Everything you ever needed to know about RVing in Baja California (but were too afraid to ask)

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When it comes to RVing successful Baja, an escapade enjoyed by thousands annually, Chris and Lindsay Harvey are acknowledged experts. Not lone did they, arsenic Chris likes to say, virtually constitute the publication connected the taxable — “RVing and Camping the Baja Peninsula” — they’ve besides founded the website RVing Baja. The Harveys besides precocious took implicit arsenic operators of Baja Amigos, which, since its founding successful 2009 by Dan and Lisa Goy, has been the foremost specializer successful small-size RV caravan tours done Baja.

That expertise is connected afloat show speaking with Chris, arsenic helium discusses each aspects of RVing successful Baja, from boondocking and borderline crossing tips to preparing your RV to upwind the clime and roadworthy conditions of a agelong travel done 1 of the astir ruggedly beauteous places connected Earth.

Mexico News Daily: What are the must-know borderline crossing tips for RVers successful Baja?

Chris Harvey: Certain paperwork is required for immoderate RVers crossing into Baja. This includes the Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM), Mexican car security and conveyance registration — including towed trailers oregon vehicles — valid for up to 180 days, which is the maximum magnitude of clip travelers are permitted to sojourn Baja.

To get the FMM, travelers indispensable contiguous a passport and wage the interest of astir US $45. It is the traveler’s work to petition the accidental to propulsion implicit astatine the borderline to process the FMM. There is simply a misconception, peculiarly astatine busier borderline crossings, that if the borderline cause does not archer you to get an FMM, past you bash not request one. You perfectly request one. That is, if you program to walk much than 72 hours beyond the 20-mile escaped borderline zone.

Is determination thing caller successful 2025?

Effective successful 2025, determination are reports of peculiar migration officers checking tourists for their FMMs. If you question without an FMM oregon the mandatory liability security connected your vehicle, past you are breaking the law. Yes, the consequences tin beryllium severe. Also, if traveling with a pet, you indispensable person up-to-date rabies vaccinations bully for the duration of your travels, up to 180 days. The CDC present requires an further fee-free signifier to beryllium completed upon returning to the U.S.

When you take to question with Baja Amigos, we assistance successful processing each paperwork to guarantee that each of our guests is simply a ineligible visitant successful Mexico, decently insured and comfy knowing that we are with them arsenic we each transverse the borderline together.

Which attractions successful Baja California are champion suited for RV travelers?

There are tons of large activities that pull RV travelers to Baja each year, peculiarly betwixt precocious autumn and aboriginal spring. From vineyards and vino tasting successful Valle de Guadalupe successful Baja California to grey whale watching on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur, campers tin expect loads of unsocial experiences.

By far, the biggest attractions successful the engaged RV play are the whale watching opportunities. Whether grey whale “petting” successful the bluish portion of Baja California Sur oregon watching humpbacks breach and play successful the waters adjacent Cabo San Lucas on the East Cape, whales are a definite taxable for attracting campers during the wintertime months. Additionally, travelers person the unsocial accidental to swim with whale sharks successful La Paz during this time, adding to the wildlife taxable that offers each sorts of attractions during the winter.

Which places bash radical astir privation to visit?

Many campers are mostly attracted to warmer upwind and water, wherever they tin research and enactment connected a assortment of beaches connected either broadside of the peninsula. Most similar the warmer wintertime waters of the Sea of Cortés [Gulf of California] successful places similar Bahía de San Luis Gonzaga, Bahía de Los Ángeles, Bahía de Concepción and the beaches that agelong betwixt La Paz and Cabo San Lucas on the East Cape.

Others similar the Pacific broadside of the peninsula, which offers surfing, fishing, and whale watching, and large creator communities specified arsenic San Juanico (Scorpion Bay), and Todos Santos and Los Cerritos.

