Baja Road Trip

A drive up (or down) the full length of the Baja Peninsula will surely introduce you to some of the most fascinating and unexpected desert beauty imaginable. The Baja Peninsula may be a desert, but prepare yourself for the striking turquoise lagoons of Bahía Concepción and the oddly twisted, humanlike cirio trees, also known as boojum trees, found in the mid-peninsula Cataviña desert region—they appear almost like apparitions along the 1,656-km-long (1,029-mi-long) highway. Driving Baja is an absolute adventure, but be forewarned and prepared. Most of the Baja highway is one lane in each direction with no shoulders.

Don't drive into Mexico without first purchasing Mexican car insurance. There are a number of reputable drive-through insurance agencies along Interstate 5 in San Diego prior to crossing the border at Tijuana. Once insured, get through Tijuana. Jump onto the Cuota, or Toll Road, that will take you through to Ensenada.

Enjoy this wide, well-maintained, scenic coastal highway with stunning panoramas while you can—it's the last you'll see for some 1,600 km (1,000 mi). Puerto Nuevo, or "Newport," is known for its many, and we mean many, lobster restaurants—perhaps 50, or maybe more.

Consider renting an auto from CABAJA Rental Cars, in San Diego. It's one of the few American car-rental companies that permits, and encourages, taking cars south of the border. 9245 Jamacha Blvd., Spring Valley, CA, 91977. 888/470-7368 or 619/470-7368. www.cabaja.com.

For affordable insurance for your own car, that covers you in Mexico, try Lewis & Lewis Insurance. 8929 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200, Beverly Hills, CA, 90211. 310/657-1112 or 800/966-6830. www.mexicanautoinsurance.com.

Be mindful of the immense distance you've set out to cover and plan your stops and stays before your trip begins. Also plan for unexpected diversions.

You may wish to spend some time in festive Ensenada, shopping and strolling the large city's many colorful streets, and along the marina. Once you've passed the Tijuana border/Ensenada sprawl, you'll begin to experience the real Baja highway. It narrows, winds, and snakes up and down, into the mountains and then back down to the coast. The next stop along Highway 1 is San Quintín. (Mexico assigns its north-south federal highways odd numbers, and starts the sequence on the Pacific coast, working the way up in digits as you move east. That's why Baja's main highway gets such a premier designation.) If you find that it's getting late, don't plan to continue your drive at night.

South of San Quintín, the highway leaves the west coast and heads into central Baja, into the desert. Make sure you fuel up the car, topping off the tank, in El Rosario. It's a long way to the next gas station. The next couple of hundred miles take you right through the middle of Baja's unique Vizcaíno Desert, a biosphere reserve, and one of the world's few fog deserts.

Here you'll drive among giant boulders the size of houses, and into the Valle de los Cirios, of the oddly shaped cirio trees, likened to upside-down carrots, some of which live to be 350 years old. Much of the wild Baja interior has been set aside as national parks, biosphere reserves, and other protected areas. Rocky side roads through cirios, elephant trees, and incense trees lead to old missions and ancient cave paintings, pinturas repuestres, which are older still. Use the little town of Cataviña as a headquarters for visiting this region.

You'll enjoy great views of Baja's desert flora and fauna from here south to Guerrero Negro—it's about a five- to six-hour drive from El Rosario—the town that straddles the border between Baja California (north) and Baja California Sur (south). A police checkpoint here will ask to see your Mexican tourist card, which you received when you crossed the border in Tijuana. Guerrero Negro is a large, though not very touristy, town with a nice selection of hotels and in the winter months is alive and hopping with whale-watchers. Hundreds of whales congregate in nearby Scammon's Lagoon to give birth, mate, and enjoy the warm water.

From here the highway switches southeast across the width of the peninsula, past the small oasis town of San Ignacio built alongside giant groves of date trees and the pretty Spanish mission, Misión San Ignacio Kadakkaamán. Whale-watching tours to the San Ignacio Lagoon, and ecotours, including visits to Indian cave paintings, are available here, too. On the way to Santa Rosalía, you'll encounter a severe downgrade called the Cuesta del Infierno, with wild switchbacks and few guardrails. The translation of the name, "the hill of hell," seems apt, so take your time.

Santa Rosalía has an interesting mining history, and a church designed and built by Gustave Eiffel (of the tower fame). You're now passing through areas, the highway included, that suffered damage from September 2009's Hurricane Jimena. (Repairs are ongoing.) About an hour south of Santa Rosalía is Mulegé, a tranquil town with a wealth of eco-and adventure tours available, from whale-watching to excellent fishing.

Plan on spending a couple of hours (or a couple of days) enjoying the mesmerizing 40-km-long (25-mi-long) Bahía Concepción, just south of Mulegé. Numerous coves and inlets here make for great snorkeling, boating, camping, and hiking.

Just a few hours south is Loreto, a town going through major changes. Once the quintessential small Mexican fishing village, it's now the site of a massive resort-community development called Loreto Bay, whose development is languishing with the economy. At the moment, Loreto remains a quaint Baja town, with a sedate town center, and standard lodgings. For a real treat, try the charming three-room (or Mongolian-style yurt) Sukasa; make reservations well in advance of your drive.

From Loreto, it can be a one-day drive into Cabo San Lucas. But there's still mucho Baja to see and experience. So, if you still have the time, there's Bahía Magdalena on the west coast, another popular whale-watching stop, the peaceful capital city of La Paz (on the east), the art-gallery town of Todos Santos (on the west), and the East Cape.

Once you reach Cabo San Lucas, head straight for El Médano Beach, throw on your swimsuit, and dive into the ocean.