My Top 4 Camp Spots in Baja

[rock and roll]

As you probably know, my fiancee and I are traveling along the PanAm south during 2011. This board was instrumental in my pre-trip preparations. I thought I would repay with my experience from the road.

To summarize Baja was outstanding (and cheap!). I'm only 2 months into a 12 month trip and am already scheming ways to get back to Baja. Here are our top 4 spots after spending 2 weeks traveling down south:

#1 Bahia Concepcion (Playa Santispac) - $5/night. Gorgeous, dispersed camping right at the water's edge. This area has bathrooms and supposedly hot showers (we never found the showers, although we didn't try too hard). If you can make it to this place on a Saturday night you're in for a treat. There is a restaurant/bar (Ana's) on the beach and all the campers sure know how to party!

#2 San Ignacio - we stayed at Rice & Beans RV park for the electrical hook ups, but we recommend staying closer to town at Camping Petates (right by the lagoon). From there you can walk to town. Pay a visit to the lady who runs Casa Leree (a blue colored hotel near the town plaza) and she'll give you free hiking maps for the area.

#3 Coyote Cal's (Ejido Erendira) - this is a gringo run hostel/camping site, $10/person. They've got a nice crowd during the weekend, it's a great/remote area to spend a few days after crossing the border. 8 miles of dirt/gravel road to get there, but it's not bad at all. You can rent surfboards/mountain bikes/etc and you can't beat the view from your campsite, check out the website: http://www.coyotecals.com/

#4 Playa Telcote (Near La Paz) - Free dispersed camping on the beach. Picture's worth a thousand words:

Hope this helps you in your planning and adventure seeking,

 

[4llamas]

Thanks R&R. This will be very handy info if/when I ever get down there. Please keep posting about your adventure.

 

[chnlisle]

Those are some of my favorites as well and if you go to Ana's be sure to get her fresh baked pastry and bread. She has that brick oven out back.

 

[craig333]

You baja guys are killing me. If I could just figure out how to get two weeks off I'd be in.

 

[SunMan]

Nice photos, you are making me homesick for Baja. Would love me some playa Santispac about right now.

 

[pods8]

You baja guys are killing me. If I could just figure out how to get two weeks off I'd be in.


+1 But make it 3 weeks to accommodate the drive down to the boarder first...

 

[craig333]

I have a passport, used one time. Seems a downright shame. Otoh, with my looming foreclosure my finances are actually getting better.

 

[pods8]

Otoh, with my looming foreclosure my finances are actually getting better.


Bummer situation? Or strategically putting an end to an anchor of a house due to the market flop?

I can feel you if its the latter, we're sitting here in our 2 bedroom "starter house" that we planned to be in for about 5yrs and then move on since the future family would out grow it. Well we've been here 4yrs, have 1 kid now and are adding a second, however we're looking at a $70k deficit in home value to loan valve. We never refinanced anything, this is just the purchase loan. We can pay fine we've just out grown this home and coming up with that kind of cash to offset the value deficit is no easy task (and seemingly downright foolish since they banks/gov. isn't holding other accountable). So we'll have to deal with this one way or another down the road here. Not looking forward to it and don't feel good about it but not really sure what the heck people in our position are supposed to do.

 

[Desert Rancher]

Santispac...Ahhh

Did our honeymoon week there in 1990, even had a Valco boat and a Yamaha 225 along.

That place must be timeless.

 

[craig333]

A strategic walk away implies you could still afford the payments. Not my case. Given my age and the property value staying wouldn't make sense even if I could afford it. Plus, I have a deal I can't turn down. Move in with my brother who needs a roomie to make his payments and for far less than renting. I will miss my three car garage though.

 

[pods8]

A strategic walk away implies you could still afford the payments. Not my case. Given my age and the property value staying wouldn't make sense even if I could afford it. Plus, I have a deal I can't turn down. Move in with my brother who needs a roomie to make his payments and for far less than renting. I will miss my three car garage though.


Sorry you can't afford anymore. But still just as shitty if you can afford but have gotten a boat anchor of a place just due to timing (and people manipulating the market). Pretty shitty to buy your first house on no artificial equity hearing the age old adage that property is a good bet only to watch it all go to ****. We've lost over 45k in this place (in addition to being 70k upside down still) and yet many wouldn't have any sympathy for us if we needed to move on strictly because we could "afford" to still be in this house. That double standard pisses me off, money is money plain and simple, and when "debt income" is being forgiven on federal taxes through 2012 is sorta puts a time table to act on things... or be screwed where others are coming out ahead in the long run. The folks that bailed in 08 are already buying back in to the market and a percentage of what they walked out on, how they heck should the rest of us feel. (I don't mean those that watched their value rise and fall, I mean those that lost real money, or debt, on this hoax).

 

[Silvertip47]

As much as I would like to see Baja I am never again leaving the USA or my guns!!!

Well, maybe if I could join a small group!!

