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MMc
Super Nomad
Posts: 1679
Registered: 6-29-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: Current
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Neveragain, check out The u2u in the upper right hand corner. I left some info there.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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micah202
Super Nomad
Posts: 1615
Registered: 1-19-2011
Location: vancouver,BC
Member Is Offline
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Quote: Originally posted by Bajahowodd  | Geez. You already said that you love road trips. There is a tendency on this site to scare folks. My wife and I have been traveling from Orange County
California to Cabo for years. Never, ever had a bad experience.
Looking at your original itinerary, I'm guessing that you were planning to see the whales at San Ignacio. San Ignacio is a rather short trip from
Guerreo Negro. But, under that itinerary, you would be arriving perhaps a little late in the date for the best whale experience.
When we go to see the whales, we go the Laguna Ojo De Liebre near Guerrero Negro.
We stay at a wonderful hotel in San Quintin called Jardines De Baja, and then go to Guerrero Negro. You may wish to contact Nomad Shari, who
supervises whale trip there. She is quite knowledgeable and will definitely enhance your experience.
From Guerrero Negro, you can easily make it to the very cool town of Mulege. Or, if you want to stretch the day a bit, you can make it to Loreto.
What I'm saying is that if you just fly to SJD you will be defeating the purpose of your original idea, as well as not being able to stay in some very
nice hotels, eat in some very nice restaurants, and meet some wonderful Mexican folks.
We've made the whale trip at Guerero Negro a number of times. We've also done the trip in San Ignacio. Our experience has been the Guerrero Negro is
the better choice.
U2U me if you would like some tips on hotels and restaurants. |
....yahhh wellll. I'm an epic longhaul driver,,, but never gone faster than ~2weeks down the peninsula,,,almost always extend my stay. 'Different
strokes' and all that. 
...definitely drop back and tell us how it went.
....there's a great hotspring campground just south of Ensenada,,,guess yer don't need to know. 
.
[Edited on 11-25-2015 by micah202]
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cocomo
Junior Nomad
Posts: 40
Registered: 3-17-2015
Member Is Offline
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Nutshell advice:
Carry small denominations of pesos in two places, one where you'll be paying for things from, the other in a safe hiding place. Not everyone you buy
from will be able to break large bills.
I have only had great experiences in Baja but I've heard some people are opportunists. Don't leave things unattended, in sight, etc.
Never drive at night, the cows and other farm animals pop out from nowhere. The roads aren't up to US standards, and like the other nomads say,
require attention. I'm a former sales rep and have covered a lot of land in a lot of countries, try to enjoy this and take your time.
I like my dictionary app on my iPhone, but do brush up on Spanish. It's the WordMagic compact in a little blue app. No matter how bad you think it
is the locals will appreciate your effort.
You have to see the whales! I go from San Ignacio but anywhere you go will be magical. If you're near Mulege there are usually whale sharks in Bahia
de Conception as well.
Most importantly, whatever happens, maintain a sense of humor!!! Enjoy! You're going to get addicted and have to come back!
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
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Check your rental car for a jack and good spare tire. 80 km. is 50 mph. Your first day out of TJ will be slow - many small towns and winding
mountain sections. Bring pesos.
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6002
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
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Neveragain, I am with you on the road trip obsession. My best was a round trip from Anchorage AK, to Zihuatanejo via Cabo San Lucas with a ferry to
Mazatlan, then back to AK through the interior. (approx 15,000 miles)
I would rather watch the scenery change than spend time in just one place, no matter how nice it is!
From La Paz, I recommend that you take the road through Los Barriles, budget at least a half day to check out the area. You may want to camp, or get
a room there as well.
If time permits, drive north to Pescadero and Todos Santos before you have to turn in your rental.
You are going to need another trip!
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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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64723
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Most of the spectacular Spanish missions (founded between 1697-1797) are along Highway One, and are considered some of the highlights of a Baja trip.
Photos and some data on all 27 of Baja's missions (remember that Baja was the original California, and 18 of these 27 missions are the first
California missions) begins here: http://vivabaja.com/bajamissions
The last section of the mission data pages is the location of each on Google Earth with GPS data.
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toronja
Nomad
Posts: 134
Registered: 2-1-2015
Location: Eugene, OR
Member Is Offline
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Our first trip down we drove from Oregon to La Paz and back in ~18 days, and didn't do it in a hurry, so your itinerary is certainly do-able. We also
did almost no driving at night that first trip. Livestock on the road is a very real risk, as well as getting stuck if you decide to pull off and look
for a campsite after dark. That said, we do often drive after dark in Baja now that we've done those stretches more than once, but you miss some
beautiful scenery that way.
