Overland Baja?

[TacoBox]

I am a newbie to overlanding and overall 4x4ing, but in the last 6 months I have dove head first into the hobby and now have caught the life long bug. I have always had a yearn to make the trip to the elusive Baja peninsula home to Desert Racing, sandy beaches, and of course endless tacos! On my first OB trip out on Mojave Road we were all sitting around the campfire talking shop and future trips. I had already been planning on attending the 50th Score Baja 1000 and figured that a group from OB would be going and would just tag along. I was mistaken, one member jumped at the gun "Can I come? That sounds awesome and has been on my bucket list." That's when I asked the question "Do people overland Baja?" And to my surprise I didn't get the answer I was expecting which were these: Scary, Foreign, Unknown, and Border. The more research I did I found that in recent years Americans have stayed away from Baja on the questions of violence and just overall unknowns. On YouTube more and more #vanlife and #fulltime overlanders are going to Baja and saying "Hey everyone it's safe, fun, cheap, and amazing!" So after doing some research (Which still left many unanswered questions) the trip dates were set and we ventured.

I will say this though which may not be the case for everyone, I did know someone that was associated with the race. Ultimately we met up and joined a pit service team which turned my "Tourist Guided" trip into an unforgettable experience where I learned all about Baja and offroad racing. For those that are reading this saying to yourself "I don't know anyone, this guy just got lucky." You are wrong, this Pit Service group comprised of volunteers from all over the US and Baja, some driving from the PNW, MidWest, and the South East to experience the Baja 1000. A good amount of people were first timers like myself and any experience level and background is welcome. Just because there are unknowns don't cross Baja off your list of places to explore.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Great pics!

I will say that your "do people overland Baja" question and subsequent results were likely jaded by your audience. I've been going to Baja annually for the last 7-8 years, I've seen overlanders in numbers on every occasion, in fact more in past years than this recent year. San Felipe is home to a great deal of ExPats and vacationing Americans, it's about as chill as you can ask for on international soils.

How far south did you make it?

 

[TacoBox]

Great pics!

I will say that your "do people overland Baja" question and subsequent results were likely jaded by your audience. I've been going to Baja annually for the last 7-8 years, I've seen overlanders in numbers on every occasion, in fact more in past years than this recent year. San Felipe is home to a great deal of ExPats and vacationing Americans, it's about as chill as you can ask for on international soils.

How far south did you make it?

Thank you! Well before joining OB I was used to seeing Racedezert and Pirate4x4 threads of groups going to watch the races in Baja, my audience wasn't just limited to the ones around the campfire it was OB in general. And I don't know if it is because members just are not into going across the border or if there are other reasons. I agree that traveling down there you will come across other overlanders and Americans especially on the San Felipe side, but the numbers are still very low. I did hear from a few regular vacationers that they prefer it to be that way which is understandable, however I am more curious as to what is preventing adventurous types from going south of the boarder. Crossing a boarder in your vehicle is such a satisfying feeling and then exploring another country's features and culture just expands the feeling, far better than any cruise to Cabo San Lucas. The furthest south I went was to Gonzaga Bay, south of Puerto Citos and stayed on the beach. The journey started in Mexicali and traveled through wine country to Ensenada, then took the highway and dirt roads to Ojos Negros which is where we had the Pit, made a late night run to San Felipe and stayed at Pete's Camp, and finally spent two nights in Gonzaga Bay. I also think that if there was a little more information about traveling in Baja more would be up to go, you can only get so much from Trip Advisor and word of mouth, the Baja Almanac is a great resource is finding many hidden gems south of the boarder.

 

[Kent R]

I think Baja is a destination OB members have been going to in small numbers and those numbers seem to be increasing. Tom K went on a trip down there and has a GPX file of the route if someone wants it just PM him.
The need is there for some experienced people to take the bull by the horns and start setting up trips.