BajaNomad

ESCONDIDO to BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES

C205Driver - 9-17-2016 at 08:13 AM

. . .Good Morning All. . .IF all works out we are thinking of driving from Escondido by way of a Calexico down to BOLA late September. . . EARLY start & lunch / gas in San Felipe & couple beers with Coco then to BOLA. . Any idea on drive time?. Which hotels in BOLA have a useable pool? Besides Ricardos who else does whale sharks? Have they improved the "road" to the houses at the South end of the Bay? Last time there was 2013 by way of TJ with a couple nites @ Mikes Sky Ranch & then to PSFO by way of a goat trail towing a trailer. . .That is another story. . .Thanks for the replies!!!

larryC - 9-17-2016 at 09:11 AM

It takes me 10 hours to drive down there from San Diego through Mexicali and on down to Bola, your time will vary. The only 2 pools in Bola that I can think of are the Villa Vita in town and Los Vientos out in La Gringa. Both seem to be usable. There are quite a few whale shark pangas in town so no problem there. The road is paved now all the way out to La Gringa. Enjoy your stay.

C205Driver - 9-17-2016 at 09:46 AM

. . .Thanks LarryC. . . I thought so on the hotels ; any idea on rates / which is more cost effective???. . .TIA

larryC - 9-17-2016 at 02:33 PM

No idea. They probably both have web sites. Villa Vita being right in town gives you easy access to taco stands and grocery stores. Los Vientos is about 5 miles out of town and right on the water so nice beach combing. The road is paved all the way out there so no big deal.

pinchyelguapo - 9-17-2016 at 03:59 PM

Got back on Tuesday from a long weekend in Bahia. We traveled through Mexicali - San Felipe - Gonzaga Bay like you're planning.
It took 8 hours of actual drive time (not including stops) in a lightly loaded 2013 stock Wrangler. There are only 22 miles of off-road left between the Hwy 5 and Hwy 1.
4h30m - Mission Beach to San Felipe
1h30m - San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay
50m - Off-road
1h10m - Chapala to Bahia
I've stayed at both Los Vientos and Villa Vita. Los Vientos was 7 years ago and never again. Then, it was a pretend "Luxury Hotel" with an empty pool, your very own pet ants inside the room, and double/triple the rate of other motels in the area. I've stayed at Villa Vita 6 times and it is always perfectly adequate. The pool is always full and the AC always works which is the most you should expect in Bahia. At $50-$70 / night, it works perfectly for what you want. Mario is the Manager at Villa Vita, from Tijuana, and speaks English pretty good if that is a concern.
Whale Sharks were the best I've ever seen last weekend (7 years experience). About 15-20 in the bay right now including a "big mama" at 33 feet. She has 2 vertical scars on her top side making her easy to recognize in addition to her massive-ness. There are many choices with pangas (I think there are 20 licenses for the bay). I've been using Ricardo Arce's service for the last 4 years and it's a bit more expensive than others. The prices have went up each year (this year was $200 for 6 hours) Mario (yep another Mario) is the captain that we always request. He doesn't speak English well (or maybe not at all), but my girlfriend is fluent and I'm no slouch myself. Captain Mario has the eyes of a Frigatebird! He spots whale sharks under the surface from 100 yards away. In addition, to whale sharks, we do some sight seeing, fishing, and clamming/"oystering". We met some new friends at Villa Vita who hired a $120 boat from somewhere else and didn't even have half the experience we had.
We went out 2 days and had great experience both days, but the last hour of the 2nd day was mind blowing. 9+ whale sharks feeding up and down the water column not leaving a 200 foot square. We slipped in the warm sea and didn't get out for over an hour. There were times during the hour that you had to do your best not to get hit by a dorsal or tail fin, sometimes all 9 sharks were visible to us at the same time.

AKgringo - 9-17-2016 at 04:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pinchyelguapo  
Got back on Tuesday from a long weekend in Bahia..........


Welcome to the forum! Most people (including me) start out with a question, but you lead off with a timely, interesting and useful trip report!

