Summer on the Mexican Pacific
“I love the summers,” says Jill Logan, Todos Santos artist. She says things calm down here and it’s very pleasant.
Although it’s a struggle to keep his family’s business going those months, Camacho says he enjoys going to the beach with his family in the summer. Those months are hard on most local businesses. Camacho stretches as if lying on the sand and grins, though. He is originally from Mexico City, so perhaps especially appreciates the beaches here. He says he likes the longer evenings too, when it’s light as late as eight o’clock. He says many Mexicans like to go camping in the nearby mountains during the summer, but cautions that camping permits at a nominal fee are required.
Camacho says people can rent here for less from May through October, and visitors may enjoy the decreased number of tourists. Some entrepreneurs charge high season rates even in June, though, so check out those rental rates with care. Be pre-warned that some stores in Todos Santos may close early during the summer, though, because it’s so slow.
Logan says she has had to learn to stay healthy during the summers. She has been in the town continuously since 1998. The increased heat, occasional rainstorms and increased humidity mean a higher bacteria count. Screens on windows, and purified water and produce, become more critical health measures.
Depending on your definition of hot, it’s bearable in summer in Todos Santos. The temperature is usually 34 to 38 Celsius during the days (in the nineties, Fahrenheit) and nights 26 to 28 C. (high seventies or low eighties, F.). It’s hottest and most humid in August, around 38 C. or 100 degrees F. September is normally the same. October often brings a little relief. The water warms up from May through September and fishing is traditionally very good those months.
Camacho remembers there was just one rainstorm last summer and says it’s difficult to know what to expect with the changing climactic conditions. If you’re here during one of these storms, watch out for washed out and flooded roads to the larger Baja Sur cities. The flies are bad too, says Camacho. That’s because of the ripe and falling tomatoes and mangoes, usually in July and August.
All that said, June may be the ideal month for a budget vacation to or near Todos Santos. Thanks to the Pacific winds and depending on your personal preferences, it isn’t unbearably hot, the flies won’t have arrived in force yet, the ocean will be warmer, rents will generally be up to twenty-five percent less and the tourist traffic will be much slower. If you don’t mind just lounging in the shade during the hot afternoons, where it’s somewhat cooler, you might like any of the other longer summer days and warm evenings of the summer months in and around Todos Santos too. Whether you like seeing the sights, shopping, visiting art galleries, trying out local tacos, beach bumming or any of the other activities of the town and immediate area, the mornings can be comfortable times for these pursuits. You can enjoy the relatively cooler evenings with scrumptious dinners at the local restaurants, some of which are excellent, startling starry nights and drinks on the veranda.
