How To Plan Your Visit to La Bufadora Ensenada Blowhole

La Bufadora Ensenada is the second-largest marine geyser in the world and just about a 2.5-hour drive from San Diego. La Bufadora, also known as the Ensenada Blowhole, shoots ocean water up to 200 ft into the air. Pretty impressive, right? If you are in Ensenada, you should add a visit to La Bufadora to your itinerary.

There is even a cute legend about La Bufadora: Supposedly, a whale got trapped in the caves below the cliff and blew air to alert the other whales in his pod. Sadly, the pod never rescued him and eventually, the whale turned to stone, still blowing air and water while waiting for his whale family.

My husband Greg and I live in San Diego and go to Ensenada quite often. We go for a weekend getaway, to go wine tasting in Valle de Guadalupe, or to take our out-of-town visitors for a fun day trip from San Diego. We have been to La Bufadora countless times and want to share some tips to plan your visit and fun things to do in the area.

How to get to La Bufadora Ensenada

La Bufadora is about 17 miles south of Ensenada, about 94 miles from the Border, and 110 miles from downtown San Diego. This makes it a perfect day trip from San Diego, a fun Ensenada shore excursion, and a “must-do” addition to your Ensenada itinerary.

By car

If you have a car, you can easily drive to La Bufadora. Remember to bring some cash to pay for parking and toilets. The roads are in decent condition, and the coastline views as you drive around the Punta Banda Peninsula are simply stunning!

With a Tour Group

If you don’t have a car or prefer not to drive down there, there are plenty of tours to visit the Ensenada Blowhole. There are tours from San Diego, as well as Ensenada, whatever is most convenient for you.

Shore Excursions

Kayaking at La Bufadora

On my last trip to Ensenada, I was supposed to go kayaking with Shawii Outdoors to see La Bufadora from the ocean. I was so excited to go, but unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and it wasn’t safe for us to go. This doesn’t happen often, but unfortunately, our tour was scheduled for the one windy day (out of 3) that we were in Ensenada.

However, we got to meet Victor, the founder and owner of Shawii and chitchat with him. He told us a bit about his tours and shared some photos (see below). Doesn’t this look amazing?

It was so cool to talk to Victor. He shared with us how he got started. He taught himself how to kayak as there were no other kayakers in and around Ensenada before him. Now he participates in kayaking competitions and has joined expeditions all over the world. But he still guides many of the kayaking tours himself.

The tours are beginner friendly and many of his guests are first-time kayakers. They have 2 guides per 10 kayakers, which is a fantastic ratio and makes it super safe!

I am already making plans to go back there and do this tour and if you have the chance to go kayaking in Ensenada, go do it!

Best Time to go to Ensenada Blowhole

If you want to see the tallest water fountains at La Bufadora, you need to time your visit during high tide. Check the tide forecast here. The higher the tide, the higher the geyser shoots up in the air.

You can visit the Ensenada Blowhole year-round, but my favorite time to go is during winter and spring. The hills are lush and green, the temperatures are mild (compared to winter in the rest of the country at least) and crowds are more manageable.

If you are not visiting on a cruise ship, I would go on a day when no cruise ships are in town to avoid some of the crowds. Be aware that some of the shops and restaurants might be closed.

FAQs & Things to Know Before You Go

One thing that some visitors might see as a turn-off about visiting La Bufadora is the “flea market” souvenir stalls that line the ~500 ft path from the parking lot to the blow hole. Cheap, plastic souvenirs (often imported from abroad) are sold at every booth, and some of the vendors can be quite pushy.

However, it is not too annoying and worth the hassle. I just walk a little faster, avoid eye contact, and try not to look at any booth too long to not draw the attention of the shopkeeper. If a shop owner does approach me, I just say “No Gracias” as I keep walking, and that has always worked for me. Don’t let this deter you from going. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the

I hope this article gave you some tips to help you plan your visit to La Bufadora in Ensenada. Let me know in the comments what you like the most!

Of note: Common to the travel industry, ProTurismo de Ensenada hosted me on this trip and provided transportation, accommodation, meals, and activities at no cost. However, this does not influence my review. 

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