Good on you....and keep them coming!

pinchyelguapo - 9-17-2016 at 04:32 PM

Thanks AKgringo! I've been using this forum for several years as a visitor to glean whatever info I could get on road conditions, hurricane reports, etc. I thought it was time to "payback" the community with the little knowledge I have.

woody with a view - 9-17-2016 at 04:34 PM

Hey P-nche that sounds like a damn good time in the bay. We've got about 35 days before we launch, but who's counting?😬🌴⛱

pinchyelguapo - 9-17-2016 at 05:57 PM

Yeah Woody... I've been in early October several times before and always was able to find a couple - 5 whale sharks, but since 3 years been going first weekend after Labor Day. It's a night/day difference with the amount of giant fish in the bay. I'll see if I can try to figure out how to post a video. Looked like a mf-ing shark orgy at one point.

pinchyelguapo - 9-17-2016 at 06:25 PM

250kb uploads? Whoa, no video for sure!

Bahia 91216 66 - Copy.JPG - 202kB

woody with a view - 9-17-2016 at 06:32 PM

Load the vids to youtube and put the link here.

C205Driver - 9-17-2016 at 08:29 PM

. . .Hey Pinchy. . .Nice report; I had that feeling about Los Vientos when we pulled in & looked around a few years back; it was deserted & NO one around, but, had that expensive look. .. . . Depending on if life is good for us the next few weeks we should be down there near the end of the month; hopefully snorkel with the whale sharks. . . Flew down about 5-6 years ago & when we went out the ENTIRE bay was flatter then glass; down at the South end they stared popping up at 9AM & coulda walked on their backs it was so crowded!!!!! Used Ricardo's Dive Shop & they had a nice boat & good help. . . Wife & my Jet Jockey buddy want it off the bucket list ( AND gotta celebrate a few B-Days ). . . Next day flew to PSFO & had 60-70MPH winds & sand in everything for 3 days ( It was ugly ). . .Only redeeming thing on that was that after wind died down walked out of palapa & came upon a turtle laying it eggs; got Juan, Mingo & Rosa to come out & look. . .They got all excited. . .Last time there at PSFO it looked like the coyotes had dug up over 60 spots & raided the eggs. . .Sad for my wife & I to look at. . .After BOLA we are hoping to hit the Hacienda in Mulege for our annual ritual. . . Thank you all for the input!!!!!!!

pinchyelguapo - 9-17-2016 at 10:02 PM

Yeah, by the looks/sounds of it your girl and friend(s) should definitely have a bucket list item crossed off! Sooner the better though!
Sad to hear about turtles. C'est la vie. Good news is that we saw 100+ of really shy (because the locals still eat them!) turtles while in BOLA.
By the way, 4x4 recommended but not necessary for the off-road portion.
Have a great trip!

mtgoat666 - 9-17-2016 at 10:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by larryC  
It takes me 10 hours to drive down there from San Diego through Mexicali and on down to Bola, your time will vary. The only 2 pools in Bola that I can think of are the Villa Vita in town and Los Vientos out in La Gringa. Both seem to be usable. There are quite a few whale shark pangas in town so no problem there. The road is paved now all the way out to La Gringa. Enjoy your stay.


Back in Early summer the los Vientos pool was murky and silty. Not sure they know how to operate the filtration system and cleaner,...
Never a good plan to expect a remote pool in Baja to be operational.

Marc - 9-18-2016 at 06:08 AM

Henry Daggett took us out a few years back. We jumped in with this one.

C205Driver - 9-18-2016 at 07:36 AM

. . .For those of you that have gone thru Tecate *AND* Mexicali . . .Which routing would you recommend & why?? One better than the other?. . .TIA. . .

mtgoat666 - 9-18-2016 at 07:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by C205Driver  
. . .For those of you that have gone thru Tecate *AND* Mexicali . . .Which routing would you recommend & why?? One better than the other?. . .TIA. . .


For variety, we do southbound via TJ and 1, and northbound via 5 and Mexicali. Crossing via tecate is way slower route than TJ or Mexicali.
5 is a bit easier drive, as there or less traffic "stress". But 5 and 1 take about same amount of time, from San Diego area.

DENNIS - 9-18-2016 at 08:01 AM


HEY WOODY...CHECK YOUR U2U...........

woody with a view - 9-18-2016 at 08:09 AM

Thanks, D!!!

larryC - 9-18-2016 at 08:37 AM

I have gone through Tecate and also through Mexicali. I prefer Mexicali but the La Rumerosa grade is something everyone should experience at least once. The bottom of those cliffs must be littered with vehicles and big trucks. Makes the grade up and out of Santa Rosalia look tame by comparison. Much better and wider roads going through Mexicali.
On another note the Los Vientos motel is under new ownership so a lot of what was seen in the past is changed.

