Mark, Maya, and I entered Baja California, Mexico, on February 1st 2021 in Zesty, without much of a plan. No surprise there! The main reason for our decision to cross the border was threefold: we needed a break from the US and its chaos, politics, and atmosphere, we aimed to find warmer weather, and we were both ready for a little “vacation” after all the hard work on my travel memoir Plunge.
Other than that, we’d drive until we found 1) warmth or 2) an area that spoke to us. Number two came first in the form of Mulegé, a town off the beaten tourist track about 2/3 down the Baja peninsula on the Sea of Cortez side.
Why Mulegé?
Sometimes, when you find a place that touches your heart, it’s difficult to describe why. Mark and I drove through and stayed in this town – actually in the exact same campground – fifteen years ago on our journey south (which brought us all the way to Panama and back) in a truck camper with our dogs Kali and Darwin. But it didn’t leave an impression. Also, we had different goals of sightseeing and exploring back then, not hanging out and immersing ourselves.
Here’s what we liked about this little gem on our recent visit:
- The lush surroundings
- The small scale
- The friendliness of the locals
- The ease of walking and biking around
- The non-touristy status
- The benign expat community
- The affordability
- The healthy mix of locals, visitors, and expats
- The close proximity (15-minute drive) to Baja’s best beaches on Bahia Concepcion
Highlights
Mission Santa Rosalia de Mulegé
The mission is located in the oasis of Mulegé and is the second oldest mission in Baja California. It was built by the Jesuits in 1705, remaining in use until 1828. The structure is comprised entirely of local stone and stands high on a rocky outcrop.
The river and the dam
There is a lookout at the mission that gives you the best view of the Mulegé River and its surroundings. When you go down on the property instead of up, you arrive at a dam/pedestrian pathway. We would walk here with Maya on hot days as there is ample shade.
Punta Prieta
You can walk or drive to a rocky point called Punta Prieta. It’s about one mile from our campground or two miles from town and offers expansive views of the ocean.
The lighthouse
At the mouth of the river, a peninsula holds the lighthouse. When we were here over a decade ago, we could climb the steps and visit the grounds but this isn’t allowed anymore and access is blocked off. It is possible to boondock (camp for free) here, on both sides of the river.
We stayed one night on the south side of the Mulegé River when we arrived late in the afternoon, to avoid paying for camping until the next day.
Negatives:
- Full-size grocery stores are at least one hour away
- The closest airport is in Loreto, 2.5 hours to the south
- There is a big water problem leading to the absence of running water for many days in a row (the maximum we observed was five days), multiple times a month
- The winters are windy and a tad too chilly for us (at least this year)
- The Mulegé River can flood in summer, creating evacuations, inconveniences, and a big mess in homes, town, and campgrounds
- Summers are reportedly very hot and humid; most expats only stay six months a year
Sue and Dave of Travel Tales of Life created a fantastic account and blog post about Mulegé and its attractions. Check it out here.
Where did we stay in Mulegé?
Reading about our options on iOverlander, we settled for the Huerta Don Chano campground and returned there in between beach visits. We camped here for a total of 15 days. For $10 a night, we enjoyed hot showers, “decent” WiFi, unlimited electricity in Zesty, a water spigot (if the water was on; only the first week), grassy surroundings, flush toilets, and being in walking distance to town and the pebble beach. We walked Maya through a canyon next door every morning (2 miles RT) and to the beach every afternoon (2 miles RT).
Why Loreto?
Good question. After leaving one of the southern Bahia Concepcion beaches to return to the land of internet, we thought “why not?” Loreto was twice as far as Mulegé, but we didn’t mind checking it out, needed to find a vet carrying better dogfood than the stores, were ready for a real supermarket after six weeks, and the town came recommended by friend and fellow blogger Kathy from Smart Living 365.
Where did we stay in Loreto?
We had to deal with a few logistics and I had an editing job, so we ended up residing in Loreto for four nights, longer than planned. Campsites without hook-ups at Rivera Del Mar RV Park cost $5 per person and include hot showers, toilets, trash disposal, and free WiFi but have little space. You can walk to town, the Malecón, and the sandy beach from here. It was quiet during our stay.
We also boondocked at a beach north of Loreto before we left that area.
Our Loreto impressions
- Cute and photogenic, historic downtown
- Adequate grocery stores
- More touristy than Mulegé
- Lots of aggressive dogs – strays and guard dogs (at least when we passed with Maya)
- Airport close by
- Long beach (and Malecón) for walks
- Drinking water and groceries were less expensive than Mulegé; everything else cost more
- Many fantastic restaurants
Mark and I (Maya less) were glad to have stopped in Loreto for a few days – we hope to explore this area further in the future – but we do like Mulegé better. ????
Find my other Baja California posts here (including Baja Bound Part One and Baja Bound Part Two) and photos of our extraordinary whale watching tour here.
Sea of Cortez
I’ve linked this post up with My Corner of the World and Weekend Coffee Share #15.
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April 15, 2021 at 19:27
Great descriptions of both places (neither of which I’ve been to). I always love learning about different areas in Mexico to visit. Loreto looks like someplace we’d like (aside from the aggressive dogs).
April 16, 2021 at 14:04
Hi Janis! I think you’ll like Loreto. It is a bit more “upscale” than Mulege and has more tourist attractions and entertainment options. The dogs were only aggressive because we had Maya with us. They were protecting their properties. Tourists without dogs probably don’t even notice that pretty much every property (owned by locals or expats) has a dog within the compound. And, this dog barks when we pass. Sometimes even jumped the fence and attacked! Maya was very upset and ever since we experienced this, has been leery of properties with dogs or sometimes even of going for a walk. Sad.
