Our signature 35-day “Wander to Baja” RV caravan combines our favorite destinations and activities with our passion for leading you into your Baja camping adventure!
When you join this caravan, you’re not just getting the premium experience that all our tours offer. You’re also getting Chris and Lindsay as your wagonmasters!
| DATE | DAY | DAY # | DESTINATION + ACTIVITY |
| February 21 | Saturday | 0 | Potrero County Park |
| February 22 | Sunday | 1 | Valle de Guadalupe (Vineyard Tour & Wine Tastings) |
| February 23 | Monday | 2 | Lazaro Cardenas (Welcome Dinner) |
| February 24 | Tuesday | 3 | Catavina (Rock Paintings + DInner) |
| February 25 | Wednesday | 4 | Guerrero Negro |
| February 26 | Thursday | 5 | Guerrero Negro (Whale Watching) |
| February 27 | Friday | 6 | San Ignacio (Whale Watching) |
| February 28 | Saturday | 7 | Playa Santispac (Hosted Happy Hour) |
| March 1 | Sunday | 8 | Playa Santispac |
| March 2 | Monday | 9 | Playa Santispac |
| March 3 | Tuesday | 10 | Playa Santispac |
| March 4 | Wednesday | 11 | Loreto (Hosted Happy Hour) |
| March 5 | Thursday | 12 | Loreto (Day Trip San Javier Mission) |
| March 6 | Friday | 13 | Loreto |
| March 7 | Saturday | 14 | Loreto |
| March 8 | Sunday | 15 | La Paz |
| March 9 | Monday | 16 | Playa el Tecolote (Hosted Happy Hour) |
| March 10 | Tuesday | 17 | Playa el Tecolote |
| March 11 | Wednesday | 18 | Playa el Tecolote |
| March 12 | Thursday | 19 | La Paz (Hosted Sunset Dinner) |
| March 13 | Friday | 20 | La Paz (Day Trip to Malecon) |
| March 14 | Saturday | 21 | La Paz (Snorkeling with Whale Sharks) |
| March 15 | Sunday | 22 | La Paz (FREE DAY) |
| March 16 | Monday | 23 | Los Barriles (Hosted Happy Hour) |
| March 17 | Tuesday | 24 | Los Barriles |
| March 18 | Wednesday | 25 | Los Barriles |
| March 19 | Thursday | 26 | Los Barriles (Day Trip to Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo) |
| March 20 | Friday | 27 | Los Barriles (Day trip to Sol del Mayo waterfall) |
| March 21 | Saturday | 28 | Constitucion (Cultural Dance + Dinner) |
| March 22 | Sunday | 29 | Playa Santispac |
| March 23 | Monday | 30 | Guerrero Negro |
| March 24 | Tuesday | 31 | Bay of Los Angeles (Hosted Happy Hour) |
| March 25 | Wednesday | 32 | Bay of Los Angeles |
| March 26 | Thursday | 33 | Gonzaga Bay |
| March 27 | Friday | 34 | San Felipe (Hosted Farewell Dinner) |
| March 28 | Saturday | 35 | US Border Crossing |
Day 0 Potrero County Park
The Wander to Baja caravan starts at the same place as the rest of our caravans, in the quiet Potrero County Park campground, approximately 10 minutes from the Tecate border. You should arrive the night before (what we call Day-1) so that you can wake up and meet your wagonmasters.
We’ll rally as a group and carpool to the Mexican border to ensure you properly obtain your tourist visa (FMM). You can swap out US Dollars for Mexican Pesos and snap a photo or two as you are officially in Mexico during this process!
Once everyone has their FMMs, we’ll return to the campground and allow a brief siesta before meeting again for the Caravan Happy Hour and Orientation. Gather around the fire pit at our campsite as we serve up some happy hour munchies and drinks before walking you through everything you need to know before we cross the border the next day.
We’ll hand out your guidebooks, maps, and the handheld radio you’ll be using throughout the tour. Once everyone feels confident about the journey ahead, we’ll break for the night, as the goal will be to be ready for our morning briefing by 8 am.
Day 1 Valle de Guadalupe
We start early on our first official Wander to Baja caravan day. Your fearless leaders will gather the group around and present the first of many morning briefings. We’ll cover step-by-step border-crossing procedures and discuss where we’ll take our first “body break.”
Guadalupe RV Park (also known as “Sordo Mudo”) is a short 45-minute drive from Tecate and we’ll drive slow and cautiously as this is your first experience with the infamous Mexican highway. We should arrive at camp before noon so you can spend an hour or so settling in for the night and getting ready to hop in a van to visit several local wineries.
