Baja California, Mexico is one of North America’s last frontiers. This ride takes us from Los Angeles to the US/Mexico border at Tijuana right to the end tip of the peninsula at Cabo San Lucas and back. The rugged coastline and expansive deserts with giant cactus, are our companions along the twisting and long straight of Mex 1.
Winter and spring is the best time, but you will need intermediate to advanced riding skills.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Welcome to Los Angeles. Its orientation night to prepare you for a unique ride into virgin desert roads which are some of the best in North America. Meet up with your travel companions for the next 16 days. Your will have a thorough brief from your guide, covering your tour and what to expect. Then its time for as few cool adult beverages before resting up for tomorrows push to Mexico.
You motorcycle is assigned after our welcome breakfast, and then we cruise along the California coastline, headed to the Mexican border town of Tijuana. Our destination tonight is the coastal port of Ensenada, about an hour ride south. Waiting for us is a fantastic dinner fresh off the wharf. Its time to take in the night air and the sunset vista. Relax and welcome to the state of Baja California, Mexico.
Mexico Hwy 1 takes us into Baja California where we see the endemic and unusual Cirio trees, named for their candle shape, and giant Cardon cacti. We ride into the Vizcaino Desert that stretches across central Baja from the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Cortez. This is the most desolate region in Baja, thousands of square miles where rain is so scarce that vegetation has learned to get its moisture from the fogs that blow in from the Pacific. The desert sunset greets us as we arrive in Catavina. Rest up as we have a big day ahead of us.
We enter the next state, Baja Norte into Baja Sur. We ride to San Ignacio, a real pueblo desert oasis and our home for tonight. Riding there we see the landscape morph as we ascend over 3000ft summits, past hills filled with cactus until we reach this palm filled oasis with its own spring fed pond.
Today we ride Tres Vírgenes volcano, a complex of 3 stratovolcanoes. After seven miles of switchbacks down Devils Grade we arrive at the Sea of Cortez, a body of water formed where Baja California broke away from the Mexican mainland over 20 million years ago. We now ride the Bahia Conception, a stunning bay of deep-blue water and half way down the peninsula. It is known for its volcanic islands and isolated beaches. Our destination for tonight is the oldest Spanish settlement along the West Coast, Loreto.
Leaving Loreto we head to the foot hills of of Giganta Mountains and then ascend to the peak on our return to the Pacific Coast arriving in the Santa Domingo Valley. We ride on to the Sea of Cortez and into the beautiful small fishing village of Los Barriles. The town is noted as the one of the prettiest towns in Mexico. Settle in for the next 2 nights.
Relax in Los Barriles. The beaches here are are fantastic for wind surfing, sportfishing and sailboarding. Take a quad ride along the hills up to several beaches with transparent water where you can snorkel or simply chill out for a while.
San Jose del Cabo is our target for tonight. We ride the coast of Bahia San Lucas, once a pirate hangout in the 16th and 17th centuries where the pirates would ambush Spanish treasure ships. At last, from Cabo we can see the southern most tip of Baja!
We head north to the artist town of Todos Santos. Visit the taco stand, check out the art galleries. Maybe have lunch at Hotel California. We ride to La Paz, the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.
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Hwy 1 takes us to Ciudad Constitucion for lunch. We head east across the desert to meet the Sea of Cortez and the seaside fishing village of Loreto, our home for the next 2 nights.
Your day in Loreto is up to you. This is a magical town & a traditional fishing village and is considered to be the first human settlement in Baja California Sur. There, in the Sierra de San Francisco, you can see some extraordinary paintings and petroglyphs dating back at least a thousand years. Soak in the crystal-clear waters at the beach and you may also see whales here. Numerous activities include kayaking, diving, snorkeling, hiking and fishing.
North on Mexico Highway 1 we’ll stop at Conception Bay for a swim in the warm waters. Mulege, a quaint Mexican town is our lunch. We ride on to San Ignacio for an ice cream break, then across the now familiar Vizcaino desert arriving in Guerrero Negro, to bed for the night. We are now just below the Baja California Sur state border.
North on Highway 1 we head for Catavina through the all familiar desert landscape of Valle de los Cirios. After lunch we ride twisty roads back to San Quintin on the Pacific Coast where our beachside hotel awaits. A well deserved cold drink is waiting for us.
Good-bye San Quintin, hello Ensenada. Close to the U.S., this town is famous for it’s fish tacos and Hussong’s Cantina which is said to be Baja California’s oldest bar. That’s it for south of the border, have fun tonight!
We leave Ensenada homeward bound to the U.S. on Hwy 3. Riding towards Tecate on the Mexican border, we ride through the vineyards of Valle de Guadalupe. Back on the U.S. we ride to San Diego through the countryside. San Diego is our lunch stop before arriving back in Los Angeles. Time to hand back our trusty steeds that have served us for the past 16 days.
Farewell to our new friends, lets plan our next 2 wheel adventure.
