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miPrimeraVez
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: chi-town
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baja itinerary: too short, too much?
hola amigos~
glad i found this. so my wife and i bought tickets to LAX for late march, and have decided to drive a rental across the border - our first adventure
to baja begins...
first hurdle: some LAX rental location have policies against driving across the border. looked into driving one-way down to san diego, with additional
$50 drop off charge... quoted an estimate of $95 each way, since i need to drive back from san diego back to LAX... phew... instead of driving down to
SAN, just found a "reasonable" flight to el centro across from mexicali.
2nd hurdle: el centro hertz's charging USD35/day for the mexican auto liability insurance [MALI] should i bite the bullet?? just sent email to 4 different rental companies at the el centro airport to inquire if
any of them would accept 3rd party MALI purchase online, fat chance, i know... if i go this route, i'd be forking out $760 for the flights+rental
car+quoted MALI. another additional $100 for the 2 nights spent at el centro during my "transfer"...
should we follow the above plan, we'll pick up the rental from el centro mar28th, and will have to return it at el centro apr3rd, barely 7days... i
thought we could drive down to la paz and back, but it seemed like too much driving?? i just found out that the road that connects south of san felipe
thru las arrastras to rejoin Hwy1 at chapala is for 4WD only, the economy rental car will probably get stuck somewhere... so i guess from san felipe
i'd have to reconnect to Hwy1 via ensenada - big detour...
i guess my question is:
1) how far can i go with 7days starting from mexicali? it would be nice to be able to stay in la paz for 2days 1night, is that pushing it?
2) the National Astronomical Observatory in san pedro martyr national park, is that reachable via a tiny rental car without 4WD & high wheel base
clearance? i've read some stretches are "impassable"...
3) i'm trying to avoid the overly crowded places like tijuana & cabo during the spring break, and am looking forward to going off the beaten path
to find some gems. if la paz is beyond my reach, how about loreto?? i'm just trying to plan an itinerary that's doable, but also provide a good first
time experience.
4) we did a week of camping in the california desert [death valley, joshua tree, mojave, etc...] a few years ago and loved it, hopefully we'll be able
to do some of that in baja too.
5) we also liked to explore street mercado and check out the local fruit & veges, i heard mexicali is great for that and also has got some chinese
immigrant history to that town. is it worth spending more than a day in mexicali??
i'm not asking for a full-blown day-by-day itinerary, but if someone with baja experience can give me a rough idea of how far south can i go in 7days,
that should help my planning a great deal. if possible, also help eliminate the locations that are inaccessible via the "economy" rental car... 
muchas gracias!!!
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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ahh/say WHAT
35 a day is bull sh- t call vagabundo del mar or baja bound for your inshure crap !! I get a driver policy for 60 buck's a year with vag.......do
some homework !!
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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7 DAYS,,come on,,are you for real ?? 7 days I'm speechless,,you must live in the usa,no?
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Diver
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Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
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Look into renting your car at the TJ airport.
Bus from LAX to SD then the shuttle or greyhound to the TJ airport.
Rates and insurance are cheaper and you can leave the car in Mexico.
Cross at TJ and head south.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Suggestion
Take a bus from LAX to the LA train station
Take the train from LA to San Diego
Rent a car in San Diego from Dollar Rent-A-Car
(you HAVE to buy their Mexican insurance)
Spend a couple of days in Ensenada, tour the segundas.
Stay at Las Rosas, eat at Sano's
Spend a couple of days in the Guadalupe Valley and do some wine tastings and stay at a B&B.
Spend a day or two at Poco Celito in La Mission, walk on the beach and relax
Drive back to San Diego
Take the train back to LA
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Fernweh
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Posts: 444
Registered: 2-24-2011
Location: Centenario, BCS
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Why not take a taxi from Dan Diego to the Tijuana Airport and catch the Volaris flight to La Paz. Rent a car in La Paz and explore Baja Sur, stay at
inexpensive motels, check out the area La Paz or drive north to Loreto and so on. Fly back to TJ and remember the great trip you just made.
Driving to LP from the US-Mexico border takes at least two days each direction. So a seven day outing is getting real short.
Karl
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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7 days,,7 day7s
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fandango
Senior Nomad
 
Posts: 549
Registered: 1-30-2006
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the bus from LAX to los angeles union station is the flyaway. it is a dedicated bus directly to the station, $7.00. no reservations required but you
can call for info at 866.435.9529 or google "flyaway".
take amtrak to san diego.
then rent a car there or take the trolley to the san ysidro border and get to the airport in tijuana for the flight to la paz and rent a car in la
paz.
have a great time.
remember to post a trip report with photos after your adventure.
sbwontoo
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LisaR.
Nomad

Posts: 121
Registered: 6-3-2009
Location: Chapala, Jalisco
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I'm with bajaguy on this. A couple of years ago, my husband and I drove down to La Paz and back in 2 1/2 weeks...and it was too much driving.
Granted, we took a lot of side trips, but still. You can look at the mileage, but it will take you A LOT longer than you would think for much of the
trip. If you only have a week, you might consider flying down to La Paz, as fandango suggested, and renting a car there. Or, as bajaguy suggested,
base your trip around northern Baja. We spent a week divided between Ensenada and Rosarito last spring, and it STILL wasn't enough time. There is so
much to do! I definitely recommend the Valle de Guadalupe and wine tasting!
(BTW, if you want to see our trip report for driving down to La Paz, it's here http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=40484 and here http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=58041 . Yes, it's in two parts because I didn't finish writing it "right away")
[Edited on 2-21-2012 by LisaR.]
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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7 days/ 7 days
wow,,what can I say,,but 7 days !!
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rhintransit
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Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
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too short, yes
too much, yes
it's going to take a day on either end to set up a car rental. and it's a huge hassle.
see above suggestions, all good. all time consuming.
how about the good old bus?
fly LAX to La Paz. or Loreto (but you can probably buy a cheap car for what it would cost for two last minute tickets to Loreto) use taxis and
buses. spend your money on entertainment and food instead.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
      