Beachside camping is 1 of the unsocial features of Baja, wherever campers tin either campy for escaped oregon for a minimal interest and aftermath up with million-dollar views extracurricular their door. Then determination are treasures to beryllium recovered successful the desert, including the otherworldly landscapes of Cataviña and oasis towns specified arsenic San Ignacio and Mulegé, each boasting affluent past and humanities missions. Culturally speaking, Loreto is incredibly fashionable with campers and is an outdoor enthusiast’s playground. From sportfishing to h2o sports successful the offshore nationalist park to inland hikes and time trips to research the San Javier ngo and town, Loreto has thing for everyone. And the nutrient options successful Loreto — incredible!

Which places are not for everyone?

Los Barriles, on the confederate extremity of the peninsula, is besides a camper’s haven with a fistful of large campgrounds centrally located successful a municipality that is arguably the astir fashionable among expats successful the confederate authorities of Baja California Sur. Hyperscenic views connected the thrust successful and astir Los Barriles and a precise English-friendly assemblage marque Los Barriles fashionable with campers who whitethorn privation oregon request a small interruption from immoderate of the smaller towns and villages that mightiness person lacked the amenities they are utilized to erstwhile traveling successful the U.S. and Canada.

We accidental that radical either emotion oregon hatred towns similar Los Barriles and Loreto due to the fact that they tin beryllium overmuch much “comfortable” than different destinations passim the peninsula. So, depending connected whether you are seeking an authentic Mexican acquisition oregon privation to walk immoderate clip wherever the surviving is easy, these destinations whitethorn beryllium filled with the benignant of attractions and relaxation that pull RV campers.

We person designed each of our Baja Amigos caravan itineraries to sojourn the astir fashionable and must-visit destinations and see oregon connection optional tours for each of the activities and excursions that pull campers during the wintertime months. We premix formation camping with ceremonial campgrounds and see highlights specified arsenic vino tastings, whale watching and historical municipality and ngo tours successful each of our caravans, giving our guests an action-packed overview circuit of Baja, leaving them wanting for precise small connected their Baja-camping bucket list.

How tin idiosyncratic guarantee their RV is prepared for Baja’s terrain and climate?

The highest of RV camping is betwixt November and aboriginal April, erstwhile the temperatures are typically mild, peculiarly for those campers traveling from bluish U.S. states oregon Canada. However, during this time, nights and mornings tin beryllium chill and successful the 50-degree Fahrenheit scope successful Baja California, portion daytime temperatures tin beryllium lukewarm (over 80 degrees Fahrenheit) successful Baja California Sur.

So campers indispensable beryllium prepared for a scope of temperatures erstwhile preparing to sojourn Baja. Between April and October, temperatures are mostly considered unbearably hot, truthful if 1 plans to RV done Baja during the summer, they would request to relationship for blistery temperatures that are implicit 100 Fahrenheit successful galore places. Typically, the summertime offers amended surfing and fishing. But due to the fact that the temperatures are truthful extreme, astir RVers volition not question during this time.

In presumption of terrain, determination is 1 main road (Federal Highway 1) that runs astir 1,000 miles done the magnitude of the peninsula and is the superior backbone of proscription for each vehicles, including semi-trucks. The roads thin to beryllium narrow, often without a enarthrosis and successful assorted states of repair oregon disrepair. The road traverses a assortment of godforsaken landscapes with respective steep grades, but mostly level oregon mildly rolling hills. Because Baja is simply a desert, determination are agelong stretches betwixt towns and villages wherever cellular work is not to beryllium expected.

What are the champion preventative steps earlier starting out?

Because of the roadworthy and terrain conditions, we urge that each traveler put heavy successful preventative attraction for their vehicle(s) earlier they transverse into Baja. This is peculiarly important for galore travelers with Mercedes oregon different customized vehicles that whitethorn necessitate peculiar parts oregon fluids. In this case, we counsel carrying spares of vehicle-specific items. Many skilled mechanics successful Baja volition spell retired of their mode to assist. But if a portion is not available, it tin beryllium incredibly challenging and inconvenient for travelers to find ways to vessel parts to wherever they are awaiting repair.

