Baja or Bust: a Road Trip Through Mexico

July 14, 2017
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Favorites, Mexico
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We had decided early on that if we were going to do a road trip, we’d have to figure out a way to squeeze Mexico into the mix. I had been dying to go to Mexico; I felt embarrassed to be American and never have been to Mexico, our southern sibling. I had often dreamed about the colorful, cultural excitements and wanted to experience them firsthand. We figured since we’d be in LA, why not drive down through Baja, take the ferry to the mainland, and then drive back up through Mexico to Texas?

While researching what we would need to legally do this drive, we learned the following: we’d need Mexican insurance for our vehicle; we’d need a permit to drive through mainland Mexico that would require a deposit of $400 USD; and we’d need photo copies of our documents (licenses, passports, visas, registration, etc.). Since we were borrowing my parents’ car, I had them notarize a document that gave me permission to drive the car (written in both Spanish and English), and lastly, I obtained my birth certificate to show that the owners of the car were in fact my parents. There are separate import regulations for Baja, so we did not actually need all of the documents when we crossed the border in Tijuana. However, we would need them at the ferry terminal in La Paz, Mexico before they would give us permission to cross the Sea of Cortez. If you are planning to do a similar trip, make sure you plan properly. (See my Five Tips for a Road Trip Through Mexico)

For the full road trip through Mexico story:

Crossing the Sea of Cortez: The Ferry to Los Mochis
Four Days in Mexico City
Teotihuacan: the Perfect Day Trip from Mexico City
A Weekend in Guanajuato
A Day in El Fuerte
The Drive to Copper Canyon
Exploring Mexico’s Copper Canyon

Heading South of the Border

We were planning to camp as much as possible in Baja, which is hot in July, so we stopped at a Target prior to crossing the border to pick up water, snacks, some camp-appropriate food, and batteries. The border crossing at Tijuana was a cinch. We barely flashed our passports before they waved us through. (We never take for granted the benefits of having an American passport.) Visas are not required for quick trips to Baja, but we knew we’d need them for the month we’d be on the mainland.

We parked our car and headed back to immigration. The process was a little disorganized. We first had to go to the bank (located in the immigration building) to pay for the visa. We then brought our receipt to the appropriate government official who gave us our stamped visa documents. We asked about buying the permit for our car, but we were told to wait until the ferry terminal. Then we were on our way, excited to be driving in Mexico!

Camping at La Bufadora: Ensenada

We hoped to spend our first night in Mexico at a campground in Ensenada, about an hour and a half south of the border. We had heard a common Mexican complaint in Baja that Americans are buying and developing coastal land with the intention of marketing to wealthy Americans. As we drove along the coast, we wondered how many of the newly built, beachfront homes were locally owned and how many were purchased by Americans taking advantage of the strength of their dollar.

We arrived in Ensenada just before sunset. It was a lively town with a seaside boardwalk lined with Baja-style fish “shacks” selling tacos and barbequed meat. We had GPS coordinates for the campground, which was located just south of the city near the famous La Bufadora (blow hole). Following our MAPS.ME, an app that allowed us to use maps via GPS, we turned into an area with signs for the campground; it did not look that charming, nor was there any sort of view, but we paid our fee, and entered. The gate attendant told us to keep driving.

The dirt road narrowed and steepened and began to switch-back its way down the cliff before hitting a private, paved road. We wondered if this was a legitimate business, or if some guys found a secret back entrance to a private piece of cliff-side property. We kept driving until we reached an open space off the side of the road. We saw remnants of campfires and figured this must be the spot. Still unsure of the legality of staying here, we parked our car next to a cliff with the hopes that it would be less visible from the road. We set up camp and settled in.

It was already dark when we noticed truck lights coming towards us. We watched anxiously, unsure of what to expect. When it turned into our vacant lot, we were feeling a little nervous. A man and a woman got out of the car; we could hear them speaking English. They were Americans, too! Relieved we weren’t being kicked out, we headed over to introduce ourselves and have a little chat. It is always reassuring to discuss confusing situations with others in similar positions. They confessed that they too were wary at first, but after having spent several nights there, they were now completely comfortable. Phew!

Searching for Surf in the Desert

In the morning, we continued south. Arie had researched surf beaches in Baja prior to our arrival. After all, this was meant to be partly a surf trip. One of the blogs mentioned a kite-surfing camp that was also great for traditional surfers. Typically, people fly to the camp because it is located on such a remote piece of coast, but it is possible to drive (or so we thought). Arie had the GPS coordinates, and we attempted to follow them. We turned off the main highway and onto a dirt road. As we were driving, we felt as if we were heading into the middle of nowhere. Was this a good idea? It is the desert after all. Would there be people around if we needed help? Two things kept us going: 1. Our bikes on the back of the car (we had a backup plan). 2. The random cows roaming around meant there must also be people, somewhere.

