Our 9 RV Stops Through Baja - A Summary
We took our 42 ft. fifth wheel down the Baja peninsula for the winter of 2021-2022 and absolutely loved it.
I did a ton of planning and research and picked the brains of RVers who had gone before us in order to prepare. Here is a snapshot of our route during our 3.5 month trip!
Before we crossed the border
We were staying in Palm Springs for several weeks before leaving, getting things in order such as buying Mexican auto insurance, stocking up on groceries, leaving our plants with plant sitters, brushing up on last minute Spanish lessons, etc. We decided to drive to El Centro, CA and stayed in the Walmart parking lot the night before the border crossing. It was the best Walmart we’ve ever stayed at! It was well lit and pretty quiet. We were with our buddies, @haagbrigade, and we were excited to have friends to share the experience with!
Read more about what we did to prepare for Baja →
The border crossing
We recommend the Mexicali East border crossing. There is a large overhang with plenty of clearance for any size vehicle, unlike the shorter one at Mexicali West.
Do not go to Mexicali West! Our friends were directed by the border guards to drive under an overhang that was too short for their RV at Mexicali West and damaged their RV pretty badly. Stick with Mexicali East! We crossed the border on December 28, 2021.
Summary
By the end of our trip, we had spent more time than anticipated in Baja (check out why), but still didn’t want to come back! We had some family plans and work obligations that brought us back to the US, but we are already mapping out our trek down later this year as we completely fell in love with this part of Mexico!
We will likely make some changes to our route next time, but we couldn’t have been happier with our experience on this trip!
2024 update
After several more treks down the penninsula, we now don’t stay in the Walmart parking lot before crossing. We leave from Palm Springs RV Resort in Palm Desert, CA. One year our next stop was Puertecitos where we enjoyed the hot springs, and another year we boondocked at San Felipe Brewing.
For stop #2, if you want shorter drive days, an option that a lot of friends have stayed at is Rancho Grande in Gonzaga Bay. It’s beach boondocking. Another alternative to stopping in Guerrero Negro (where we stop on night 2) is to go a bit futher and stay in the quaint town of San Ignacio. Two options of places to stay there are Rice and Beans and El Pedrino Campground.
After our stop in that area, our next stop is always Playa Santispac. One year we stayed at Playa Requeson, which was beautiful, but we just personally prefer Santispac. Both are great options though.
Have you RV’d through Baja? What did we miss?? Where should we go next time?
Leave your tips in the comments below!