Traveling Baja California January 2016

[ghamr]

Baja. January, 2016

Most people buy the book called Baja Camping by Terry Church. We didn't get around to
buying it, so relied on a good map and by talking with others along the way. This is to
help others planning a trip to Baja.

Unlike camping in the US, RV parks/campgrounds in Baja are few and far between. We
camped with a 22-foot Airstream and stayed on the main highways, You can go off-road,
but these hints are for those wanting to stay on paved highways. Some have services,
others are dry-camping.

PREPARING FOR THE TRIP

Have some pesos to pay for toll roads (called cuota) near the border
Buy Mexican car insurance. It is expensive, but a requirement. We bought from
Sanborns.
Obtain a tourist card when you cross into Mexico. About $25 pp. Not required for short
stays.
If you go beyond Baja or Sonorra, other documents are required.
Never drive at night. Plan your days so that you will be somewhere with camping
facilities before dark..
Keep gas tank full as you leave a town. The longest stretch without gas is between El
Rosario and Guerrero Negro

CAMPING AREAS/RV PARKS THAT WE KNOW

All on Highway #1, unless noted. New ones open and some close, so this might change.
These are ones we saw. We didn't stay in all if them. From North to South.....

Ensenada-- one in town, and several south of town near La Bufadora
San Quentin-- 2 south of town on the beach. Area called El Pabellon
Cavatina
Guerrero Negro --1 north of town, 1 south of town.
San Ignacio
South of Santa Rosalia
Mulege
Bahia de Concepcion. Beach camping. No facilities. Several. Most popular is Playa
Santispac
Loreto --2 in town. Must get off highway
Ciudad Constitucion
La Paz-- called Maranatha. West of town, as you enter
Los Barriles. 3 in town, one south of town
Cabo San Lucas-Villa Serena
Near Todos Santos--one in Cerritos beach area, south of town. Highway #19
Gonzaga Bay. Beach camping. On new highway #5
La Palapa in San Felipe. (Highway 5)

We spent about 5 weeks in Baja. Here is our route with notes. We took our time going
south, but drove long days on the return.

OUR TRIP

1. We crossed in Tijuana. It was surprisingly easy. The guards recommend crossing
Tuesday-Thursday when it is least busy. Followed highway 1 south. It is a toll road
until Ensenada. Drove through town to La Bufadora. This is a tourist attraction,
meaning Blow Spout. Several RV parks on the road to La Bufadora. About 15 miles off
highway. We stayed in one called Campo 5. Primitive bathroom only. Beautiful views
from cliff-side campground. One night @ $7. 100 miles from Tijuana.

2. 160 miles to San Quentin-- El Pabellon. South of town. About one mile off highway
on beach. Full hook- ups available. One night dry-camping @$9.

3. 200 miles to Guerrero Negro. Campground called Mario's south of town on highway.
Whale-watching tours available in season. Full hook- ups. One night @ $16.

Could have stopped in San Ignacio (nice oasis), but went on.
Could have stopped in Playa Santispac at Bahia de Concepcion.

4. 265 miles to Loreto. Stayed at RV park "resort" called Loreto Shores.
Beautiful. Pool. Full hook-ups. On water. Our favorite place in Baja. Great town. Many
seasonal RVers. 5 nights @ $22/night.

5. 215 miles to La Paz. Maranatha RV park outside of town. Safe-feeling and a good
stopping place. We unhooked and explored the city. Both dry-camping and full hook-ups.
1 night. $22 full hook-ups, $16 dry camping.

6. 90 miles to Los Barriles. Popular spot for wind-surfers. We stayed in town at
Martin Verdugo's RV park 5 nights @$21/night. On beach. Tiki hut bar. Pool. Full
hook-ups. Many seasonal RVers. Then moved to Baja Sunrise south of town. Brand new.
Right on beach. Full hook-ups. Stayed 4 more nights@ $24/night.

7. We rented a house in Todos Santos for the holidays with family who flew down.
Recommend visiting this town. Camping nearby. Bypass road south of Barriles to Todos
Santos, bypassing Los Cabos. 150 miles. Note....we did not camp in Cabo San Lucas, as
we don't like big cities, but heard that there is one RV park there called La Serena.

Return trip.....

1. From Todos Santos to Playa Santispac on Bahia de Concepcion. 333 miles. No
services. Restaurant/bar.. Beautiful beach. 1 night. $7/night.
2. Planned to do whale-watching in Guerrero Negro, but they weren't going out that day,
so drove on. Drove on east on new highway #5. The road is under construction. 25 miles
are still dirt and rocks. Rough and slow-going. Not recommended for big rigs. Stopped at
a beach in Gonzaga Bay. 330 miles....12 hours!
3. 150 miles to San Felipe. Palapa RV park. Several in town on the beach. $24/night.
Full hook- ups. Stayed 2 nights.
4. Then, back through Mexicali to cross into USA. 125 miles

For details on our trip, check out our blog......reidsontheroad.blogspot.com.
Dates...December 10, 2015 to January 13, 2016.


