Planning Ahead

Making reservations ahead of time, especially during high season (November through May), is essential in Baja Sur and can save you time and money, and ensure that your experience is that much more pleasant. Hotels fill up quickly around whale-watching season (December through April), spring break, and the Baja 1000 race in November. Small hotels often give better rooms and rates to advance bookings.

Outside of Tijuana and Ensenada, Baja California Norte has little to offer by way of nightlife and big-city culture, but instead attracts travelers who crave adventure and appreciate both seascapes and desert scenes. Here, you can fish the warm, tranquil Sea of Cortez at sunrise and still make it to the Pacific in time to surf the afternoon waves. Diving in the Bay of Los Angeles rivals the best of Mexico; the Central Desert of Baja California lavishes hikers with one-of-a-kind flora and fascinating cave paintings by prehistoric artists; and wine lovers who tire of their usual Napa haunts congregate in the Valle de Guadalupe.

Baja California isn't a place for city slickers, and that's exactly what many people love about it; being here is an adventure in and of itself.