BajaNomad

Las Vegas - San Diego - La Paz and back in 8 days?

sideshow bob - 12-28-2015 at 06:39 PM

Buenas tardes baja nomads!

Hope you can help us on this tricky travel itinerary.

We (two cabrones always wanted to visit baja) are going to Las Vegas on the 2nd of January.

We need to be back in Las Vegas by 10th of January evening.

During this time i would love to see whale sharks which is since ages on my do before you see daisies list.

My friend wants to see San Diego.

Since there is no car rental in US which allows you to get into Mexico (that's what the car rental agencies told us) we wanted to rent a car on LAs Vegas airport heading for San Diego early on the 3rd of January.

Spending 1-1.5 days in San Diego and then leaving for Baja down south, fastest way to my beloving whalesharks.

Spending some time down at La Paz (i think this is Baja's Whalesharks capitol) before heading back to Las Vegas.

I read lots of recommendations of not driving at night.

Is it that dangerous?

And more important is it doable, without spending the whole time in the car?

From San Diego we though we can reach Malarrimo for first night in Baja and next day straight to La Paz.

Staying there as long as possible and then heading back to Las Vegas.

Happy to hear your thoughts on this!

For example is it whaleshark season around new years eve?
We want to take the cheapest rental car and use low budget but clean accomodations.

Best recommendations gets a fresh German beer ;).

Hasta pronto!
Sideshow Bob

bajaguy - 12-28-2015 at 06:53 PM

All of the major rental agencies based in San Diego rent vehicles that are allowed into Baja.....however you have to purchase their Mexican liability insurance which is about $25-$30 additional per day

willardguy - 12-28-2015 at 06:55 PM

sounds like a plan! except for the whale sharks in la paz ;)

David K - 12-28-2015 at 06:57 PM

Welcome to Baja Nomad!

Please base your plans on more than one reply, but as I read this, I am thinking:

Too cold for whale sharks, come back in the summer or fall.

CaBaja rents cars for Baja, they are Nomads.
If no companies rent for Baja, how were you going to travel in Baja without a rental car? I am missing some ingredient of your travel method.

Only dangerous if you hit something! Days are SHORT in the winter, hard to get very far without night driving. But, the roads are narrow and there are cows that sleep on the pavement, in the bottom of dips. You really should NOT drive beyond the cities at night where there is range cattle, stray donkeys, and chupacabras!

Malarrimo? The beach where stuff washes up or the motel in Guerrero Negro. How early can you leave San Diego, 4 am? Sunrise in Ensenada. 11 am in El Rosario (top your gas tank here). 4 pm... make that 5 (as you go into Moutain Time Zone there) in Guerrero Negro. The next day, leave by 6 am for 500 more mile (10 hours later) for La Paz... You will be totally wiped out as that is not a freeway, there are military inspections, road repairs, and who know what else?

I thought Bahia de los Angeles was the whale shark place? That is only 8-9 hours from San Diego, not 18+ hours.

Anyway, stand by for other opinions! Come back when you can really enjoy all that there is in Baja!

Edit: in the time I took to type, already three replies! Great!

[Edited on 12-29-2015 by David K]

MMc - 12-28-2015 at 07:04 PM

The drive is 20 hours or so to LaPaz. It is very doable in 2 days without driving at night. Staying at Malarrimo in G N is OK. I don't like the key deposit as I tend to leave before the office opens in the morning so I stay elsewhere.
Talk to the dive shops in LaPaz for Whale sharks and diving with them.
There will be a lot of people telling you that 2 days is to short for going down and 2 coming back, It's your trip do what you want.

honda tom - 12-29-2015 at 09:44 AM

looks like a shop called cortez club scuba has some trip advisor reviews and a phone number. someone swam with whale sharks 2 days ago. that's a long drive to only stay 2 days, but if its all you got?

honda tom - 12-29-2015 at 10:01 AM

san Ignacio is 1.5 past GN. Santa Rosalita another hour past that and so on... just nice to make a shorter day 2 so you can set up your trip.

bajasusan/a - 12-29-2015 at 10:43 AM

kinda surprised that no one else has said this yet, but my experience is that rushing down the Baja, especially in this season of 10-11 hours of daylight, keeps people in the USA frame of mind/body, when RELAXING is really the best we have to offer visitors. Tranquilo is the way to go, doing less is more better, and the best trips are when you head back before you have to in case more adventures present themselves on the way home.

