BajaNomad

9 DAYS TO BAJA HELP!!!!!!

edimburgo - 12-9-2010 at 09:06 PM

Hi,

my girlfriend and i are planing a trip to baja. we'll be driving from LA to baja and we would like to know some highlights that we should not miss. where to stop for the night and any other tips that any one can give us. we only have 9 days so it would be great to know in advance were to spend a couple of days and where not to stop.

thanks sooo much

Cesar

DENNIS - 12-9-2010 at 09:28 PM

Welcome to BajaNomad, Cesar. Can you be a bit more explicit? Where are you going...in what...why...all that stuff.

Bajaboy - 12-9-2010 at 09:38 PM

head on down to Bahia Asuncion...lots going on this time of year.

mcfez - 12-9-2010 at 10:10 PM

edimburgo yes...welcome aboard.

Now...answer Dennis's question! :tumble:

I would swing over from San Diego on 8....and head towards San Felipe and beyond. You got:

Guadalupe Hot springs
http://www.myspace.com/guadalupecanyonoasis

Lazy relaxing town of San Felipe
http://www.relaxinsanfelipe.com/

Gonzaga Bay
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nalilo/sets/550073/with/2898427...


Be careful in Punta Banda
Dennis lives around there.............cooler boxes disappears down there all the time.

[Edited on 12-10-2010 by mcfez]

nbacc - 12-9-2010 at 10:21 PM

I am with you for San Felipe. relaxing, no stress and lots of beach.

BajaDanD - 12-9-2010 at 10:42 PM

Go to San Quintin then head down to Asuncion. maybe hit Bay of LA on your way back. Easily done in 9 days.
If I had 9 days off right now Id be going to Asuncion

mcfez - 12-10-2010 at 06:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaDanD
Go to San Quintin then head down to Asuncion. maybe hit Bay of LA on your way back. Easily done in 9 days.
If I had 9 days off right now Id be going to Asuncion



If you hit BoLA (Bahia de los Angeles):
www.villabahia.com/
Tell em that kissmygrass landscaper sent you. Hell of of a spot to chill out at.

Or

www.campdaggetts.com
GREAT campground right on the beach or a little 5 unit motel there. Secured. Wake up in the a.m. with Islands staring at you! Take fishing gear. Town is a few minutes away. Has everything u need.

Baja06_077.jpg - 44kB

Bajahowodd - 12-10-2010 at 03:11 PM

I note that Cesar has not responded. Maybe just me, but I got the feeling that this may be a first trip. Wonder if he wants to see as much as he can in 9 days, and if that included going all the way down and back.

No offense to you guys, but if I had never been down there and had nine days, I wouldn't limit myself to chilling in San Felipe or Asuncion all that time. There are so many cool places to visit and things to do.

Camping? Motels? both?

John M - 12-10-2010 at 03:16 PM

Drive only in daylight due to range cattle & horses on the roadways and keep the gas tank topped offl EVERY chance you get.

Don't try to "see how many miles we can cover today" - go slow and enjoy.

John M

BajaBlanca - 12-10-2010 at 06:26 PM

my suggestions/tips:

1. make sure you gas up in el rosario since it is 200 miles to a real gas station after that

2. go to san ignacio if you plan on going south - stay at www.casaleree.com for history - art - peace (it was the first INN)

3. if you go jan to april - and - depending on your vehicle - drive out to the lagoon in san ignacio and go whale watching. It is .. well .... there really are no words to describe the feeling of these huge mammals coming right up to your boat.

Lots of great food S. of the border

Ken Cooke - 12-11-2010 at 03:31 AM

Puerto Nuevo
http://www.puertonuevolobster.com/

San Felipe
http://www.sanfelipe.com.mx/

BillP - 12-11-2010 at 09:11 AM

With nine days, anything from Loreto north is within reach.

Bajahowodd - 12-11-2010 at 05:45 PM

Well folks, Cesar has still not made it back. That said, inasmuch as Cabo is a day's drive from Loreto, I wouldn't set Loreto as a limit on how far he could travel. After all, it's nine days. We've spent an entire week in Cabo that included driving both ways and doing it in ten.

If I can explain something about my earlier post, based on personal experience-

Something like 25 years ago, having spent my adult life in Southern California, I had never visited Hawaii. We opted for the cruise that went out of Honolulu. That cruise visited all the main islands, including two visits to the big island. Passengers could make on board arrangements to have a rental car waiting for them near the dock, whereby they could have breakfast and then hop into a car an explore the islands. What this provided to me was a super sampler. We were literally able to determine the places that we wanted to visit on a longer term basis, in order of priority. After that, we have made many trips to Hawaii and managed to greatly enjoy those places we identified on that first trip.

woody with a view - 12-11-2010 at 06:11 PM

Quote:

After all, it's nine days. We've spent an entire week in Cabo that included driving both ways and doing it in ten.


down and back in three days? :o i guess 24 hours of driving could get you there, but :o....