We besides counsel that RVers inspect and regenerate immoderate tires that are connected their past legs and transportation astatine slightest 1 full-size spare. Tire-repair shops are galore on the highways successful Baja due to the fact that tyre repairs are specified communal issues, and tires tin typically beryllium patched oregon installed easily. But erstwhile it comes to question trailer and fifth-wheel trailer tires, bring 2 spares if possible, arsenic trailer tires are not communal on the peninsula.

Our Baja Amigos wagonmasters are each incredibly adjuvant successful assisting our guests who acquisition issues related to terrain oregon climate. While we bash not mandate mechanical proficiency, they person each traveled extensively passim the peninsula for years and person loads of resources and contacts to assistance erstwhile needed. We besides question astatine harmless speeds and successful the smallest radical sizes of immoderate institution operating caravans successful Baja, truthful our guests tin consciousness comfy knowing that they volition person capable assistance successful the lawsuit of traveling incidents.

Is traveling unsocial safer oregon much enjoyable than with others successful Baja?

Although we are successful the concern of starring tiny groups of campers done Baja, we are besides the archetypal to accidental that traveling successful a caravan is not indispensable for either information oregon enjoyment. However, determination is nary uncertainty that traveling successful a radical is typically much fun, and determination is ever information successful numbers.

Baja is mostly harmless for campers, and the Mexican radical are wonderfully hospitable and welcoming. It is ever important to admit and respect section customs and norms and to effort to assimilate into Mexican civilization portion traveling. This not lone leads to a much authentic acquisition but besides to a safer 1 successful which locals whitethorn marque suggestions oregon connection proposal to campers, peculiarly if determination hap to beryllium immoderate section disruptions to the mean mode of life.

So it’s safer successful groups, but rewarding either way?

In the times erstwhile we question by ourselves, we ever marque caller friends on the way. Doing truthful opens the doorway to caller experiences and relationships we would not person otherwise. Even though we virtually wrote the publication for RVing and camping successful Baja, determination are tons of places to observe extracurricular of those we see successful our publication and online resources, and traveling unsocial tin pb to each sorts of unsocial experiences.

However, Baja Amigos is built connected the conception of the smallest caravan sizes, and we fto each our guests cognize that careless of their backgrounds and beliefs, traveling successful our caravans volition pb them to sharing unthinkable experiences that volition effect successful caller friendships and lifelong memories. As operators of the institution and wagonmasters of respective tours each season, we find that the joyousness of traveling with a tiny radical of guests overshadows the “work” that goes into ensuring our guests person a singular experience.

This is to accidental that it is simply a coin flip whether travelers volition bask and consciousness harmless traveling unsocial versus successful a group. Typically, we person a fistful of couples connected our tours wherever 1 oregon the different impermanent wants to question independently portion the different prefers the information and expertise of a professionally planned and guided caravan. At the extremity of these trips, some guests successful a enactment are grateful for choosing the caravan acquisition and each of the convenience it provides.

What are the benefits of caravan trips with Baja Amigos?

As we are the longest-running and astir established caravan institution successful Baja, we person respective cardinal rewards for our guests: a smaller radical setting, professionally planned itineraries and guidance and affordability.

By far, the champion happening astir joining 1 of our Baja Amigos caravan tours is the small-group size. That differentiates america from different companies operating successful Baja. We person a 15-person maximum, typically successful 7 RVs, which creates the astir intimate acquisition possible. Guests stay adjacent connected the road during thrust days and campy unneurotic each night. Our tiny radical size creates a cleanable situation for some impromptu and scheduled blessed hours and meals together, wherever strangers go friends and make lifelong memories together.

We besides chopped [out] months, if not years, of readying logistics and overcoming stressful situations. For instance, dealing with borderline crossings and driving connected challenging roads. Most of our wagonmasters person traveled the peninsula for decades and adhd their ain flair to the tour, wherever they person relationships, activities oregon different experiences that spell supra and beyond impermanent expectations. We perpetually amended the impermanent acquisition by amending the itineraries each twelvemonth based connected impermanent feedback and the changing opportunities successful Baja.

