Baja California - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Somnambulation** · 12-10-2005, 07:51 PM

Has anyone ever taken a road trip down Baja California? Im thinking this would be a great way to spend spring break this year, mabye go all the way down to Cabo San Lucas and back voer the week and half we have off. Ive always thought that would be an awesome trip, beautiful scenery, deserted except for a few towns along the way, massive beaches, and then Cabo is great. Any info or advice?

**The Monsignor** · 12-10-2005, 07:58 PM

Make sure your car insurance has Mexico coverage... you can usually get it from your insurance company for a small additional charge, or buy it at the border, it's pretty cheap..

Baja is pretty friendly territory, so I think you'll enjoy the trip...

**benna2** · 12-10-2005, 08:11 PM

Ahh, Baja.....I have rather fond memories of a road trip to Baja. It includes a lot of tequila poppers with lunch in the middle of the afternoon, running around the beach like a kid and one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.

**Somnambulation** · 12-10-2005, 08:28 PM

Sounds awesome benna. Mon, are there any documents that you need before actualy arriving at the border beyond Mexico coverage for auto insurance? Do you need to fill out paperwork at the border or have any special clearences?

**TheJake** · 12-10-2005, 09:11 PM

dude how nice is your car? And if you take the same route as myself you really don't need the insurance. Well i guess you could need it but I didn't have it and I was cool. I drove from phoenix to Muluge and back in a week. It was amazing. SudZ and I could definitly help with the itenerary and the budget. My mexico trip was one of my best experiences. I loved the crazy week i spent there. I was only drunk one night and it was still amazing!

**Somnambulation** · 12-10-2005, 09:18 PM

I think its highway 1 that goes down to Cabo, is that what you were on? How long did it take you to get to Muluge?

**TheJake** · 12-10-2005, 09:23 PM

it's 15 hours straight from san diego to muluge.

**TheJake** · 12-10-2005, 09:24 PM

And yeah highway is pretty much THE only road.

**Somnambulation** · 12-10-2005, 09:27 PM

Did it tear up your car? Ive got a piece of shit Saturn right now, but its about to bite the dust on me, so I thinking of getting a Jeep Cherokee.

**TheJake** · 12-10-2005, 09:40 PM

i took my 95 pathfinder. It rocked the hizhouse down there.

There are two hostels I would definitly recommend above any I have ever stayed at before. One is Coyote Cal's about an hour south of ensenada and the other is a place called EcoMundo just south of Muluge.

Both would definitly be worth 2 night stays and I HIGHLY recommend EcoMundo.

Check out SudZ mexico trip in the travel stories forum and I don't know where my thread about my trip is but you should give that a browse as well. I also believe I have several mexico pics in my gallery too.

damnrepoman · 12-11-2005, 02:59 PM

yeah baja is crazy! i have some friends that live in mexicali and we usually hook up and go down to san felipe. usually its for all the desert racing cause thats my thing. plenty of parties and cool stuff to do in san felipe. if you get there go to the rockadial club, best place to party on the eastern side of the penninsula! complete with foam pits and cages

theres alot of american influence there from it being a "racing" city, so you can get away with almost anything. yeah i wouldnt worry about insurance too much. ive always just rented a car and drive down there from norcal. never really had a problem except with the federals at one of the checkpoints when we were coming back from san felipe. if you are going to buy firworks make sure the are the ones that are cool with the police and not the "other" ones! had nothing but great times in me he co!

**ED Larry** · 12-11-2005, 08:20 PM

cabo gets my thumbs up... it's so nice there, just try to be there when no cruise ships are in... it's alittle crazy when there in port...

ed

**ChasinJason1313** · 12-12-2005, 12:23 PM

Som, when you're driving down the 5 to the border you'll see signs all over the place for Mexican Insurance. It costs about $35

Other than that I've been wanting to do a Mexican roadtrip for ever. Always keep a couple of 20's in an easily reachable place for the cops if they pull you over. Hasn't happened to me yet and I've driven in Mexico 4 or 5 times but sometimes they pull white folk over cuz they know they'll get a bribe. Hey, it's better than a Mexican prison.

