Once everyone feels confident about the journey ahead, you’ll break for the night, as the goal will be to be ready for your morning briefing by 8 am.
Day 1-2 Valle de Guadalupe (85 km/54 miles)
You’ll get off to an early start on your first official caravan day. Your fearless leaders will gather the group around and present the first of many morning briefings. They’ll cover step-by-step border-crossing procedures and discuss where you’ll take your first “body break.”
Guadalupe RV Park (also known as “Sordo Mudo”) is a short 45-minute drive from Tecate, and the group will drive slowly and cautiously as this is your first experience with the infamous Mexican highway. You should arrive at camp before noon to 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 and 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! On the second day, we’ve arranged transportation if you want to continue the optional vineyard tours and wine tastings. Later that day, the whole group will enjoy our “Welcome to Baja” dinner to formally toast to the start of your epic adventure!
Day 3 Lazaro Cardenas (247 km/153 miles)
Today, you will drive through the city of Ensenada on your way to an overnight stop next to the peaceful Pacific Ocean. Don’t worry, radio communication will ensure that everyone stays together through 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 leaving Ensenada, and you’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 4 Catavina (171 km/106 miles)
On Day 4, you’ll leave just a little later so everyone can take one last walk along the beach. After the morning briefing, the group files onto Highway 1, your main road for the next few weeks. The landscape will change two or three times, introducing the desert and its many varieties of cacti, before reaching 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! Believe it or not, these giant boulders of granite were created in place by weather and freezing temperatures.
The group will camp on a family ranch and then carpool back a few miles to where you 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, particularly 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, grab your 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 drink if you’d like.
After we treat you to dinner, the group may 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! Make sure your furnace is working as the campground is located at approximately 1800′.
Day 5 Guerrero Negro (235 km/136 miles)
Guerrero Negro is a one-night stop to break up the drive south and allow for grocery shopping. As the town exists to support the largest salt mine in the world, it is not altogether beautiful. But it has everything you need to restock the fridge and pantry and some great places to dine while visiting, including the on-site restaurants at Malarrimo’s and Mario’s and Tony’s Tacos, arguably the best fried fish and shrimp tacos in Baja. Yeah, we’ll buy a few tacos for you, so you can be the judge!
Day 6 San Ignacio (146 km/91 miles)
A short drive south leads to the quiet oasis village of San Ignacio, known primarily for its quaint town square and historic mission. However, there are several excellent restaurants and taco stands, a handful of shops and a whole lot of quiet to enjoy in this little village.
Your wagonmaster will lead you down to the plaza to walk 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.
Be sure to dump your black and grey tanks and fill up on water as your next stop will be 4 days on a beautiful beach along the Bay of Concepcion!
Day 7-10 Playa Santispac (155 km/96 miles)
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 your first few days of Baja beach camping. This beautiful beach is famous all over North America, as campers flock to it 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, which is 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.
We’ll put together a happy hour here, as if you needed it to make you happy when the beach is so fantastic!
Day 11-14 Loreto (119 km/74 miles)
After leaving Playa Santispac, the group will 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 want to return and explore them one day. About an hour later, you’ll arrive in the popular historic and cultural town of Loreto.
The campground is just a few blocks from the main town square and the Malecon, or waterfront. So you can stroll to town after setting up camp for the next few days. Of interest is the Loreto 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 you’re visiting.
The waters off the coast of Loreto teem with fish and marine life at this time of year. Head out on a whale watching tour, snorkel and island tour or fishing trip. Experiencing Loreto from the water gives a whole new perspective.
On one of the days, 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 several hundred years after it was planted.
Day 15-18 La Paz (355 km/208 miles)
The next four days bring you to La Paz, where you can explore this part of Baja from the wonderful campground in the suburb of El Centenario. While the city center is a short drive from town, we’ll have transport arranged for various adventures.
One evening, you’ll have a hosted meal at one of your wagonmaster’s favorite restaurants, where you can watch life on the malecon as it comes to life with the setting sun.
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. Or you can turn it into a water day, with options to snorkel with whale sharks and/or sea lions.
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.
You 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 the capital of Baja California Sur! Once again, empty your black and grey tanks and fill up on water and groceries as you head off for another 4-day dry camping adventure on another beautiful beach once you leave La Paz!