We archer our guests to fto america bash each the readying and worrying truthful they tin marque the astir of enjoying their Baja camping adventure. And for those guests who marque their decisions based conscionable connected the bottom-line costs, our caravans person ever been and proceed to stay the astir affordable of immoderate option. We supply an unthinkable magnitude of worth for our guests, including unsocial experiences and meals that bespeak the taste and geographic diverseness of the peninsula. Through years of starring tours, we’ve recovered a large equilibrium betwixt including not-to-be-missed activities with the state and flexibility for guests to acquisition much of the benignant of things they whitethorn bask the most.

Of course, we’ve besides built successful the safety-in-numbers principle, and we lone campy successful reputable, established campgrounds oregon campsites wherever our guests consciousness secure. We besides person large relationships with assemblage members and vendors from years of operating successful Baja, wherever our guests tin cognize that their patronage has a affirmative interaction successful supporting large radical and communities.

What are the apical camping spots with amenities versus rustic sites successful Baja?

For RV campers looking for ceremonial campgrounds with amenities comparable to what they whitethorn beryllium utilized to successful the U.S. and Canada, regions adjacent the borderline and a fistful of different destinations scattered passim the peninsula thin to connection the champion camping opportunities. Clam Beach Resort adjacent Ensenada and Pete’s Camp successful San Felipe are 2 specified options for campers looking for afloat hookups and the convenience of either camping connected the formation oregon wrong walking region to it.

Further southbound successful La Paz, Campestre Maranatha offers arguably the champion campground acquisition successful Baja California Sur with level sites, afloat 50-amp hookup and a refreshing pool. Most different campgrounds successful Baja connection a small of what 1 mightiness expect northbound of the border, but are overmuch much rustic. Most of the much fashionable destinations person campgrounds that marque visiting convenient and comfortable.

Typical electrical hookups astatine astir campgrounds are 15-20 amp, and galore campgrounds whitethorn connection a primitive dump station, arsenic opposed to afloat sewer hookups. Some person restaurants, laundry facilities oregon different other features onsite. But, owed to the landscape, astir campgrounds person mostly level sites built successful the dirt, arsenic opposed to level factual pads.

Of course, Baja is known for its primitive godforsaken camping experience, peculiarly astatine immoderate fig of beaches that enactment some sides of the peninsula. For those looking to adust campy oregon boondock their mode done a play of camping successful Baja, the possibilities are limitless, and typically, 1 tin find a adjacent campground that volition let them to bare their tanks and capable up connected water.

While 4×4 is simply a large diagnostic for the astir adventurous of campers, galore of the astir fashionable rustic formation camping areas are easy accessible with 2WD. Nearly a twelve beaches on the Bahía de Concepción, Playa Rosarito, Bahía de San Luis Gonzaga, Bahía de Los Ángeles, Playa Los Cerritos and Cabo Pulmo are among the astir fashionable formation camping destinations for those consenting to commercialized the convenience of modern hookups for the accidental to aftermath up successful a genuinely beauteous portion of the peninsula.

It seems similar wintertime is erstwhile astir radical privation to RV done Baja. Is that erstwhile you’re readying your adjacent Baja Amigos caravan?

Yes, by far, the champion and astir fashionable clip for RVers to sojourn Baja is betwixt November and aboriginal April. The precocious outpouring done aboriginal autumn tin beryllium unbearably hot. However, for campers escaping the acold bluish winters, Baja is simply a paradise betwixt November and March. This coincides with wildlife migrations specified arsenic grey and humpback whales and whale sharks, and makes spending clip connected the h2o oregon camping adjacent to it ideal.

Typically, astir campers permission Baja conscionable earlier the engaged Semana Santa, the Holy Week earlier Easter, arsenic this is simply a peculiar clip of solemnisation for astir Mexican communities.

We connection each our caravans during this highest question season, with our adjacent Baja Amigos caravan departing the U.S. connected November 7 for a 40-day autumn adventure. Lindsay and I person been returning to Baja by aboriginal November each twelvemonth since we discovered the quality of the peninsula successful 2019, and this is 1 of our favourite caravans to pb due to the fact that we walk a spot much clip connected a fewer of our favourite beaches and we bushed the unreserved that tends to capable up the peninsula aft the holidays.

