LA PAZ · APRIL · BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
April in La Paz is close to rainless: 0.01 inches of precipitation in the average April, and 0.3 days on which Mexico’s national weather service records measurable rain. Afternoons reach 90.0°F, nights fall to 59.4°F, and the Bay of La Paz sits at 72.6°F. It is also the last month of the 2026-2027 whale shark swim season, which closes on April 30, 2027.
The days are already long, with 12 hours 47 minutes of daylight on April 15, and the average high is still 5.5 degrees short of May’s 95.5°F. For a reader who has already picked La Paz, the choice comes down to three months: March for cooler afternoons, April for the open swim season with the heat building, May for the full heat with the season closed.
LA PAZ IN APRIL · BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
April in La Paz brings 90.0°F afternoons, 0.3 rain days and a 72.6°F sea, with the whale shark swim season open until April 30, 2027.
HIGH 90.0°F · LOW 59.4°F · SEA 72.6°F · WHALE SHARK SEASON ENDS APRIL 30
Go for: dry days, long light, nights that cool to 59.4°F, and the last month of the 2026-2027 whale shark swim season.
Think twice before: counting on warm water. The sea averages 72.6°F in April, 4.3 degrees below May’s 76.9°F.
April 30, 2027 is the last day of the 2026-2027 whale shark swim season in the Bay of La Paz.
Air: SMN station 03074 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine · Whale sharks: SEMARNAT · full sources at the end
On this page
- La Paz weather in AprilAverage high 90.0°F, low 59.4°F, 0.3 rain days
- Can you swim in La Paz in April?Sea at 72.6°F, a mean of daily maxima
- How busy is La Paz in April?4% lodging tax, the Baja Ferries schedule, and the price data we could not find
- Things to do in La Paz in AprilWhale shark refuge until April 30, Isla Espíritu Santo
- La Paz itinerary for AprilTwo days around a 5:57 a.m. sunrise and a 6:44 p.m. sunset
- La Paz in April vs March and MayHighs of 84.7°F, 90.0°F and 95.5°F
- Is April a good time to visit La Paz?The verdict, with March as the alternative
One date frames the month: the whale shark swim season in the Bay of La Paz ends April 30, 2027, so an April trip sits inside it and a May trip falls after it. Everything else below is an average from a weather station or a marine data set. To weigh Baja against other places in April, start with our month-by-month planner, and for the wider country see the destinations index.
La Paz weather in April: average highs, lows and rain days
| Measure | April average | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 90.0°F | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Average low | 59.4°F | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Precipitation | 0.01 in | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Days of measurable rain | 0.3 | SMN’s own count |
| Daylight on April 15 | 12 h 47 min | sunrise-sunset.org |
| Sea surface (mean of daily maxima) | 72.6°F | Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015-2024 |
Every figure here for air and rain comes from the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), station 03074, La Paz (DGE), averaged over 1991 to 2020. That is an official thermometer in town, a fair stand-in for the malecón and the bay, and not a reading taken on an island beach or aboard a boat. April averages a high of 90.0°F and a low of 59.4°F, with 0.01 inches of precipitation across the whole month.
The SMN counts 0.3 days of measurable rain in an average April. It does not publish its threshold for “measurable” on the station sheet, so that count cannot be lined up against the rain-day tables American readers know. An average below one day means a rain layer can stay out of the bag on most trips, and no outing needs a wet-weather backup day.
Between the afternoon high and the overnight low sits a gap of 30.6 degrees. Afternoons call for a sun hat and a light shirt. Mornings and evenings at the bottom of that range, near 59.4°F, call for a thin layer to pull on over it.
On April 15 the day lasts 12 hours 47 minutes. The sun rises at 5:57 a.m. and sets at 6:44 p.m., local time (12:57 and 01:44 UTC in the published calculation, converted to the America/Mazatlan zone). An evening on the water or the waterfront has to be planned around that 6:44 p.m. sunset.
Can you swim in La Paz in April? Sea temperature
Open-Meteo’s marine API puts the sea surface off La Paz at 72.6°F in April, averaged over 2015 to 2024. That figure is a mean of daily maxima, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average would. It also comes from a different source and period than the station’s air normals, and we report it as the marine API’s number, not the SMN’s.
The air averages 90.0°F, which puts the sea 17.4 degrees below the afternoon high. A short dip after a hot afternoon is easy. Anyone who likes bath-warm water will find 72.6°F brisk for a long swim or snorkel. March averages 71.0°F, 1.6 degrees cooler, and May reaches 76.9°F, 4.3 degrees warmer.
We did not find wind or swell figures for April in our sources, so we give none. Ask the operator about conditions on the morning of any boat outing.
How busy is La Paz in April? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series and no monthly hotel-rate series for La Paz, so we do not rank April against other months on crowds or price. The calendar itself supplies two facts. April is the final month of the whale shark swim season, and it comes just before May’s average high of 95.5°F.
We have no verified booking lead time, so we name none. The fixed date is April 30, 2027, when the swim season closes, which makes the whale shark outing the first thing to reserve. For arrivals from the mainland, Baja Ferries sails La Paz to Topolobampo Monday through Friday: check-in at 12:00, departure at 13:30, arrival at 20:30. The Saturday sailing checks in at 21:30, departs at 23:00 and arrives at 08:00 the next morning. We did not read fares.
