Pichilingue is a funny anchorage. The water is relatively warm for the area, and there is really good snorkeling at the reef on the north side of the anchorage, so it’s easy to spend a lot of time in the water. The green cacti against the red dirt are gorgeous, but if you look in other direction, you can see the ferry port (ugly), the resort (cute enough), a bunch of RV campers (subjective based on the crowd, our favorite group played French folk music until late), and a clean beach with several restaurant palapas (pretty cute too).

We liked the protection/holding, amount of room, and distance from La Paz. It was great a great halfway point to the island, keeps you outside the port in case the port gets closed for weather, and is a brief taxi/bus ride from La Paz so grocery shopping is still possible for longer stays.

Pichilingue was a regular stopover for us in La Paz, and we loved anchoring the dinghy to snorkel, to swim, and to get a bite to eat on land.

Anchored at 24°17.015′ N, 110°19.826 W. We stayed 12/6/2022 to 12/13/2022, and for one night 12/23/2022.

Notes for boaters:

  • Anchored in ~25 feet of water with ~130 feet of chain, and ~22 feet of water with ~115 feet of chain. We never dragged.
  • We saw 8-10 boats anchored without it feeling crowded.
  • Protection from high conditions is actually better than La Paz.
  • There is nowhere within walking distance to buy groceries or water, but there are a few places to get a meal. We slightly preferred Restaurante Playa Pichilingue, the further south one.