However, we besides connection 1 of our 30-day small-group caravans successful some January and March, and we person 3 February offerings led by our astonishing wagonmaster team. We besides person a shorter 18-day “beaches-and-whales” themed caravan that Lindsay and I pb astatine the extremity of January.

How did you and Lindsay archetypal go funny successful RV travel?

Lindsay and I met successful Cuba successful March 2013 and were joined connected an land disconnected the seashore of Honduras astatine the extremity of the year. Travel and escapade person been a portion of our matrimony from the precise beginning. In 2016, we became foster parents for up to 8 children astatine a time, moving arsenic location parents for an orphanage successful Florida.

With nary kids of our own, the clip with the children was incredibly fulfilling and allowed america to attraction for kids who would different not person specified a loving home. But we sensed that escapade awaited erstwhile our clip with the orphanage was over. Sometime successful our archetypal twelvemonth arsenic foster parents, we began studying and readying a mode to thrust the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina. We purchased a flatbed F-250 and a slide-in motortruck camper and began making preparations for the journey.

Two years later, astir of the kids successful our attraction were either reunited with their families oregon adopted, and we made a cleanable interruption from the orphanage to prosecute our escapade to scope Deadhorse, Alaska, astatine the apical of the world. In July 2018, we pulled into Deadhorse and swam successful the Arctic Ocean. Then we turned southbound connected our thrust toward Argentina.

As we say, implicit the adjacent year, everything but the wheels fell disconnected successful our plans. We returned to Florida astatine the extremity of 2018 to implicit immoderate important mechanical repairs and regroup earlier driving westbound to transverse into Baja connected our mode south. We planned to instrumentality the ferry from La Paz to the mainland and proceed southbound into Guatemala and beyond. However, aboriginal 2020 had different plans for america — and everyone other — and we realized that crossing planetary borders was not going to beryllium feasible oregon advisable with each the uncertainty successful the world.

What happened then?

We recovered ourselves successful a holding pattern, taking the autumn of 2020 disconnected [from] visiting Baja, but realizing that arsenic agelong arsenic Mexico remained welcoming to tourism, we could ever instrumentality to Baja. We spent six much months successful our 2nd wintertime season, further exploring and falling successful emotion with the people, culture, landscapes and wildlife successful Baja. At that point, we were hooked and abandoned immoderate thought of the Pan-American Highway arsenic we fell further and further successful emotion with the peninsula.

While drafting a representation successful the soil for a mates we met connected a beach, they suggested that we should constitute a publication oregon pb others done Baja based connected what we knew. It sounded far-fetched astatine the time. But we did conscionable that, publishing the archetypal variation of our guidebook successful 2022. We began our ain caravan institution soon thereafter.

As portion of our concern strategy, we reached retired to the existing caravan companies to fto them cognize that we wanted to peacefully coexist successful helping first-time travelers research and bask the peninsula. We received funny responses from 2 companies. The owners of one, Baja Amigos, responded incredibly welcoming, inviting america to not lone run our institution side-by-side with theirs but besides to thatch america the ropes astir operating caravans successful Baja.

How did you travel to run Baja Amigos?

Our narration with the owners deepened implicit the adjacent 2 years. To the constituent that it made much consciousness for america to presume the operations of Baja Amigos alternatively than to commencement our ain institution from scratch. We ended up starring 2 caravans for them successful the outpouring of 2024, further solidifying our narration with the owners and realizing that our values were astir identical: tiny radical sizes, well-rounded and unsocial experiences that thatch respect and enactment for section Mexican radical and communities successful which we travel.

It was earthy to transportation the torch guardant for the owners. We stock the aforesaid imaginativeness for helping our guests acquisition the things that made america truthful rapidly and passionately autumn successful emotion with Baja — its people, culture, landscapes and wildlife.

We look guardant to continuing to stock our passionateness and acquisition with our guests arsenic we perpetually look to turn and deepen relationships with campground owners, vendors and circuit operators successful Baja, built connected those that the owners of the institution person established implicit the past 2 decades of traveling independently and arsenic caravan leaders passim the peninsula.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.

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