If you are about to enter Baja California, particularly if you plan to drive the length of the peninsula, you are on the verge of one of the greatest adventures left to travelers anywhere in the world. For centuries, this land was accessible only to explorers, scientists and rugged adventurers. Only during the last 25 years have the facilities been available to make the trip feasible for everyone. You will not only view some of the most spectacular scenery on the face of the globe (over 1,000 miles of it), but if you are like most Baja travelers, you will fall under the spell of this incredible land. Do not expect to see a repeat performance of something you have seen elsewhere, and certainly don't expect to be bored. The Baja landscape changes almost by the mile. The peninsula itself, longer than Italy, is a geological fantasyland, and in many cases it's flora and fauna are unique - found only here in Baja, nowhere else.
Proceeding south from San Diego, you will cross the busiest international border in the world at San Ysidro (over 20 million crossings per year) and view the hills of Tijuana, years ago a tiny pueblo, now Mexico's fourth largest city, with a population of nearly 2 million. Once on the Transpeninsular Highway at the western edge of the city, you will head down the Pacific Coast along a dramatic 60 mile stretch of rugged coastline and haunting offshore islands. You will pass through Rosarito Beach and head for Ensenada, both fabled playgrounds for Hollywood stars, now drawing tourists from all over the world. If you look sharply, on the west side of the Ensenada toll road, you will see the now-famous Fox Studios Baja, where the hit film Titanic was made.
To the east, you will see the first of Baja's three great mountain ranges, the Sierra de Juarez, crowned by savage 10,000 foot Picacho del Diablo (Devil's Peak), often dusted with snow.
You will cross the placid Maneadero valley, where colorfully dressed Zapotec Indians from Oaxaca tend rotated crops of vegetables much of the year. After winding through breathtaking coastal mountains, you will plunge into the picturesque valley of Santo Tomas, with it's picture-perfect vineyards grown from stock brought originally from Spain.
You will view the great coastal plain of Valle de San Quintin, with it's miles of truck farms, sprawling in the shadow of the Sierra San Pedro Martir (Saint Peter the Martyr) - Baja's second mountain range, topped by rolling meadows and deep pine forests, the "backbone of Baja".
Now, for the second time, you will lose your view of the Pacific, climbing from the hot, windy desert floor of El Rosario to one of the most unusual views in the world - the high Vizcaino Desert. This is a showcase for hundreds of varieties of desert plants and cactus, including the mysterious "boojum tree" (cirio) and the giant, house-high Cardon. You might notice that the Cardon are sometimes riddled with holes carved out by elf owls, which make their homes in the cactus itself. This forbidding landscape has been the site of dozens of western films, and its giant boulders and occasional oases carry one back to the beginnings of time.
Should you choose to leave the highway on the 40 mile paved road to Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of the Angels), you will visit one of the world's most remote bays, set on the legendary Sea of Cortes. This great, 35 mile wide bay is dotted with volcanic islands, which are mystifying and alluring, like the fabled isles of Greece. The bay is bordered by sere desert and towering mountains, and the world famous vermillion sunsets boggle the mind.
Back on the highway, you will next come to Guererro Negro (Black Warrior) on the Pacific; the northern gateway to the state of Baja California Sur. Nearby is the incredible Scammon's Lagoon which serves as a breeding ground for thousands of California Gray whales. Easily observed during the migration season in late winter (January to March), this is truly one of the world's most spectacular shows of nature.
You will cross the peninsula again, stopping at the many-palmed oasis of San Ignacio with its postcard tropical plaza and ancient, fortress-like mission, a miracle of stonework from another age.
Once again on the gulf side, you will encounter photogenic Santa Rosalia, originally established as a French copper-mining town, and the sleepy jungle-river village of Mulege, a colonial fishing port of charm and grace, where native skiffs cruise along the mangroves and banana trees of the river bank, out past the landmark rock called "the Little Sombrero", to the Sea of Cortes. This amazing sea, also called the Gulf of California, is one of the last bastions of giant gamefish in the world.
And now, to the south of Mulege, you will come to the great Bahia Conception, an enormous blue-water bay with a series of white-sand tropical beaches which have captivated seafarers since the days of the conquistadors. This is a hidden jewel which has been truly accessible only since the highway was completed in the mid '70s. Swaying palms, crystal clear water for snorkeling, picturesque sun shade palapas and exceptional surf- and small-boat fishing make this a vacation paradise, particularly for RVers who sometimes spend as much as 10 months of the year here lazing in the sun.
On to Loreto! First capital of both Californias, this historic, rapidly growing resort town is virtually surrounded by the heart-stopping Sierra de la Giganta - the Mountains of the Giants, huge sky-high rims of mineral-laden rock, thrust up from the desert floor in a prehistoric era of geologic cataclysm. From Loreto, where you will find the very first of the famous California missions, a growing fleet of pangas (skiffs) whisks anglers in all directions in pursuit of the great gamefish of the Gulf. Five miles south of town, Nopolo features modern resort facilities complete with a championship golf course and tournament tennis courts along its palm-fringed shores.
And now, pass through Ciudad Constitution, the gateway to Magdalena Bay, and on to La Paz. Strangely, La Paz, the city called "Peace", has been the site of some of the most vicious pirate attacks in history. Even its famous ferry landing is named after the fiercest of the pirates, the "Pichilingues", hated Dutch privateers drawn to these shores by true tales of black pearls. Today, La Paz lures visitors with its treasures of colonial architecture, tranquility, sandy beaches and multicolored sunsets.
Meander now through the mountains to the East Cape region - Los Barriles and Buena Vista on the Gulf, one of the world's last strongholds of big-game fishing, where luxurious tropical hideaway resorts are packed with famous world-record-holding anglers nearly year 'round.
And arrive at last in San Jose del Cabo, with its charming town plaza and colorful colonial buildings reminiscent of Old Spain. Marvel at the sprawling resort area of Los Cabos, now linked by a four-lane divided highway between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, known as "Land's End", where the Gulf and the Pacific meet under a dramatic natural rock arch. This entire Cape area has become one of the fastest growing resort destinations in the world, drawing not only the international jet set, but budget-conscious travelers as well.
This is the Baja …relatively unknown in the world of travel because of its remoteness, yet one of the most spectacular trips now available to the casual traveler anywhere in the world.
We wish you Bien Viaje! We look forward to welcoming you to the growing number of people who have savored a truly unique travel experience. You are among the rare folks who can now return home and say, "We did Baja and Back!"
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