The drive was not a far distance (40 km), but because of the condition of the dirt road, we drove slowly. About an hour and a half in, the GPS told us to turn off the “main” dirt road, onto an even smaller, more rugged dirt road. We realized that it wasn’t actually even a road – it was just a dry riverbed used by ATVs! We kept on driving – we were so close – but the road was getting worse and worse. Portions of the road had washed away, and we had to make our own path. We could hear the rocks bump and scrape the underbelly of our car each time we hit a big bump. Eventually we reached a huge ravine. Although we could now see the camp in the distance, there was no way we were going to get across the ravine with our car. We had been maneuvering through the dirt roads for nearly three hours, and we were ready to give up. Since the sun was just about set, even if we did make it back to the main road, we were still hours from any main town. We decided to stop in the middle of nowhere-Baja and pitch a tent. The wind that night, off the coast, was intense. I thought our tent was going to blow away. We filled it with giant rocks as a precaution. We soon understood why this illusive kite-surfing camp was located here.

We woke up early the next morning anxious to get back to the “main” road. Even though we were in an SUV, it wasn’t built for this type of off-roading. Arie feared that we’d have to say adios to our little Escape; we weren’t going to feel comfortable until we made it back to the main dirt road. Once we turned off the riverbed, we relaxed a little. Now we could take a few moments to enjoy the scenery. We were surrounded by picturesque, desert landscape. There were huge Saguaro cacti as far as we could see; I nicknamed them “mama saguaros.” We also saw tons of black-tailed jackrabbits. At first, they blended into the sandy ground, but as soon as we drove by, they would speed off. Once we reached pavement, we let out a huge sigh of relief; we were back on “steady ground.”

Driving through Desert and Finding a Little Bit of Green in Mulege

We kept driving through the desert, so much desert, hours and hours of desert. Occasionally we’d drive through a small town, so small that there’d be no supermarket or hotel, just a few homes and some dirt roads. Even these villages were far and few. We tried to fill up our gas whenever we hit the half tank mark because we never knew when there would be a gas station. At one point, we were so close to empty that we bought some gas from a guy with jerrycans in the back of his pickup truck. Who knows what type of gas he was selling, and we probably paid way too much, but I did not want to get stranded in the middle of the desert.

There is one highway that goes the length of Baja. It starts on the west coast and then crosses to the east coast. It is the only paved road for most of Baja. There are few cars that travel this road; it is mainly coach buses and tractor-trailers. The landscape is hot and dry in the summer. Originally we thought we’d make more stops along the way, but after our experience getting lost in the desert, we thought we’d keep driving towards the more populated regions.

Our third night in Baja we stayed in Mulege where we finally saw some green! Mulege is one of the few (if not only) places in Baja that is naturally green in the summer. It is an oasis; there is a river that runs through the town, providing water year-round. The shores of this river are lush and green and overflowing with palm trees. It was a welcome change of scenery. Because the town is still a few hours from Cabo, it does not see many tourists. We found a little hotel with air-conditioning and a warm shower, and we were happy. We wandered around for a bit and had dinner at a torta stand in the town square. It was nice to be somewhere, opposed to being in the middle of nowhere.

Logistics and Tacos in La Paz

The next morning, we continued our drive south towards La Paz. Since we planned to take the ferry from La Paz to Los Mochis (the mainland), we wanted to settle our permit work ahead of time. We had read that it can be a bit of a hassle, and we didn’t want the stress of doing it last minute. La Paz is a big town; there are movie theaters and Wal-Marts. We were kind of shocked from this re-introduction to civilization. We found a little hotel and set out to have to dinner. We really wanted tacos; after all, Baja tacos are famous! We headed to Taco Fish La Paz, popular spot. There is a grill in the center of the restaurant where we ordered our tacos (I ordered cheese quesadillas since I don’t eat fish). Once we had our plate of tacos, we loaded them up at the toppings bar: salsa, avocado, cucumber, coleslaw, pickles, and more. It was amazing!

The next day was errand day, our first stop being the ferry terminal on the outskirts of town to purchase a permit for the car. One can avoid paying customs fees on cars brought from the US if the car is returned home within a certain time frame. A deposit is required, to be returned to you once you cross back into the US. This scenario does not apply to cars taken into Baja, only to the mainland of Mexico. Therefore, we had to go through this process at the ferry terminal since our car would be leaving Baja. As previously mentioned, since the car was not registered to me, my parents had written a notarized letter giving me permission to drive the car. We had to show our tourist visas (which we wouldn’t have gotten if we hadn’t specifically asked for them at the border). Lastly, we had to show proof that we had Mexican insurance, which we had purchased online specifically for this trip. We came prepared with all of the documents that we needed, so the process went smoothly. They gave us a written permit and a sticker that we had to place on the inside of our windshield.

