The cool Californian city of San Diego bookends this voyage along the coast of Mexico. We’ve a couple of days at sea to start our journey, so make the most of your sumptuous surroundings as we sail south across the Pacific. Once over the border in Mexico, our first stop is Topolobampo, where you can venture on the railroad to Copper Canyon or just relax on the beach. Then we make our way to Loreto, on the shores of the Sea of Cortez, where the 17th-century Our Lady of Loreto mission marks the start of El Camino Real, the historic road that links the Spanish missions all the way to Sonoma, California. We move on to the seaside town of La Paz. From here, take a boat trip to the desert islands in the UNESCO biosphere reserve, watching out for dolphins and sea lions as you go. Nature-lovers will be wowed by Isla Natividad, too, a haven for gulls, cormorants and shearwaters, where elephant seals bask on its beaches. It will provide you with just one of many stories to take home with you when we disembark at San Diego.