BajaNomad - Bahia Concepcion in August

Bahia Concepcion in August

ddawson - 7-1-2011 at 11:56 AM

Hello All,

My fiancé and I are planning a week long trip to Bahia Concepcion in August. We are both young (27) and adventurous. We want a place we can sit in the water all day, kayak, standup paddle, spearfish, and drink Pacifico.

I am thinking of staying at Coyote Bay. I have driven by it many times, and think it is a beautiful place. I am aware that it is going to be HOT and humid. I am concerned with reports of bugs this time of year. I have done searching on the forum and found reports of it being both buggy and not buggy. What do you think?

Also, I have read that the café will be most likely closed due to the slow season. We are very self sufficient, but sometimes need to run to a store for ice or basic food item. Is there a small local store? Or do I have to drive to Mulege?

Thanks for any help, and I’m open to any suggestions you might have.

-Danny

tiotomasbcs - 7-1-2011 at 12:15 PM

Whynot stay at Frambes guest rooms--Bob& Susans place. DK posted pictures 1-2yrs ago. On Playa Naranjos with toys included, I believe. Pompanos House was also going to be a rental; on Coyote Bay. Very hot & humid! Bugs--I was getting buzzed & bit in early May. Hordes of locals on weekends. Stores in town 15 miles away. Don't miss Sauls. Have fun. ps in town I stay at Cuesta Real. Tio

Mulegena - 7-1-2011 at 12:29 PM

Lived year 'round in the area for 7 years and I've never found summers in the Mulege/Bay of Conception area to be troublesome with insects. Other people say differently. So, my advice would be to bring insect spray and a big walk-in style mosquito net tent to sleep & camp in. You'll only need a sheet for a bedcover.

Yep' summers are hot and hell-on humid, both night 'n day, no wind. That being said, the water is absolutely fabulous. Bring shades, hat & lightweight long-sleeve shirt & pants to wear kayaking because, I kid you not, otherwise you'll probably suffer sunburn and possibly blistering in spite of sunscreen. Evenings the water will still be warm and lovely.

There may be a couple of stores, possibly restaurant still open adjacent to Coyote and Burro. You will probably find you'll want to make the trip to Mulege for provisions.

Russ - 7-1-2011 at 12:52 PM

Oh you're brave !
Might want to try Asuncion on the way down or one of the other Pacific beaches just so you know there is a cooler side to Baja first.

shari - 7-1-2011 at 01:13 PM

If you are here around mid August, to get some relief from the heat, you may want to come to Asuncion for the traditional fiestas then which are a whole lotta fun with lots of events...check your U2U box in the top right corner.

Looking for the "Like" button

Mulegena - 7-1-2011 at 01:14 PM

to Russ' & Shari's suggestions.

The peninsula in summer is like a big, long lizard.
The mountain range is its rugged spine that divides two distinct aspects to its character.
The Pacific side is generally gentle, cool with light breezes, little humidity until you get to the southern tip.
The Sea of Cortez side bites!

[Edited on 7-1-2011 by Mulegena]

David K - 7-1-2011 at 01:21 PM

Photos taken at Bob & Susan's Lighthouse Resort in July 2009 are in that trip's web page: http://vivabaja.com/709

Yes hot but so is the sea, nice and warm... NICE! What may be uncomfortable are the nights... high humidity and heat make sleeping difficult. Bob & Susan's run the AC for much of the night... pure bliss.

But, you are young and we also camped on the bay one night that trip.

Huricanes and chubascos are a concern... mostly wind, but flash floods possible... wait them out, they move on quickly... usually!

Cypress - 7-1-2011 at 01:26 PM

Jeez! It's hot in August just about everywhere north of the equator. :yes:

ddawson - 7-1-2011 at 02:32 PM

Thanks everyone for their replies!

Tio and David- The Frambes place is very, very, nice but unfortunately way too far out of our budget.

Shari, Russ, and Mulegena- We are planning on stopping a night both ways at Alejandro's (just north of Santa Rosaliita) in order to break up the drive. I have spent a lot of time camping/surfing on the Pacific side (both summer and winter), and want something a little different. We both want the tropical temperature waters that the SOC side offers. There is nothing quite like setting up your beach chair in the warm water and sipping on a Pacifico while under an umbrella!

We are prepared for the heat and humidity, but I don't want to be fighting bugs all day long, everyday.