Enjoy a vineyard tour paired with a wine tasting and pick out a few of your favorite bottles to take with you through the caravan. A second stop at Doña Lupe’s will offer a second opportunity for a wine tasting as well as the chance to purchase all sorts of crafts and handmade food products such as honey, hot sauces and olive oil.
The afternoon theme is “Relax,” so drink up and enjoy the beautiful valley landscapes and the fact that you have successfully driven across the border into Baja!
Day 2 Lazaro Cardenas
Today includes a little bit of stress as we’ll drive through the city of Ensenada on our way to an overnight stop next to the peaceful Pacific Ocean. Don’t worry; radio communication will ensure that we all catch up after we separate a little with all of the stop signs and stop lights in the city. But don’t forget to glimpse the ocean and gawk at a cruise ship in the port that sits taller than the city buildings!
The roads will narrow shortly after we leave the southern Ensenada region, and we’ll drive through the “Old Winery Route,” offering views of lush vineyards and tall mountains. It is a bit of a drive today. But the payout for this is a campsite along the Pacific Ocean in the San Quintin region of Baja California, where you can walk along the beach and catch what is almost assuredly a spectacular sunset.
This beach is known for its many sand dollars, an easy souvenir to pick up and pack away. Grab a drink in the hotel bar or eat at the restaurant. You can’t go wrong with the seafood here. After all, you’re in Baja now!
Day 3 Catavina
On Day 3, we’ll leave just a little later so everyone can take one last walk along the beach. After our morning briefing, we’ll file back onto Highway 1, our main road for the next four weeks. The landscape will change two or three times, introducing the desert and its many varieties of cacti, before we reach the famous Cataviña boulder fields.
Here is like nowhere else in Baja and probably unlike anywhere else you’ve driven. Massive boulders decorate the landscape, giving you a sense that you’re driving on another planet. You might think you were on one if it weren’t for so many different cacti!
We’ll camp on a family ranch and then carpool back a few miles to where we can hike a quarter mile to cave paintings believed to be many thousands of years old. Don’t forget your camera. This short hike is hyperscenic, mainly if any desert flowers are in bloom! And the paintings themselves are so well preserved that the colors still pop out off the rocks the same as they did the day they were inscribed in the cave.
After visiting the cave paintings, we’ll then grab our plates and silverware and head down to the ranch kitchen, where Matilda and the family will prepare a traditional Mexican dinner consisting of rice, beans, tacos and enchiladas. Bring your own drink if you’d like.
After dinner, we usually gather around the fire pit and wind down with after-dinner drinks and desserts while getting to know each other a little more. Don’t forget to look up. The night sky in Cataviña is about as dark as it can be and the stars stand out vividly here!
Day 4-5 Guerrero Negro
While the town of Guerrero Negro is not much to write home about, it does offer the best opportunity to engage with the majestic grey whales that migrate annually to the nearby Ojo de Liebre lagoon. We’ll stop at a campground just outside of town and get set up for a two-night stay. That’s right, we’re slowing down a little bit!
Once everyone is set up at camp, we’ll carpool into town to run errands. Our first stop, however, is one of the must-do activites in Guerrero Negro. We’ll stop by Tony’s Tacos and enjoy the delicious battered and fried fish and shrimp tacos.
Load up on all the fixings and enjoy what many call the best tacos in Baja! From there, we’ll stop at the grocery store and get agua purificada for purified water before returning to camp. Enjoy a dinner at the on-site restaurant or eat in. But be sure to get a good night’s sleep because when you wake up, you’re headed out to whale watch!
These whale-watching tours are unlike any you might have done in the US or Canada. With any luck, you’ll have two or three whales at a time approaching the boat. Maybe it’s a mother whale that will nudge her calf toward you. Or perhaps it’s a playful group of whales. You can pet the whales if they approach or, if you’re fortunate, you may even be able to give one a kiss!
After the tour, we’ll return to camp and swap stories of our fantastic experiences.
Day 6 San Ignacio
A short drive south leads us to the quiet oasis village of San Ignacio. Known primarily for its quaint town square and historic mission. However, there are several great restaurants and taco stands, a handful of shops, and a lot of quiet to enjoy in this little village.
We’ll walk down to the plaza around the square, check out the mission and grab an outside table to enjoy a cocktail or appetizer. Sometimes there will be entertainers in the square and you’ll be tempted to stay longer and enjoy the entertainment over dinner. Relax. Enjoy. It’s a short walk back to the campground for another quiet night of sleep.
