February 6 – 22, 2023
The Vagabundos Beaches and Whales Caravan departed on February 6th and returned home February 22, 2023. We had a wonderful adventure saw beautiful ancient missions, landscapes, interacted with the California Gray Whales and made many new friends. Caravans are a great way to experience new areas. Baja can be intimidating, narrow roads, unfamiliar language and customs. Baja works on Baja time; you just have to go with the flow and not get rushed.
We all met up at the Desert Trails RV Resort in El Centro. That evening we enjoyed some snacks and introduced ourselves to the group. Safety was discussed and border crossing expectations were explained. In the morning, we crossed into Mexico at the Mexicali East Point of Entry. Smooth sailing, professional personnel operate the Point of Entry (POE). We obtained our FMM, or tourist visas and were on our way. We spent that night at Ranch Grande in the Gonzaga Bay area.
Up early and on the road towards Guerrero Negro. Arriving just after noon, we went to Tony’s Taco Muelle, a food truck that serves what I consider the best fish and shrimp tacos in all of Baja! We then headed to Malarrimos and enjoyed the first group dinner. The next day, we continued at a leisurely pace south, arriving at San Ignacio where we toured the beautiful mission. We arrived at our next nights stop at Santispac Beach in the Bahia Concepcion area, setting up right on the beach. That evening, I set up my propane fire pit and we all shared stories and lots of laughs. The next morning we did a two hour drive to Loreto. We got set up at our campground for the next three nights at Rivera Del Mar. A full hookup campground with laundry facilities in the center of town. The following day, with a local docent guide, we traveled up to San Javier and toured the mission and surrounding area, then we traveled to a working rancho, where we had fun learning how to make tortillas and enjoyed a wonderful, authentic, homemade Mexican meal. We returned to Loreto happy and tired.
Leaving Loreto, we began the journey north, headed back yo Santispac Beach for three nights. We arrived, set up and enjoyed another evening firepit. The next day we went for a panga ride out to the offshore island and even dug for clams.
We continued north, headed back to Guerroro Negro and whale watching. We set up at Malarrimos and the next morning we took a shuttle bus for the ride out to Ojo de Liebre Lagoon. During the short ride, we were given the history of Guerrero Negro and the incredible salt works that operate in the area and support the town. We learned about whale behavior and what to expect on our tour. At the dock, we were fitted with life preservers and welcomed aboard our panga. Off we went into the lagoon. We encountered a few whales, and the captain would shut down the motor and wait to see if they were friendly. We were at times surrounded by whales. The whale tour lasted approximately 3 hours and we returned to our campground tire but happy.
On the road north to Bahia de Los Angeles. The highway between Guerrero Negro and the turnoff to Bahia de Los Angeles is some of the most challenging roads we encountered. It is very narrow in places and riddled with shallow potholes. We arrived at our sites for the next three nights. The next morning, we were picked up by White Bay Tours for an Ecotour of the area. We found two humpback whales feeding on what looked like small sardines, then we took off to see a colony of California Sea lions.
The weather was changing, and we experienced some rain during the night but was able to relax on the beach the next day.
We departed Bahia de Los Angeles, headed to San Felipe and Victor’s RV park, where we enjoyed our last evening together at the beachfront palapa restaurant.
Up bright and early, we headed to the border and home. We arrived at the Mexicali POE and got in line to be processed back into the States, about a 30 minute wait. We then gathered down the road and said our good-byes. This was a great adventure. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our experiences and the company of each other. We covered approximately 1470 miles.
