The Baja, Baja California and Baja California Sur, is truly an amazing place. I drove a total of 4,506 km (~2,800 miles) in the Baja, from Mexicali in the north, south to Baja de los Angeles, across to the Pacific coast, then on to Bahia Concepcion, and eventually into Cabo San Lucas at what is the tip of the peninsula. And then, I drove back up north, back to Mexicali and out of the Baja. I drove and camped, hiked, biked, paddled, explored, and photographed much of what the Baja has to offer, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. So, get there, visit the Baja, and be sure to spend as much time on the peninsula as possible, from the Gulfo de California, across to the Pacific, from the US border all the way to Cabo, there is a lot to see, and do. I highly recommend a visit to the Baja, you will not be disappointed. After you leave a place, especially one like the Baja, it is time to reflect, think about the adventure just completed. There is the van to clean, and a pile of images and videos to sort though, plus, the time to finish with these last few blog posts. So, what did I learn? What advice might I give to someone who is interested in exploring the Baja? There are tons of travel blogs and web pages out there, with tons of specific information on the Baja, where to go, what to do, camping and hotels, etc. Instead, I though I would ramble a bit, offer some advice which you might not find in the guide books and travel blogs, or at least some of it. So you want to go to the Baja?
I could go on of course, but this is about all I have to offer at this point. I had a great trip, a wonderful trip, and I do hope to get back there, still places I did not get to visit, and places I want to see again. Plus, the tacos are great.
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I explored most of the Baja, and there were definitely places which I really enjoyed, for one reason or another. And the last two locations which make my 'Best of the Baja' list are La Ventana and Cabo Pulmo, both on the East Cape, along the coast between La Paz and San Jose del Cabo. La Ventana and Cabo Pulmo are very different places, known for very different activities, but I really enjoyed my time visiting both. La Vantana is all about kite surfing and kiteboarding, and is one of the most popular spots for these crazy activities in all the Baja. These watersports are not my thing, would probably kill myself; I was in La Ventana for the mountain biking. There are two areas with amazing trail networks around La Ventana, and while I only explored one area (just south of town), it was great. There is a great app called Trailforks, and all the trails around La Ventana are listed, this app is wonderful. Trailforks lists La Ventana as having 73 trails with a total distance of just over 130 km. The trails north of town are more challenging, more intermediate and expert trails, and definitely more climbing. The trails just south of town are much easier to get to, an easy ride from town, then jump on Cardon Corridor, and you have access to many kms of trails, all pretty easy, mostly flat, and lined with cacti, including many giant cardon cacti. It was fantastic riding, fast, curvy, and just beautiful, though beware of soft sand along the edges of the single-track. If you get into this stuff, you might find yourself careening into the vegetation which line the trails, vegetation made up mostly of cacti, plants just covered with spines. This would hurt, a lot. I stayed out of the cacti. This was the best riding I enjoyed in all the Baja, just great. Further down the East Cape, along the coast, is Cabo Pulmo, and then Los Frailes. Cabo Pulmo is all about what happens under the water, not on the water (or on the sand) like at La Ventana. Here, almost right on the Tropic of Cancer, is some of the best diving and snorkeling in the Baja, and supports the only true coral reef associated with the peninsula. I camped at Playa los Arbolitos, mellow place with bucket-flush toilets, luke-warm showers and a small restaurant. But the place is right on the beach, though the parking/camping area runs away from the beach. And, you can snorkel right off the beach, which by the way, is great. It was a bit challenging when I was there, windy, and with waves, so it was tough snorkeling, but it was still great. Bring a wetsuit if you plan to spend any time in the water, it was pretty chilly when I was there. There is another cove further down the coast, which I heard was more protected, so it might be worth a try if it is windy like it was when I was there. Cabo Pulmo is part of a national marine park, Parque Nacional Cabo Pulmo, which contains one of the oldest of only three coral reefs along the west coast of North America. The site is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. I was