I copy pasted something I had written before on the forum. I think it's still good advice! One more thing to consider is the fuel protests/riots still going on in developed areas. Plan to carry more fuel than you think you need and fill up whenever you can.
I'm in Baja every couple of weeks. Some short trips, but have spent as long as 40 days camping, surfing, and traveling around. It's far more arid than coastal southern california, with some of the most rugged and dry desert on the continent. The roads can range between perfectly paved 4 lane highways, to dangerously narrow disintegrating roads, to the barely passable dirt tracks with running rivers in arroyos and washouts, and seem to change every time I go back. Every time I go, I find a way I'm underprepared and further equip my vehicle and plan for next time based on my experiences. My Spanish is excellent and has gotten me out of countless issues or misunderstandings that could have otherwise been serious problems. I still, and will always have 3 rules in Mexico; 1: Do not drive at night. This is more to avoid totaling your rig by plowing into the cows, many pitch black, and sleepy tractor trailer drivers, than to avoid banditos, but all three are more likely to cause problems after sundown. 2: Do not travel alone, and when off the main roads, always travel with 2 capable off road vehicles. A flat tire, minor accident, getting stuck, or a minor mechanical problem could turn catastrophic if your 50 miles of desert from help and you don't have an escape plan. 3: Do not stop in Tijuana or any other border town. If you were an opportunistic Federale, drug runner, or petty thief, this is the hot zone for your prime targets. I try to put these areas in my rearview as quickly as possible. Baja is mostly fishing villages and farming and most locals are incredibly friendly and usually interested in interacting with outsiders that respect their culture, land, and way of life. There are great experiences, but also hard lessons to be had in an area that, for the most part, is lawless and wild. It's not too dangerous to explore, but it's certainly not an area where a half dozen hippies with a kg of brickpack reefer can just tool around surfing and eating fish tacos (like the stories my dad tells of roadtripping there in the 70s) and not expect to get rolled sooner or later. Remember that fate favors the prepared!
So off we went. For us the fun starts around San Felipe - Lots of good info all over the net. Download i Overlander on your smart phone and you will be good to go! We saw WAY more Canadians down there this year than we did in 2016.