Also, does anyone know what the current daily cost of camping at Coyote is?

Bob and Susan - 7-1-2011 at 02:54 PM

summer is the BEST time of year
don't let these snow-birds "shoe" you away : )

remember the italians come every year in august and
have no trouble at all with the heat

just dont bring too many clothes : )

the water is easily 90 degrees
you'll be in it ALOT!!!

susan is in the pool as i write this
it's 100 degrees and 40% humidity

we get a breeze over here and its a little cooler
coyote is "protected" and a little warmer in the winter
so in the summer HOTTER

the dorado are jumping on the boats
susan got one yesterday for our lunch

the restruant at burro is open all year
theres a little store out there
but the town is ALWAYS better stocked

if its too hot you can always move east

like i said summer is the best time of year...

Vince - 7-1-2011 at 04:06 PM

ddawson- If you can stand the oppressive night heat, you should do fine. I have camped on Coyote beach many times in the summer and the main irritant are the jejenes, or no-see-ums. Off! keeps them away and they are active only around sundown and sunup. Mosquitos also may be a problem . I have a house on the beach there, 3rd from the south end and we may be there first week in August. Walk by the houses along the beach and check it out. Adrian the watchman will be there watching all the houses. Come by and say hi if we are there. I don't know what they charge.

DavidE - 7-1-2011 at 04:23 PM

A typical August day will have daytime highs near 100, humidity near seventy percent. Low temps at dawn will be near 88, and eighty-some-odd percent humidity. Bring good flashlights, and sleep off the ground or in on on something that is rattlesnake and scorpion proof. Rattlers for some reason love to crawl onto the beach at night. SHADE is a biggie. You cannot have enough. Get one of those new 7-day ice chests, bury it in the sand, and then cover the exposed lid with a heavy blanket in the shade.

The SEGUNDA store next to El Patio sells a lot of used gizmos and if you are short of something they will probably have it. There is another SEGUNDA store across the street from Equipales the second story restaurant. Instead of purchasing purified ice for your cooler, buy frozen solid gallon jugs of water and then you can drink the melted ice rather than pour it out.

I've had to put up with this sort of camping a lot, and one of the best ways to make it tolerable is to go for several night-time swims, and then doze in-between for awhile. But I can not overemphasize the importance of SHADE, not only on top but also from the sides. If Coyote has no breezes, CHECK WITH SOMEONE FIRST ABOUT SECURITY OF CAMPING, and then if it seems OK try EL NARANJO further toward Mulege. Beware though of a real bad reputatation for night time problems. The whole Bahia Concepcion is sheltered almost completely by mountains from any sort of southerly summer. breezes.

Bugs come and bugs go, but PENNYROYAL OIL is by far the best for jejenes which are no-see-ums. Barring that, use 100% DEET available at Wal-Mart in the states. Spray OFF, sold in Mexico is 15% DEET and Cream, Off is garbage, avoid it and Autan (Jesus and Brenda labelled Autan, as being "salzanidor" for insects, which means "seasoning".

805gregg - 7-1-2011 at 05:41 PM

Don't listen to the BS, it will be great, especially on the water, no bug problem, but bring spf 50 sunscreen, and your own shade. I loved it there in 1973, the place has changed but not the beauty. Naranjo is a getto, compared.

Marc - 7-1-2011 at 08:58 PM

August 2010, Serinad Hotel; 105º outside, 68º inside. Three steps from the room to the pool bar.

[Edited on 7-11-2011 by Marc]

willyAirstream - 7-1-2011 at 10:39 PM

I was at Coyote Sunday and Wed. Yes, weekends are busy, but still plenty of room. Mid week only 2-3 gringo camps. The store and restaurants on Conception are open now and probably will remain open. There are several 12 x 12 palapas on the beach, about 25?. Bring a tarp or netting to close off the one open side for complete shade. These are 12 feet from the water. Snorkeling is good out by the points and the island. No bugs in the day time, but I bet the no see ums come out at dusk. Coyote charges $5/day, IF anyone comes around. secret - as you come into the little beach road, take a LEFT and you will find 2-3 camp sites visible from the houses on Coyote but not from Mex 1. May ease your mind, if security is a worry. On the other hand, take a right turn and go to the end and stay under the 2 palms or a shade tree (1). Right now it is H O T, but humidity is low. Water is also hot, dive down and enjoy the temp drop. If it gets too hot, stop in Cuesta Real, I always have cold Pacificos!
pics from Sunday

[Edited on 7-2-2011 by willyAirstream]

capt. mike - 7-2-2011 at 06:14 AM

like camping in a sauna??
that's what you will have.
and bugs that come out of the sand at night and eat you alive.