[Edited on 12-12-2010 by woody with a view]

Bajahowodd - 12-11-2010 at 06:47 PM

OK. You got me. I only spent six days in Cabo. The itinerary: First night Jardines in San Quintin. Second night Cowboy in Guerrero Negro. Third night Hacienda Suites in Loreto. Fourth night, Cabo. Return trip- Hacienda Suites in Loreto. Then, Santa Maria )formerly Desert Inn in San Quintin. Note- The Jardines restaurant is closed on Monday, lest we would have stayed there again. Oops! You got me. In fact, while I have forsaken the driven driving thing, there was a time when we actually did do this trip with only a stopover in GN. BTW, on the way down, we still had time to drive in to San Ignacio and visit the church and take pix. Ditto in Santa Rosalia.

My original point was that if Cesar wanted to check out much of what Baja offers, he could do that in nine days. Then, plan for where he wanted to spend time at next time.

Help baja itinerary (9days)

edimburgo - 12-16-2010 at 10:09 AM

Hi,

me and my girlfriend are going to baja for 9 dayss. we are driving from L.A. any suggestion about itineraries and places that we should not miss?

we like hiking, scuba diving, snorkleing.....
thanks sooo much.

Cesar

David K - 12-16-2010 at 10:16 AM

Have a look at some photos of many sites in Baja: http://vivabaja.com/tours

What kind of vehicle are you driving and are you camping or need motels?

You could go to the tip and back, but it will be a bit rushed... depending on what you want to see and do along the way. Whales up close is popular in the winter.

Loreto may be the furthest south you go and still have time for side trips and relaxing...

Our trip to Bahia Concepcion and Loreto was great last year... also did several Spanish mission side trips: http://vivabaja.com/709

[Edited on 12-16-2010 by David K]

boe4fun - 12-16-2010 at 10:19 AM

Hola Cesar, From LA I would try to cross at Otay Mesa (make sure you get your visas - you can ask one of the Aduana officers where to park while you're doing this). See David K's log reports for directions from there. He's got a ton of info on where to visit. I would personally try to get at least to San Quintin the first night, and if not camping stay at the Cielito Lindo (south of SQ by 7 miles or so). Get there by 4 PM as they have a dynamite happy hour - great margaritas - but limit yourself to 2! Clean rooms and very reasonable. For 9 days of travel I would probably drive no farther south than Mulege, so you don't feel like your're on the road the whole time. Happy trails.

mulegemichael - 12-16-2010 at 10:23 AM

i agree with dk; loreto and mulege are achievable in your time frame and very tourist friendly.

edimburgo - 12-16-2010 at 10:39 AM

Thanks for the quick answers guys!!!!

we are driving a toyota rav4, 2 wheels drive. We would like to stay in hotels but also camping if we find a nice place between Mulege and Loreto (or any other place) so any suggestions would be welcome. I think Mulege and Loreto as you say is the farther we will go unless we find out that there is really good scuba diving in la paz in this time of the year( we are going next week).

How is safety around there? i am going with my girlfriend and everybody say that Mexico nowadays is not very safe.

should we reserve something online or it is easy to find guesthouses or motels vacancies along the way.

Thanks so much for your quick answers

Cesar

edimburgo - 12-16-2010 at 10:50 AM

Hi guys!!!!!

Thanks for the quick answers,

yes i think we will try to get to san quintin the first day. is there any nice camping around there.
any suggestions about places and things to do that we should not miss along the way. i think we will not drive pass Mulege or Loreto.

muchas gracias!!!!

Cesar

DENNIS - 12-16-2010 at 10:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by edimburgo


How is safety around there? i am going with my girlfriend and everybody say that Mexico nowadays is not very safe.



It's as safe as you make it. Don't drive at night and don't camp in isolated places. Don't give anyone the finger while he turns in front of you and lock your car which should be in a protected spot while you're away from it.
Just pretend you're vacationing in California or any other place for that matter.

PS....If you come across a Fish Taco stand that's not crowded around meal times, that's just about all day, just drive on by. The locals know.


.

[Edited on 12-16-2010 by DENNIS]

boe4fun - 12-16-2010 at 11:36 AM

Near SQ camping at El Pabellon, visit the oyster farm (ask locals for directions), check out the missions along the way, visit El Marmol, maybe whale watching at GN or SI, maybe a side trip to Bahia Asuncion (visit Shari's website), for sure a day or two at Bahia Concepcion south of Mulege.

David K - 12-16-2010 at 11:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by edimburgo
is not that i didn't like his answer is that i was not very sure where to post my topic so i posted it in 2 places...

thanks for your quick answers


The best way to read Baja Nomad is to click on Today's Posts (at the top of the page)... You will see all new activity from the past 2 days in all the Baja forums here.

