BAJA CALIFORNIA

Desert meets two seas: the Pacific on one side, the Sea of Cortez on the other. In the Sierra de San Francisco, prehistoric murals of people and animals cover the cave walls, a UNESCO site reached by mule. Todos Santos has the galleries, the artists’ studios and the surf. From January to March, grey whales come close enough to touch in the lagoons of San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay. Further north, the Valle de Guadalupe is Mexico’s wine country, with some striking contemporary architecture among the vines.