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white whale
Nomad
Posts: 157
Registered: 12-15-2015
Location: canada
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First destination suggestion
Feb 25 2pm landing at SJD, get the rental car on the ROAD by 3pm +/-... the whale will be beached for 3 weeks of exploring time on first time
adventure. I want a mix of beach camp and local accommodations to get a real taste of life and brush up my spanish to acceptable status. I was
thinking counter clockwise in direction and see CABO at the end in case I need a major clean up and or delousing. I'll ditch the GPS option and just
go old school with a current mapbook (suggestions?)
I'll bring my sat radio bookbox for entertainment and just in case the Trump impeachment hearings start in Washington while I am away. So I need
good reception areas.
Now I'll get to do a trip report. I'll take any and all suggestions for stops and sites.
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2716
Registered: 5-10-2011
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Your Spanish won't improve much on a trip like this. Many camp, hotel, restaurant and store owners and employees speak English already, and children
and grandchildren almost always do.
What kind of accommodations or sites are you looking for - midpriced hotelito, tent on the beach, a cot under palapa?
With restaurant and bar, or bar only, or will you carry camp stove and utensils?
How far North of Cabo do you plan to go?
Taste of what life?
[Edited on 2-15-2018 by Alm]
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Three weeks is a good length of time to explore. How far north are you planning to travel?
At some point: definitely schedule 1-3 days to drive out to San Ignacio lagoon. You can stay at Kuyima campground, enjoy meals in their large dining
hall, and visit the whales.
If you want to stay in the town of San Ignacio- I suggest Hotel La Huerta- enjoy their wonderful water pressure & refreshing oasis water.
I'll let others suggest their favorite spots, but San Ignacio is worth the drive/time.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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chavycha
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Go see whales at either Mag Bay or San Ignacio, hike up one of the arroyos behind Santiago/Miraflores to the wtaerfalls, walk around La Paz for a day,
snorkel/dive at Cabo Pulmo, San Javier Mission outside of Loreto...
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white whale
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Posts: 157
Registered: 12-15-2015
Location: canada
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Vehicle is unlimited mileage so I will go north until I've had enough
and head down south until its's time to go. Zero itinerary.
Salt dunes, big cactus, farmer markets, beach camp and swim options are the only thing on the list. And just doing nothing but reading and getting
some vitamin D would be a winning day too.
Was hoping for first stop suggestion from the airport, maybe 2-3 days to get acclimatized. Small, quiet with some sightsee and /or hike possibilities
nearby.
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chavycha
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Assuming you have a rental car, not a 4wd truck/SUV, you'll be somewhat limited in you wanderings but all the places I listed are accessible by paved
or good gravel.
Sounds like the Cabo Pulmo/Los Frailes area might be a good first stop. It's about 1.5 hours (go through La Ribera if you're in a car, the road up
from SJD can be a little rough). Lots of info on specifics with a quick search on here.
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chavycha
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Also, generally, the further north you go, the fewer gringos you'll see and the wilder it gets. The East Cape, Cabo, Todos Santos areas are pretty
gringofied.
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BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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I am not sure about internet reception at cabo pulmo but it sure is a great place to unwind, snorkel and get some rays.
Be sure to check the weather for the area once it gets closer to the 25th.
Here is a link to my la paz trip report
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=89306#pid1109...
La Paz is where we are at for the month .... but it is a biggish town and I think perhaps you re looking for smaller.
And if you do get to san Ignacio (and you should) , head over to La Bocana and visit that area. We are not home but the B&B is up and running and
quite reasonable at $30 a night for a spectacular ocean view and quiet. You can also camp. Shore fishing. Kayaking.
[Edited on 2-16-2018 by BajaBlanca]
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Alm
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You are arriving late in the afternoon. The first stop will have to be within 50-80 miles from airport. Cabo Pulmo, likely.
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JZ
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My suggestions:
- Rent a jeep; you can often get one super cheap at the counter, try Thrifty first. Also, check rentalcars.com to see if any good prices ahead of
time. Jeep will give you much more options.
- Leave Cabo area immediately. Drive up to La Paz. Go out to Tecolote beach and rent a panga to take you out to the islands. You go as part of a
group out there, unless you want to spend a ton.
- Drive from La Paz to San Evaristo. Camp there on the beach. It's about 3 hrs or so and one of the best drives in all of Baja going along the
coast. See if you can find a panga to take you out to Isla San Fransisco, arguably the most beautiful bay in the SoC. About 8 miles out.
- Drive from San Evaristo to Ciuadad Constitution. Really interesting dirt road. The first 5 miles or so climbing out of the coast are a little
challenging, but just go slow.
- From there go up to Loreto for a few days. Do a day trip down to Agua Verde. Beautiful drive to a beautiful bay. Can be done in a day. Back in
Loreto, have a panga take you out to Isla Coronado. Spectacular island not far from Loreto. Take a trip out to see the San Javier mission one day.