In San Quintin... actually, just south is El Pabellon and has been frequently mentioned as a good campground by a huge beach.

North of San Quintin in Colonia Vicente Guerrero is Posada Don Diego RV Park... the owner is a Nomad... very nice, has a restaurant and rooms, too. Just a mile or less off the highway.

David K - 12-16-2010 at 11:47 AM

Okay... so we have two threads answering the same question... BajaNomad will hopefully merge them together into the Q & A forum thread... since a trip report comes after the trip.

David K - 12-16-2010 at 11:50 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by edimburgo
Thanks for the quick answers guys!!!!

we are driving a toyota rav4, 2 wheels drive. We would like to stay in hotels but also camping if we find a nice place between Mulege and Loreto (or any other place) so any suggestions would be welcome. I think Mulege and Loreto as you say is the farther we will go unless we find out that there is really good scuba diving in la paz in this time of the year( we are going next week).

How is safety around there? i am going with my girlfriend and everybody say that Mexico nowadays is not very safe.

should we reserve something online or it is easy to find guesthouses or motels vacancies along the way.

Thanks so much for your quick answers

Cesar


See my trip report from last year... motels and camping combined... See if you like some of the places we spent time at: http://vivabaja.com/709

DianaT - 12-16-2010 at 11:53 AM

If you want safe, isolated and beautiful coastal places to camp, do head out to the Bahia Asuncion/Abreojos area.

Miles of beautiful places to camp that are isolated, safe and beautiful.

A couple of the favorite spots to camp are listed on the Bahia Asuncion Community Web Site but there are a lot more along that coast.

TMW - 12-16-2010 at 12:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
since a trip report comes after the trip.


It might be fun to report on what you will do then take the trip and see how close you came to doing it. Details before and after.

My trips are always different than what I originally plan.

[Edited on 12-16-2010 by TW]

Ken Bondy - 12-16-2010 at 12:15 PM

Diving: If you have cold-water equipment (and resolve) there is excellent kelp-forest diving in Ensenada at La Bufadora, including a dive shop which can arrange everything for you. The next realistic stop for diving would be Mulege, where I have never dived but I understand it is excellent and there is also a dive shop. I am very familiar with Loreto diving and it is superb. If you can get as far as La Paz you will find world-class diving. Good luck, ++Ken++

edimburgo - 12-16-2010 at 12:22 PM

Thanks so much David K for the links it is gonna be really helpful,

muchas gracias amigo

Cesar

mtgoat666 - 12-16-2010 at 12:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by edimburgo
Hi,

me and my girlfriend are going to baja for 9 dayss. we are driving from L.A. any suggestion about itineraries and places that we should not miss?

we like hiking, scuba diving, snorkleing.....
thanks sooo much.


when?

if winter, you won't want to miss whales at laguna san ignacio (best location of the multiple locations).

DENNIS - 12-16-2010 at 12:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Bondy
there is excellent kelp-forest diving in Ensenada at La Bufadora, including a dive shop which can arrange everything for you.


Kelp Forrest is even more "excellent" since the Urchin divers have wiped out the spiney little creatures who keep it in check. The bay is clogged.
Dale has all but closed up his shop, at least temporarily, due to non-existant business. Perhaps with a phone call or email, one could make arraingements.


http://www.labufadoradive.com/


.

[Edited on 12-16-2010 by DENNIS]

edimburgo - 12-16-2010 at 02:35 PM

Thanks so much to evryone for all your information.

We are going next week so we'll go to laguna san ignacio to see the whales?(is it really the best place to see whales in Baja?)

About diving, is it much better La Paz than Loreto? we would dive 1 day or maybe 2 if it is really good. Is ir worth the extra drive to La Paz or should we just dive in Loreto. is it a good time of the year to dive around these places?

Muchas gracias!!!!


Cesar

edimburgo - 12-16-2010 at 03:03 PM

Hi Guys!!!!!
thanks for all the information!!!!!
And sorry for not answering earlier.

We'll be driving from L.A. next week and we were thinking to get as far as Loreto(no further than that since it would be too much driving......) but who knows we normally end up doing something totally different that what we planned.....

we would like to relax but also to see as much as possible,whale watching, scuba diving, hiking, drink margaritas.....

Any suggestion about places, motels and camping are welcome

thanks again for all your anwers.

Muchas gracias

BajaDanD - 12-16-2010 at 05:01 PM

1st day drive to SanQuintin. Drive out to the Old Mill stay at Don Eddies Eat at Jardines.
2nd day drive to Asuncion visit Shari and Juan They can hook you up with a place to stay. If it was me I would stay there the rest of the trip but you guys probibly want to see some more stuff, SO after a few days at Asuncion drive to San Ignacio then Mulege.
Then drive to Loreto for a day turn around and head back maybe stop in at Bay of LA for a day on the way back.

