Baja 1st time w/ 2WD Westy - Advice wanted

[furrylittleotter]

Your new route looks much better. You will avoid known gridlock and the infamous unexpected CA freeway gridlock which appear out of nowhere for no reason.

Like Mark said, go as far south as you can and pack tarps to block wind and of course a heater.


Neil2

[candyman]

We are planning this same trip route around march. We want to cross the border into mexicali early in the morning so we can get to san felipe in a days worth of driving. Are there any suggestions on camping north of the border to help make an easy morning crossing? We are not too familiar with that area so any input would be helpful. Sorry to hijack but thought this info may be helpful

[rfoubi]

[candyman]

[williamM]

If you cross at Yuma- you will be going thru Quartzsite right when the biggest gem and mineral /swap meet- is going on-

also free parking -for dry camp, or grab a one day stay at the rv parks for shower.

if you get there,




pm me for pizza-

also get the 'baja bound 'map book- has everything- contact fellow travelers.
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[crazyvwvanman]

If you cross early at Mexicali it is less than 3 hours to San Felipe so you can make it in time for an early lunch. Then get south to where things get a lot more interesting. Still plenty of day to do this.

The Sea of Cortez is very shallow at the top end and flat bottomed from all the eroded sand washed down from the Colorado River. At the shoreline this means low tide can take the water's edge way out with a sandy or mucky exposed bottom. At San Felipe this is still the case. As you go further south there is more and more deeper water and rocky shore with small coves. This transition becomes dramatic at Puertecitos which is about an hour south of San Felipe. I'd go at least that far and then you will be drawn to keep going deeper into the magic.

Mark

[candyman]

[furrylittleotter]

It is a dream of mine to return to the bay for some fishing on one of the classic pangas.

http://www.mexfish.com/bola/bola.htm


Neil2

[Love My Westy]

Cross early in the morning. Do you speak any Spanish? It really helps. You can buy 2 weeks insurance at places near the border, especially Calexico. Change your money to Pesos and learn to count change in Spanish, it keeps you from being short changed and makes life simple when buying things.

The advice to not drive at night is good. I have seen 6 dead horses on the road where someone plowed into a herd. There are also cows and burros, as well as nightime is more likely to have fake road blocks or banditos. It also makes it harder to find campsites.

It's not unusual to have to pay for camping although usually it's only around $5 or $6 (converted to pesos). I recall it being higher at Gonzaga Bay.

The road south of San Filipe has some extreme dips so don't drive too fast. There is about 25 miles of rough road that has not been paved yet. It begins before you get to Coco's (with a C) corner and ends at Hwy 1. There are a lot of potholes on Hwy 1 between the junction and the Bay of LA junction.

When are you heading down? We will be crossing at Algodonas sometime around mid January driving our Dodge truck and camper. We'll be traveling from Salt Lake.

We are going to find a Viva Mexico sign or a Mexican flag to display to show we are their friends. Generally Mexicans are great people and go out of their way to be friendly. I don't expect there will be any problems.

At any military roadblock they usually ask you "Adonde Viene" which means "Where are you coming from?" and Adonde Va (Where are you going), and "Tiene Armas o Drogas" which means "Do you have guns or drugs" The answer is "No Tenemos" "We don't have any". They may want to look inside your van but it's usually not too intrusive. I always make sure things like cell phones and computers are out of sight. make sure you watch them. Most of it is just for show, they are a lot rougher on the Mexican people than the US tourists.

Don't be afraid to go to Mexico, but be cautious. As I aways say when people ask me if I'm afraid to go south of the border, Yes, I'm afraid someone will break into my house while I'm gone!

When you cross the border the real adventure begins!

[candyman]

[g shepherd]

Lots of good stuff here. Mexicali/ Mex 5 seems like a good option. Getting thru Ensenada- and even the San Quintin area- is a bit of a PITA. Traffic, stop lights, road construction. Lots of opportunities to make a gringo mistake and have to pay a mordida. Ask me how I know.

Check the forums at bajanomad.com for recent trip reports and road conditions.

[joetiger]

Great information in this thread.

It looks like we're heading to Baja as well, but not until the last week of March. My wife & kids are flying into LA and I'm driving from Denver and picking them up, then they're flying out of San Diego the next weekend. So, we'll have six days or so in Baja if we do it right.

From what I've read so far, the gulf side seems to be where we want to be. It sounds like one initial logistical hurdle for us will be getting from LA to the border crossing (with a possible overnight beforehand so we can cross early in the morning.) Coming from LA, does it still make sense to go over to Mexicali?

My wife and daughters all speak fluent Spanish (I wing it as best as possible) so we've got that going for us...
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[crazyvwvanman]

Technically everyone needs a tourist visa now, even near the border for short visits. There is a free one for up to 7 days. Longer than 7 days costs about $25. You may never have to show it but you still should have it. This is a fairly recent change in policy.

http://www.discoverbaja.com/go/fmm-tourist-permits/

I would consider going down through Mexicali and San Feipe to camp at Gonzaga Bay and perhaps a night or two Bahia De Los Angeles. Then return up the Pacific side through Ensenada and Tijuana. This gets you more different Baja experiences than just doing one side or the other both ways.

Mark

[photogdave]

We are going March, hopefully for up to six weeks. We're going a bit old school...
The camping equipment in our westy is completely stock — propane fridge (works great) and no aux battery. We aren't heavy electronics users but I have a 40 amp hr portable battery to charge flashlight batteries, run a 12v shower pump and jump start the van if needed.
So no electric fridge, propex, solar panels etc. I'll probably just bring my iPod and use wifi spots (if they can be found) to check emails. I might even just bring film cameras, no digital. We plan to hit campgrounds once-in-a-while to plug in, recharge etc.
Opinions on traveling Baja this way? I figure if it worked for westy owners before the advent of all this electronic stuff, it should still work okay for us now. My biggest concern is keeping the propane tank full!
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[onslowb]

joetiger

The end of March is prime time for going out to see the whales. At that time of year you would most likely have them come right up to the boat. It would be a bit more driving, especially after coming from Colorado, but worth it in my opinion. Not sure what age your kids are but for mine (11 and 6) it was an experience they will never forget.
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[crazyvwvanman]

I have stayed at Daggett's campo a few times when with other people but I prefer the more "wild" camping a couple miles north at Punta La Gringa. Conditions at any of the campo businesses can be better or worse over time so look over the facilities before deciding to pay for a spot at one.

You may be asked to pay something at just about any place you camp on the coasts since someone usually owns the adjacent land. In more remote spots you may never see anyone trying to collect and in slow seasons especially.

There is nothing much at La Gringa but a few rough pit toilets and a few shacks inside the fence. Someone usually collects money and takes your trash from you.

This photo is sunrise at La Gringa a few years ago.

Mark