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Dan & Lisa Goy photos
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Dan & Lisa Goy photos
$8 per day - Playa Santispac
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COPS Baja Racer
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LA Cetto Vinyards
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La Paz Pearl
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Los Cerritos RV Park
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Los Cerritos
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San Javier
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Photo taken by R Westfall 3/14/2015
Story & photos by Dan & Lisa Goy
We first visited Mexico in 1985 with our two children, Kirsty & Kenneth, then four and two years old. Originally we had planned to go with friends that had kids the same age, who had travelled extensively in Mexico before they started a family. When it came time to depart on this journey in October of 1985 our friends bailed and we went alone. Our families were frantic, convinced it was profoundly unsafe, that we would be murdered and our kids kidnapped, in summary they would never see us again. It was an adventure that would change our lives forever. Our experience on Baja then mainland Mexico was the foundation that lead us to eventually create Baja Amigos RV Caravan Tours in 2009 which we have operated continuously for 6 years, delivering 29 tours to date.
Baja Mexico is the peninsula that sits below the US state of California. Baja is Spanish for below, the state of California was formally known as Alta California when it was still part of Mexico. The two Baja Territories were the last to become proclaimed in the United Mexican States (Mexico), Baja California in the north (1953), Baja California Sur in the south (1974). The Baja Peninsula has twice as much coastline as their northern U.S. sister with the Pacific Ocean on the west and Sea of Cortez on the east. The Mexican Federal Highway No. 1 (Hwy 1) was completed in 1973 and runs 1711 km (1061 miles) from the US Mexican Border to Cabo San Lucas. RVers have made this magnificent peninsula a snowbird destination since the highway opened, staying on beaches, RV parks, campgrounds and in the desert. Baja California is very different then mainland Mexico, we often refer to Baja as “Mexico Lite”. Similar to the northern territories in Canada or Alaska in the US, Baja has always been Mexico’s frontier.
We see a real cross section of RVers on our tours, with other groups, and those travelling without any formal planning whatsoever. We have had folks with little RV experience, some with previous Mexico camping experience, snowbirds that usually spend the winter in places like Yuma, Anza-Borrego Springs, Palm Springs or Fountain of Youth on the Salton Sea, and still others who just head south with no particular destination in mind, only to stay warm. Many have Baja on their bucket list with interest in only visiting once (just like Alaska) other are “Yuma’d Out” and are looking for somewhere different to spend the winter.
We do our best to prepare RVers for what Baja has to offer. Stunning beauty, beach camping, spectacular scenery, touching whales, swimming with whale sharks & sea lions, warmer tropical climates, terrific margaritas, great Taco stands, immersion in Mexican culture and history; something very different from what you would ever experience in Canada or the US. Speed limits are posted however they seem to be optional, as do many other road regulations such as when to pass or not, distracted driver rules, seat belt laws, and stop signs, which mostly are just slow signs. The roads are much better and always improving, a significant change form even ten years ago. However there are still some rough sections, and improving roads also means road construction, which can be equally as challenging as the rough roads.
The reality is less than 1% of RVers will ever visit Baja, as Baja is not for everyone. We believe a positive or negative experience on Baja is all about expectations and attitude. As we tell folks from the beginning, Mexico is still a third world country, the campgrounds are rustic and primitive compared to many of the high end RV parks in Canada and the US. RVing on Baja will not be the same as cruising around on an Interstate highway in the American Southwest, dropping into Passport America, Thousand Trails, or Good Sam approved RV Parks with 30/50 amp services, cable TV, and a clubhouse with shuffle board.
We have assembled the following list of issues from those on our tours that were critically important to their RV lifestyle:
- Swimming Pools – If you can find them they will not be heated
- Wi-Fi – Usually not much capacity or far reaching, often not working
- Roads – Hard to maintain 100 KPH (60 MPH) in a 2.89 m (9.5 ft) lane with potholes and no shoulders
- Dogs – Rarely leashed, often deceased on roadside in towns
- Cattle, Horses, Goats, Mules – Often wandering on or beside roads, or left to decompose on highway shoulder
- 30Amp & 50 Amp services – Good luck operating that washer & dryer in your RV or two air conditioners
- Mexicans – Too many, they are everywhere
- Restaurants – Lots of Mexican food but no good steaks
- Language – Hardly anyone speaks English
- Barking Dogs & Crowing Roosters – Why are there so many near the RV Parks, Loreto is the worst
- Sand, Dirt & Dust – Baja has this in spades, especially on the beach, road construction or when the wind is up
For those up for the adventure, we recommend a good camping book (Church’s Mexico Baja Camping), Baja Map (AAA Baja California) and decent Spanish Phrase Book. You must pick up your Tourist Permit at the Mexican border (we recommend the Tecate crossing) and purchase your Mexican Insurance (we use Baja Bound). There is nothing stopping you from going alone, with lots of options for tours or escort services. Hope to see you on Baja.
Baja Amigos RV Caravan Tours - www.BajaAmigos.net