Central Baja California, Mexico 2024

CENTRAL BAJA CALIFORNIA AND PUNTA FINAL 2024

We left San Felipe to follow the road down to the Baja Gonzales

The coast road from San Felipe to San Luis Gonzales is pretty with lots of views of the Sea of Cortez. Other nice locations were the Valley of the Giants a natural reserve of the tallest cactus species in the world, the Cardon Cactus, with some specimens over sixty feet in height and over 1,000 years old weighing up to 25000Kilo’s.

Puertocitos, around 80 kilometres south of San Felipe is known for its hot springs on the beach. But with 43 degrees outside we did not feel like jumping in.

Roads all over the peninsula are being paved – this will bring tourism to places that are now very difficult to reach. BUT, for those looking for a remote bay or remote beach there are still plenty of opportunities. But be warned the sand is deep, soft and hot. During the day the temperature hovered between 40 and 48 degrees Celsius, dropping to 30 degrees overnight. The remote bays do not offer any facilities or phone connection.

The Baja way of life is prevalent all over the small villages; it is the Mañana attitude. Almost everything just happens to move at a much slower pace than you are probably used to. The reasoning here is that almost anything that can be accomplished today, can just as easily, be accomplished tomorrow. Mañana in Spanish literally means tomorrow and once you get used to it, this is actually a pretty good way of life. “Possibly Mañana” doesn’t really mean it will happen tomorrow….it just means that it’s not going to happen today.

The small villages in the area offer a unique and unforgettable escape for those willing to travel outside the snowbird season to immerse themselves in the rich culture of the Baja California peninsula.

Technically, you will be driving on designated roads and highways, but they are not all well-maintained. Just ensure you are driving a vehicle that can handle rough roads, potholes and topes.

Bahia San Luis Gonzaga is one of Baja’s lesser-known paradises, and it’s basically off-the-grid. No glitz or glamour around here, but for the overlander who is due for some off roading mixed with play in the sea of Cortez you are at the right spot.

Snorkelling, great opportunities all around as the water is crystal clear. Get face to-face with hundreds of colourful fish species and keep your eyes peeled for giant starfish and gentle rays gliding in the distance. Like our last visit in in 2023 we missed the Whale Sharks again (August to November)

The remote beaches in Bahia San Luis Gonzaga are so far off the beaten path that they remain practically untouched. This will obviously stoke your desire to capture your vacation on camera, but you’ll also want to spend as much time as possible soaking in its beauty.

there is no cell phone reception in Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. But our star link has now replaced our satellite phone at a much lower cost and great speeds.

After 3 days camping on a remote beach, we received a visitor from the USA parking just 10 meters away from us! His first question (typical American) : “Is it safe here”? Hence, he decided to camp close to us for safety reasons. It constantly amazes me how scared Americans are and how misinformed they are about the rest of the world. Anything more than a trip to Walmart they call overlanding……

Bahía de San Luis Gonzaga, for us was the best and together with the Baja Conception the 2 highlights of the Baja California. The clear, blue waters, the lack of tourist, amazing lagoons, bays and the beauty of a desert landscape made it picture perfect. Gonzaga Bay is not the most difficult place to get to in Baja, but it is certainly not anywhere near the top of the list of the easiest places to get to. Bahia San Luis Gonzaga is one of those destinations that are to be considered part of “The Real Baja”. At night, all is silent here except for perhaps the sounds of small waves washing ashore. Stargazing at night is some of the best in the world, try counting the shooting stars.

Our last stop at the Baja Gonzales was Punta Final. Simply put, there is no place in Baja like Punta Final. It is the epitome of all things Baja. It is remote, it is surrounded by incredible deserts, and this is the real Baja outback! It has spectacular beaches, private coves. Only a very few people know it exists. We decided to take the “wrong” road in and encountered very soft sand in the dry riverbeds, so your best bet is to drive to Punta Final via Beluga Camp. Only other way to reach Punta Finals is by boat.

So, what does one find when they finally get to Punta Final? For starters there are beaches, lots of beautiful pristine beaches. The beaches run north from Punta Final all the way up to Gonzaga Bay. And they are all the best kind of beaches…empty.

Geographically Punta Final centres around a mini peninsula that juts out into the bay about 100 feet, with two protected coves on either side of the high point. At low tide the highest part of this landform is easily reached by walking on the beach. At the highest tide this spit of land becomes almost an island and is much more difficult to access.

A few hundred feet east of this little peninsula there are more spectacular bays and coves, each with to-die-for sandy beaches. Further into the most protected cove there are four more super-protected coves that you would never know were there if you didn’t explore the larger cove by boat. If you are looking for a private cove it does not get any better than this.

We did meet Dexter and Vera at the overland show in Flagstaff and it was great to meet them again in the Baja.

On our way back north we stopped of at the resort of well known Baja Racing driver and Race Buggy builder Lynne Chenowth enjoying his luxury resort with swimming pool

Lynne also has a great Off-road Museum it is a treasure trove of the Baja sport’s rich history, with an extensive collection of photographs, trophies, and various memorabilia that celebrate the essence of off-roading. including the fan-favorite Chenowth Fast Attack Vehicle.

Time to return to the USA for stage 2, this time exploring the Southern USA from the along the Mexican border via New Orleans to Key West, with a side trip to Nashville and Memphis.

This time we crossed the border at los Algonadas near Yuma to do shopping and Laundry and our next stop the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park working our way towards New Orleans and Key West

Till next time from the USA.