Here are some of our favorite outdoor activities to do in La Ventana. Bonus section for our favorite spots to eat and additional resources. This is a compilation of feedback gathered from locals and our friends who spend their winter months in La Ventana.

The best website to get information on events happening in La Ventana is Ventana View, it is also a phenomenal resource for finding restaurants, cafes, transportation, a travel board, emergency resources and more. I highly recommend saving a link to that site and scanning before you visit and check out the events while you’re there.

Google Map of places and locations listed in the article

Trail fun – Mountain biking, hiking, and trail running.

I cover most of the trail information in this Youtube video (poorly), here is a link to the community post that has links to specific trails and maps. These are also the best trails for hiking.

North trails

If you’re looking for some elevation gain and like to get high, check out the trails north of El Sargento. The most epic and rewarding view is from the Alta Vista trail, the highest summit on this trail system, run or bike it! Let’s go!

It gets hot out here, I highly recommend hitting these very early in the morning outside of the winter months. Also, during the warm months, please be on the look out for snakes. We’ve encountered rattlesnakes on the trails in April onwards.

A few reasons to consider a donation to the trail system:

1. Help build new trails
2. Maintain existing trails
3. Work to conserve the area for future generations to ride
4. Provide anti-venom for any snake bite accidents
5. Supporting the local biking community. Helping local youth with a gear library and MTB education.

South trails aka Cacti Garden

For easier, mellow hikes through a magical cacti garden, I recommend south trails, the Bosque de Cactus. These trails are amazing for hiking, trail running, and biking and have beautifully created signs that explain what the different plant life is that you’re seeing.

Where to rent bikes in La Ventana:

• Aqua Ventana – MTB rental closest to the south trails.
• Tatehuari – electric MTB and cruiser rentals. Centrally located.
• Rancho Cacachillas Adventure Hub – closest to North Trails you can rent online in advance.

Paddleboarding

We love paddleboarding in La Ventana in the mornings or non-wind days. It’s really beautiful to paddle out and look back at La Ventana and El Sargento from the ocean.

Bring your snorkel gear along and you can hang off your paddleboard and do some epic snorkeling off your SUP.

• Mornings are best on windy days.
• Our favorite SUP and snorkel spots are right in front of the main campground and about up to about .5 miles north of the campground.

Where to rent Paddleboards in La Ventana

• Aqua Ventana – best place to rent high-performance race boards or down winding SUPs
• Playa Central – Rents see-through SUPs, best for seeing the sealife underneath you as you paddle up the shore from their location.
• La Tuna – has a couple of hard-shell SUPs for rent if you need a rental in El Sargento.

Snorkeling

• You can take snorkeling tours and trips but also just head out from the beach. Some other notable beach snorkeling spots in the area are
  • The Lighthouse
• If you want to find the best snorkeling and scuba diving on the entire Baja Peninsula (strong statement), Cabo Pulmo National Park is the best. It’s about 2 hours away, we recommend booking in advance and checking the weather to ensure that you get a good day to snorkel or dive based on the conditions.

Where to rent snorkeling gear and wetsuits in La Ventana

• Playa Central

Kiting / Winging

We’re not the experts in this area at all, but there are so many incredible blogs written about this so we’re sharing some below. If you’re considering lessons or to rent gear, here are our favorite shops:

• Playa Central – centrally located. Brand new gear every year.
• Evolution Kiteboarding – IKO certified school and instructors.
• Kiteboarding planet – on a quieter beach, incredible spot. A bit north of town in El Sargento.
• Nomad kiteboarding – a great school in El Sargento, locally owned and operated.
• Elevation Kiteboarding – expensive but we’ve heard great reviews
• Kitemex – Nico is new to the area, his rates are more affordable relative to other schools.
• You can find more information on La Ventana Kiteboarding guide.

