San Jose's Estuary and Bird Sanctuary
San Jose's Estuary and Bird Sanctuary
San Jose's Estuary and Bird Sanctuary
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A spectacular beach where tourists come to view the sea lions in the month of June.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
585 reviews
Excellent
231
Very good
208
Average
94
Poor
36
Terrible
16
urbanmedusa
Victoria, Canada17 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
Staying at The BarcelĂł, the estuary is a 25min walk up the beach toward the now defunct Holiday Inn.
The estuary is a bird watchers paradise.
Brown pelicans, terns, ibis, snowy egret, turkey vultures, herons and black necked stilts to name a few.
It’s a beautiful walk passing local fishermen and Fonatur ecological conservation volunteers. The volunteers were excavating freshly laid turtle eggs to transport to the protected incubation site.
The incubation site is surrounded by protective fencing & netting outside of the old Holiday Inn.
Continue down the beach until you reach the break where the fresh water meets the Sea of Cortez. Locals usually surf the break but the water is deep and the tip is real for us gringos.
Enjoy the walk!
The estuary is a bird watchers paradise.
Brown pelicans, terns, ibis, snowy egret, turkey vultures, herons and black necked stilts to name a few.
It’s a beautiful walk passing local fishermen and Fonatur ecological conservation volunteers. The volunteers were excavating freshly laid turtle eggs to transport to the protected incubation site.
The incubation site is surrounded by protective fencing & netting outside of the old Holiday Inn.
Continue down the beach until you reach the break where the fresh water meets the Sea of Cortez. Locals usually surf the break but the water is deep and the tip is real for us gringos.
Enjoy the walk!
Written February 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebecca P
Santa Fe, NM29 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
The natural beauty of the area includes birds, butterflies and the water itself. The problem is the impact of humans. There was litter and graffiti everywhere, many of the lookouts were broken, and lots of fences claiming private property. I hope they will clean it up and restore it to the oasis it once was.
Written November 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gypsgris
Poughkeepsie, NY477 contributions
Dec 2021
As always time of year and day matters! I went several times early in the morning (sunrise) and found lots of shorebirds and ducks, etc. There are really two parts to the Estero: the one accessed through the public beach access from P. Malecon San Jose next to the OMNIA Dayclub. And further north off Blvd Antonio Mijares on either a dirt road to a useless Bird Lookout (but the area there is good for the endemic Yellowthroat) or near the water treatment plant. The area is neglected to be sure. The path along the water is partially under water so you can't connect to the northern part from the beach. But it all is good birding!
Written May 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ang L
Portland, OR222 contributions
Oct 2020
This was a really nice place to walk around. It was a little hard to find, especially after reading older reviews. Basically you follow the road along Zona Hotelera, keep going straight past all the roundabouts until you can't go further. (old reviews stated that you park/enter by the Holiday Inn... there is an abandoned-looking hotel which I'm guessing WAS Holiday Inn). You'll see a small "farm", some goats, chickens, horses (?). The entrance is near the sign reading "Fin de Ciclovia". Follow the path, it will turn into a boardwalk and then continue along the beach. We went close to sunset and saw a lot of different kinds of birds. Worth the visit.
Written November 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve B
Portland, OR52 contributions
Jan 2020
We really enjoyed this nature walk. You pick up the path just north of the Holiday Inn, which is located on the beach at the east end of the Hotel district. The pathway is not closed, however debris is still evident as they continue to clean up from a recent storm. The pathway to the right, which we took, takes you towards the ocean, within a half mile of fairly easy walking. Your shoes will get a bit muddy as you encounter some low lying area near the estuary water bodies. You'll see hundreds if not thousands of birds of many species. We saw a hawk dive-bomb hunting for fish in the water (around 10am). The spot where the estuary meets the ocean is a very unique feature, has many birds feeding, and is worth exploring.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
janet
Surrey, Canada19 contributions
Jan 2020
It is easy to walk along the river on your own. You will see other birdwatchers/photographers, school groups, runners, horseback riders and locals. Lots of water birds to see and beach to relax and picnic. Not easily accessible for those with mobility issues because of uneven ground, but easy enough for most.