in the water as much as I could be, given the water temperatures, and the waves and tides. Definitely wear a PFD, as it is not only required (park rules), but it makes it easier to handle the waves, even if it means you cannot dive down to explore. Two nights here was definitely not enough. I spent more time traveling along the east coast of the Baja, along the Gulfo de California, than I did along the Pacific coast, especially since I started my adventure at Mexicali and then south to San Felipe. And from San Felipe, I traveled south along Rt. 5 sur (south), just a brutal road at times, but this decision quickly got me to Bahia de los Angeles, which I really liked. And from there, I did have to head across the peninsula to Guerrero Negro along the Pacific, before heading back east to Santa Rosalia, down to Mulege, before arriving at the beaches along the Bahia Concepcion. One of my most favorite places of the whole trip was El Requeson along the Bahia Concepcion, wonderful little place, just beautiful. Bahia de los Angeles was great, wonderful little town, quiet, but there was a nice market, a few restaurants, fuel, all that you really need. I stayed at Daggett's Beach Camping for a few nights, hot showers, quiet, and amazing views from the camping area. I biked and paddled my SUP (only one day, was really windy the rest of the time), and generally enjoyed my time, so relaxing, so beautiful. If you are into fishing, you definitely have to visit, and a couple of tourists also staying at Daggatt's really did well, including 4 monster groupers (40 lbs +, each). I did hear that Playa la Gringa, further up the road north of town was really cool, even if there are really no facilities. Maybe next time. After you head south of Santa Rosalia, you get to Mulege, a very cool little town, oasis of sorts, with a river and small lake nestled among palm trees not far from the coast. And just south of town, the road begins to run mostly right along the coast, and the Bahia Concepcion, and there are many opportunities to camp along this stretch of the Baja (12 to be exact, at least according to my guide book). I stayed one night at Playa Santispac, nothing special, before heading down to El Requeson, one of the last camping areas along the Bahia. I stayed there two nights, and while it was often windy, I loved it there. I camped (err parked) at the end of a spit of sand, which at low tide, connected us to a small island which was fun to explore, and which offered fantastic views of the Bahia Concepcion, and the many islands which dot the landscape. When the wind didn't blow, there was great paddling, and you could bike along dirt tracks for more than a few kilometers heading south, and even north along the coast just below the road. While the water was still cold, the beach and water were very clean, the island was fun to explore, and the views were wonderful. Plus, I met some cool people during my time at El Requeson, including a vendor who visited every day selling blankets, jewelry, etc., and who plied me with beers until I succumbed and bought a blanket. Oh well. I have now been back in the USA for a few weeks, time to unpack, clean my van, work on images, and time to reflect. The Baja is wonderful, a special place as I suggested in an earlier post. You do need to visit, and explore the peninsula if you get a chance. So, if you are able to visit, where would you go? Since I got back, many have asked me, ".... so where was your favorite place?" Well, that is always a difficult question to answer, as like other places I have visited, the Baja has so much to offer, so much to see, and do, it is nearly impossible to pick out one, or a few of the best, there are just so many wonderful places. But, I going to try anyway. So here goes, my favorite places, the best of the Baja (at least for me) and, a few places which I had to miss, but you should not. I really like San Felipe, for a number of reasons, including the fact that outside of Cabo, where I got stuck, I spent more nights in San Felipe than anywhere else. But there is more to it than that. The town is nice, small malacon, bars, restaurants, shops, fuel, and a number of campgrounds, so everything you would need. Campo Uno, where I stayed, was great, wonderful people, ok facilities (had hot water showers my last two nights there), and the Gulfo de California right there. So if you hop across the border at Mexicali, or coming from the east in general, head south along the east coast of the Baja on Rt. 5 and stop in San Felipe, get oriented to a different culture, and language, and prepare for the Baja adventure that awaits. And maybe by the time you get there they would have fixed the Rt. 5 Sur. Nope, not likely. |
AuthorBrian C.L. Shelley, Ph.D. Archives
May 2019
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