Day 7-10 Playa Santispac
As the first beach along the Bay of Concepcion and the most accessible to big rigs and larger groups, Playa Santispac is the perfect place to spend our first few days of Baja beach camping. This beautiful beach is famous all over North America, as campers flock to the beach to escape the cold winter months up north.
As such, it creates a vibrant, welcoming beach community where you’re sure to make friends. But the best part of Playa Santispac is the bright turquoise water that’s so inviting. Take your water toy out on the water, plop down in the shallows or stroll along the beach.
Vendors will walk up and down the beach offering you everything from fresh seafood and empanadas to barrels of water, firewood or rental kayaks. If you are feeling overly ambitious, you can walk a few steps to one of two on-site restaurants for a drink or bite to eat.
Playa Santispac is a fantastic beach to rest for a few days and enjoy much of what defines the Baja peninsula.
Day 11-14 Loreto
After leaving Playa Santispac, we’ll drive for another twenty or so minutes south along the Bay of Concepcion. Get a peek of the other beaches that attract campers and decide if you may want to come back and explore them one day. About an hour later, we’ll arrive in the popular historic and cultural town of Loreto.
Our campground is just a few blocks from the main town square and the Malecon, or waterfront. So we’ll stroll to town after setting up camp for the next few days. Of interest in the town is the mission, a handful of restaurants serving delicious meals and a tour operator or two with whom you may want to speak about taking a water tour on one of the days we’re visiting.
The waters off the coast of Loreto teem with marine life at this time of year, most notably the elusive blue whale. Head out on a whale watching tour, snorkel and island tour or fishing trip. Experiencing Loreto from the water gives is a whole new perspective.
On one of the days, we’ll load up and ride out to the San Javier Mission, situated in the heart of the mountains approximately an hour from Loreto. Explore this ancient mission and check behind the building, where the oldest olive tree in Baja thrives.
Day 15 La Paz
Today is a fairly long drive day. We’ll leave early enough to arrive at our campground just outside of La Paz after a few stops. We’re just spending the night here before heading out to the beach. But the campground is arguably the best in Baja and offers full hookups in addition to fantastic bathrooms, a pool and laundry facilities. There’s also a great cafe on-site that serves excellent drinks and flavorful meals.
Day 16-18 Playa el Tecolote
Playa el Tecolote is a public beach around a half-hour drive from the center of La Paz. With wide-open stretches of beach, this is a gem of a camping area. We’ll set up camp as close together for a lovely center camp. But you will find more than enough room to spread out for our time here.
There are two nearby restaurants with fantastic drink and food menus and you can arrange a boat ride or snorkel trip to Isla Espiritu Santo just off the coast. If you’re feeling particularly energetic, there are some great hikes that you can take from the beach, including a secret trail to the world-famous Balandra Beach.
If the wind is calm, take your water toys out on the clear sea or snorkel a nice reef just a few hundred feet from the shore. There’s no shortage of ways to spend a few days on Playa el Tecolote.
Day 19-22 La Paz
The next four days bring us back to La Paz, where we will continue to explore this part of Baja from the wonderful campground in the suburb of El Centenario. While the city center is a short drive to town, we’ll have daily transport arranged for various adventures.
One evening, we’ll have a hosted meal at one of our favorite restaurants, where we can sit on the second floor overlooking the malecon as the sun sets and the malecon comes to life. On another day, you can head to town to shop the cute stores that line the central part of the city, indulge in fantastic seafood tacos at Claro’s Fish Jr or McFisher, check out the beautiful and creative street art by Uli Martinez or just stroll along the palm tree-lined Malecon to your heart’s content.
Another day is a water day, taking you out to snorkel with whale sharks and/or sea lions. And you’ll have an evening free to celebrate date night at your new favorite restaurant. We’ve also arranged for you to take a day trip to the world-famous “Pueblo Magico” of Todos Santos. Known for its artsy vibe, crafts and colorful displays along its cobblestone streets, Todos Santos is a must-visit destination worth further exploration on another trip.
We could spend months enjoying all that La Paz has to offer. But with four days, you’ll stay busy enough to taste Mexican city culture in our favorite city in Baja!
Day 23-27 Los Barriles
We’ve come to appreciate Los Barriles more with each visit. While it lacks the small-town Mexican charm, there are a lot of creature comforts in Los Barriles, and the tremendous beauty in every direction explains why Los Barriles has become a favorite stop on this itinerary.