45mins from Loreto, and the prettiest mission in Baja. Visit Bahia San Juanico. It's 35 miles from Loreto (10 miles in the dirt, easy drive).
Beautiful bay. Great camping. Loreto is the best spot in all of Baja in my opinion.
- From there hit Santa Rosalia.
- Last stop North I'd suggest visiting is Bahia de Los Angeles. Very cool little village. About 16 islands in the bay. Costa del Sol is the best
hotel there.
You want to use GPS on your phone for sure. You can download the maps for offline use (i.e. when you are out of cell range).
Here are shots from most of those places: https://youtu.be/4VNTIhRa6q0
[Edited on 2-16-2018 by JZ]
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JZ
Elite Nomad
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Quote: Originally posted by Alm  |
You are arriving late in the afternoon. The first stop will have to be within 50-80 miles from airport. Cabo Pulmo, likely. |
Roads down there are fine to drive at night. We landed at 8pm and drove to La Paz a couple weeks back.
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Beagle
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Location: Outer Rim
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If you go clockwise, just make your way up the East Cape at first. Or with counter-clock, hitting Todos Santos would also be a great first stop.
Todos is a good place to "break in" to Baja. Swimmable beach at Cerritos. You can camp in Pedrito. Town has lots of small hotels when you want a real
bed. There's lots of everything and you will meet other travelers and get ideas. Quick shot up to La Paz from there too. Also, from SJD it's only just
over an hour drive to Todos Santos. Use the Toll Way from the SJD airport. Lastly, There's only a few reputable car rental places out of SJD. Cactus,
BBB, Dominic and Mexrentacar...and Alamo. Anything else, and you risk getting scammed or having a bad taste in your mouth when you leave/enter Baja.
I've done tons of Baja exploration that took me in all sorts of cool places in a regular old VW Jetta Rental. Just know the limitations of the
vehicle. I've also rented a Jeep and it was handy if I really needed it. But you can still see lots of cool stuff without going Rock-Crawling on your
first trip.
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micah202
Super Nomad
Posts: 1615
Registered: 1-19-2011
Location: vancouver,BC
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....having just gone through the area, I'd suggest making Cabo Pulmonary for your first evening is a bit ... enthusiastic, especially for the
sometimes looooong delays arriving at the airport.,,and especially if you're camping.
Try San Jose for some culture, craft beer, dining,, before hitting the adventures and dirt road to the east cape.
I'm van camping, like to be finding a camp spot ideally before 430, in order to be landed by nightfall. In San Jose Del Cabo, we stayed at Las
Palmas, a very good place, although Tropicana and Posada Terranova are more central IF available.
I noticed there IS some internet in Cabo
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
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When you say you want a "beach camp" -- do you have your own tent/camping equipment, or are you looking for rustic accommodations at a beach-side
location?
AAA map if you can find one will do, otherwise, there's a few out there - National Geographic, etc.
"doing nothing but reading and getting some vitamin D" -- gosh, you can do better than that. Whale watching, fishing, mission exploration.
La Bocana for osprey watching, Campo Rene for shell collecting, Bahia Asuncion for fishing, San Ignacio for whale watching, Cabo Pulmo for snorkeling,
La Paz for snorkeling, Santiago hotsprings, Buena Vista yurts, Loreto tourist centro, Mulege pictographs, San Francisco pictographs.
If you can get any edition of The Baja Adventure Book (cheap on eBay or Alibris), there are tons of suggested locales to check out.
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BajaUtah
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Registered: 10-4-2013
Location: Salt Lake City/La Ribera
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My suggestion for a first night would be Los Barriles. Easy 50 miles from the airport. Yes, pretty gringofied but a good first dip of the toe. Try
Palmas de Cortez (touristy) or Patti's El Pescador. Lots of good restaurants and shops. You can use that as a base for a few days to explore Cabo
Pulmo, El Cardonal, San Bartolo and El Triunfo.
Just remember that that time of year the wind can be "sporty". We do like our kiteboarding out here. If it is cooking a trip west to Todos Santos or
off the coast to Santiago or Mira Flores is a real treat.
My dos Pesos
[Edited on 2-16-2018 by BajaUtah]
Andy
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2716
Registered: 5-10-2011
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| Quote: Originally posted by wilderone | | When you say you want a "beach camp" -- do you have your own tent/camping equipment, or are you looking for rustic accommodations at a beach-side
location? |
Questions of this kind have been asked, to no avail.
Preferences/interests are defined so broadly that it "almost" looks like a blogger harvesting material for a guide-like article. They come here now
and then.
Salty dunes, reading, hiking, sun. Most places on the coast will have this. Just go.