Since the ferry terminal was so close to Playa Balandra, we decided to stop by. Balandra is a beautiful, turquoise inlet on the sea of Cortez. In the summer, it is packed with locals enjoying some beach time. We couldn’t stay long because we had more errands to run. Soon we were off to the office of the ferry operator, Baja Ferries, located in town, to buy the tickets for the ferry. (I will provide more specifics about the actually ferry ride in my next post.) Next, we went to the big supermarket to buy supplies for the next few days. We were going to be camping in a semi-remote spot, and we needed ice for our cooler of vegetables. We had one last stop, Taco Fish. It was so delicious the first time around, we couldn’t resist a double dose of the best tacos in town.

Setting Up Camp in Cabo Pulmo

Once we had all of our logistics and paper work in order, we headed to our next stop. About two hours down the road from La Paz is Cabo Pulmo National Park. Since we had been driving for most of the last few days, we wanted to stay at least three nights in Cabo Pulmo. We found a nice little beach that allowed camping and set up the tent. A local family living onsite manages the beach; they also run a small restaurant (more tacos) and the shower/toilets. In addition, they rent snorkel gear and kayaks. There were a few other families camping, mostly locals, but it was pretty quiet. During the day, there were small groups of Americans that would stop by for the beautiful beach and snorkeling, returning to their luxury hotel in Cabo for the night.

During the day, we read and relaxed under the shade of our palapa. Arie searched for surf (there wasn’t much at the time). We rented snorkel gear and paddled around enjoying the loads of fish, all different shapes, sizes and colors. Each day when the sun started to hang low in the sky, we’d take a walk along the shore watching the crabs scuttle into their holes as we passed by.

At night, we’d cook dinner on our camp stove, usually some sort of quick meal of rice and salad. There were grill stations scattered across the beach which we’d use for a stove. We’d sit on our towels with our toes in the buttery sand and watch the sunset over the calm, cerulean water. That was it; it was pretty stress free, there was nothing else to do!

A Quick Stop in Cabo San Lucas

After three nights had passed, we headed to Cabo san Lucas. We had booked one night at a nice hotel so we could take a hot shower and use the Internet. Plus, I kind of wanted to see the chaos in Cabo. It was like Vegas in Mexico: there were all sorts of toys for rent, water jungle gyms with trampolines and slides, and locals walking the beach selling supplies for bachelorette and bachelor parties. It was definitely a shock to our secluded-camping mentality.

Low Key Luxury in Playa Cerritos and Todos Santos

We then continued our drive north for another two hours to Pescadero Surf Camp, located just south of Todos Santos. The Surf Camp was started by an American who moved to Baja with his family in the 80’s. He bought a plot of land and built a few bungalows of varying comfort levels (open-air, closed with fan only, or air-conditioning with private bath). He also built a pool and an outdoor kitchen for everyone to share. We chose to camp, which was $10 a night, but that allowed us access to the public space, wi-fi and the shared bathrooms. Sleeping bags aside, this place was pretty luxurious! There was only one other family there at the time, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We typically started our evenings with a drink at the swim-up bar (of course, we were the bartenders). Every few sips, I’d take a break from my beer to do a few handstands or deep-water dives in the pool. Then we’d cook our dinner and dine in the open-air second-floor common room overlooking the Pacific coast. I think this spot was totally worth the money spent!

However, since the camp is in the hills off of the main highway, on our first day, the owner suggested that we visit Cerritos Surf Town for breakfast. Once we paid for breakfast, we’d have access to the hotel’s beach and pool for the rest of the day. We followed his advice and spent some time in poolside chaises while drinking fancy cocktails. We were definitely having a champagne day on our beer accommodation budget.

The following day we headed off to check out Todos Santos, a charming little town just north of our camp. We had heard a lot about Todos Santos, which seems to be getting an increase in attention recently. For years, Todos Santos has been attracting surfers and artists seeking a quieter, more “authentic” Baja experience. The historic town boasts a collection of art galleries and artisans’ shops, boutique hotels and restored haciendas. It has even been named a Pueblo Magico, a designation that honors small towns for their natural beauty, cultural riches, or historical relevance. We spent our time in Todos Santos meandering through the side streets, ducking into interesting-looking shops as we saw them. I was tempted by the colorful pottery and embroidery, but I resisted; we had a long way to drive before getting home, and I was worried anything fragile wouldn’t make it.

That night, as we watched the sunset from our perch at the Pescadero, we toasted to our fabulous adventures in Baja. We were heading to La Paz the following day to catch the ferry. Although I was sad to leave, I was excited to experience a different side of Mexico.