Recover and Rejuvenate -= Yoga / Meditation / Pilates

• Yogalina Kay Kay – Held at Baja Joes, a great spot for wind sports. Kay Kay is a La Ventana local who offers incredible classes. We’ve taken her VinYin (Vinyasa + Yin) and Vinyasa classes, and the experience she offers with the harmonium, singing, and an extended, non-rushed class is absolutely incredible. The open-air venue is also amazing to hear birds and nature sounds while practicing.
• Chilo Chill – Yoga, Pilates, Pandora light experience (ask them about it and try it!)
• Casa Verde – centrally located in La Ventana, they offer a rooftop Yoga class. Great place to grab a coffee as well.
• Casa Tara Hotel – a resort/retreat place that is heavily focused on Yoga retreats. Offers classes and has really beautiful ocean views from their restaurant/pool area.

Best coffee shops in La Ventana

• Silvestre – Amazing baked goods, great coffee, and an art gallery next door. Husband and wife owned and operated.
• Maco Cacao Bar – new in 2025, they specialize in making their own chocolate and are mostly a chocolate shop with delicious treats and coffee in a variety of ways, with chocolate drinks.
• Polvora – Incredible restaurant and coffee shop, check hours of operation before going because they are a bit out of town.
• Renaissance Coffee Box – a bit pricey but has ocean views and organica house music vibes
• Casa Verde – They have yoga classes, and you can grab coffee here as well. The best part is their beach views and access to the patio area while hanging out.

Best Happy hour or drinks on the beach

• La Tuna – located north of town in El Sargento. Probably our favorite beach bar in town.
• Baja Joes – A bit gringo but they have a lot of fun events going on.
• Coyas Restaurant and Beach Bar – beautiful ocean views from their bar.

Best breakfast/brunch and lunch

• La Panadería Mextli’s – The best bakery in town with delicious smoothies.
• Pitaya – Great if you’re hitting the North trails for biking or hiking.
• Chilo Chill (breakfast) – our fav. was the Chilaquiles.
• Polvora – Amazing vibes and food. Great for hitting the south trails or if you’re staying on the south side of La Ventana. Check to make sure they are open as they have random hours of operation.
• Baja Bites – Great lunch spot, but get their early in their operating hours.
• Bendito Burrito has some massive veggie burritos, great to grab on the go!

Best Nightlife

• La Tuna, Baja Joe’s, and Playa Central often have events, but there aren’t many places with consistent bands or DJs.
• The best place to find out what’s happening is to check out the Ventana View website or ask the locals. The best parties in town are sort of unannounced and by word of mouth.

Resources

La Ventana and El Sargento Grocery stores:

• Star Market – biggest selection in town, takes CC
• Madre Tribu market – has a small but awesome selection of tofu, organic foods, non-dairy milks, PB etc.
• Fruits and Veggies stand – great selection of fruits, veggies, and nuts but cash only.

How to get to La Ventana and get around:

• There are a few companies that offer a shuttle to La Ventana from La Paz and/or Cabo.
• When you’re in town, you can get around walking or riding a bike. E-bikes (see bike section above) are a nice way to get around as well and there are a few options to rent scooters as well.

Leave No Trace

Plastic and even aluminum recycling is hard to find. Infrastructure for landfills and waste management in this small and growing tourism community is limited.

Here are some tips on reducing waste and reducing your water consumption.

• Please bring your reusable water bottle along. Here are the places where you can get water refills.
  • Purificada – for filling large jugs of water
  • Star Market will sell you 6-gallon jugs and refill them.
  • Pro tip: Bring that water bottle out to the bars and restaurants
• Please bring your own coffee mug, all of the coffee shops above do offer mugs, but in case you’d like your beverage to go.
• Water is limited in La Ventana and is often trucked in to many resorts, homes and restaurants.
  • Limit your showers – jump in that ocean and scrub-a-dub-dub or take military-style showers by turning the water off while you lather up.
  • Controversial? Don’t flush after every pee? Easy to manage if you’re solo or aligned with your roommates 😂