Driving Baja California – Part Two
Updated July 2022
Part one of this story is about crossing the Mexican border at Tijuana. You can find it here: https://mythatchedhut.com/driving-baja-california/
Click on the Travel menu above for parts three to 14 of the “Driving the Baja Peninsula” series.
The first stop on your trip should be the city of Ensenada. This is a short drive but enough for your first day in Mexico. Two caravans left Chula Vista at the same time as us. One of them stayed in the same campground as we did. We had time to walk along the coast on the first day. Here is what you can see and do in Ensenada.
Which Campground?
Find a campground that is close enough that you can walk to town. A stroll along the coastal walkway, called the Malecon, is pleasant, and you will see lots of Brown Pelicans. Watching the fishers coming and going and working on their boats is interesting. There are lots of fresh fish for sale in stalls along the coast. There are nice campgrounds near the beach, but they are further from the town. So you will have to drive back and forth.
Seafood
In the evening, try out one of the many excellent seafood restaurants that offer the fresh catch of the day. We had a big platter of shrimp. The best shrimp I have ever tasted. Fresh from the sea and never frozen. They were skinned, so there was no need to peel them, take off tails, or anything like that. They were cooked in garlic sauce and served with salad, rice, and tacos. We washed that down with a great margarita.
While at the restaurant, you will probably be entertained by a wandering group of musicians. They come into the restaurants and play for the patrons. One such group came and played at our table. There are two kinds of these wandering musicians called Mariachi and Bolero. The Mariachi music includes trumpets and is more vibrant. The Bolero has guitars, tiny drums and double bass (I think that is what it is called. it looks like a giant violin that stands on the floor). The Bolero is more romantic, while the Mariachi is more suitable for bars and plazas. Both are very nice. I like Mexican music.
The Harbour
We enjoyed our day in Ensenada and decided to stay a third day to tour the harbour. Just ask around, and you can find someone to take you out for a tour. Here you will get to see the seals close up. We went on one called Don Jesus. This boat has a crew of three and gives a lovely tour for only $20. (price from a few years ago). If you can’t find this boat, I am sure there are several similar ones.
My description of driving the Baja California Peninsula is designed for people with lots of time and who want to see and experience all the places along the way. If you are just in a hurry to get to Cabo, you should fly there. The caravans only stay one night in Ensenada. They have a quick look around and go on their way. They make the whole trip in about three weeks, I think. It took us more than a month to get to Cabo and a couple of weeks to get back.
Pelicans and Seals
We saw many Brown Pelicans but none of the white ones common in other parts of North America. You will notice that the Brown Pelicans are in two different forms, some with a white neck and some with a brown neck. A quick check in my bird book told me that the brown is their breeding plumage. In January, adults who are old enough to breed change from white to brown. Some have changed before others, so one might see both forms at this time of year.
There is no beach here. Instead, there is a sea wall with a paved sidewalk running the length of the harbour called a Malecon. It is an excellent place to walk and see the marine wildlife and the local activities on the waterfront. In addition, there are beaches to the north and south of the city. The movie Titanic was made on a beach north of here.
Another caravan came into the campground while I was there. It had many Canadians and even one trailer from Hawaii. So far, we have seen only one other trailer travelling alone, like us, without a convoy.
Ensenada is nice but a little crowded, and the traffic is bad. For many tourists, this is as far as they go. If you want a short excursion into Mexico, spend a few days at Ensenada and then head back to the U.S.A. It is much nicer than the border towns.
Highlights of Ensenada
- Walk the Malecon and watch the birds, seals, and fishers.
- Go to a seafood restaurant.
- Take a short harbour tour to see the seals close-up.
It was so nice to be away from the outrageous prices in California. A night’s stay in a campground in southern California costs between $35 and $55. I am not comparing that to Mexico, just to other U.S. states. The best campground in Las Vegas costs $27. The campgrounds in Arizona are about $200 cheaper per month than those in California. I felt ripped off to be charged $15 for a salad and a coke. (prices are from a few years ago and are probably even higher now).
Also, the weather in California is not great. It is cold and rains often compared to Arizona. Last winter in Arizona, I never saw rain all winter. That is because southern Arizona is desert, and the coastal area of California is not. On top of all that, California is very crowded, and the crime rate is much higher than in Arizona. One night, the person across the street from me had his vehicle broken into and his golf clubs stolen. Crime in the campgrounds in most parts of the U.S.A. and Canada is rare. I felt safer in Mexico than I did in California. (I think that applies to the area along the south coast of California only. Inland, away from the big cities, is quite nice.
Driving Baja California Part Three
Click here for Driving Baja California Part Three
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