Mexicali is much easier to navigate than TJ, and the drive down MX 5 is faster and more enjoyable. It avoids all the stop and go travel in the little
towns on MX1.
3-4 days is way too short though.
I think the best first-experience of baja is seeing TJ, ensenada, catavina, maybe valle guadalupe, etc., so hwy 1 is best route.
The hwy 5 route is for people that are in a hurry to camp in the dirt...
For a first timer, limited to 5 days, i would hotel it (no trailer) and go no further than san ignacio or santa rosalia.
Woke!
Hands off!
“Por el bien de todos, primero los pobres.”
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Fifteen replies to a request for information, and the O.P. is still stuck at one post. Travelfar....are you still here?
Definitely. I am enjoying reading the posts. Thanks everyone for being so helpful. One thing I will have to do is get a map and figure out where all
the place names are.
I guess 3-4 days is a lot of hassle for such a short trip. I will think about staying longer or parking the trailer in So Cal and either finding a
motel or tenting.
I wouldn’t worry about pulling the trailer and it would definitely help you with your plans. I regularly drive down with a 45 ft. RV pulling a Jeep
with no problem. If you enter in Mexicali and take the new highway 5 down it will be a much easier drive with trailer on better road.You will enter
highway 1 off of 5 within short drive to Guerra Negro.
I wouldn’t worry about pulling the trailer and it would definitely help you with your plans. I regularly drive down with a 45 ft. RV pulling a Jeep
with no problem. If you enter in Mexicali and take the new highway 5 down it will be a much easier drive with trailer on better road.You will enter
highway 1 off of 5 within short drive to Guerra Negro.
This is very good advice. I wouldn't take a trailer down MX 1 from the border. I towed a 32 foot boat down on a 36 foot trailer once - never again.
The 5 is much easier and dumps you out on MX 1 at a good starting point.
4 days total? Yes you would be crazy to try to go to Cabo Pulmo and back in that amount of time. I think you need two weeks minimum, and even that is
pretty brief. It's a long drive.
Seeing the whales at Guerrero negro could be done in a four-day trip, but I'm not sure there will be many whales that early on. Store the trailer at
the border somewhere and use hotels.
Understand that driving times in Baja, on paved roads, are not at all the same as in the U.S.. Plan on 50 miles per hour AVERAGE speed... with stops
for immigration, traffic, military inspections (yes, that's right, you are in a Latin American country now), road blocks (accidents are common as the
truckers drive like they have 9 lives) and washouts from rain storms.
Where does Day 1 begin? At the border? Driving in Mexico can wear you out as you need to be very defensive and focussed for both the narrow roads and
people and animals popping out into traffic.
If you enter Mexico and clear customs (remeber you need a passport and stop at the first building to get your tourist cards (FMM, free if under a week
trip) by 9am you could make it to Bahía de los Angeles or Bahía San Luis Gonzaga for the first night... Unless you want to try and do the whale
thing, then Guerrero Negro is about 400 miles from the border, or 8 hours.
Remember a couple things, days are short in the winter and you LOSE an hour on the clock at the state border, as Guerrero Negro and south is on
Mountain Standard Time, in the winter. Do you want to drive further south? Remember you will take longer getting back because of the border wait.
The really beautiful oasis mission towns of San Ignacio and Mulegé are further south 1.5-3 more hours... and Bahía Concepción is a half hour past
Mulegé.
You really need more than 4 days to go past the whales of Guerrero Negro, an it is worth it!
A sampling...
San Ignacio:
Mulegé:
Bahía Concepción:
This is Playa el Coyote, one of a dozen such camping areas, and hot springs in the water, too.
Thanks once again for all the rreplies. Just to clarify one thing, I never even contemplated parking the trailer and camping on my own. It would have
to be an organized campground. As I said in the original post, safety and bathrooms are the two non-negotiables.
It seems like if we go as far as Bahia Asuncion, or Santa Rosalia, there would be lots to see and do including kayaking and whales.
In terms of the sort of town I would like to be in, here is how I would imagine it. Big enough to have two or three bars and restaurants in which
Americans and locals would feel comfortable. Perhaps I should mention my Spanish is very limited. I'd like a reasonably authentic experience, not the
sterile environment some resorts are known for. And as you could probably gather by the original post, we don't have the kind of budget some people
might have.