 

[craig333]

Theres definitely a double standard. Homeowners are expected to play by the rules while business pretty much gets to do whatever it wants.

I sure wish I was smart enough to have sold my house at the top of the market. Would have made a nice bit of money.

 

[ski3pin]

rock and roll, we really enjoyed your photos and trip report, thanks for sharing with us!

 

[chnlisle]

Lets put a big caravan together and head down to Baja via Gonzaga. Oops after July, I think I may need a camper the Cougar appears to be sold. Thanks AJ.

 

[agate]

So did you take a ferry across the Sea of Cortez from Southern tip?

 

[John22]

Not to hijack this thread too far but I would be up for a trip to Baja with a group in about a year. I've been down there several times in relatively recent times (last time) two years ago January with my wonderful wife and my then newly rehabed 4wheelcamper! Anyway things are a bit more dangerous, if not the drug guys, but lack of money makes even "good" people do things they shouldn't. I am not a fearful person, but getting more prudent with age. I've ridden a dirt bike all over down there alone, no probloma. Anyway should 3 or so like minded 4wheelers get the itch for next March let me know. My favorite destinations are in Baja Sur... Muleje and the beachs south of there. But Gonzaga Bay would be cool. Safety in numbers for sure. No firearms kind of sucks but those are the rules.

 

[davinski]

Well, folks, right now I am in a hotel in Cabo San lucas with free wifi (and a nice cold beer). Nice. Doing a nice vacation and visiting family. Always good when it rains in Seattle.

Anyhow, was looking at maps and asking around on the whos and whats of the coastal towns. Seems there is much unpaved country south of La Paz on the eastern side down toward the tip at Cabo. The western edge is also quite remote but has paved road access i hear. Amazingly, most folks that live and were raised here rarely ever make it to these parts. I also hear the mountains here are nice places to hike and offer some nice vistas of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific. Everyone here thinks I would be crazy to take a camper to these parts, and they all think that if I am that crazy, then I should do it is large groups.....

The locals here tell me that the danger is much better than up north. A few folks at the RV park in town did say that if I were to do it that they all suggest early morning border crossing with as much day time travel in caravan as you can do. Then, stop before dark and stay in a hotel with some means to keep the campers safe.....

The economy is really bad here and all the new construction is halted. So, A lot of locals are out of work and this leads to more problems. I also hear the police are not doing so "well" so picking on northerners seems to be up.

The really sad thing is that a lot of the remote areas have a lot of developement and a lot of old beach access spots are now private, guarded, or fenced. And, this is for the spots that have no paved roads, no electricity (solar) and no phone lines(wired or wireless). Amazing. Here in Cabo it looks like developers heaven.

That being said, I would love to caravan in a group for safety in this part of the world. It is just so nice!

Heading for La Paz in the am via route 1. Will try to do some research.

dave ..... in baja for now!

 

[SunMan]

Sounds like you are having a good time Dave, must be a nice escape from the weather, La Paz is a beautiful city.

This is just my opinion but some of what folks have told you I would consider true (cross early, don't drive at night, etc), CSL is a big city and with big cities come more problems, just like L.A., S.F. or anywhere else. But I'm not sure why they would recommend you stay in a hotel when you have a perfectly good camper to stay in anywhere you want, I mean, that's why you have the camper right? I'd feel safer in my camper out in the desert than leaving it parked outside of a hotel in the city.

My experience is that the more remote places you find yourself in Baja the more hospitable the folks you encounter are. Remember the info you are getting is from folks who are IN RV PARKS. They are there for a reason and they probably don't fit into the adventurous profile of exploring remote areas of Baja, since this is something they would never do themselves you are the one who is crazy for considering doing so. There are people all over Baja at this moment exploring and having a good time. I guess I'm just saying don't read too much into it, only you can decide what your comfort level is. But if the folks below can do it , so can you!!! This is what the beaches of Bahia Concepcion look like pretty much all winter. Heck, Camelracer is down there somewhere himself right now having more fun than is probably allowed!!

Anyway, have fun and enjoy yourself!

 

[generubin]

Dave,
Just south of La Paz (pictured below) is Bahia De Los Muertos. I was there about 20 years ago. It was completely isolated, no house no nuthin'. Lots of baby sea turtles that I was helping swim out past the waves. That was in February 1989. Check out the cool old Chevy(isuzu) 4x4 truck I paid $1300 for. It was "like new" with 30k miles.

San Evaristo. North of La Paz on the east side of Baja is an amazing road with cliffs of all sorts of colors. One of the more remote areas and certainly the most remote area while being on the Sea of Cortez. I think there is a San Evaristo Island. I recall camping on the beaches at about the same latitude as the island. Beautiful, not to miss country!

Also pictured below is Bahia De Las Animas, south of Bahia Del Los Angeles. It reminds me of what Gonzaga was like, long ago before Gonzaga had any "development".

Gene