Coloured cliffs
Red, brown and white.
Shawn from Airdrie, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · AlexisSalinas01 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AlexisSalinas01 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AlexisSalinas01 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Óscar Badillo Pérez — CC BY-SA 4.0
Isla Espíritu Santo is an uninhabited island in the Gulf of California, the Sea of Cortez, off Baja California Sur, Mexico, about 36 km north of the city of La Paz in a straight line. A narrow channel separates it from neighbouring Isla Partida, and both are a short boat trip from La Paz. The earliest evidence of people on the island dates back about 9,000 years. The two islands were formed by volcanic activity and violent earthquakes, so most of their rock is volcanic ash and lava. Espíritu Santo covers about 81 square kilometres, rises to 562 metres and is the twelfth largest island in Mexico. Both islands lie within a flora and fauna protection area, and UNESCO named them part of a Biosphere Reserve in 1995. From the sea the island looks like a horizontal rainbow in earthy tones, with bands of red, brown and white rock above sheer cliffs. Small coves with white sand beaches and clear aquamarine water line its shores. Visitors come on boat trips from La Paz that stop at beaches and coves. Sea kayaking around the island is popular. At the northern end, the strait between the two islands is shallow enough to wade across at certain tides. On neighbouring Isla Partida lies Ensenada Grande beach, which a travel magazine voted the most beautiful beach in Mexico.
Red, brown and white.
White sand.
Around the island.
Sea of Cortez, off La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
On a boat trip from La Paz.
No, it is uninhabited and protected.