Ken Cooke - 12-16-2010 at 05:32 PM

I think, the farther south you go, the warmer you will be. With all of this cold weather, I would want to be in Baja Sur.

Bajahowodd - 12-16-2010 at 05:40 PM

Gee. Where is Irene? Posada Don Diego San Quintin? A nomad.

willyAirstream - 12-16-2010 at 06:32 PM

There is beach camping on the Bahia Concepcion from free to 80 pesos per night. Choose a beach where others are camped. They all have only 6-8 campers right now, so finding a nice palapa is not a problem. Cuesta Real RV/Motel has 3 open camping spots for 60-70 pesos, with use of a bathroom and hot showers, if you want to explore Mulege. Cuesta Real is 2km south of Mulege. Stop by my place for a beer.

Ken Bondy - 12-16-2010 at 06:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS

Kelp Forrest is even more "excellent" since the Urchin divers have wiped out the spiney little creatures who keep it in check. The bay is clogged.
Dale has all but closed up his shop, at least temporarily, due to non-existant business. Perhaps with a phone call or email, one could make arraingements.

[Edited on 12-16-2010 by DENNIS]


DENNIS sorry to hear that Dale has shut down. Don't understand your "excellent" comment, what do you mean? What is the bay "clogged" with?

DENNIS - 12-16-2010 at 07:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Bondy
[DENNIS sorry to hear that Dale has shut down. Don't understand your "excellent" comment, what do you mean? What is the bay "clogged" with?


The "excellent" comment, a quote of your word, was meant to be facetious, Ken. Sorry about that. I should just say what I mean.
Anyway....the bay is clogged with kelp which would have in the past been controlled by a healthy Urchin population.
Is that right or wrong?

Dale's still around doing other things. Not just holding down the fort at a business with no customers. When buiseness picks up, so will Dale.


.

[Edited on 12-17-2010 by DENNIS]

Ken Bondy - 12-16-2010 at 07:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
The "excellent" comment, a quote of your word, was meant to be facetious, Ken. Sorry about that. I should just say what I mean.
Anyway....the bay is clogged with kelp which would have in the past been controlled by a healthy Urchin population.
Is that right or wrong?

Dale's still around doing other things. Not just holding down the fort at a business with no customers. When buiseness picks up, so will Dale.


Got it DENNIS, thanks. Yes urchins feed on kelp. But a lot of kelp, from a diving standpoint, is not necessarily a bad thing. Kelp sustains a tremendous amount of life. Charles Darwin himself, in 1834, said:

“The numbers of living creatures of all orders, whose existence intimately depends on kelp, is wonderful. A great volume might be written describing the inhabitants of one of these beds of seaweed”

Would love to dive that bay again sometime, will probably never happen but it's a nice thought.

DENNIS - 12-16-2010 at 08:36 PM

Thanks, Ken....I remember when Kelpco, the kelp processing company out of National City had a couple of cutters down here. The local fishermen would complain that they would cut to deep, but money talks.
One morning I looked across the bay [I was living in town at the time] and one of the cutters was smoldering at the waterline.

Some years later, Kelpco took their operation to Ireland.
There's been a lot of top growth since then.

One of Kelpco's most notable products was Sweet 'n Low or one of those other earlier sweetners....don't recall.

Yackie - 12-16-2010 at 09:31 PM

IMHO Cielito Lindo is a dump! You will freeze your butts off on the pacific side. Best place in San Quintin is by far El Jardines Hotel and Restaurant. Las Casitas Hotel in Santa Rosalia is beautiful and hangs right off the cliffs, Fab views. I could go on forever about the best eats up and down the peninsula. Never drive at night, don't camp in isolated spots, and never keep your pesos all in one place and don't flash around expensive jewelry or a wad of cash. Once you are south of Ensenada it is a whole nother country, I feel much safer here than many many places north of the border! Just use common sense. Remember it is not just the destination but the journey. Buena Suerte

wilderone - 12-17-2010 at 10:03 AM

Yackie has good advice. You might try diving at the islands off Bahia de los Angeles. Although, IMO, most marine life that should be in the Gulf of California is missing. Take the back road to Mision San Borja, hike around there, visit with the family - stay the night. Then dive around Laguna Manuela, off the cliffs by the lighthouse - then head to Bahia Asuncion. If you only have 9 days, I'd stay put in one place - like Mulege - and go hiking there to see petroglyphs, take a boat up the coast toward Punta Chivato for diving, relax a little, do a day trip to Conception Bay - some pictographs on the rocks on the other side of the highway in the same area. Really, so much to see and do. Being in the car too long, you'll miss too much of the little stuff that, really, in the cumulative, is really Baja California.
PS: I always camp in isolated places - if nobody knows you're there, who will bother you?