With that in mind, what town(s) would you recommend for me? If we stay four nights, that would leave three full days. Guerrero Negro, San Ignacio,
Loreto also look nice.
Finally what would you think about us bringing our dog? She doesn't do well being boarded for that long (who does?) but if we brought her we would
need some place to keep her while we are paddling, etc.
JZ, awesome videos!
Use David K's maps.
Bring your dog's, they will love it and most of Baja is dog friendly.. We travel with two.
Don't mess with your trailer, I pull one but only after several trips was I ready, rooms are cheap and you are getting the lay of the land.
I would hit San Felipe the first night and relax (I know JZ hates the
place but the wife and I like it) . Day two a pricey night at Gonzaga bay ($100) for a short relaxing drive ,or camp on the beach just down the way,
or go to Bay of LA for the night.
Maybe back track for a night in Catavina as you head North and have plenty of time to sight see on the way or all the way to El Rosario for the night
(Baja cactus).
I also enjoyed Coyote Cals as you head north and usually skip Ensenada, just not my thing. Baja miles are longer and takes more time. With your
limited travel times I would slow it down and enjoy the landscape and people.
Loreto is by far my favorite small city. Lots and lots to do on the water, and in town. And even more to see/do in a 30 mile radius of the town. A
fair amount of Americans. No idea about camping. If you take your wife to Loreto she will want to come to Baja over and over.
Mulege is smaller, and more low key, but has some restaurants and bars. Quaint and a number of Americans. Beach camping is great at Bahia
Concepcion 20-30 mins outside town in organized sites. Some places to eat/drink there.
GN is just a stop over place.
Santa Rosalia is fun to walk around for a day, but not some place you'd camp and mostly a non-tourist MX town.
San Ignacio is a very cool place to stay for a day or two.
I'm not super familiar with Bahia Asuncion, but think it would check most of your boxes. A little low key obviously. Pacific ocean side will be less
windy in the winter time compared to the Sea of Cortez.
Bahia del Los Angeles (aka Bay of LA) has ocean front camping for sure. Excellent kayaking if it isn't windy. A few restaurants. Lots of things to
explore in the area, with some good/easy off road trails. Cool little town. No cell service though. Just Wi-Fi at some places.
JZ, awesome videos!
Use David K's maps.
Bring your dog's, they will love it and most of Baja is dog friendly.. We travel with two.
Don't mess with your trailer, I pull one but only after several trips was I ready, rooms are cheap and you are getting the lay of the land.
I would hit San Felipe the first night and relax (I know JZ hates the
place but the wife and I like it) . Day two a pricey night at Gonzaga bay ($100) for a short relaxing drive ,or camp on the beach just down the way,
or go to Bay of LA for the night.
Maybe back track for a night in Catavina as you head North and have plenty of time to sight see on the way or all the way to El Rosario for the night
(Baja cactus).
I also enjoyed Coyote Cals as you head north and usually skip Ensenada, just not my thing. Baja miles are longer and takes more time. With your
limited travel times I would slow it down and enjoy the landscape and people.
The hotel at Gonzaga Bay (alphonsa) is a little pricey for what it is, but the view and location on the ocean is to die for. Pretty sure they rent
kayaks there. A very good introduction to Baja. There is camping in the area. It has a very small population. Fun for a day or two.
Gonzaga is only two hours past San Felipe, so keep going after you fuel up and get supplies. If you like to party, SF is the spot, at least when
there isn't Covid.
I would play it by ear, if you like a place, stay longer. For a first timer, san felipe and bay of LA. If you are into wine tasting, you will be in
the heart of wine country. Stop for a day and indulge?? I have never done it but my family thoroughly enjoys spending the night there.
head to ojo de liebre and sign up with Shari of whale magic tours. You can either reverse the process at that point or push on to san ignacio for a
day. lots of camping spots.
I would recommend stopping by La Bocana next time! That is where we have lived for the past 15 years. We are known for fishing, fishing and fishing.
lobster meals at $250 pesos which is really a great price. and of course you get to meet Blanca and Les LOL
Driving distances take longer than one ever imagines and it is not for the faint of heart. Never drive at night. Be prepared to see rugged and
unblievably special places.
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
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