We’re on to Part Three of our Baja RV travels. Come along as we leave the quiet of Bahia de los Angeles behind to head out on a two-day drive. Our final destination is another one of Baja’s beautiful bays – Bahia Concepcion.
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Table of Contents
Rain, Rain Go Away!
It’s roughly 200 kilometres (125 mi) from Bahia de los Angeles to Guerrero Negro. Even with narrow roads, the trip should not have taken as long as it did. Back on Highway 1 rain starts to fall in earnest. About halfway between Punta Prieta (the crossroads where the Bahia de los Angeles road meets Highway 1), steady rain switches to downpour.
And it doesn’t stop.
Travel slows to a crawl as water pools on the narrow highway. Spray from trucks passing the opposite direction blocks our vision as windshield wipers can’t begin to keep up with the deluge. We have already planned on spending a night in Guerrero Negro with hopes of catching a whale watching tour.
None-the-less, we are grateful to see signs for the agricultural inspection station at the crossing between Baja California and Baja California Sur. Guerrero Negro is just on the other side. Guards wave us through the inspection station with barely a glance. I’m thinking the downpour might be part of the reason!
Guerrero Negro
Driving the main road into town, we pull off at Malarrimo Motel and RV Park. According to our research, it has 36 sites with full hookups, but we really picked it for the associated whale watching tours. December to April is prime Californian grey whale watching season.
Running through the rain from the truck, we head into the office and find out we can have a site, for one night only as they are booked up solid. When you go, be sure to reserve ahead of time.
The sites are around back of the motel/restaurant complex. Sadly, the rain is causing chaos. Lakes are pooling in parking areas. Washroom floors are flooding. The sewer is backed up in a couple of the washroom stalls. It isn’t pretty. And to top off, whale watching tours are cancelled due to the weather. Big sigh. Off to Bahia Concepcion tomorrow.
Driving from Guerrero Negro to Bahia Concepcion
Topping up with gas on our way out of town, we take advantage of the washrooms before leaving. You know you’re in Mexico when gas station bathroom cleanliness exceeds most campgrounds – these ones are no exception!
On the road again, speed is governed by pools of water. Countless topes in Viscaino (the next town) keeps traffic crawling over the bumps in low gear. We won’t stop in San Ignacio this time around but pass the palm-filled oasis with fond memories of our cave painting adventures.
Vados and Baja RV Travel
Vados? It’s a term you need to become familiar with if you plan to drive down the Baja peninsula. A vado is a dip in the road. Instead of installing a culvert below the highway to channel water, this cost-cutting dip does the same thing. And vados work well – except during the rainy season!
There are a few vados between Guerrero Negro and the coastline at Santa Rosalia. We approach each one with caution. Fortunately, the rains seem to taper off a bit. Water still flows through the dips, but not so much that we can’t slowly and safely pass through. Most vados have water level markers. Pay heed!
Water, Water Everywhere!
At long last we reach the long, steep downhill grade that takes us back to the Sea of Cortez and the town of Santa Rosalia. Rocks litter the road from recent rain. A minor mudslide is easy to get around. But the river crossing the road at the entrance to town? Well, that is interesting…
Pulling aside, we wait until another truck passes through the churning brown water. Driving the truck’s exact path, we inch through the river. I look in the mirror and see that the water is getting close to the bottom of the trailer door.
Baja RV Travel Adventures in Santa Rosalia
Sitting on the Sea of Cortez, Santa Rosalia is a worthwhile stop if the weather is cooperative. This old mining town has a lot of intriguing history to share. There are several campgrounds near town, a big black sand beach and the Pemex on the south of town is easy to access for a fuel stop. It’s also a great place to check to see if any of the river water got into the trailer. Fortunately, all is dry!
Let the Sun Shine In!
South of Santa Rosalia, the clouds start to break. We start grinning like a couple of fools. The euphoria continues and in about two hours, we are winding through Mulege – another palm-fringed oasis. We are too close to our destination to want to stop.
On our first Baja RV travel adventure years ago, all of the beaches of Bahia Concepcion were set up for camping. Today, many are ringed at the water’s edge with a hodgepodge collection of semi-permanent “cottages.” Playa Santispac is still a camping beach. More importantly, it is the first beach on Bahia Concepcion when you come from the north. We happily pull off the highway and drive down the hill to the long beach.