Written February 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy V
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada1,080 contributions
Feb 2020
We were delighted to find this section of SJdC devoted to wildlife, after the urban experience of staying close to the Zona Hotelera. The river estuary with the bird life and relatively few people was a welcome relief for us on a beautiful day. You can spend hours in there watching the various types of birds both in the sky and on the water. You will be amazed at the variety of birds and the tranquility that you can get spending a few hours there. There are several platforms to get you up off the ground, which provide lovely vistas.
Written May 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Murray L
Richmond Hill22 contributions
Feb 2022
A wonderful quiet sanctuary in years past , and now even more impressive since the river exit to the Pacific has been blocked, with a small lake near the ocean. So many birds and varieties ! Pelicans, egrets, raptors, many kinds of ducks. See it from the beach , or from the dirt road across from the golf course , south of Finisterra.
Written February 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tubesteak
Morton Grove, IL56 contributions
Mar 2020
We found this by accident and went back every day we were there. It is very tranquil and we spent a fair amount of time here. We saw lots of different birds, most of which we do not see when we are home. There was a concrete path that went most of the way around the area but it was apparently destroyed by a bad storm a few years ago and has not been repaired.
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ru D
7 contributions
Dec 2024 • Solo
I had a great time bird watching at San Jose del Cabo’s estuary. Joan picked me up from my hotel in Cabo San Lucas and brought me back. She was very knowledgeable of the local species and very friendly and patiently. We were able to spot ca. 40 different species and see all the endemics planned.
I am more than satisfied with the pictures I took !
I am more than satisfied with the pictures I took !
Written December 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Why can’t the local government put in a couple of public toilets for the non-paying people?? And a trash can (or thirty) at the same Time?? Too much human garbage, so much beauty totally lost!
Sad!!
Written July 30, 2018
I thought it could be cleaned up too, especially since the whole city area is sold as "exclusive".
Written July 31, 2018
kallika412
Phoenix, Arizona
We've tried to find this twice in a car and can't seem to locate a suitable parking lot or the entrance to the estuary. Any recommendations on where to park and the best entrance (from the roadside)?
Thanks, in advance, for helping us out!
Written December 15, 2017
As you pass the shops on your left of the little strip mall, all the big hotels are on your right. Cabo Azul, the Mayan is the last one you pass before the roundabout. Go straight, no turns at the roundabout. The road does end at the last hotel there, I believe is a Holiday Inn. You can park there, the path runs up along side of the hotel and around into the Santuary. The last time I was there, the water was too high and covered the paths. It's a lovely walk early morning.
Written December 15, 2017
Depends on your definition of an easy walk. The estuary can be toured from the south-end Holiday Inn side or the north-end San Jose side, but the connection between these two ends is flooded, requiring a long detour between ends. We took a cab from the tourist corridor for the sole purpose of touring the estuary and were somewhat disappointed by the stench of standing water and the lack of wildlife. However, we saw a few birds and got to spend some time away from the Cabo/San Jose chaos, so we called it a "win." If you don't mind spending the day walking about 10K, you'll have a good day.
Written March 7, 2017
Has the path beside the Holiday Inn into the Estuary that will take you all the way to the town been redone?
Written January 2, 2017
We went to the Estuary in October for the first time. The path looked fairly new and definitely walkable. I'm not sure if it was redone, but we walked from San Jose to the Estuary and back. It was nice.
Written January 2, 2017
I don't know....I don't recommend that type of footwear anywhere except for a public bathroom!
Written June 23, 2016
Not all the way up to the Holiday Inn Resort. You can access it from an access road off the sidewalk up from the hotel and then it runs all the way below town to the causeway.
Written March 9, 2016
Directions from town square please?
Written February 17, 2016
South on the main road about 1/2 mile, you come to a roundabout. Holiday Inn is on the left from this point, and BarcelĂł is 5th hotel on the right, on the ocean side of the road.
Written March 9, 2016
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