Road Trip in Baja California
My best friend from Tokyo and I took a road trip through the southern part of Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Baja California Sur is the southern part of the Baja California peninsula, bordering the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Most of Baja California was made up of fishing villages which are now lovely towns to visit all along both coast. Los Cabos, San Jose del Cabo and La Paz being the most popular areas for tourist. Although, I wouldn't say they are the best.
We started by flying into San Jose del Cabo grabbing a rental car and drove to Loreto. By the time we arrived in La Paz it was completely dark as its about a 6 hour drive and we arrived in San Jose del Cabo in the afternoon. The roads there are generally open and very straight. You cant drive too fast because there are random cows that will cross the road, and you could total your car driving too fast.
Itinerary
13 days total, including flights.
Loreto (2 nights), Mulege/Bahia Concepcion (2 nights), La Paz (4 nights), Cabo Plumo (3 days), San Jose del Cabo (2 days)
What We Did / Where We Went
Loreto, Coronado Island, Mulege, Bahia Concepcion, La Paz, Espiritu Santo, Swimming with the Whale Sharks, Todos Santos, Cabo Plumo, Scuba Diving, Whale Watching, San Jose del Cabo.
Loreto
Loreto was a very cute town, but the main reason to go is to see whales or visit some of the islands. We took a tour over to Isa Coronado. It's a small beautiful remote island without any people. The only way to get there is by boat. You can hike around a bit, but the tour groups leave pretty quickly.
Mulege
Small fishing village, of course. A little beat up, not much to do nor any great places to stay, but has a great old church on top of a hill with a gorgeous view and great breeze.
Making a U-turn and heading back south again to find accommodations for the night.
Bahia Concepcion
We drove past an area called Bahia Concepcion, which is one of the most untouched beautiful places I've ever seen. We found one small hostel by the side the road. Staying there for a few days, we stopped to have a little photoshoot with the most amazing cactus meeting the sea landscapes.
While staying in this snowbird park in Posada Concepcion, we were able to rent kayaks and relax on the beach. There were a few natural hot-springs that reminded me of Japan and sitting in the onsen (only these are completely outside, so clothes are mandatory).
La Paz
This town was way bigger than I had anticipated. Not a small fishing village like the rest of the towns, it's the capital city of Baja California Sur. Staying close to the water was the best idea, otherwise we are just in another dusty city. The costal area was super safe and you can walk on the boardwalk anytime of day without worries. Many great restaurants, again with great, fresh seafood. If you're not used to it, be careful, they will serve whole fish.
Check out Mc-Fisher. The best fish tacos in my life.
I also had my fill of tequila..!
La Paz is known for swimming with the whale sharks. We took a trip with La Paz VIP Tours. The owner, Anna, was excellent! They don't feed the whale sharks so you see them in their natural environment doing what they need to do.The company is also very eco-centric promoting only reef-safe sunscreen and other products. She lets you use hers if you didn't bring your own.
Anna was great at making sure we had a private tour. I don't mean we booked a private tour, but she found the whale sharks where no one was looking, so instead of being surrounded by tour groups, we had our own time with the animals. Keeping your distance, but riding in their wake. What an awesome experience!
Yes, thats me kicking in the background.
Theres a beach called Playa Balandra with some picturesque spots. Its one of those beaches where you can walk out into the water for a kilometer or so and still only be knee deep. But, in all of these areas you have to wear something on your feet to protect from the stingrays. here we were also able to get some pretty awesome photos.
Todos Santos
On our way south to Cabo Plumo, we made a quick stop over in Todos Santos. Its a great little town, but an afternoon is all you really need. Lots of boutiques and restaurants. We tried to go over to the turtle sanctuary where the babies are born, but because it was Sunday, it was closed. And perhaps not season. Instead we just hung out on the beach and relaxed for a bit. Also, warning, most of the way to the turtle sanctuary is dirt road. I was so thankful for 4 wheel drive as we almost got stuck in the sand.
Cabo Plumo
This area is a national park reserve, its almost completely off the grid in some parts. Only 1.5 hours from San Jose del Cabo, Cabo Plumo is a wonderful place to see the whale migration, snorkel and scuba dive. We went diving and had a bit of an incident that lead the drive for me to get my Rescue Divers certification. Be careful who you pick to be your dive instructors.
If you plan on staying in this area, make sure you bring food and gas up the car in advanced, the closest places are not that close.
San Jose del Cabo
This is the main city center in this area. A 20 min drive west is Los Cabos, or as I call it, party central. This is the biggest tourist area in Baja California Sur. I've been there a few times, but I'm not the biggest fan. Anyways, San Jose del Cabo is a great place to visit. It has a small town feel within more of a San Francisco vibe. By that I mean, there are lots of local artist, easy to walk around and great restaurants. Including many places that are vegan or vegan-friendly. A few days or a long weekend is plenty of time to explore the area.
