Introduction

Strikingly beautiful, the Baja California Peninsula offers travelers the gamut of destinations, from remote towns to world-class resorts. Baja means “lower;” the Spaniards called what is now the US state Alta, or Upper, California. They paid little attention to either, and almost none at all to Baja. Only in the past two decades has Mexico awakened to its potential. Longer than Italy’s boot, the peninsula is flanked by the Sea of Cortez to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and is divided into two states: Baja California, with Mexicali as its capital, and Baja California Sur, with La Paz as its capital.

Dotted by exotic cactus and the remnants of Jesuit, Franciscan and Dominican missions built in the 1700s part of a historic circuit known as the Camino Real Misionero de las Californias (Royal Missionary Route of the Californias) the peninsula’s topography consists of desertlike barren hills with an occasional green strip of irrigated farmland, vineyard or golf course. A vast stretch in the northern middle of the peninsula resembles a surrealistic lunarscape. The first inhabitants of this desert terrain created cave paintings and petroglyphs that can still be found in the rugged, mountainous environment, home to the imposing Bighorn Sheep.

The peninsula’s midriff is flanked by headlands and islands, and features the 25-mile-long Bahia de Concepcion, reputedly the world’s largest bay, and certainly one of the most beautiful. From Mulege down the coast to Loreto’s safe harbor, clear waters teeming with fish are juxtaposed against barren landscapes, making a picturesque backdrop for boaters. The beaches between Rosarito and Ensenada are popular for surfing, and Baja abounds in sporting events year-round. Bicycle races are held between Ensenada and Tecate, and auto racing includes the famous Baja 1000 in November and the Baja 500 in June, as well as various off-road races.

Baja weather tends to be hot and dry in summer, a bit cooler in winter when the bulk of US and Canadian tourists come to tour the peninsula in RVs, settling in at campsites found along pristine beaches. The highways are in fairly good condition, especially the Carretera Transpeninsular (Transpeninsular High-way), which links Tijuana in the north to Los Cabos in the south. Four-wheel drives are recommended, especially if you plan to travel the desert tracks that lead to small camps, dunes, valleys of giant cacti or remote beaches.