[Edited on 9-18-2016 by larryC]

Marc - 9-18-2016 at 08:55 AM

Mex 5 & Mexicali or sure.

BigBearRider - 9-18-2016 at 09:47 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pinchyelguapo  
Got back on Tuesday from a long weekend in Bahia. We traveled through Mexicali - San Felipe - Gonzaga Bay like you're planning.
It took 8 hours of actual drive time (not including stops) in a lightly loaded 2013 stock Wrangler. There are only 22 miles of off-road left between the Hwy 5 and Hwy 1.
4h30m - Mission Beach to San Felipe
1h30m - San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay
50m - Off-road
1h10m - Chapala to Bahia
I've stayed at both Los Vientos and Villa Vita. Los Vientos was 7 years ago and never again. Then, it was a pretend "Luxury Hotel" with an empty pool, your very own pet ants inside the room, and double/triple the rate of other motels in the area. I've stayed at Villa Vita 6 times and it is always perfectly adequate. The pool is always full and the AC always works which is the most you should expect in Bahia. At $50-$70 / night, it works perfectly for what you want. Mario is the Manager at Villa Vita, from Tijuana, and speaks English pretty good if that is a concern.
Whale Sharks were the best I've ever seen last weekend (7 years experience). About 15-20 in the bay right now including a "big mama" at 33 feet. She has 2 vertical scars on her top side making her easy to recognize in addition to her massive-ness. There are many choices with pangas (I think there are 20 licenses for the bay). I've been using Ricardo Arce's service for the last 4 years and it's a bit more expensive than others. The prices have went up each year (this year was $200 for 6 hours) Mario (yep another Mario) is the captain that we always request. He doesn't speak English well (or maybe not at all), but my girlfriend is fluent and I'm no slouch myself. Captain Mario has the eyes of a Frigatebird! He spots whale sharks under the surface from 100 yards away. In addition, to whale sharks, we do some sight seeing, fishing, and clamming/"oystering". We met some new friends at Villa Vita who hired a $120 boat from somewhere else and didn't even have half the experience we had.
We went out 2 days and had great experience both days, but the last hour of the 2nd day was mind blowing. 9+ whale sharks feeding up and down the water column not leaving a 200 foot square. We slipped in the warm sea and didn't get out for over an hour. There were times during the hour that you had to do your best not to get hit by a dorsal or tail fin, sometimes all 9 sharks were visible to us at the same time.


Sounds fantastic!

Terry28 - 9-18-2016 at 09:58 AM

I second the opinion that Los Vientos has changed...New owners William and Rosa. It has been really cleaned up and a great place to stay. Right on the water, very clean rooms, plenty of AC....

C205Driver - 9-18-2016 at 01:14 PM

. . My Jet Jockey buddy thinks driving 100/mph is for the slow lane; don't wanna do La Rumorosa Grade so I will not mention it to him. . . ( last time going to Asuncion we were between 95 -100 in my truck in stretches; I did NOT let him drive back at all! )( Great pilot tho )

C205Driver - 9-18-2016 at 04:18 PM

. . .Any suggestions on crossing down & up at Calexico / Mexicali? Know we gotta get a tourist visa & drive slow in Mexicali; what else???. . .TIA. . .

redhilltown - 9-18-2016 at 04:53 PM

The immigration office is just to the left as you enter...the guy there last time gave us some gruff as we tried to get the free week long visas...said the computer was broken and we'd have to pay to get the 180 day ones...we waited him out until what appeared to be his superior showed up and magically the free seven day visas were available.

I am a lone voice as to I always prefer to cross each way at Tecate...then take the toll road over to Mexicali where you miss all the city traffic...just like the vibe crossing there better. But your mileage may vary!

yellowklr - 9-19-2016 at 02:28 PM

I like both routes, my self I would go TJ home, just to hot at the Mexicali border this time of year!

anyone know what they are charging now at Los Vientos?

C205Driver - 9-19-2016 at 06:26 PM

. . Would love to have a new review of Los Vientos! TIA......

David K - 9-20-2016 at 06:40 AM

Welcome aboard pinchyelguapo. Great post!

C205Driver - 9-22-2016 at 08:43 AM

Good Morning all. . .Has anyone recently stayed at Los Vientos or Villa Vitta and have comments / review to share??? Thanks!!!!

David K - 9-22-2016 at 08:47 AM

Drove by them last week, that was all. I have heard that Los Vientos has new owners that will actually provide good service, for a change!