Newbie report with advice for newbies

Hi All -- Hoping to share my experience so other new nomads can learn a thing or 2.

My wife and 2 kids and I rented a car in San Diego and spent a week driving to Bahia de LA and Guerrero Negro. I don't know if my experiences were typical, but this is how it was during the first week of January.

1. Renting a Car in the States. Nobody at any rental agency knows what they're talking about when it comes to Mexico Insurance. Many companies have a 150 mile limit. We went with a company whose policy did not mention a limit. When we picked up the car they said, "By the way, you can't go more than 150 miles into Baja." Needless to say we were upset. After much wrangling and arguing with higher-ups, we learned that the fine print of the Mexico insurance only says they won't transport us back to the states if we were further than 150 miles, but the coverage was otherwise good. That's it. As far as I can tell, all agencies use the same Mexican insurance agency, so if you're willing to risk having to take a bus, it's not really that big of a deal.

2. Crossing into Mexico. I was all geared up to get the FMM tourist permit at the border. On New Years Day when we crossed they just waved us through the first checkpoint...Which turned out to actually be the border...Yes I should have known better, but it was all so new. A few miles down the road we realized we didn't have the tourist permit. Oops. We did manage to go back to the airport and get them there. $558 Mex per permit. Dang. I still don't know how essential that permit is.

3. Roads were much better than I expected. Sure there were a few km's of nasty potholes and rough patches, but could mostly go along at a good clip.

4. Camped at Rancho Santa Ynes the first night. Got in at dusk. Seemed abandoned, everything dark. It was super cold and windy. We set up anyway, and had a quiet night. In the morning someone came out of the ranch house and asked for money for camping. We realized, of course it looks abandoned at night, because they don't seem to have electricity. Wild watermelons growing on the ground there.

5. The desert. I was not prepared for how stunningly beautiful and desolate is the Baja desert. I love the sea, but if I go back I'll set aside time to take in more of the desert.

6. Bay of L.A. Super windy, but the place just has a special feel to it. No boats going out because of the wind, so we missed out on that, but staying at Campo Archelon was really special. I have learned how wonderful palapas are at keeping out the wind. (We were tent camping). Although I didn't talk to him long, I really liked Antonio. I would camp at Archelon again gladly. We like peace and solitude.
The Stars were unbelievable. Our first 3 days were really pretty cold and windy.

7. Most military checkpoints were not a big deal. We got lightly searched at 1 out of 6. Perhaps having kids and a small car helps.

8. Guerrero Negro. Campo Laguna Ojo de Liebre. We were very uncertain about this camp as it is 16 miles off the road. Believe me, it's worth it. Very very peaceful. Love the coyotes singing and yipping. And when they're not yipping, the silence so thick you can drink it. If you need a bar and restaurant and nightlife, this place isn't for you. The thatched palapas are great, in my opinion.

9. Whale tours. The most touristy thing we did. We went with Mario's. The main difference, I think, between the companies, is where they go in the lagoon. Mario's was very professional. We knew we were early in the gray whale season, but we still say several. Very cool. The guide did point out that the whales were Mexican, being born there, and that Trump couldn't build a wall out in the ocean to keep them from traveling. )

10. After 3 days of tiny towns, Guerrero Negro felt like a huge city. Getting water at the purificada is cheap. 8 pesos for 3 gallons, plus they washed and rinsed our jugs.
Weather was warmish in GN - mid 60's during the day, but in the 30's at night.

11. On the way back we stopped at the cave art place just north of Cataviña . That place is amazingly beautiful, but there is some graffiti on the paintings. I just loved being able to see the cacti and cirios up close.

12. There were at least a dozen bicycle tourists we saw at different points, despite the fact that the road often has no shoulder. My hat's off to you guys. But I'm keeping my helmet on. Safe Travels.

13. I felt no animosity from anyone. I have passable Spanish, and folks in the small towns, and the soldiers, seemed to appreciate my effort.

14. I didn't realize it when I read the post, but the km marker list does correspond to the km signs on the road, so you don't have to reset your odometer every time. I found it to be accurate. Thanks to whoever did that.

15. There were generally plenty of gas stations, except for the stretch from El Rosario to Bay of LA.

16. One of my favorite sights was graffiti on an abandoned building some miles north of GN. "Make America Mexico Again." If I was smart enough to post pictures I'd put one up.

17. It rained our last drive day, heading up to Ensenada area. I really suggest planning your stay in that area ahead of time. it took us till after dark to get a hotel; it felt sketchy driving at night in all that traffic.

I absolutely loved my time in Baja. We're content camping and not having amusement parks and such to entertain us. We had a short time because of the kids' school vacation, so we drove more than was ideal. But it was still amazing. Would I go again? Yes, planning for 2 weeks or more. I'd love to get a bit further south, to see Laguna San Ignacio and other places.

Hope that helps someone new figure things out. I'm not always connected to technology, so I may not be back for a while to answer questions. But I'll try to check sooner or later.

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy

were these wild watermelons edible?

Quote: Originally posted by joefrancis

Thank you so much for posting this report, definitely helped answer a lot of questions I did not know how to ask. We are traveling in a month or so, same family size. Did you rent your car from San Diego? Which agency did you use? We are still deciding if it makes more sense to rent from San Diego or to cross over and rent from TJ airport. Would love to hear your thoughts if you have done any research on it. we plan on getting the FMM online before heading out, hope that will make it a little easier at the border. We are going all the say down to San Ignacio. Thank you, Jo