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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If you can squeeze a bit more time:
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=47853#pid5698...
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
     
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Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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I like the fly to La Paz idea the best .... and rent a car there. The beach is nice, the people and food are nice....the shopping is fun. Just get
yourself a hotel or B&B on or close to the beach (malecon).
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goldhuntress
Senior Nomad
 
Posts: 663
Registered: 1-28-2010
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I agree with the others. Things can take longer down there for some reason, even if you know the ropes and I think if you drive both ways you won't
have much time to do anything other than drive. So stay closer to the border or fly one way if you are set on La Paz . Call BajaBound Insurance and
Discover Baja for advice on the rental and insurance.
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redhilltown
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Posts: 1130
Registered: 1-24-2009
Location: Long Beach, CA
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Agree agree agree that no WAY do you want to do that trip and drive down to La Paz...scale back a bit so all that time you would spend driving you can
spend exploring Baja. Why not cross at Mexicali and head to San Felipe and make that your 'base camp'? Sure, it's not La Paz but it ain't bad
either! Take day trips from there or do the loop across Hwy 3 to Ensenada and come back up thru the Guadalupe Valley and then the toll road back to
Mexicali. Or head south on the new road towards Gonzaga...incredible beauty and when the road gets bad head back? I guess everyone has their agenda
but you really don't experience much behind a wheel if your time is short...and driving in Baja is not the safest thing in the world even for the
experienced. But...either way, have fun and be safe!
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paranewbi
Senior Nomad
 
Posts: 913
Registered: 4-15-2011
Location: San diego
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Welcome miPrimeraVez !
Get to the TJ airport and get on Volaris flight to La Paz. We have a flight in March for $144 ea. round trip.
Rent car at airport in La Paz. Look up Casabuena on line @ casabuena.net
good deal for sleeps.
Drive loop around cape for fun!
Post pictures when you get back!
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
   
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Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
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Why not fly to Loreto, rent car there and you will have enough time to see places north to San Ignacio and south to La Paz. The weather is a bit
better in BCS this time of the year. Be careful of Easter week crowds at the beaches.
Lagoon at Santispac just south of Mulege.

[Edited on 2-21-2012 by Marc]
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Mula
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Location: San Nicolas y Lopez Mateos
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the last suggestion from paranewbi is best!
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miPrimeraVez
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: chi-town
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hey all, thanks for the responses. LisaR.&bajaguy confirms my suspicion that the drive down to la paz is longer than expected. i guess either fly
down to LAP or just use the remaining 7days to explore baja norte as suggested by redhilltown, which i'm sure we won't be disappointed either. i just
did a quick glance, ironically, the flight from LAX to cabo (SJD) is cheaper than LAP... rhintransit is right though, with the loreto flight, i might
as well buy a car and drive it down.
also got a reply from budget rental car:
"Non-Mexican residents may drive a vehicle into Mexico provided the
following conditions are met:
1. Before traveling into Mexico, customer MUST purchase MALI (Mexican
Automobile Liability Insurance) from this location. The rental counter
will not accept coverage purchased from an outside company. The MALI
must be purchased at the rental counter at the time of pick up.
2. Minimum age is 25.
3..ONLY American Express, MasterCard & Visa are accepted for the
purchase of MALI.
4. Car Groups allowed are:
-Group B (Compact), Group C (Intermediate) & Group E (Full Size).
> The price for car groups B, C & E is $25.00 per day plus taxes and surcharges.
5. No one ways allowed. The vehicle must be returned to the contracted
Budget location in the U.S.
6. Vehicle with MALI is allowed for travel 50 miles into Mexico ONLY. "
at the end of the day, if i failed to find a promo coupon for the el centro budget location, it's barely $38 of savings compared to hertz's $35/day
MALI rate... just like the car commercial, no matter where you squeeze the balloon, they'll get you one way or another... 
had we had more than a week from work, we would have considered the leisurely flyaway/amtrak transfer from LAX to SD/TIJ and rent a car from there.
with our current condition, somehow all that additional transit hassle is just not worth spending the time and money... which is why we thought of
flying to el centro across from mexicali, though tickets are still not booked yet, will have to make the call this week before they're gone...
i like paranewbi & Fernweh's idea though, find a quick way ($100+ each way taxi/limo/something) from LAX to TIJ, instead of spending my money on
ridiculous MALI, i could use that $490 [for 2x pax] on volaris and fly TIJ=>LAP. i'll then have to figure out a cheaper mode of transport in la
paz, maybe renting a vespa or a bicycle? and i'd then have 6days for loreto and la paz... though i'd have to spend $$$ to bump to an earlier flight,
so that i can make the volaris connecting flight...
always something... 
regardless, thanks for all the suggestion and advice, made my life easier! i'll update with a decision soon. hasta luego~
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Diver
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Posts: 4729
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Another option;
Arrival flight into Cabo or La Paz as your first leg then rent a car and drive north towards TJ in 7 days.
3 nights in La Paz, Puerto Lopez Mateo for whales then 2 nights in Loreto, 1 day/night/day for the park and then north towards TJ.
Departure flight from LAX after dropping the car in TJ.
[Edited on 2-21-2012 by Diver]
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