Have fun

**SuDz** · 12-12-2005, 01:12 PM

let me recoomend this trip. It was amazing. I have never had a trip like it before in my entire life. i still have dreams of stuff that happened down there sometimes. I can't tell you how often I have wished I was back there or how often a story comes up that starts "When I was in the Baja...". I will answer or add to a few of the things here though...

Quote:

Originally posted by TheJake+Dec 11 2005, 12:11 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TheJake @ Dec 11 2005, 12:11 AM)</div>

Quote:

dude how nice is your car? And if you take the same route as myself you really don't need the insurance. Well i guess you could need it but I didn't have it and I was cool.* [/b]

I would suggest getting it. Jake, once you start heading South further along the Baja I actually saw cops starting to check for the insurance, or the military at checkpoints along the way. This might be hit or miss but some people told me they take you car, hold you in custody, pay heavy fines, etc for not having it. It is technically the law down there so if going all the way to Cabo, for the $35 I would grab it. Up north until you start heading south much past Ensenada, nobody really cares. After that though I guess they see it as a good way to grab cash.

Quote:

Originally posted by TheJake@Dec 11 2005, 12:11 AM
SudZ and I could definitly help with the itenerary and the budget. My mexico trip was one of my best experiences. I loved the crazy week i spent there. I was only drunk one night and it was still amazing!

I spent a tiny bit, okay a ton, of time more than Jake drinking hehe but it was a blast. I can reccomend some places along the way that people let me stay at, like hotels and hostels, or towns with cheap but comfortable accomodations. I even found a cheap (on the scale of things in Cabo) place to stay in Cabo when I was down there to see the Arches. It was like $25 a night (talked down from $40) and were private rooms, although small, with stained glass and wrought iron front doors. They were so nice looking. Other than your room, the kitchen, hot tub on the roof and rest of the hotel were outside. it was amazing. It is called the Cabo Inn and is right off the main strip.

Quote:

Originally posted by Somnambulation@Dec 11 2005, 12:18 AM
I think its highway 1 that goes down to Cabo, is that what you were on?

Highway 1 will run you right from TJ to Cabo. Pretty much just stay on it and your there. If you go non stop (whats the fun in that?) you can go from TJ to Cabo in about 24 - 30 hours. I wouldn't reccomend it though cause some of the roads along the way are just right next to cliffs without gaurdrails, have cattle randomly in the streets, broken down cars, us hitchikers, and more fun along the way. I wouldn't really drive down the 1 at night unless your right behind a bus or 18 wheeler or something, and wide awake because otherwise its a dangerous drive.

Quote:

Originally posted by TheJake@Dec 11 2005, 12:40 AM
There are two hostels I would definitly recommend above any I have ever stayed at before. One is Coyote Cal's about an hour south of ensenada

I stayed here as well and loved it. The people who work there are amazingly friendly, there is a tonof surfing, beach walking, roads to follow, nice people downtown to talk to, make sure to stop at the Taco stand in town on the weekends, I think his name was Juan but everyone knows who you mean, trips to small other towns or beaches during the day, anything. I was there without a car but would walk about 10 miles a day or so down there doing all kinds of stuff. Also if you want a cheap night as well, there is free camping all in the area if you want to go that route.

<!--QuoteBegin-TheJake@Dec 11 2005, 12:40 AM
Check out SudZ mexico trip in the travel stories forum and I don't know where my thread about my trip is but you should give that a browse as well. I also believe I have several mexico pics in my gallery too.

My Trip That is about a tiny bit of everything, I had such an amazingly cool time that telling of everyone I met and everything I did would be a book on its own.

Have a blast if you go for it.

SuDZ

**Somnambulation** · 12-12-2005, 10:48 PM

Yeah Sudz, I read through your trip the other day, sounds awesome. Ive seen pictures of these little huts they have on the beach through Baja, are those free to stay at and are they everywhere? We would probably be planning on camping some of the nights on the drive down, is it alright generally to camp wherever you might decide to pull over or do they have a bandito problems down there? Thanks for the hotel recommendation, if Im going during spring break Id probably need to book that fairly soon. Never gone to a spring break location during spring break before, Im sure it'll be pretty wild.

Jason, I doubt Ill be able to get three other people to go with me, so if I do end up going youre welcome to come.