Baja California Sur’s lodging tax (Impuesto sobre la Prestacion de Servicios de Hospedaje) is 4% in 2026 under the state’s Ley de Hacienda, article 13. We verified the 2026 rate only, so a stay in April 2027 should be checked against any change. We could not verify whether a hotel’s quoted rate already includes the tax, so ask before booking.
Spending changes April in one place, the water. A boat day to Isla Espíritu Santo or a whale shark swim in the refuge is what the month can still offer before the season closes. Tour prices were not in our sources, so we quote none.
Things to do in La Paz in April
Swimming with whale sharks in the Bay of La Paz refuge is regulated by a federal management plan covering three seasons between 2026 and 2029. The 2026-2027 season runs from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, according to the SEMARNAT notice of September 17, 2026. An April 2027 swim fits inside it and a May swim does not. We did not verify how many sharks are in the bay in April, so treat sightings as unconfirmed.
Isla Espíritu Santo, in the Bay of La Paz, has been a national park since 2007. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California” since 2005. On shore, the malecón and the bay are what the town’s weather station represents, and a sunset walk there has to finish before 6:44 p.m. We have no verified entry fees, hours or boat prices for the island or the waterfront, and give none.
What April changes at these places is the air. Afternoons average 5.3 degrees warmer than March’s 84.7°F highs, while the sea gains only 1.6 degrees, so deck and shoreline heat climbs faster than the water does. Early hours meet the 59.4°F low instead.
Our sources do not say which of these outings or sites are free in April, and we would rather leave that open than guess.
La Paz itinerary for April
Day one stays on shore. Start with the 5:57 a.m. sunrise on the malecón, while the air is still near the 59.4°F low. By midday the 90.0°F average high has arrived, so shift to indoor stops or shade and a long lunch. Head back to the waterfront in time for the 6:44 p.m. sunset.
Day two goes to the water: a boat out to Isla Espíritu Santo, or the whale shark swim while the refuge is open through April 30, 2027. Operators set their own departure times and we have no verified ones, so book the outing first and fit day one around it. If the sea turns rough or the afternoon runs hotter than the 90.0°F average, the malecón walk and lunch move into that slot.
La Paz in April vs March and May
| Measure | March | April | May |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 84.7°F | 90.0°F | 95.5°F |
| Average low | 56.7°F | 59.4°F | 62.4°F |
| Precipitation | 0.03 in | 0.01 in | 0.01 in |
| Days of measurable rain (SMN) | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Sea surface (Open-Meteo Marine) | 71.0°F | 72.6°F | 76.9°F |
Highs climb 5.3 degrees from March to April and another 5.5 degrees into May. Lows rise 2.7 degrees, then 3.0 degrees. The sea gains 1.6 degrees into April and 4.3 degrees into May. April has half the measurable rain days of either neighbor, 0.3 against 0.6. Air and rain come from the SMN station, and sea temperatures from the marine API.
Moving four weeks earlier gives afternoons 5.3 degrees cooler, water 1.6 degrees cooler, and the whale shark season still open. Moving four weeks later gives 5.5 degrees more heat and water 4.3 degrees warmer, but a trip in May falls after the April 30 close of the swim season.
Is April a good time to visit La Paz?
Yes for a reader who wants dry weather, long light and a water outing: 0.3 rain days, 90.0°F afternoons, 12 hours 47 minutes of daylight on April 15 and the swim season still open. It is a weaker fit for anyone hoping for a warm sea, at 72.6°F. On safety, the U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory, reissued May 29, 2026, rates Baja California Sur at Level 2: exercise increased caution, due to terrorism and crime, with no specific restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in the state.
Choose March if 90.0°F afternoons sound like too much: the high is 84.7°F, the sea 71.0°F, and the swim season is still open. Choose May only for heat and warmer water, 95.5°F and 76.9°F, and accept that the swim season has closed.
Among March, April and May, only April pairs an open whale shark season with 90.0°F highs.
The last word
Book the whale shark outing first, because April 30, 2027 is the last day of the season, then choose the room around it. Fly into La Paz International Airport (LAP), which handled 1,337,600 passengers in 2025. Pack a thin layer for the 59.4°F nights and a sun hat for the 90.0°F afternoons, and be on the malecón before the 6:44 p.m. sunset.
Sources & data for this guide
- Air temperature, precipitation and rain days, April, March and May · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), normales climatologicas 1991-2020, station 03074 La Paz (DGE) · checked Sep 30, 2026 · the station does not publish its threshold for a measurable-rain day
- Sea surface temperature · Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015-2024 mean of daily maxima · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on April 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted to America/Mazatlan · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Whale shark refuge and 2026-2027 season dates · SEMARNAT notice of Sept 17, 2026, gob.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Isla Espíritu Santo national park and UNESCO status · CONANP and UNESCO, corroborated by El Sol de Mexico, Aug 10, 2024 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Lodging tax, 4% in 2026 · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Baja California Sur, art. 13, and El Contribuyente, ISH 2026 table · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Baja Ferries La Paz-Topolobampo schedule · bajaferries.com.mx, Rutas y Horarios · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Airport passenger count, 2025 · Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, aeropuertosgap.com.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory reissued May 29, 2026, travel.state.gov · checked Sep 30, 2026
- We found no verified April event dates, tour prices, boat departure times, wind or swell figures, or monthly occupancy and hotel rates, so none appear here.