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lukeandmegs
Newbie
Posts: 10
Registered: 4-13-2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Member Is Offline
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coming to Baja
gday all,
i am an aussie preparing my upcoming trip to Baja with the girlfriend. We are planning on a 3 month stay in Baja starting in September, mainly staying
in campsites in our soon to be purchased van of some description. we will be buying this up in san fran and road tripping down to baja via vegas. I
am a pretty keen surfer and fisherman and dont want to rely on buses etc as i dont want to miss all the good out of the way places that baja has to
offer. Also too hard to carry surfing / fishing gear. We will be doing a round trip of baja and heading back to the states to sell the car before
continuing down through the rest of central / south america as this seems the easiest / possibly only way to go.
We have travelled quite a bit and arent deterred by the travel warnings etc as we know that if you stay away from the trouble spots and dont get
yourself into tricky situations then you are generally ok.
I am hoping someone can give me some general advice on a couple of things.
Firstly, should we drive across the border at Tijuana or is it safer to cross at tecate? We are intending our first stop after the border to be
ensenada.
Secondly, what are the best brand of vans to buy for spare parts in Baja or does it make no difference. We will be getting something pretty cheap,
around $5k and will be bringing spare tyres / hoses and the basics to get out of trouble but may need further spares. (hopefully not)
Also, how safe is camping on the beaches in between towns below ensenada?
Any advice would be appreciated,
cheers,
Luke
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65410
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Wow, what an adventure!
G'day Luke... I hope you have a great time here in the states and in Baja!
I am sure you will get some good van advice from the Nomads. I don't have an opinion. Just have a good electric air compressor (pump) to refill your
tires. Because you will be getting stuck in sand, and deflating the tires to about 50% or less will get you out.
The local Mexican people are super great to meet and they will make your trip great. I look forward to reading your trip (here) when you get back home
to Oz!
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
Member Is Offline
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Vans are selling really cheap on craigslist.com. Be careful not to get a van with a big block engine (over 400 cubic inches) because the gas mileage
will be bad.
[Edited on 6/8/2010 by Packoderm]
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
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Oh, you will have a great adventure! Please get this guide book. There is a wealth of information in there. When you get to the states, also go to
any AAA store and get their Baja Map. The book and this map go together, mile by mile, kilometer by kilometer!
Magnificent Peninsula: The Comprehensive Guidebook to Mexico's Baja California (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Peninsula-Comprehensive-Gu...
You will get answers from those on this message board to just about any questions you may have (except for secret surfing spots!) 
Bob H
PS: You might want to get a few AAA Baja maps as you will wear them out!
[Edited on 6-8-2010 by Bob H]
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13052
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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gday back at ya mate...and a big hearty welcome to Nomadlandia!!! check your U2U private message box up in the right hand corner. You will get all
kinds of usefull information here and make some friends too...enjoy!
Shore fishing here rocks that time of year as does the surf seeing as it's prime hurricaine season you'll get some killer south swell stuff...wooo
hooo but be careful where you camp and try to keep on top of the hurricaine reports especially further south where you can get trapped or washed out
of an arroyo camp...3 months is just right for seeing a bit of baja.
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k-rico
Super Nomad
Posts: 2079
Registered: 7-10-2008
Location: Playas de Tijuana
Member Is Offline
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Luke,
If you're starting a 3 month trip in September you're going to hit some HOT weather in the southern half. It's also hurricane season (southern half)
so you may have some humid weather too. There are lots of tropical storms, mostly offshore but they make for sticky weather. October thru December
would be better weatherwise.
Since you're buying a used van for $5K you'll be buying a well used one. Make sure the cooling system works well. Try to find one with a good
transmission cooler and check the transmission fluid for signs of previous overheating. Take extra radiator coolant with you. With one of my used
trucks I found out on the first trip into Baja that the top radiator hose hit the top pully of the fan belt mechanism when bouncing around and a small
hole developed in the hose in the middle of nowhere. I was glad I had duct tape and extra coolant with me. The repair got me to the next town.
Good tires are a must. Chevy, Dodge, or Ford. The 3/4 ton models are probably better for Baja than the 1/2 ton models. I'd avoid the heavy van
conversions with spice racks, cabinets, and stuff like that inside.
I wouldn't camp alone anywhere in Baja but certainly not in the northern half. I'm sure others have differing opinions.
I see you're from Brisbane. About 20 years ago 2 buddies and I flew into Brisbane, rented a camper (caravan) and planned to drive to Cairns and back.