SPANISH WORDS TO KNOW

Tope-- speed bump. Some are marked; others are not. Sometimes painted yellow: some not.
Also zebra lines can be small speed bumps. Found in towns and curvy roads, to slow
drivers down.
Vada....dip in the road
Curva peligrosa--dangerous curve
Disminuye la velocidad--slow down
Cajero--ATM

[FCloud9]

Great Baja trip report! Did you make advanced reservations for campsites? Any problems with finding gasoline or propane refill?

[Eonicks]

Great post

[raidergal]

Great post, great information. We hope to try Baja this next Xmas season.

[Evelyn Hill]

Excellent Post Folks! Useful Informative, Thanks!

[1936RoadWarrior]

If you drive south of La Paz 70 miles you will come to (Sea of Cortez side of Baja)
Los Barriles . I own a home there and could give you all kinds of recommendations as to restaurants etc.
viper333@att.net
Gary E

[tjdonahoe]

I wonder if you can drink the water there?

[glenrms]

Did you feel safe throughout your travels.. Anything in particular to avoid? Great information. I've always wanted to travel Mexico but heard that it can be dangerous.

[banderabob]

As with others, what a great post. You have described a trip that I have thought out-loud about with the Mrs, and one that I hope to duplicate in the future.

[SilverEagle6]

Great info, great trip. Will be picking your brain in the future. We would like to make a similar trip sometime between late Oct and early Dec 2016 or early Feb - Mar 2017.

If anyone else is interested, please let me know.

[horseylady]

We are planning to go down to the tip of Baja in January 2017 with a "tour" for safety and guidance mostly. Then, we will stop in Loreto for a couple of months on our way back north. If the tour doesn't work out, we would definitely be interested, or if you would like more information on the tour. We will be driving out from Virginia.

[unifreck]

Anyone interested in Baja travel should seriously consider joining VAGABUNDOS DEL MAR, it is a long standing travel club that has all current info, ability to get travel documents for members, excellent Mexican insurance, fishing and boat permits,etc. Membership is still only $35.00/year and plans trips with a leader experienced in Baja travel neophytes. I've been a member for over 15 years and it is the best Baja investment ever made.
Vagabundos Del Mar
Rio Vista Calif. (707) 374-5511
www.vagabundos.com AEW

[handn]

Very good informative post.
We made the trip in another brand travel trailer and have traveled in all but two Mexican states in various r.v.'s
I have only a couple of things to add.
There are R.V. parks in Mulege (moo-la-hay) just before Conception Bay. It is a pleasant picturesque town on the Mulege River one of the few live water rivers in the Baja.
We pay cash for gas. Some service stations take credit cards but we have had stolen credit card numbers. No financial loss to us, just a hassle to straighten out.
Cash is available at atm machines. The exchange rate is favorable with a modest foreign currency transaction fee.
We go to bank atms. There are machines every where but we like bank machines preferably when the bank is open.
It is possible to make the trip easier by taking the ferry from Las Mochis to La Paz. The road to Los Mochis is four lane and easier than the largely two lane road down the Baja.
Fares on the ferry for a vehicle and trailer are steep and the car and trailer have to be temporarily imported to pass south of Guymas in Sonora.
It is possible to camp in many places if a campground is not convenient. We have parked in motels, water parks, factory compounds, restaurants and even 24 hour gas stations. I would add to the Spanish lesson, "Es possible acampar aqui?" Quanto Es? How much?
Like the original poster, we have never felt unsafe. Other than the aforementioned credit card fraud, we have never been the victim of a crime.

[terryg]

Lots of great information here. We're contemplating a trip to La Paz in Jan 17 and definitely want to go the caravan route. Vagabonds.com looks like a good option. Does anyone have any experience with any other Baja tour groups?

[horseylady]

Great posts! Vagabundos is the group that we have signed up with to caravan to Cabo in January 2017. We made a deposit so that we are sure to have a spot. They told me it's usually 6-8 rigs. I don't know if that's the limit or just what they usually have. For anyone interested, you can go to their website and get a lot of information about the trip.

We got the membership with our reservation and the package they sent has a lot of information and includes applications for insurance.

We would love it if there were another Airstream joining the January caravan. Our plans are to stay down there, in Loreto, a couple of months after visiting Cabo and La Paz.

Pam