Hook - 12-29-2015 at 10:54 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajasusan/a  
kinda surprised that no one else has said this yet, but my experience is that rushing down the Baja, especially in this season of 10-11 hours of daylight, keeps people in the USA frame of mind/body, when RELAXING is really the best we have to offer visitors. Tranquilo is the way to go, doing less is more better, and the best trips are when you head back before you have to in case more adventures present themselves on the way home.


With a name like Sideshow, a low-budget eight day itinerary covering a thousand miles and a departure from Vegas, these guys might be more Kerouac than tranquilo.

Sometimes the journey IS the destination.

willardguy - 12-29-2015 at 11:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Hook  
Quote: Originally posted by bajasusan/a  
kinda surprised that no one else has said this yet, but my experience is that rushing down the Baja, especially in this season of 10-11 hours of daylight, keeps people in the USA frame of mind/body, when RELAXING is really the best we have to offer visitors. Tranquilo is the way to go, doing less is more better, and the best trips are when you head back before you have to in case more adventures present themselves on the way home.


With a name like Sideshow, a low-budget eight day itinerary covering a thousand miles and a departure from Vegas, these guys might be more Kerouac than tranquilo.

Sometimes the journey IS the destination.


:lol: Kerouac! the youngsters might need a hand with that one!

bajasusan/a - 12-29-2015 at 11:15 AM


With a name like Sideshow, a low-budget eight day itinerary covering a thousand miles and a departure from Vegas, these guys might be more Kerouac than tranquilo.

Sometimes the journey IS the destination.[/rquote]

:lol: Kerouac! the youngsters might need a hand with that one![/rquote]

as we say en espanol, jajajajajajaja! and i do NOT recommend driving el transpeninsular on drugs!

micah202 - 12-29-2015 at 02:48 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajasusan/a  
kinda surprised that no one else has said this yet, but my experience is that rushing down the Baja, especially in this season of 10-11 hours of daylight, keeps people in the USA frame of mind/body, when RELAXING is really the best we have to offer visitors. Tranquilo is the way to go, doing less is more better, and the best trips are when you head back before you have to in case more adventures present themselves on the way home.


....thought to mention this ,,but the timeframe is sooo ludicrous, these guys are clearly beyond insane.


.

willardguy - 12-29-2015 at 03:25 PM

im going with young and adventurous! salud :D

vandenberg - 12-29-2015 at 04:11 PM

You need a chopper for this trip.:light::biggrin:

23S52N - 12-29-2015 at 04:33 PM

I think Kerouac sums it up...and for those who don't know who he was....that's why they invented the internet.

These guys seem to want to do what a lot of us as starry eyed kids from the 60s only dreamt of...ergo; Easy Rider.

I say do the trip for a lot of us and Bien VIAJE you crazy bastards!!

AKgringo - 12-29-2015 at 05:19 PM

More time south of the border is great, but if eight days is what you have, GO FOR IT

If the newbie from Tahoe had responded to my last reply to his post or my U2U messages, I would be somewhere near Mulege right now halfway through my own eight days on the road!

Watching the scenery change is a huge part of any trip for me, and I'd be willing....to be moving....from Tuscon to Tucumcari, Tehacapi to Tonapah!

Bajahowodd - 12-29-2015 at 06:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Hook  
Quote: Originally posted by bajasusan/a  
kinda surprised that no one else has said this yet, but my experience is that rushing down the Baja, especially in this season of 10-11 hours of daylight, keeps people in the USA frame of mind/body, when RELAXING is really the best we have to offer visitors. Tranquilo is the way to go, doing less is more better, and the best trips are when you head back before you have to in case more adventures present themselves on the way home.


With a name like Sideshow, a low-budget eight day itinerary covering a thousand miles and a departure from Vegas, these guys might be more Kerouac than tranquilo.

Sometimes the journey IS the destination.


So true. I would not want to share the highway with these guys.
The itinerary is not viable if they wish to have any enjoyable time in Baja. Unless incessant driving is a thrill.