Don't give up Baja Norte if you're down for a road trip. While it's tempting to fly into Cabo and do less driving, you would miss a ton of stuff that
really makes Baja what it is - remote stretches of mind-blowing scenery. Check out Catavina, check out some whales, and definitely pack a fishing rod.
You guys are going to have an amazing time, and don't worry about seeing everything in one go - you'll be back!
[Edited on 11-30-2015 by toronja]
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victor.vela
Newbie
Posts: 1
Registered: 11-5-2016
Member Is Offline
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@neveragain what's the name of the renting company that doesn't charged you to drop the car in Los Cabos.
Thank you beforehand"
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by neveragain | First of all, I am sure this is an annoying thread and something you get all the time so I appreciate your responses in advance!
Want to have the most up to date answers to some of these questions - if I missed a post that answered these questions recently please direct me
there!
I'm looking to drive the peninsula with my girlfriend in late January / early February. We are going to rent a car in Tijuana and return in at SDJ.
(Crazy enough, I seem to have found a rental without a one way drop off fee. Seems too good to be true, but had multiple supervisors assure me by
phone there was no fee!)
My biggest questions are about safety and itinerary.
1 - Is this a reasonably safe trip for a 30 year old and his girlfriend? We don't speak very much Spanish at all, have no experience in the area and
have never been to the region. I've been scouring articles and posts online and gathering as much information as I can. We are doing this on a budget
and can't afford multiple extortions or unforeseen mishaps.
2 - Is this really a do-able trip in 8-9 days? We're mostly hoping to soak up some of the breathtaking nature of the peninsula, eat some cheap
delicious food, see some whales or other marine wildlife (from a distance is fine), take a day trip to the cave paintings, hit some spots off the
beaten path for desolate relaxation/exploration, and maybe find a good swimming hole. The itinerary I have so far is:
Day 1/2 Tijuana>Guerrero Negro with a stop somewhere along the way
Day 3/4 Guerrero Negro/San Ignacio
Day 5/6 Loreto
Day 7 La Paz
Day 8 Cabo
ANY and all thoughts/resources would be wildly appreciated.
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1) It' safe enough if done wisely.
2) 8-9 day trip can be done when driving in one direction as per your intention.
I would do an overnight stop at Bay of LA on your first night if possible. The large stretch of Baja between El Rosario and Guerrero Negro is arguably
the most attractive landscape on the entire peninsula. Don't let it be a blur on the way to some tourist area.
Good luck.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13043
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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Welcome to the sandbox! As everyone has mentioned...just dont drive at night and dont drive fast as you never know what is around every bend...cows,
horses, bikes, stalled vehicles, huge pot holes...etc etc...so go slow and enjoy the desert.
Stop in and monkey around with some whales with me at Guerrero Negro as you cruise south!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64723
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: Originally posted by victor.vela | @neveragain what's the name of the renting company that doesn't charged you to drop the car in Los Cabos.
Thank you beforehand" |
The thread you are asking the OP in is from 2015, just fyi.
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windgrrl
Super Nomad
Posts: 1329
Registered: 9-2-2006
Member Is Offline
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With your schedule I'd skip Cabo and La Paz and explore areas between SQ and Loreto. It's my favourite, even though we winter on the East Cape. We
flew down for years, but it wasn't until we started driving that we got to experience the beauty of central Baja.
Happy trails,
W
When the way comes to an end, then change. Having changed, you pass through.
~ I-Ching
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64723
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: Originally posted by windgrrl | With your schedule I'd skip Cabo and La Paz and explore areas between SQ and Loreto. It's my favourite, even though we winter on the East Cape. We
flew down for years, but it wasn't until we started driving that we got to experience the beauty of central Baja.
Happy trails,
W |
His trip was around 10 months ago... if he ever went. Sadly, he never followed up with a trip report!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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Good point, David. I didn't notice the dates.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13194
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
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I didn't notice the dates either! wonder how the trip went? such a shame that they never did a trip report, which is always fun when written by a
first timer.
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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I've known a few folks with lots of travel talk/intentions who never followed through and made them materialize.
Maybe the case here ?
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
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Your plan is fine. Be sure to check the tires on your rental and be sure there is a jack with a correct size spare tire. You'll be around Guerrero
Negro of San Ignacio for the right time to see whales. Be sure to do this. Without knowing your interests, is difficult to provide specific
information re: rock hounding, Mission history, pictograph sites, beachcombing, fishing, etc. ?? Try to go to the Saturday night (6:30 pm) pig roast
at the La Serinidad hotel in Mulege. A classic Baja outback drive is Loreto to San Javier mission. Yes, it's safe for you. Review topics on this
forum for general information. And regarding your car rental company that has no drop-off fee, please let us know if that worked out for you and the
name of the company.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
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that is funny - I didn't notice the date either.
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