Frambe's place is a bargain and w/ AC.

Russ - 7-2-2011 at 06:51 AM

My 2¢... I think that the bug thing can change day/night to night. But usually by Aug you can't count on no-see-m's and they can really ruin a trip. Summer of '68 after a very hot drive down we all looked forward to Coyote and it was idealistic until dusk. We all got the jejene experience and by morning we were ready and packed up to leave . But it was high tide and we couldn't escape the morning bite (pun intended).

Pescador - 7-2-2011 at 07:49 AM

One thing this thread has done is separate the wimps from the he-men.

Russ - 7-2-2011 at 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pescador
One thing this thread has done is separate the wimps from the he-men.

I loved the AC last night!

[Edited on 7-2-2011 by Russ]

Marc - 7-2-2011 at 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Russ

Quote:

Originally posted by Pescador
One thing this thread has done is separate the wimps from the he-men.

I loved the AC last night!

[Edited on 7-2-2011 by Russ]

Yes indeed...pass the cheese :lol:

Pacifico - 7-2-2011 at 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vince
ddawson- If you can stand the oppressive night heat, you should do fine. I have camped on Coyote beach many times in the summer and the main irritant are the jejenes, or no-see-ums. Off! keeps them away and they are active only around sundown and sunup. Mosquitos also may be a problem . I have a house on the beach there, 3rd from the south end and we may be there first week in August. Walk by the houses along the beach and check it out. Adrian the watchman will be there watching all the houses. Come by and say hi if we are there. I don't know what they charge.

Vince nailed it! I once camped at Coyote right near that big clump of palm trees and was eaten alive by the no-see-ums! I remember almost putting on my wetsuit it was so bad....Take lots of bug spray and hopefully they will leave you alone. I counted like 98 bites on one of my feet - we had to go to the pharmacy the next day for some anti-itch cream...Good luck!

Bob H - 7-2-2011 at 01:49 PM

Just go... you are young and should have a blast!

Make sure you have lots of ice and Pacificos.

From the University of Arizona "Coping with No-See-Ums"

http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/noseeums....

BajaBlanca - 7-2-2011 at 02:13 PM

you know, if it is bad regarding bugs in august, come out to the pacific side - either puta abreojos or la bocana or asuncion - august is a wonderful month where the ocean temps are usually perfect for going in for a swim !! and the air outside is cooler with winds that keep the bugs far away .... camping at abre and bocana is free but NO facilities, camping with Shari is great and there are faciliteis. I think she charges $5 a day and a fantabulous location.

Bajatripper - 7-2-2011 at 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca
either puta abreojos or la bocana or asuncion -

You might want to do an edit on that "point," Blanca.

willyAirstream - 7-2-2011 at 04:04 PM

Bajatripper
Dang, I was all packed and ready to go there.

Eli - 7-2-2011 at 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca
you know, if it is bad regarding bugs in august, come out to the pacific side - either puta abreojos or la bocana or asuncion -

Blanca, Good to see another Mistress Malaprop on board, bienvenidas to the club, I suddenly don't feel so alone. :yes:

Eli - 7-2-2011 at 05:31 PM

I camped on Conception at Coyote in Aug. 64 & 89, both times I was consumed by the noseeums. Other than that, it was pretty darn beautiful, but to hot for my bones now. Still, if I had it to do over again I would be sure to have repellent, fan and mosquito netting. sure make all the difference.

ddawson - 7-6-2011 at 07:53 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I think we’re still going for it. We are planning on being there the 5-10th. We will be bringing some repellent and nets for sleeping in and Pacifico for drinking. If the bugs get too bad, we can always leave.

Vince – Thanks, I’ll say hi when walking by if you’re around.

DavidE – Thanks for all the info. I’ll be ordering some pennyroyal oil.

willyAirstream- Thanks for the great pics!

David K - 7-6-2011 at 08:26 PM

Never had any no-see-um or other bug problems at El Requeson or La Perla... Late July (2009, 2007, 1985, 1976, 1974, 1973, 1966). Maybe it is the palm trees that attract them?