Cabo San Lucas to La Candelaria.

Cabo San Lucas to La Candelaria.

Sometimes when you’ve been enjoying Cabo too much and your virgil at “The One and Only’ to see if you can spot Jennifer Aniston gets tiring. You start to think you might like a change from the usual tourist stuff.

Well there’s this road…………

That makes for a great day out and a change (Totally) from the Disney/Vegas that is Los Cabos. There’s this old farming community about 20 miles (approx) north a town named La Candelaria.

Fun drive and the town now has artisans that do old style pottery. Ask my daughter she bought a couple of pieces to take back to China! There are a couple around who do it but Jenny chose from an American Lady who’s been living there for years. Friendly, interesting, mid-western lady. (Name escapes me now.)

We made several false starts trying to find our way out of Cabo. The online instructions were totally out of date. So much construction probably.

Coming south and west on hwy 1, you have to make the right turn one light “before” the junction that takes you north on Hwy 19 to Todos Santos. That’s Avienda Leona Vicario.
Take that for about 2 miles ‘or so’ to one block past Isla Cozumel, (there’s a Consturama Vicons Materials there at Isla Cozumel.) Then turn 45degrees right onto Camano a la Candelaria. Don’t turn 90 degrees, that’s Isla Cuba. Still lots of road work going on there.
Go for another 2 miles ‘or so’ then take the fork to the left and drive alongside Cabo San Lucas Airport. You’re still on Camano a la Candelaria.
About 4 miles ‘or so’ and there’s another fork, stay left again. Then do what we did and followed the main dirt road north.

It’s well worth the drive into the Santa Catarina Mountains for nice scenery and some wildlife through ranching country.

Just past on the left of the church the goat horns on the gate is where you’ll find our friendly potter. Going down the hill is a palm fringed oasis I hear one can swim in but check first.

We went out by going west out of La Candelaria by-passing the cemetery and following the water course down the hill. We saw what looked like an old large hacienda at the bottom with a pool filled with rocks. Probably carried down with flood waters. It looked to be a military post with army trucks there but we didn’t see a soul. From then on out it’s sand wash and river bed. Well traveled by rental ATV’s and buggys as well as farm trucks. Comes out at the bridge at Highway 19 over the wash at Migrino

We went north on 19 from there for some well earned Cervesa and Nachos on the beach at Playa Los Cerritos.

Really a fun day out and refreshing change.


Looking up the road north.


Roadside shrine top.


Pigs and cacti.


Burros in a frenzy.


Cara Cara…and Cati


Looking down on La Candelaria


And up to the cemetery


Local Church


Potters Gate


Jenny and her friendly potter, they got on great.


Boots..!


Old adobe wasting away.


Sharon with the nachos at Los Cerritos beach, Oh and the Corona.


Too stiff and old anymore


Me…heading for the nachos!!!

De nada Rat!

If you're coming from the Todos Santos Hwy 19 try the Migrino sandwash, duck under the brigde there to the dry bed.

Take a good look at google earth to where the sand ends, you have to take a right at the fork and then a left.... to the left of the old hacienda military post and go up the trail there.

That's a fun drive in itself. Good luck.

My map isn't as good as David K's But here it is, hope it helps.



[Edited on 8-30-2012 by scouse]

Here's some mountain pottery photos, these were made by Marcos at Rancho San Vicente which is not too far from Candelaria.



My wife actually cooks with all of these, they are fairly durable and can be used directly on a stove burner.

Here's some photos of Rancho San Vicente:





This is my wife with Marcos and his hermana Margarit, sorry I rotated them in photobucket and they show correctly there but not here for some reason.