- Mexico
- La Paz
About Program
Nestled in the protected Coyote Bay, NOLS Mexico is your gateway to the coastal desert and turquoise waters of Baja California Sur. Here you’ll have access to more than 1,000 miles of mountain and marine environments across two Mexican states. NOLS Mexico is the school’s first international campus and our team’s cultural, generational, and language diversity give it a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. Baja California wilderness classrooms range from open ocean to coastal desert—and the outdoor skills you’ll learn range from camping and backpacking to sailing and sea kayaking. You might learn how to handle a Drascombe Longboat in the Sea of Cortez or paddle a kayak along the coastline, making camp on a different beach each night. While backpacking, you might practice speaking Spanish with local communities or learn about the unique ecology of the region’s coastal desert.
Video and Photos
Program Highlights
- Earn transferrable US College Credit
- Semesters in the Spring and Fall
- Grow and lead on the Sea of Cortez
- Open the door to lifelong outdoor adventure
- Unlike most tourists, you’ll spend your time far from city centers, exploring the landscape and communities of Baja California
Popular Programs
Open the door to lifelong outdoor adventure, leadership, and international travel on the Semester in Baja. Explore winding canyons in the Sonoran Desert. Sail quiet coves on clear blue water in the Sea of Cortez. Watch the sunset from the beach after a day of paddling your kayak. Learn from remote ranching and fishing communities. On this semester, you’ll learn the outdoor and leadership skills you need to explore these wild and beautiful places.
You’ll explore its coasts and coves by sea kayak, starting with the basics like paddle technique and progressing to more advanced skills, like self-rescue. As you travel, you’ll work on leadership skills like communication and decision making. You’ll camp on beaches where you can explore tide pools and spot the unique desert wildlife that also make this area home.
On this course, you’ll learn about sailing and working as a member of a team. Learning to navigate by nature’s rhythms, you’ll explore a sea that’s rich with marine life. You’ll start with the basics of sailing these unique Drascombe longboats—reading the wind, navigating, managing sails, and more.
Open the door to lifelong outdoor adventure, leadership, and international travel on the Semester in Baja. Explore winding canyons in the Sonoran Desert. Sail quiet coves on clear blue water in the Sea of Cortez. Watch the sunset from the beach after a day of paddling your kayak. Learn from remote ranching and fishing communities. On this semester, you’ll learn the outdoor and leadership skills you need to explore these wild and beautiful places.
Embark on an extraordinary 22-day adventure with NOLS Mexico, where you'll delve into the remarkable beauty and biodiversity of the Sea of Cortez (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Pacific Ocean. Witness the annual migration of Pacific gray whales as they journey approximately 10,000 miles round trip from their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic to the serene waters of Baja California Sur, Mexico.