Day 19-22 Playa el Tecolote (45 km/29 miles)
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. The group will set up camp as close together as possible 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 23-27 Los Barriles (140 km/87 miles)
Los Barriles is a town that is very popular with ex-pats, primarily from Canada and the US. 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 the highway cuts across the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range. The group will make a quick brunch stop at the El Triunfo cafe, one of the cutest restaurants in Baja, situated in the middle of this historic mining town, once the capital of Baja. Indulge yourself in the pastries and bread that the cafe is known for. However, you can’t go wrong with anything off the menu!
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. Your wagonmasters will host a lovely happy hour to kick off your time in this warm, welcoming beachside town.
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 (313 km/194 miles)
Although this is a sad day at the beginning of the trek north, the drive is broken up in a town that is overlooked as nothing more than a “stop sign city,” as we’ve come to call it. The campground in Ciudad Constitucion is a gem amid any otherwise busy town with quiet beauty where you’d least expect it.
But what is most extraordinary 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’ll surely appreciate this side of Mexican culture as much as others you have experienced along the tour.
Be sure to prepare your rig for three nights of dry camping along the Bay of Concepcion.
Day 29-31 Playa Requeson (236 km/147 miles)
Playa el Requeson is one of the southernmost beaches along the Bay of Concepcion, known for the sandy spit that offers campers the opportunity to walk to a nearby island when the tide is out. Although this beach can be popular, it is nowhere near as busy as Playa Santispac. With three days here, you can take your water toys out into the bay or set up to simply relax.
However, there are no restaurants here as there are at Playa Santispac, and most vendors will not make their way to Playa Requeson as it is quite a bit farther from the more populated beaches. Enjoy the relative solitude and take in another unique Baja beach camping experience.
Day 32-33 Mulege (40 km/25 miles)
Mulege is another cultural gem in Baja at the mouth of the Bay of Concepcion. Although you’ll be camping just outside of town, your wagonmasters will arrange for transport to go in and wander for a few hours. You can find last-minute gifts and souvenirs, load up on groceries or drinking water, or stop in at any number of restaurants and bars offering all sorts of great food and drinks.
When you’re not in town, enjoy relaxing on the fringe of the oasis along the Mulege River. Walk along the river toward its mouth and appreciate the views of the lighthouse across the way. Or swim in the pool and find other ways to relax during these few days.
Day 34 Guerrero Negro (285 km/177 miles)
Another easy one-night stop as the group heads north, Guerrero Negro offers a quick pull-thru campsite 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 inside a unique building and serves tasty margaritas. Be sure to tend to your camper’s needs, as you will be dry camping for the next few nights.
Day 35-37 Bay of Los Angeles (198 km/123 miles)
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. Although the road is notoriously bumpy, 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.
Here, you’ll spend three days relaxing in this unique place, still somewhat cut off from most of Baja. The town has pretty much everything you need, and plenty of beaches to enjoy. A quick trip to town brings you to an old but fantastic museum, several great restaurants and a few stores if you need to stock up on anything.
The fishing in the Bay of LA is fantastic or you can arrange a boat tour of the bay, where you are likely to see dolphins and perhaps whales.
Day 38 Gonzaga Bay (178 km/111 miles)
The last of your beach camping destinations, today brings the group a little further north to Gonzaga Bay, where a calm day offers one final perspective of the beautiful Sea of Cortez. The water is still warm enough to enjoy. Or take in the views of the bay while relaxing in the sand or your own palapa.
This is our favorite place to walk north along the beach in search of arrowhead sand dollars only found in this stretch of Baja. You are far from road noise and will see as many stars as you saw in Cataviña, with no population centers around for miles.
Day 39 San Felipe (145 km/90 miles)
One last full day in Baja brings you 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 you’ve seen and done on the caravan. But that doesn’t mean we won’t make the most of the experience!
Although the campground is around 15 minutes north of town, your wagonmasters will stop in town so you can walk around the Malecon for an hour or two. There are lots of vendors along the malecon selling everything from souvenirs to delicious tacos al pastor and elote (corn on the cob).
Enjoy one last view of the Sea of Cortez before loading back up and driving to your final overnight destination, one last vineyard offering wine tastings and tours through the small, boutique vineyard. Have happy hour at the winery or in the camping area, where you’ll likely gather with the rest of the group to reflect on what a wonderful time you’ve had during your nearly six weeks together!
Day 40 Return to the US (183 km/114 miles)
Reality sets in when you load up for the 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, the group will file in line to cross the border together.
Once everyone has cleared customs, you’ll meet in a parking lot for one final farewell and hugs. At this point, you’ve likely made friends and have 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!
