort locations. For more information, see their ads in Los Cabos Magazine or at loscabosguide.com
By JoAnn Hyslop
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Copyright © 2009 - Joseph A. Tyson - All Rights Reserved - www.loscabosmagazine.com
Los Cabos Magazines, Inc - Tyson Promotions, Inc - Promociones Tyson, S. A. de C. V.
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico - Last Revision - 03 October, 2008 - fap
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