BajaNomad - 3 - 4 week road trip, Tijuana to Cabo

3 - 4 week road trip, Tijuana to Cabo

Laurence H - 7-20-2022 at 01:37 AM

Hello,

we're (2 couples) in the early stages of planning to drive a rental car the length of Baja next November-December. We're not in a rush and plan to take 3-4 weeks so we can stay several days at a time at places we really enjoy.

We enjoy diving and snorkeling, great food and love to photograph spectacular scenery.

Any tips from people who have done the trip before?

Can we be loose re. our schedule, or will we need to have a firm plan in order to get into nice accommodations?

Great hotels, airbnb's, places to eat etc etc recommendations.

Any must do's that I may not find on my regular "Baja roadtrip" google searches?

Thanks in advance for your help.

SFandH - 7-20-2022 at 04:38 AM

I recommend staying at least a few nights in Mulege. It's a small town with hotels, restaurants, an old Mission, and a river.

The beaches south of Mulege along Bahia Concepcion are suitable for swimming with calm, warm, clear water. Playa Santispac has two beachfront restaurants. You can hire pangas (open boats) for a tour of the bay. There are islands with beaches and maybe whale sharks if you're lucky. Playa Coyote is also popular. Then there is El Requeson and Playa La Perla along the bay a bit further south.

There will be RVers and campers at all the beaches.

Google those places and also read about Loreto and Cabo Pulmo.

Visit the town square and Mission in San Ignacio. It's close to the highway.

[Edited on 7-20-2022 by SFandH]

boe4fun - 7-20-2022 at 05:43 AM

I’d vote for Bahía Asunción. Good snorkeling/diving, great food (weekends mostly - talk to locals). Wonderful, friendly little pueblo with hotels (look at La Bufadora Inn) and camping if you like. Lots to do, keep your schedule open, you never can tell if you fall in love with a place and want to spend most of your allotted time there.

David K - 7-20-2022 at 06:05 AM

Yes, be loose!
Have a list of places you want to check out but don't have any firm number of days to stay at any place.

Some locarions you will want to spend more time at and some you will want to get away from. Conditions change and yiou just need to go with the flow. A recommended restaurant might have a different chef when you arrive, for example.

Baja California is an amazing land because it has such a huge variety of sites and activities possible.

A rental car vs. an SUV/ 4x4 will limit your ability or comfort to explore and see exotic sites. Most places can be reached in two-wheel-drive however the security of four-wheel-drive and bringing camping gear would make the trip a huge success given you have 3-4 weeks.

Rather than rattle off a list of must-sees, let me simply direct you to my trip photos that may show you some of the sites of interest. They are found at www.vivabaja.com (a place to plan your Baja adventure, with maps, photos, links, and more).

Since most of my trips are in the northern half of Baja, here are a couple that went the full length... and if you see a place that looks interesting to you, let me know and we Nomads can chime in with our experiences there.

Baja has a few hidden gems and unless you take the side road off the main highway, you could miss them. They include Bahía de los Angeles, Bahía Asunción, San Ignacio (town plaza), Mulegé river drive, and Mission San Javier. These are all on paved roads off of Highway One. The newly all-paved Highway Five (San Felipe to Bahía San Luis Gonzaga and on to Highway One at Laguna Chapala) is a scenic beauty with sea views and many offshore islands to photograph. I am partial to the old Spanish missions as they were incredible considering how remote Baja was from the rest of civilization in the 1700s! Here is a page I made that shows all the missions from north to south: https://vivabaja.com/mission-site-photos/

Here are a some of my full-peninsula and 3/4 peninsula trip photo pages to check out. See what looks interesting to you and your friends:

https://vivabaja.com/p709/
https://vivabaja.com/p712/
https://vivabaja.com/p916/
https://vivabaja.com/p817/

4x4abc - 7-20-2022 at 06:23 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Baja has a few hidden gems and unless you take the side road off the main highway, you could miss them. They include Bahía de los Angeles, Bahía Asunción, San Ignacio (town plaza), Mulegé river drive, and Mission San Javier.

since you are a proponent of accuracy you should call the Mulege water what it is, an Estero - it is not a river. The water is neither sweet nor flowing - both a requirement for the title "river"

And no, "everybody calls it a river" does not count.

Screen Shot 2022-07-20 at 7.20.17 AM copy.jpg - 256kB

4x4abc - 7-20-2022 at 09:33 AM

too many cooks spoil the broth

Don Pisto - 7-20-2022 at 01:18 PM

bajaben we hardly knew ya! :coolup:

mtgoat666 - 7-20-2022 at 03:00 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Laurence H

in order to get into nice accommodations?

Great hotels, airbnb's, places to eat etc etc recommendations.

You used the word ‘nice’ and ‘great’’ in reference to hotels. Are you looking for resorts and 4-star places?
The crowd here is more into camping in the dirt and 1- and 2-star hotels (which is the rule of thumb for rural baja) :lol:

What ‘ya looking for?

[Edited on 7-20-2022 by mtgoat666]

SFandH - 7-20-2022 at 03:56 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

The crowd here is more into camping in the dirt and 1- and 2-star hotels (which is the rule of thumb for rural baja) :lol:

I don't like dirt. I'm a sandman. The most remarkable aspect of the Baja peninsula is the mile after mile after mile of beaches. Without the beaches, I'd never step foot in Baja.

David K - 7-20-2022 at 03:59 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

The crowd here is more into camping in the dirt and 1- and 2-star hotels (which is the rule of thumb for rural baja) :lol:

I don't like dirt. I'm a sandman. The most remarkable aspect of the Baja peninsula is the mile after mile after mile of beaches. Without the beaches, I'd never step foot in Baja.

So well said!

mtgoat666 - 7-20-2022 at 04:15 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

The crowd here is more into camping in the dirt and 1- and 2-star hotels (which is the rule of thumb for rural baja) :lol:

I don't like dirt. I'm a sandman. The most remarkable aspect of the Baja peninsula is the mile after mile after mile of beaches. Without the beaches, I'd never step foot in Baja.

Sand is dirt. Dirt comes in many varieties.

Yes, the beaches are nice…

4x4abc - 7-20-2022 at 05:53 PM

Rio Mulege left - Estero Mulege right

the dam is the last barrier between sweet water and salt water

SFandH - 7-20-2022 at 05:59 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Sand is dirt.

Blasphemy!!