[Edited on 2-16-2018 by Alm]
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white whale
Nomad
Posts: 157
Registered: 12-15-2015
Location: canada
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WILDER - yes am bringing camp gear. I 'm a low maintenance traveler.
My suggestions were kind of lame but but I'm up for adventure if the moment strikes. First purchases will be cheap beach chair, small cooler and
a hat to regulate my vitamin D intake.
Thanks for all the great suggestions to all.
Alm - are you related to Debbie Downer by chance? Thank you for the official confirmation that " Salty dunes, reading, hiking, sun. Most places on the
coast will have this." I was unsure that sun was available in every place.
Sorry no russian financed covert blogger intrusion here. What exactly does SUPER in super nomad refer to?
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ElCap
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Posts: 279
Registered: 1-22-2010
Location: Montara CA, or San Ignacio BCS
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I'm liking this new white whaler person . . . 
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white whale
Nomad
Posts: 157
Registered: 12-15-2015
Location: canada
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Thanks Cap, at least someone does. Jeeesh I thought it was just teen girls who were into catty online flaming, not old white dudes. Just the 1% er
OWD's, the rest of the nomads I'm sure would be awesome to get to know.
I have some other kick off questions but I have to start clearing snow off the flipping roof now before the melt starts while l'm away. Thanks Obama!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64479
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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If you are going to cover as much of the southern state (Baja California Sur) as you can in your three weeks, and you want to see historic sites, then
the first 14 California missions were founded in the southern half of the peninsula from 1697 to 1737. Some require 4WD or hiking to reach, but many
are on or near paved roads now and many are the center of today's towns and cities.
*San José del Cabo was the 12th California mission, founded in 1730. The town church now sits on the final mission site. A tile mosaic above the
church's doorway illustrates the murder of the missionary in 1734 during the Pericú Revolt.
*Just north, the 10th California mission was Santiago (1724). A modern church is also on the final mission site. Its priest was also murdered by the
Pericú Indians in 1734.
*The mission at Todos Santos occupied two sites and was home to two different missions. Mission Santa Rosa de las Palmas (1733) was California's 13th
mission. It was located a mile north of the town plaza (a playground in front of a modern church is on the site). The mission was destroyed during the
revolt, which began a year after its founding. It was rebuilt two years later when the Spanish regained control over the Cape Region.
*The mission at La Paz (#7, Mission Pilar de la Paz, 1720) moved to Todos Santos in 1748 and replaced Mission Santa Rosa there. The mission moved
south to today's town plaza in 1825. The church today has some of the mission walls in its newer construction. No ruins remain in La Paz of the
mission and the location is not exactly known but under some modern city buildings. The town church is a few blocks north of where the mission was
believed to have been.
*North from La Paz is Mission San Luis Gonzaga, 22 dirt miles from Highway 1. It was the 14th California mission, founded in 1737. The stone church is
the original Jesuit construction. The road is good but very dusty!
At Ciudad Insurgentes, Highway 1 turns east for Loreto. A paved highway continues north with a branch paved road to Comondú.
*California's 5th mission is San José de Comondú, founded in 1708. It moved south in 1736... 2 miles from where the pavement ends today in San
Miguel Comondú.
*The northbound paved road goes to La Purísima, site of the 6th California mission (1720). Today, only two tombs remain at the mission location in
town.
*Back to Highway 1, where it reaches the gulf coast was the 3rd California mission, San Juan Bautista de Ligüí, founded in 1705. The mission was in
a poor location and was abandoned in 1721. Ruins were last seen in 2001 when flash floods destroyed the remains. A monument cross was erected near the
site but it too has been washed away by flash floods.
*A paved road west from Highway 1, just south of Loreto, climbs the mountains to see the second mission and perhaps the finest example of Jesuit
construction, totally preserved... Mission #2, San Javier (1699). It was originally founded 5 miles north (at Rancho Viejo) but was moved in 1710. The
stone church was constructed in the 1750s.
*Loreto (#1), founded in 1697, was the head and mother to all the California missions. The church we see today was built in the 1740s. The missing
roof and bell tower were replaced in the 1950s. A museum is on site.
*Mulegé (Mission Santa Rosalía de Mulegé) was the 4th mission, founded in 1705. The stone church was built in 1766.
*San Ignacio, #11, was founded in 1728. This magnificent church was started by the Jesuits and completed by the Dominicans in 1786 is in the town
plaza of San Ignacio.
Missions in Baja California Sur that are best seen using a 4WD vehicle are:
#8 Guadalupe (1720)
#9 Los Dolores: Apaté (1721) and La Pasión (1741). Two locations for the same mission. The Apaté site can be seen from a distance off of a road,
but to reach the ruins requires a hike.
Here are the missions, by number, on the peninsula of California:
Photos: www.vivabaja.com/bajamissions
Book: www.oldmissions.com
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