Mexican Border to San Felipe
Nearly one year ago we left Mexico for the USA after 2 years exploring Mexico. Time to return for some Taco’s, R&R and great Mexican music. Mexico the third largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina. Mexico is like many third world countries characterized by extremes. From wealthy people to poor people and a small middle class. The Baja peninsula in northwestern Mexico is an isolated strip of extremely arid land extending between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez.
We entered Mexico from Mexicali in the lowlands. At the head of the Gulf of California is a delta and the mouth of the Colorado river; this is where we camped the first few nights.
The peninsula is nearly 1,300 km long but never more than 160 km wide. The central part of the Baja has mountains 2,700 metres high. The Sonoran Desert where we had our last bush camp before entering Mexico extends onto the Baja along the northern end of the gulf.
This area offers great remote off-road driving and amazing remote wild camping both in the desert and along long white beaches with no one around. But be aware of the rattle snakes, coyote’s, scorpions and the odd mountain lion
With over 3200 kilometres of coastline with many islands off the coast. there are sheltered bays and lagoons all great for off the grid camping.
We found a great spot on the beach around 30 kilometres north of San Felipe. This is where the arid desert landscape meets the beach and the blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. We enjoyed the beaches with clear sands and small waves. Spectacular high and low tides made us walk up to 1 kilometre to the water at low tide
Weekend means Party time in San Felipe and we found a nice spot just out of town. On another pristine beach of the Sea of Cortez. While Mexico boasts many great coastal destinations, Boutique village San Felipe remains a well-kept secret, cherished by those who seek tranquillity away from the tourist crowds. The marina and hotels can arrange sportfishing excursions, motorboats, yacht rides, water skiing, and hang gliding. There also is an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. This area also includes a tennis court, swimming pools, pickleball courts, restaurants, and a private beach.
The Malecon is the San Felipe’s meeting place, with lots of street sellers, the village beach, food stalls etc. A fun place to experience on a weekend night, when locals come to enjoy the beautiful beachfront that’s buzzing with lots of energy.
San Felipe has lots of bars, restaurants and shops to cater for the many US and Canadian snowbirds and permanent US residents living north and south of the town.
Next stop was the Baja Gonzales and Punta Final, the southernmost part of the Bay of Gonzales. On the way south there are plenty of spots for free camping on the beach
TIME to start moving south towards the Punta Final
this hidden oasis offers 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.
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
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