Included in your tour is:

• Transporation to and from Mission San Javier
• Guide
• Snacks and refreshments
• Lunch at a local restaurant

$60.00 + tax per person, 4 person min.

Just outside of Loreto on a 25 mile twisting dirt road that leads high into the La Giganta Mountain range sits some of Loreto's most fascinating history. The drive up is an adventure in itself and the view is breathtaking. The road winds around small streams, Indian petroglyphs, occasional wild burro herds and other endemic flora and fauna. Mission San Javier sits nestled within olive orchards planted by the Jesuits. Behind the mission is one 300 yr. old giant olive tree, that looks like something a hobbit would live in, and is surrealistically twisted & tangled within itself.

The church, considered one of the most beautiful and well preserved of the Californias, was built with stone taken from quarry from the bed of the brook of Santo Domingo 20km southeast. Its original baroque appearance has been well preserved. The interior has a golden altarpiece with five oleos, brought from Mexico City in 32 boxes. There are two statues, one of San Francisco Javier and another of 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' along with a crucifix which are from the 18th century. It has 3 bells, 2 of them are dated 1761 and the other 1803. The site was originally inhabited by the Cochimies. Father Francisco Maria Piccolo visited the place in 1699 and began construction of a chapel. Father Juan de Ugarte, one of the most esteemed missionaries of the conquest, took charge of the mission in 1701. The construction of the church of San Javier was begun in 1744 and was finished in 1759.

Mission San Javier Tour begins at Dolphin Dive Center in Loreto where a comfortable van will take you and your party 38km into the beautiful Sierra Giganta Mountains. The trip runs aprox 6 hours. Along the way, you will visit ancient Petroglyphs that are estimated to be at least 3000 years old. You will also see San Matias, a location where the original natives worked and the Rancho Viejo ruins which was the original site of the mission.