Didn't make it because a cyclone closed the road north of Airlie Beach. We dove the Great Barrier Reef, Stepping Stones, out of there.
Lots of Bundy and Cokes and a few cane toad races at local pubs. No midget tossing tho. 
[Edited on 6-8-2010 by k-rico]
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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Luke.... This guy K-Rico right above me here has a good reliable pick-up for sale at way less than 5K. Ask him about it.
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6364
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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1-Become a member of Discover Baja.
1.A-Buy insurance and your tourist card (possibility with Discover Baja)
2-Buy a Baja Almanac. The almanac points out roads that lead to secret surf spots.
3-Buy a TOMTom XL340 GPS (has maps of Baja, Mexico mainland, plus waypoints).
4-Buya a kayak on craig's list
4-I would sell you my VW Westfalia, which is Baja proven, but not for less than $20,000 U.S.
WELCOME TO NOMADS, MATE!
[Edited on 6-8-2010 by Udo]
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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k-rico
Super Nomad
Posts: 2079
Registered: 7-10-2008
Location: Playas de Tijuana
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Luke.... This guy K-Rico right above me here has a good reliable pick-up for sale at way less than 5K. Ask him about it. |
Good thinking Dennis but I wouldn't sell it to him. It's too old for an extended 3 month Baja trip. It's fine for an around town work truck but too
risky for remote areas. That's why I'm selling it.
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tiotomasbcs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1837
Registered: 7-30-2007
Location: El Pescadero
Member Is Offline
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Bienvenidos, amigos. Come and visit me in Todos Santos in November. K Rico is spot on---wait till Oct or hang in Central Baja in September. Guide
books are a must, too. K Rico has a Ford truck that is Baja proven and can probably take you anywhere you want to go!! Good price, too. I have
stopped camping in northern baja as mentioned. After El Rosario, it's the Real Old Fashioned Baja! Except for Cabo! Smiles, Amigos
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by k-rico
Good thinking Dennis but I wouldn't sell it to him. It's too old for an extended 3 month Baja trip. It's fine for an around town work truck but too
risky for remote areas. That's why I'm selling it. |
I thought you just got back from some extended trips with it.
Oh well..........that's pretty decent of you....the honesty and all that stuff.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3894
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
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Will be an awesome trip. Buy any edition of the Baja Adventure Book. YOu can get them online at Alibris.com, or often on eBay. On your first day,
you would probably enjoy driving Mex. 3, after crossing in tecate. No toll road charges as with Mex. 1 (3 times at about $2.15 ea. charged before you
get to Ensenada). There are wineries, rural landscapes, an old mission site with small museum, a few restaurants, hikiing to out of the way hot
spring, if you want to spend a day in this area - might be worth your while. Shopping in Ensenada, Agua Caliente hotsprings pool has camping and
hiking. San Carlos hotsprings has camping. Then make a full day of driving and get past El Rosario. You'll have a wonderful time. Take precautions
at the surfing beaches - don't leave your stuff unsecured.
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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Here’s my dos centavos, as one with 20+ years of surfing, camping and (rarely successful) fishing:
In September the Cortez side will be BLAZING (uncomfortably) hot and Southern Baja will get better surf. Yes, there are some good S swell spots in
the north, but they tend to be crowded and kind of shady, grim places to camp. I don’t think anyone here will mind my mentioning Punta San Jose aka
“Pt.Joe,” a right point/reef combo about 90 mins. S of Ensenada that’s best on Souths, a decent place to camp ($5 to Victor), but often crowded with
people partying on the bluffs. To the S of there is the dune/beach combo of Punta Cabras, that can also be fun on a S and again, a decent place to
camp.
Camping wise, the (coastal) north is not always great. Many of the spots are just too damn close to towns to feel safe (Quatros Casas, Punta Camalu,
Shipwrecks), often trash-y and crowded (esp. Sept.). Cabo San Quintin will look enticing on a map, but it’s usually foggy and a great place to get
your van stuck.
I think many of the Nomads will agree that the best part of Baja for anything – fishing, camping, surfing, sightseeing – begins once you get S of a
town called El Rosario, aka “The Big Left Turn.” My advice is to get there as quickly as possible. Heading south of there, it’s miles and miles and
miles of lonely road, wide-open rough camping and good surf. 3 months worth no problem. I like to think of the stretch from TJ to there as my Baja
“commute.” But as a newbie, you’ll probably find some of it worthy.