Palapas line the seashore and mark rough camping spots. There are two restaurants on the upper side of the beach. Armando’s does a steady business; the other one is a little slower. There is no running water in this camp. Washrooms are operated by dumping a bucket of water from a barrel into the toilet bowl. It takes a bit to get the hang of it, but it works.
Run by a local cooperative, someone pulls around in the evening to collect camping fees (200 MXP which is roughly $12.50 CDN/$10 US per night). Fruit and veggie vendors arrive several times a week to sell their goods. You’ll know they have arrived when the sailboat owners load up in their dinghys and paddle to shore with empty cloth bags dangling from hands.
Exploring Bahia Concepcion
The beach beckons for a walk. Neighbours wave and we stop to chat with a couple from Quebec, another man from Minnesota. Dogs run back and forth as two women walk past. The water is calm. Snorkelers sit on the shore pulling on fins. Two people drift by in ocean kayaks. The sea beckons.
Exploring Bahia Concepcion by Kayak
Back at camp, we inflate our kayak – and if you don’t have one with you, you can rent one from the vehicle that drives through every morning. We’re happy with the convenience of the Aquaglide Klickitat we bought in Calgary from Aquabatics. Hopping in, we paddle out. The bay is protected, but there is still a light breeze.
We head out to the first little island, busy with nesting birds – including an osprey pair with the female on the nest and the male keeping watch from the top of a saguaro. Farther out from shore, we spy a pod of dolphins and hold up paddling to enjoy the show. Easily 25 to 30 dolphins pass in small groups. We can hear their exhalations. Several come right out of the water. It’s magic, pure magic.
Continuing out, we circumnavigate another small island. There are nesting blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans and cormorants. We pull out the binoculars and laugh at the antics as one cormorant valiantly tries to get back up out of the water but can’t quite make it. It is a birdwatcher’s paradise.
We paddle back in slowly around the opposite side of our little side bay within the bigger Bahia Concepcion. It’s easy to see why RVers set up camp for months at a time. Yes, the road down may be a bit of an adventure but the drive is worth every second spent in this little slice of heaven.
Love kayaking adventures? Check out our trip to Baja’s Magdalena Bay!
Plans Change But Dreams Never Do!
From here, our plan is to head down to Loreto to meet up with friends for a multi-day kayak adventure and then fly over to the mainland for a week-long Copper Canyon train trip. But then the phone starts ringing as we get back into cell phone range… Covid-19 is going to change all that.
Our trip is cut short. Baja – we’ll be back. We’re dreaming of setting up for a month next time in Bahia Concepcion instead of just a few days. Maybe we’ll base out of Playa Santispac or perhaps it will be El Requeson or Los Cocos or El Coyote… it really doesn’t matter. Baja Concepcion has a magical pull wherever you end up.
In Case You Missed It!
In Part One of our Baja RV Adventure, we take you with us from the U.S./Mexico border to San Felipe where we unwind and discover the pull of the Sea of Cortez.
During Part Two, we travelled with you from San Felipe to Bahia de los Angeles where we paddled the bay and pedalled to cave paintings.
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That’s a one-in-a-lifetime dolphin shot! I would have wanted to snorkel with the dolphins!
They were on the move and we were just in the right place at the right time with camera in hand!
Wow, driving through those floodwaters looks like a hair-raising experience! It looks like it was worth the turbulent journey though because that beach looks magical and what a wonderful kayaking experience! Thanks for sharing your story!
Thanks for reading it!
Wow that is a lot of rain! I’m glad it cleared up for you eventually – it looks like you had a fantastic time!
Nothing like a little bad weather to make you appreciate the good even more!
Baja is one of my favorite places in the world! When I was in college, we drove from Western Colorado to La Paz to sea kayak, snorkel, and adventure. It was so awesome. We even camped on the beach in some places. I wonder if it is still the same… that was over 15 years ago! Love the dolphin photo. You nailed it 🙂 !
Glad the post brought up such great memories, Ashlee!