MMc - 12-29-2015 at 09:35 PM

Some get it, some don't. We have done things to get them off the list, if you have not well then , you'll never understand.

wilderone - 12-30-2015 at 09:33 AM

"A variety of tour operators in La Paz can take you to see the whale sharks, or if you are visiting by boat you can venture out of the Ensenada de La Paz and have a whale shark encounter of your own. Since the waters of the Sea are relatively cold in the winter time, dropping into the upper 60’s, a 3-7mm wetsuit make the experience much more inviting if you plan on getting in the water. The whale sharks are usually found near the middle of the spit of land that extend out in front of La Paz, known as the Magote"

You will be spending most of the time in your car.
San Diego is a big city - what do you want to see?
Maybe skip San Diego, cross in Mexicali - stay first night in San Felipe. Backtrack a bit - cross over to Mex. 1 via Mex. 3.
Is driving at night dangerous? Yes. There are narrow roads, most without a shoulder, hairpin turns, very large semi trucks and buses that sometimes encroach in your lane. If it has rained there may be rocks and dirt in the road, if it's very windy there may be tumble weeds blowing across the road and in the road. Go for it, have a Plan B (what happens if you're not back in Las Vegas Jan. 10?)

motoged - 12-30-2015 at 12:47 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajasusan/a  

With a name like Sideshow, a low-budget eight day itinerary covering a thousand miles and a departure from Vegas, these guys might be more Kerouac than tranquilo.

Sometimes the journey IS the destination.[/rquote]

:lol: Kerouac! the youngsters might need a hand with that one![/rquote]

as we say en espanol, jajajajajajaja! and i do NOT recommend driving el transpeninsular on drugs!


More like Fear and Loathing than On the Road....

....and what route would you suggest for driving under the influence?.......

as you say, "jajajajajajajaj":biggrin:

Sweetwater - 12-30-2015 at 02:47 PM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged  
Quote: Originally posted by bajasusan/a  

With a name like Sideshow, a low-budget eight day itinerary covering a thousand miles and a departure from Vegas, these guys might be more Kerouac than tranquilo.

Sometimes the journey IS the destination.[/rquote]

:lol: Kerouac! the youngsters might need a hand with that one![/rquote]

as we say en espanol, jajajajajajaja! and i do NOT recommend driving el transpeninsular on drugs!


More like Fear and Loathing than On the Road....

....and what route would you suggest for driving under the influence?.......

as you say, "jajajajajajajaj":biggrin:


It was Neal Cassady that did all the driving for Jack.

Update for the younger crowd....Johnny Depp



motoged - 12-30-2015 at 03:03 PM

Jack Kerouac and Hunter Thompson both drove through life impaired.....but left a literary trail worth reading....


Any body ever read Ringolevio by Emmet Grogan?

Worth it ....another Beat Generation guy who didn't seem to get the cred he deserved.....

These days it's a bunch of wieners wearing Guy Fawkes masks...:no:

micah202 - 12-30-2015 at 05:24 PM

.

...strange, the OP seems to have no comments....


Profile for sideshow bob

Last active: 12-30-2015 at 09:27 AM

motoged - 12-30-2015 at 09:56 PM

Maybe his post was just another sideshow....

bajasusan/a - 12-30-2015 at 10:49 PM

as we say en espanol, jajajajajajaja! and i do NOT recommend driving el transpeninsular on drugs![/rquote]

More like Fear and Loathing than On the Road....

....and what route would you suggest for driving under the influence?.......

as you say, "jajajajajajajaj":biggrin:[/rquote]

well, my personal favorite is interstate 90 in the usa, but that's another story/country! HAH!

micah202 - 12-31-2015 at 11:20 AM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged  
Maybe his post was just another sideshow....


......guess so! Last active: 12-31-2015 at 06:05 AM

Just a test!

AKgringo - 12-31-2015 at 12:16 PM

This has been a test of the 'Nomad Trolling System'!

Had this been an actual request for advice, I am sure the OP would have responded to all the strikes he got.

Fortunately, no hooks were set in this test!

One post and gone? Why bother signing in to the forum?

willardguy - 12-31-2015 at 12:39 PM

maybe bob doesn't fit the nomad profile? :lol:

motoged - 12-31-2015 at 01:55 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
This has been a test of the 'Nomad Trolling System'!......

One post and gone? Why bother signing in to the forum?


Hey, we're having fun.....who cares if he doesn't jump back in the pool......