Make sure you are abreast of incoming swells. Most of the best South swell spots are SOUTH of the Vizcaino Peninsula. And while some are crowded on
any swell of real significance (Scorpion Bay, Conejo), there are TONS of other spots you can hunt out and score alone.
As for any N swells – which could hit as early as October - well, let’s just say there’s some fun surf between Guerrero Negro and Punta Baja.
A few more tips: No matter how hot it is, bring some WARM gear (it will get cold at nite on Pacific side), a fullsuit (N.Baja water almost always
cold) and hundreds of gallons of sunscreen (as an Aussie, you know this). And my vote for map is 100% the Baja Almanac…the best map hands down. You
can augment with some surf guide if you wanna, but with a working knowledge of swell direction/winds, you can figure a lot out yourself. And BUY
INSURANCE. You will probably never need it, but if you do, and you don’t have it, you will be BUMMED. I use Baja Bound, though others might
disagree.
With some exceptions – gated, private property obviously – you can basically rough camp anywhere in Baja. Just try to get away from a town, clean up
your trash and, if some old farmer wanders over and asks you for $5, don’t argue with him…hand it over. Even if he doesn’t really own the land, he
probably needs the cash and this is your gringo tax (are Aussies gringos? Whatever.)
I don’t know much about vans, but my after-market suggestions would be BRIGHT lights (you will not believe how dark the roads can be at nite), a
trusty air compressor (plus some rudimentary device for DEflating), solid jerry cans and a Hi-Lift jack.
Wave to passing cars. Drink Tecate in cans. Wear gloves when foraging for wood (scorps!). Wear a hat. “Llanteria” means “we fix tires.” Krocs
seem to catch fish. Strictly obey traffic signs in Ensenada. Go to Coco’s Corner. Have fun. Also, the Baja 1000 race is in November…stay the
hell away from it.
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
Member Is Offline
Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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thanks that was good.. some really good ones .. liked the gloves for scorps..
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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lukeandmegs, Get yourself a good 4x4 pickup with a hard top canopy. You'll be able to go anywhere you want. Toss the van idea.  Good luck! Be sure and spend some time in Mulege.
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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I second what Cypress just said. You want clearance, off-road comfort and toughness...something hard to find in a van. HOWEVER, if you win big in
Vegas, shell out for a Sportsmobile and all your problems will be solved.
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
Posts: 2405
Registered: 10-26-2008
Location: yuma,az
Member Is Offline
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I agree sept. is going to be to hot for the Cortez side,, but you will be here for 3 months,, the pacific side would be great, so just plan around
that, go farther south in oct,
and yes kick the van idea,, look at the map,, really only one hwy the rest our dirt roads,, so look for a pickup 4x4 with a camper , or camper shell
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lukeandmegs
Newbie
Posts: 10
Registered: 4-13-2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Member Is Offline
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Cheers all for the great advice. you have got me super pumped now for my upcoming adventure.
As some of you have suggested i was hoping to get a 4wd type camper but from looking on craigslist there didnt seem to be much around especially in my
price range.
I have also thought about the heat and we will try to avoid it as much as posisble but putting off the trip for another month or two would just about
kill me so we are going to brave it, and we are from sunny queensland so use to a bit of heat and humidity.
KRico i hope i get someone as honest as you when i eventually go to by my van / 4wd. cheers mate. Also thanks for the advice. I have done the
roadtrip up to airlie beach and cairns before, there are some bloody good fishin spots up that way, especially out on the reefs if you can keep your
fish away from the noahs.
Anyway, I am pretty sure that i will win massive amounts of cash in vegas, enough to buy a sweet 4wd conversion so that should solve that problem. I
have heard that you cant lose in vegas so i will just rely on that.
BigZagin thanks for the surf and general tips. What are "Krocs" though? over here they generally take your fish rather than help you catch them.
We have got worldwide travel insurance and i have been jabbed by about a thousand needles for my vaccinations so am set in that department. I hear
that you need seperate vehicle insurance when you get into mexico, any advice on which one is best / cheapest?
Thanks again everyone, hopefully i will be able to catch up for a few beers with some of you when i get there.
Cheers,
Luke
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65410
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Have a great adventure Luke!!! Please become a regular contributor here on Baja Nomad, we would appreciate the Aussie view on things!
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Beer
Can't find any Victoria Bitter in Baja.......you will have to bring your own supply!!!!
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