pescadorrr
Junior Nomad
Posts: 29
Registered: 6-16-2018
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Rumors or truth attacks on tourists?
So with all the stuff going on near Bahía de Los Ángeles I got a Mexican buddy telling me that there have been attacks in Americans on the back
roads of central Baja. Is there any truth to this?
Does anyone know if this post is legit?
It’s just so hard to know what is true on the internet. Got some buddies trying to drive to San Francisquito.
Thanks!
https://www.facebook.com/share/15QmeBsDmb/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A6RBxRgde/
[Edited on 6-8-2025 by pescadorrr]
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AKgringo
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BajaNomad is about the only social media platform that I follow, so I haven't heard of any issues on the back roads in central Baja.
I have driven the B.D.L.A. to El Arco road three times in the last 14 months, with one side trip in to San Francisquito, and look forward to doing it
again sometime this fall.
On my way south last spriing, and on my north in mid Jan this year I stayed with friends that live there. Neither of them voiced any concerns about
safety on the back roads.
[Edited on 6-9-2025 by AKgringo]
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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mtgoat666
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Dunno about an increase in attacks on tourists,… there have been a few attacks on solo tourists in remote areas, but several months ago and longer
(e.g. la gringa, the wall).
it is apparent that there has lately been quite an increase in cartel gun battles, in towns and remote areas. There has been a general increase in
violence in the news.
I dont know if that makes back country travel more dangerous,… but makes one more wary…
Some say cartel avoids tourists. That may bevtrue, but I dont think cartels have much control over the criminal impulses of low level gunmen, meth
heads, minor/local gangs, etc. i suggest you be careful when meeting strangers in remote areas…
[Edited on 6-9-2025 by mtgoat666]
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.”
Pronoun: the royal we
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4x4abc
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Baja Government has advised tourists no to travel off MEX1. Use MEX1 ONLY during daylight hours.
avoid the areas highlighted
the recent activity made me revisit my database of everything Baja
found many new 4x4 tracks
found several new hidden airfields
and no - I will not share that information
Harald Pietschmann
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SFandH
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Quote: Originally posted by pescadorrr  | So with all the stuff going on near Bahía de Los Ángeles I got a Mexican buddy telling me that there have been attacks in Americans on the back
roads of central Baja. Is there any truth to this?
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To be on the safe side, I would assume your Mexican friend is telling the truth. It's clear that there are violent criminals in the area.
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wilderone
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"back country travel more dangerous" That's where you'll find cartel members burying the bodies. That's where the shootouts are occurring.
Sporadic, but who knows when they might want to pick on you to steal your car, money, cell phone - with no witnesses around.
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4x4abc
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stars - car jackings, armed robberies
red balloon - murders
and yes, I know Chicago has a higher murder rate
but I don't plan on camping on a remote beach in Chicago
Harald Pietschmann
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FlightTerminationSystem
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Late to the party on this but figured I'd share - drove from LA to Cabo and back with a friend last year, April 2025. A bit south of El Rosarito (in
the central desert, not playas) a white SUV blocked the drove and two guys with guns got out to presumably carjack us, but let us go when they
realized we were obvious tourists - so presumably cartel. No masks or anything, and they could've easily figured out that we were tourists from the
car/bumper sticker/window before executing the stop so they clearly had no fear whatsoever of being caught. This was about 6pm, an hour before dark,
and barely a kilometer from the military checkpoint north of Villa Jesus which was extra crazy to me.
I've been back down there since but let's just say I had a strict 3:30pm time limit to cross that stretch... though who knows if time of day even
matters. I hate to think about who got their car taken instead of ours.
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Tioloco
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| Quote: Originally posted by FlightTerminationSystem | Late to the party on this but figured I'd share - drove from LA to Cabo and back with a friend last year, April 2025. A bit south of El Rosarito (in
the central desert, not playas) a white SUV blocked the drove and two guys with guns got out to presumably carjack us, but let us go when they
realized we were obvious tourists - so presumably cartel. No masks or anything, and they could've easily figured out that we were tourists from the
car/bumper sticker/window before executing the stop so they clearly had no fear whatsoever of being caught. This was about 6pm, an hour before dark,
and barely a kilometer from the military checkpoint north of Villa Jesus which was extra crazy to me.
