Beware and Lists for Driving Baja

Driving the Baja Peninsula is one of the most rewarding adventures out there.

There is plenty of freedom to explore, get lost and do all the things you can’t do in the US, as far as mobility, access to beaches and mountains. We pulled over on several occasions and just camped off the road. Once I camped with my woman along a cliff overlooking the Pacific. As the sun set, two dolphins swam past leaping from the water every twenty feet or so.  There is much to be discovered, so go and be safe and as always, respect the people and places you see.

MUSTS:

Mexico Car insurance.

A good Map

Water, snacks

First-Aid Kit

Spare Tire

Plenty of good driving music

GOOD-TO-HAVES:

4x4 or a car with high clearance

Extra gas cans

Another spare tire

Guide Book

Interests to guide you (surfing, biology, off-road, culture)

BEWARE:

DO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT: For whatever reason Mexicans in Baja often drive with their lights off, I don't know.  The roads are two lanes and very thin, unlit and they have no shoulder, so conditions are dangerous. Ocassionally roads can even get washed out.

Federales (Federal Police): They are looking for drugs. They have little patience, they are for real and they don’t like to socialize. IF you have any drugs, you are a fool. That is the start of a bad movie you don’t want to be in. They will often search your whole car, it’s happened to me several times. They have dogs and they are intimidating. BUT, if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about. My brother suggests keeping cold sodas on hand, they like this, he says.

Trucks: Huge trucks speed along the little two-lane highway. It’s two lanes from Ensenada to Cabo, so stay alert, awake and have plans in your mind ready to go should you be forced out of your lane or whatever. The terrain is always changing and sometimes it’s a cliff on one side or a 40-foot drop on the other.

Desert Conditions: One of the most famously rugged races in the world is run through Baja, the Baja 1000. It is ‘famously rugged’ because of the insane heat, sand, rocks, large expanses of nothingness, so don’t test it. Bring your water, extra gas, food, spares and all that.

Green Angels: The GA are like a federal AAA on the Toll Roads. They will get you gas or water or first-aid or even fix a tire if they can. Ultimately, they will get you what you need to get going.

Toll Roads: These are pay roads that appear in the more populous regions. They are nicer, more direct and cost varying prices. Usually less than five bucks.

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