for you experienced baja folks...

[chnlisle]

I received news that about 10 grand was raised for his new legs. I gues I nedd to call those folks and find out what happened.

 

[Vanderpooch]

this is a killer syncro baha trip with a great Coco moment at the end!!

No FWC's but i'm sure you will Enjoy!

 

[SunMan]

Great vid, that's real Baja. Gotta love the Calexico soundtrack too. Good stuff.

 

[chnlisle]

I loved that and Mission San Borjas too. Did you notice the Unimog they brought along to tow them out of trouble?
Thanks

 

[Vanderpooch]

Actually the opposite!

SYNCRO BABY!!

 

[rich]

Hi guys,

Great thread! I've never been to baja but my wife and I are thinking about a trip over christmas break. For those that have been recently how safe is it right now for traveling?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

For any new people going to Baja, you might consider doing a guided tour with Gary & Monica.


http://www.turtleexpedition.com/


I think they are still doing the guided tours, but I'm not sure??

You might want to e-mail them.


I have met a couple of FWC people that went our their tour and when they came back, they we SO excited on what they learned.

(ex: how to cross the border, how to dealer with the federalies, where to get fresh fish, how to 4x4, when to air down tires, where not to go, the secret spots, etc.)

Everything you would ever need to get comfortable to make the Baja trip on your own from then on out.




.

 

[chnlisle]

Hi guys,

Great thread! I've never been to baja but my wife and I are thinking about a trip over christmas break. For those that have been recently how safe is it right now for traveling?


The safest way in is through San Felipe and Gonzaga although Sunny and TT will probably disagree. It seems the trouble spots are from TJ down to San Quintin. And there is always safety in numbers. Just my dos pesos.

 

[Bajaahh]

The safest way in is through San Felipe and Gonzaga although Sunny and TT will probably disagree. It seems the trouble spots are from TJ down to San Quintin. And there is always safety in numbers. Just my dos pesos.

 

[Bajaahh]

Driving in Baja/Mainland tips...
1. Get Mex insurance. You will need additional coverage for mainland Mex(most companies). If you drink and drive, then get in an accident, your insurance policy will be invalid. 2. Get a tourist Visa if your headed south of Guerro Negro(1/2 way point). You will need the Visa to head back across GN(unless you circumvent the checkpoint through GN). You can get a Visa at the US border or in Guerro Negro. If you get in an accident south of Guerro Negro without a tourist visa, your insurance policy can be voided. 3. NEVER drive at night, even on the dirt roads. 4. Guns or ammo=jail. 5. Drugs are no bueno BUT small amounts of all drugs are decriminalized, but you better speeka de spanish to convince the cop/army guy that you are an addict(which is allowed). 6. Get a basic translation book or download an App on your phone if you have the capability. 7. Carry fuel, at least 10 gallons. There are alot of new Pemex stations now, but if you do any offroad exploring, you will be comforted knowing that you can get out. Years ago, the gas stations would often run out of gas, but I haven't seen that happen in years. Gas can always be bought from roadside vendors or even fisherman but the markup is high. 3. Carry extra money!! I counted on going to the bank in GN during the Baja1000 and all 3 ATM's were out of cash and the bank was closed for some random Mexican holiday. 4. I never endorse paying off a cop, but I have made a couple stoopid mistakes in my years and I was happy to "Let the cop pay the fine for me" rather than going to the station myself. 5. If you plan on going to a campsite or hooking up to their electricity I HIGHLY recommend buying a voltage regulator. Mexican power is sketchy at best, imagine blowing out your fridge or computer if they have a surge. "Steren" makes a good one, I think they sell em at Radioshack for around $50. 6. Drive slow and enjoy the scenery. 7. Dont overpack, ANYTHING you need can be bought in Mex, and ALOT cheaper(except beer)! 8. "TOPES" means speed-bump, they can be disastrous if you hit one in your rig any faster than 1mph. 9. Leave your watch at home and smile, time should not be important to you in Mex...

Remember 99.9% of Mexican people are some of the nicest people in the world, they will give you the shirt off their back and ask for nothing in return.

Thats my dos centavos, it hasn't led me wrong in 25 years of baja travel.
Oh yeah, dont forget your passport...

 

[2tallDA]

Newbie guys!
This is a fine site!
Concerning Baja,Baja Nomads is a good reference. It's dedicated to Baja fans and can give you lots of valid info. I get my insurance through http://www.discoverbaja.com/. The kiosks at the border are quite expensive but are fine for short trips. Discover Baja will write a 90 day policy at a relatively affordable price. be sure your vehicle is in good shape. The Mexican people will be very helpful especially outside of the cities.

 

[kmcintyre]

Man, I haven't been down to Baja in years but used to go every few months to surf, etc. in the 70ies and 80ies. Now living in Idaho, it's a bit further . In those days we'd take coors and playboy magazines and trade for lobster. Corona in Ensenada was $4/case. Deposit was $6! Bottles were worth more than the beer. I don't think there was much alcohol in the beer as we usually allocated about a case/day/person. Puerto Neuvo was just 4 huts then too; $6 for a giant lobster, frijoles and rice, tortillas. Last time down there (mid-80ies) it was $12 (or so) and the lobsters were pretty small and there were > 20 casas and tons of gringos, etc. Aw, the good ol' days. We would go through TJ with no issues and getting to MX 1 had some tricks, etc. Coming back required some real tricks to get on the far East of the checkpoint which always had shorter lines because you kind of had to double back around to get over in the right. I guess I could check google earth to see if it's changed.