I've been back down there since but let's just say I had a strict 3:30pm time limit to cross that stretch... though who knows if time of day even
matters. I hate to think about who got their car taken instead of ours. |
Thanks for the report. What type of vehicle were you driving? Did they say anything to you or take anything from you?
Obviously, your situation could have been way worse. Glad you made it and appreciate the post.
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BeachSeeker
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| Quote: Originally posted by FlightTerminationSystem | Late to the party on this but figured I'd share - drove from LA to Cabo and back with a friend last year, April 2025. A bit south of El Rosarito (in
the central desert, not playas) a white SUV blocked the drove and two guys with guns got out to presumably carjack us, but let us go when they
realized we were obvious tourists - so presumably cartel. No masks or anything, and they could've easily figured out that we were tourists from the
car/bumper sticker/window before executing the stop so they clearly had no fear whatsoever of being caught. This was about 6pm, an hour before dark,
and barely a kilometer from the military checkpoint north of Villa Jesus which was extra crazy to me.
I've been back down there since but let's just say I had a strict 3:30pm time limit to cross that stretch... though who knows if time of day even
matters. I hate to think about who got their car taken instead of ours. |
Are you sure it wasn’t a government agency? I’ve seen a checkpoint at the San Felipe airport with unmarked SUVs and guys with paramilitary gear,
but not camouflage, intermixed with policia and guardia nacional.
Did you say anything to the guys at the military checkpoint about it?
I’m not trying to say it definitely wasn’t cartel, but from your story, it might have just as easily been an anti-narco task force looking for
someone and they saw you were Americans and waved you through.
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FlightTerminationSystem
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| Quote: |
Thanks for the report. What type of vehicle were you driving? Did they say anything to you or take anything from you?Obviously, your situation could
have been way worse. Glad you made it and appreciate the post. |
At the time I had a slightly beat up ~10yr old Toyota prius, with California plates, a San Diego license plate holder, and a bumper sticker for my
(California) university, so I was really surprised they didn't actually go through with it because it really should've been obvious I was American.
I've only seen maybe a dozen Priuses in all of my time in Baja south of Tijuana, so my only explanation is that (if it was cartel) they truly had so
little fear of being caught that they didn't bother taking even small precautions to make sure they were targeting who they meant to target. It was
pretty late in the day (less than an hour till sunset) and there weren't many cars on the road at this point.
| Quote: |
Are you sure it wasn’t a government agency? I’ve seen a checkpoint at the San Felipe airport with unmarked SUVs and guys with paramilitary gear,
but not camouflage, intermixed with policia and guardia nacional. |
We thought about this a lot afterward - I don't think so but maybe I'm misinformed. To give more details, the SUV had California (US) plates and
passed us, then spent about thirty seconds at the same speed as me. I actually said out loud to my friend something about how I was irritated that
this guy passed me and now I'm stuck behind him. Then they stopped, swerved to block, and two guys with rifles got out - they were just wearing shorts
and T-shirts, no masks. I put my hands up above the wheel, one walked over, looked in, and said a few words I didn't understand but including
"gringos" then walked back and they drove off down some side dirt track into the desert. I hope you're right and it was just government but I don't
know why they would be driving a vehicle with US plates?
| Quote: |
Did you say anything to the guys at the military checkpoint about it? |
Perhaps this was a mistake, but we didn't report it to the checkpoint, and the checkpoint didn't stop us southbound. Because we reached the checkpoint
literally a minute or two after this went down, I kind of assumed they must have had an insider there informing them that nobody would be on the road
so it was clear to block the road. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. We were shaken up and agreed that reporting it now (if there was an insider)
might get us into more trouble and then I just booked it to Guerrero Negro without stopping. In hindsight I'm not proud of that but yeah, never
reported it.
I still maintain that this was a fluke given how many drive that stretch without incident, and it hasn't stopped me from going back to the central
desert, but definitely not a great experience. I'm really really grateful we didn't actually get robbed or worse (and this was day 2 of an 11 day trip
so I was tensing up every time someone passed us the next few days heading south lol).
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bajatrailrider
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2527
Registered: 1-24-2015
Location: Mexico
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Im in Baja off road every week so far so good since late 80s . Would I drive off road at night or camp no. I have seen abandon pot farms even drug lab
from far away. From top of mountain, I know all ranchos. Have keys to locked gates. Always stop at rancho houses to ask if all good to travel. Its
always good when no tire tracks but my own.
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