This excursion was booked through our hotel Barcelo and we had the time of our lives! Our guide, Pao, met us at the hotel at 6:30am for our drive in a brand new air conditioned Escalade and we drove to La Paz (about 2 hours). The drive was beautiful as it hugs the Pacific Ocean coastline while Pao explained the beauty and ecosystem of the desert, ocean & plants along the way. Once we arrived in La Paz, we had breakfast and were fitted with wetsuits & snorkel gear. We boarded a boat (which fit 10 people comfortably) including the Captain and our guide. From La Paz, we took the boat to the Islands (approx 1 1/2 hours) heading to Espiritu Santo Island with stops along the way to see significant sights of nesting areas for birds and learn of their natural habitats and interesting information about their existence. Once we arrived at Espiritu Santo, we put our wet suits on & snorkel gear. We jumped into the water to swim with the Sea Lions in their natural habitat. It was a once-in -a-lifetime experience that we will never forget! If we would’ve gone home right after that, we would’ve been happy. However, the experience continued as we ate lunch on a national park beach front in a cove on an island. The Captain backed up the boat right onto the shore & set up our lunch sight under some umbrellas. He had made fresh ceviche that morning for us to enjoy and it was absolutely delicious! There were also other things like ham & cheese sandwiches, etc. It was a beachfront picnic! The water was so crystal clear, we could see our feet on the bottom and, the white sand felt like powder. I thought of the movie Blue Lagoon as I swam and saw tropical fish all around me! We then proceeded to an area known for sea turtles and spotted many of them swimming in the water. There was a 2nd snorkeling stop with beautiful coral reefs and more tropical fish (we even saw a trumpet fish). After this, we headed back to La Paz, then drove back to the hotel. We arrived around 7pm. Although it was a FULL day…I would do it again! Our guide was VERY knowledgeable and interesting. Most definitely the best excursion I’ve ever taken in my 40 years of traveling! Thank you Pao & Capt Martin for memories that will last a lifetime!