Need a break from Los Cabos? Take an excursion to the Hexagon Caves, just an hour from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico near the historic village of Todos Santos. This quaint section of Baja is considered a “hidden gem” that has not exploded in popularity yet, but features dozens of art galleries, miles of papaya and avocado groves, sugar cane fields and abandoned mills, untainted surf beaches, and fun cultural festivals.
Discover the Hamlet of Coroscos
Some people consider Coroscos a “semi-ghost town” because there are just 350 people living here – mostly ranchers, winemakers, and farmers whose families have been living here for five or six generations. The earliest settlers were attracted to the region by the natural underground springs that fed the fertile land. They built small irrigation canals called “acequias” and raised beef cattle, as well as goats to produce milk and cheese products. Some residents excel in furniture crafting, sandal-makng, and ceramics that are taken to the Todos Santos markets.
Tour operators in Todos Santos offer visitors unique opportunities to meet with local families and dine on authentic homemade cuisines in their adobe homes. Learn how to make cheese and tortillas from scratch with the locals and get a glimpse into what everyday life is like for rural Mexicans before spending the night in this private oasis.
A hiker’s delight
Jesuit missionaries built a mountain chapel in the 1700s, surrounded by fruits, vegetables, wine and sugar cane. It was considered an important mission settlement until the 1840s, when sugar production overtook the area. Today, you can see the remnants of these structures on a hike through Baja’s most solitary mountain range, the Sierra de la Laguna.
The Mexican government has protected the area since 1994, when they designated it a biosphere reserve and described it as an “ecological treasure-house.” Animals may be spotted along the way, including doves, herons, snakes, scorpions, mountain lion, coyote, fox, kangaroo rats, desert mule deer, gophers, badgers, butterflies and skinks. The lower elevations are home to a dry forest canyon of cacti, palms, oaks, wild figs, ironwood, and thorny trees.
The hexagonal caves is the most spectacular feature in the area. These rocks were formed 60 million years ago by extremely rare geographic conditions. Similar to the famous “Giant’s Causeway” of Ireland, the columnar joint near Coroscos and Todos Santos was formed when volcanic activity forced tectonic plates to shift and break, forcing 700-1,200 degree lava to the surface of the earth. At such high temperatures, the minerals coalesce into their natural crystal structure, which is then cooled rapidly into the hexagonally shaped Basalt pillars you see today.