The drive into town from La Paz is short and scenic as we’ll cut across the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range and make a quick brunch stop at the El Triunfo cafe. This cafe is known for its pastries. But you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, including fresh-squeezed orange juice!
The campground in Los Barriles has access to the beach within walking distance and you can rent ATVs to get out and explore the nearby area. With 5 days in Los Barriles, the exploration might stretch as far as a day trip to Cabo San Lucas to take a photo at Lands End, the famous arch that is as far south on the Baja peninsula as you can go or ATV rides to hidden beaches along the cove or to waterfalls tucked away in the nearby mountains.
Los Barriles has endless restaurants, bars and shops to entertain you for days. And you can find plenty of ways to indulge with massages, spas and other relaxing activities. Keep an eye on the water, as it is common to see humpback whales breaching right offshore during the winter months.
Day 28 Ciudad Constitucion
Although this is a sad day in beginning our trek north, we break up the drive in a town that is overlooked as nothing more than “stop sign city,” as we’ve come to call it. The campground in Ciudad Constitucion is a gem amid an otherwise busy town with quiet beauty where you’d least expect it.
What is most remarkable about this stop is the traditional dance and dinner hosted in the campground. Enjoy a delicious meal before an evening performance by kids wearing traditional garb and performing dances you would have seen everywhere throughout Mexico a generation or two ago. The kids are keeping tradition alive and you’re sure to appreciate this side of Mexican culture as much as others you have experienced along the tour.
Day 29 Playa Santispac
You know the beauty of Playa Santispac from our stay here earlier in the tour. Sadly, this is just an easy-in, easy-out stopover on our way north. But we should arrive with plenty of time to take in a beautiful sunrise and we won’t rush back onto the highway until everyone has enjoyed their coffee and sunrise.
Day 30 Guerrero Negro
Another easy one-night stop as we’re headed north, we’ll pull into a campground on the side of the highway. You can head into town for Tony’s Tacos or groceries and water if needed. The on-site restaurant offers delicious seafood options inside a unique building and serves up delicious margaritas. Be sure to tend to your camper’s needs as we’ll be dry camping for the next few nights.
Day 31-32 Bay of Los Angeles
Many Baja campers overlook Bahia de Los Angeles because it requires an “out and back” drive. But that drive is pretty spectacular, passing through a cacti-lover’s paradise. If it’s been a rainy winter, all cacti and desert flowers should bloom.
But the payoff for the drive is when you round a curve and reach the top of a peak overlooking the bay and town down below. It’s a magical view, where many of the seventeen nearby islands layer themselves across the bay, offering a spectacular view.
We’ll spend two days in this unique place, which is still somewhat cut off from most of Baja. The town has pretty much everything you need aside from cellular service, and plenty of beach to enjoy. A quick trip to town brings you to an old but fantastic museum, several excellent restaurants and a few stores if you need to stock up on anything.
Day 33 Gonzaga Bay
The last of our beach camping days, today brings us a little further north to Gonzaga Bay, where a calm day offers one last perspective of the beautiful Sea of Cortez. Unfortunately, during the winter months, this beach can get a little windy. But when it’s calm, it’s relaxed and absolutely incredible!
This is our favorite place to walk north along the beach in search of arrowhead sand dollars only found in this stretch of Baja. We’re far from road noise and you’ll see as many stars as you saw in Cataviña with no population centers around for many miles.
Day 34 San Felipe
One last full day in Baja brings us north a few hours to the coastal town of San Felipe. While some people never travel further south than San Felipe, you may feel a little underwhelmed after all that we’ve seen and done on the caravan.
But that doesn’t mean we won’t make the most of the experience! We’ll make a brief pit stop to empty the tanks and refill the water before heading inland a few miles to our friend Lynn’s horse ranch, where she has an equine therapy program where she uses horses to help children with disabilities.
You can sign up for a horse ride or enjoy the beauty of the desert, which is likely in full bloom at this time of year. We’ll host our farewell happy hour and dinner hour and close the night with a bonfire.
Day 35 US
Reality sets in when you load up for our last morning together. The last stretch of driving will start early as it will take around two and a half hours to reach Mexicali. Then we’ll file in line to cross the border together. Once everyone has cleared customs, we’ll meet up in a parking lot for one final farewell and hugs.
At this point you’ve likely made friends and have forward plans for traveling together or meeting up somewhere down the road. Remember, we promised you that you’d make friends on this caravan!
Safe travels and thanks for choosing Baja Amigos!