We are however, planning a trip to Scammon's (or around there) to see the whales early next year. "In the day" to get reservations down in GN, etc you called someone in San Diego, they radioed down to baja (2 way) and there you had it. Never made it down then. Now, everything is on the web. Any pointers appreciated.

 

[12valve]

Make sure your insurance will cover dirt roads. Some of them only cover paved roads and there are very few of them. A place to visit is Punta la Gringa, North on Bay of LA. Excellent clams there. You will go right by the turtle conservation center. Stop, donate. For a remote experience, go out to any of the Seven Sisters. A long drive, but worth it. Good surf. If you are REALLY, and I mean REALLY adventurous, go to Mission Santa Maria, East of Catavenia. You will need a high clearance 4x4 and a willingness to go for it. Possibly the worst dirt/rock road I have ever been on. Nasty, but worth it. Pools of water with palm trees will greet you if you make it. Punta Baja has great beaches to drive on, nobody there, the birdlife is outstanding. Good surf. Cabo San Quintin has excellent beach camping. If you can make it ALL the way out, it gets better. Tons of Pismo clams are there at low tide. Go to Sierra San Pedro Martir and the observatory, about 60 miles East of Punta Colonet. If you have the time, climb Picacho del Diablo, the highest peak in Baja, 10,000+. Good luck finding the trail, but it is worth the experience even if you don't make it. All of the above advise is excellent, smile, behave, respect the locals, help them if you can, relax and enjoy whatever the trip and life throws at you.

 

[buckland]

Have a new diesel and have read the sites that say that the low sulfur fuel is not available.... is this true. I want to go but don't want to screw up the truck.

 

[kmcintyre]

Looks like our Baja plans are coming together. We'll head down mid-to-late Jan and into Feb. and head to Scammons to see the whales. Not sure if we'll do down via TJ or Calixco/Mexicali via San Felipe and then head back up the other direction. I know the SF way is probably better but it depends when we visit family in San Diego.

Looking for more recommendations (we'll stop and see Coco, El Jardin, etc.). I haven't been down in a long time and used to go down once a month to surf back in the 70ies-80ies.

We'll be taking a Ram Ecodiesel and I've been reading up on where to get the ULSD down there so I think we'll be ok.

Kevin

 

[camper rich]

As far as I know, Ultra Low Sulfer Diesel is not available south of the State Line at Guerro Negro. It was supposed to be available everywhere by 2010, but that was 6 years ago and it's still not there unless it has just arrived this year. Diesels are good, but before 2008 models. Check on bajanomad.com

 

[Ramblinman]

Looks like our Baja plans are coming together. We'll head down mid-to-late Jan and into Feb. and head to Scammons to see the whales. Not sure if we'll do down via TJ or Calixco/Mexicali via San Felipe and then head back up the other direction. I know the SF way is probably better but it depends when we visit family in San Diego.

Looking for more recommendations (we'll stop and see Coco, El Jardin, etc.). I haven't been down in a long time and used to go down once a month to surf back in the 70ies-80ies.

We'll be taking a Ram Ecodiesel and I've been reading up on where to get the ULSD down there so I think we'll be ok.

Kevin

See you there! We will be there Jan - Feb. We will be driving a Tan 98 Chev w/ Hawk and 2 dogs. Perhaps we will cross paths.

 

[kmcintyre]

See you there! We will be there Jan - Feb. We will be driving a Tan 98 Chev w/ Hawk and 2 dogs. Perhaps we will cross paths.

Awesome. We'll be in the truck in my profile but a White Ram 1500 w/ Eagle camper. Us and one black lab.

Do you know where you'll be camping, etc. yet? I think we're still planning and probably just play it by ear when we get there. Not sure if we'll get reservations on a whale watching tour or not but if we need > 2 people (maybe there's a 4 person launch) we could hook up, etc.

Kevin

 

[DavidGraves]

Baja Travels Winter 2016-17

It seems this thread may be morphing into a rough survey of folks planning to visit Baja this winter ?

We are considering another trip, our third, that will include some small boat beach time along with a few back county loops for history and natural history.

Glad to share trip planning, etc. There are lots of little tips that can save lots of money and enrichen the experience.

DavidGraves

Toyota T100 / Hawk Shell

PS Can someone help me out with the whole "thread" concept and when and where not to write ?

I'm the only remaining human in the Northwest who does not own a smart phone.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Baja Travels Winter 2016-17

It seems this thread may be morphing into a rough survey of folks planning to visit Baja this winter ?

We are considering another trip, our third, that will include some small boat beach time along with a few back county loops for history and natural history.

Glad to share trip planning, etc. There are lots of little tips that can save lots of money and enrichen the experience.

DavidGraves

Toyota T100 / Hawk Shell

PS Can someone help me out with the whole "thread" concept and when and where not to write ?

I'm the only remaining human in the Northwest who does not own a smart phone.

David, Happy Thanksgiving!

The planning sub forum seems like the correct place, but if you're looking to coordinate for an upcoming wander, perhaps starting another thread would help keep things separated from the advice thread.