Hello All. I just found the this forum today and I'm so glad as I would like your opinion and feedback on the first extended road trip my family and I
will be making into Baja Sur.
We plan on leaving next Wednesday, Jan 1st at 3am from Tijuana and drive to Guerrero Negro, stopping for gas, food and rest room breaks. From what
I've read, it seems it will take us about 12-14 hours total time and we should arrive at Guerrero Negro about 5pm, would you agree?
We stay in Guerrero Negro to do whale watching, salt refineary and dune tours. We leave Guerrero Negro Saturday morning and drive to San Quintin and
stay the night. On Sunday make our way back to Tijuana.
Any must see spots in GN, on our way back to San Quintin an in between? Pelon - 12-26-2019 at 09:47 PM
Also, what Mexican travel insurance would you recommend?Lee - 12-26-2019 at 11:06 PM
Would advise not driving in the dark.
TJ to GN is a long day. Yes 12-14 hours. Recommend first night El Rosario, Cactus Motel.
honda tom - 12-26-2019 at 11:53 PM
You will arrive in GN well before 5 pm. I used to drive Ensenada to Loreto 4am to 5pm towing a boat ..... we only stopped for fuel.
im betting 9am el Rosario for an early lunch... and 2pm GN.
have funkiterkip - 12-27-2019 at 06:46 AM
I'm going to agree with this 10 hour or less estimate. I cross at San Ysidro at sunup/daylight and I'm pulling into Terra Sol in Guerrero Negro about
an hour after dark at dinnertime January 1st every year for many years.
You will arrive in GN well before 5 pm. I used to drive Ensenada to Loreto 4am to 5pm towing a boat ..... we only stopped for fuel.
im betting 9am el Rosario for an early lunch... and 2pm GN.
have fun
bajaguy - 12-27-2019 at 08:30 AM
8 to 9 hours from Ensenada. Remember you will lose/gain one hour at the border with BCS
Bajabound for your car insurance bajabound.com
Fill up with gas at the PEMEX in El Rosario
You might be a little early for whalesDavid K - 12-27-2019 at 09:15 AM
Is it your first time to central Baja?
What are you driving?
So much to see...
I am a mission and history fan, so here are the California Missions you will be driving within 5 miles of along Hwy. 1 (much of which is over or
parallel to El Camino Real, the mission road):
El Descanso
San Miguel
Santo Tomás
San Vicente
Santo Domingo
El Rosario (two sites)
San Fernando (locked gate)
22 miles off the highway is San Borja, the furthest north stone mission on the peninsula.
We plan on leaving next Wednesday, Jan 1st at 3am from Tijuana and drive to Guerrero Negro, stopping for gas, food and rest room breaks. From what
I've read, it seems it will take us about 12-14 hours.
I made that trip (from Ensenada) about five weeks ago. You can beat that time pretty easily, but take your time. The roads are pretty good compared to
previious years, but but if you are a Baja Newbie, you might find them challenging. Narrow road and no shoulders require some concentration.
It is all worth it, of course, you'll love the whale watching and exposure to a new and very different area. The drive down is an incredible
landscape.
Take your time and enjoy. Welcome to a new world!Pelon - 12-28-2019 at 09:51 AM
Thank you all for the feedback really appreciate it. I bee driving a Jeep Commander... advrider - 12-28-2019 at 09:57 AM
Might leave a little time to pull off and look around in Catavina, worth the stop for pictures. Take some snack stuff and make that stop your lunch
break, keeping stops to a minimum,you should be fine. +++++ on Baja bound for insurance.
[Edited on 12-28-2019 by advrider]wilderone - 12-28-2019 at 10:00 AM
Ideally, it would be great if you had at least a couple more days for some stops in-between. San Borja mission, Bahia de Los Angeles, drive up the
road to San Francisco de la Sierra for the views and mural pictographs.Howard - 12-28-2019 at 10:06 AM
Good luck on your adventure and as Paul says, "No hurry, no worry."
You should have a great adventure but the chances of seeing whales up close are slim. You are a little early on that, but go for it!David K - 12-28-2019 at 02:45 PM
Thank you all for the feedback really appreciate it. I bee driving a Jeep Commander...
Perfect! A 4WD SUV with GOOD tires will get you anywhere in Baja. Just have a good, fast tire pump (an MV-50 or similar) as you will need to deflate
the tires for deep sand crossing or even to improve off-road driving and traction. Also great to refill flat tires (bring a tire plug kit to plug
holes).
Well, you asked about places to see in-between, and there are so many!
I mentioned earlier about the old missions as one type of destination...
Then we have ancient rock art sites (pictographs and petroglyphs). Another thing of interest are the old mines and ghost towns, all over Baja. There
are geological wonders... like the cold-water geyser and bubbling soda springs of El Volcán.
How about beautiful sand beaches... both Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California sides.
How many weeks do you want to spend seeing these? I know, you only have a day or two going to and coming from the whales.
My website and the links in it is to help decide what to see in Baja: www.vivabaja.com
My maps and samples from the Baja Bound guidebook are in the Baja Nomad Road Conditions forum, so check them out.
Part 3 of the guide is there, and that is San Quintín to Guerrero Negro: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=91898BajaDanD - 12-29-2019 at 01:01 PM
If you have time on your way back take the Bay of LA turn off and go have a look. The view as you come down into town is spectacular and it might turn
into a new destination for future trips.
While in Guerrero negro check out Shari's Whale Magic tours tiotomasbcs - 12-29-2019 at 01:13 PM
Slow down and take 2 days to GN...stop in San Quintin or El Roasario for good Hotel choices and some fun. Old Mill & Jardin are good
hotels..make reservations. Check out the San Q Bay from their front veranda! Next day you climb up into High Desert and can explore rock fields in
Catavina and still get into GN early. Not alot of whales there yet, anyway. Slow and easy.
[Edited on 12-29-2019 by tiotomasbcs]Alm - 12-30-2019 at 12:15 PM
TJ to GN is a long day. Yes 12-14 hours. Recommend first night El Rosario, Cactus Motel.
x2.
11 hours (at least), with very fast (read - careless) driving. More torture than fun, IMO. This is not like a major highway in the USA. Driving
slower to make it 14 hours could be safer but not less tiresome, especially considering a serious lack of sleep before the trip.
In fact, it might not be even safer to make it 14 hours - you could be delayed in road construction and military checks and then will have to drive
fast and it will still take 13-14 hours, this is beyond your control.