April 15, 2021 at 22:13
I’m not familiar with either, so it was fun to read about the pros and cons. The drinking water seems like a major concern. I suppose there’s no perfect place, or many people would move there. That would make it an imperfect place, and the cycle would return.
April 16, 2021 at 14:08
I so agree with that cycle, Pete. Good point! And that a perfect place (even to us) doesn’t exist, or we might be living there right now! 🙂 Most expat houses in Mulege have some kind of a cistern (called “pile” in Baja) that fill up with city water and is used when the running water doesn’t run anymore. It is also possible to truck in water for those big black tanks, used on top of buildings to have (shower) water inside.
April 16, 2021 at 10:06
Maybe no surprise Mulege sounds more appealing. I like the smallness, the no need for cars. I like minimal. I had to look up boondocked. What the heck is that!
April 16, 2021 at 14:13
I mention earlier in this post that boondocking is free camping, but there is more to it. Boondocking is not necessarily free as many campgrounds allow you to “boondock” for a smaller fee than full hook-ups (a site that comes with water, electricity, and sewer) or partial hook-ups (a site that comes with water and/or power).
Boondocking actually refers to camping without facilities/amenities. You just park and be self-contained. You use your own water, electricity, and tanks. Not sure where it is derived from, but I expect something like “you dock in the boonies”. When you are self-sufficient and self-contained, you can pretty much park anywhere and survive. But, you need to be allowed to park there or the cops (or land owners) might chase you off!
April 16, 2021 at 14:24
You are free to flee chaos and unrest in the States and find calmness in another land, which it seems you did in Mulegé. I didn’t know this was a return visit for you, but this time you had Maya too, a good thing.
You two get around royally in the nomadic life because your are curious travelers and because you are smart enough to get tips from other bloggers.
Now it appears you are back in Massachusetts, where it must be much cooler.
Enjoy your weekend! 🙂
April 19, 2021 at 09:47
Hi Marian!
Mark and I and our two dogs drove a camper all the way to Panama and back in 2006. We passed through Baja California and mainland Mexico (and spent six months in total in this country) on that journey. But, since it’s been so long ago, I barely remember any of it…
Regarding Mulegé, I only remembered the view from the mission, over the lush river. My memory isn’t great to beging with and when you travel, explore, and take in so many cultures, sites, and countries over the years, things become vague.
Yes, it’s much cooler here in MA. Can’t say we like it. Yet. 🙂 But, we have to be here a while again, for multiple reasons.
April 16, 2021 at 21:06
I enjoyed reading this post, Liesbet. It’s great that you were able to return to Mulegé, a place you like, this time with Maya. There are so many wonderful places to explore in the world, sometimes I trade off returning to a place I like to explore a new destination. Thank you for sharing #WeekendCoffeeShare.
April 19, 2021 at 09:50
Hi Natalie! I’m usually not one to return to places if I can explore new ones instead. But, because of Covid, our travel options are limited. Fortunately, not as limited as for Canadians. Having our own camper kept things safe, as we have our own home (and sanity and sanitation) with us. 🙂 While Mulegé is almost 4,000 miles from here, it does feel like Mexico is “next door” and easy to reach.
April 16, 2021 at 23:35
I hear you on the dogs thing. Walking a dog in a place where there are loose dogs or guard dogs constantly can be exhausting. It’s extremely stressful and hard to relax when you need to keep an eye out, and the poor dog gets freaked out too. Not good at all. Otherwise, these towns look very appealing and well worth a visit. The water thing would definitely be a challenge, but if you know it’s coming and can prepare, it’s not the end of the world. Love the architecture!!
April 19, 2021 at 09:56
You understand, Laura! Yes, it was extremely exhausting, stressful, and no fun at all to walk around Loreto with Maya. This put a bad taste in our mouths about the town, unfortunately. We were constantly keeping an eye on her, on surrounding dogs, and couldn’t approach any fence too close by so needed to walk on the streets, being aware of cars. On top of that, these interactions freaked Maya out and affected her greatly for future walks, which she didn’t want to go on. Even now, a month later, and 4,000 miles removed, she gets leery when walking along fences and gates she remembers have a dog here in MA.
If we would have walked around without her, this might have been different. Yet, it also made us wonder why everyone in town (and on the edges of town) felt they needed a guard dog… Locals and expats. It’s one of the reasons why we would prefer to live in Mulegé and not in Loreto.
April 30, 2021 at 11:35
With sympathy to the trauma that your dog experienced (and you too), I want to offer another perspective on the dogs of Loreto, and i’m guessing the rest of mexico ????. We moved here from the Pacific Northwest in fall of that dreaded year 2020, a permanent move. As you said, it was a great relief to leave behind the chaos and political strife. Like taking out a splinter. Among things that we noticed right away was the very different role that dogs have here. One rarely sees a dog being walked on a leash. So this may have been a clash of cultural practice contributing to an unpleasant experience. Dogs are much more attached to their property and their families. And as you mentioned, this arrangement makes good use of their natural territorial and protective impulse. I cringed at your use of “aggressive” because in the states, this would mean to me that the dog will probably bite me and maybe should be put down. And it seems to have had a pretty negative effect on some of your commenters. I have never met a dog here that I would call aggressive, even the startling little chihuahua down the block that always dashes out to chase my bicycle to the end of his property, barking like a lunatic. As far as the street dogs, they are much more interested in each other than in humans. They haven’t been socialized to be petted and talked to like the dogs of USA. In fact, even the yard dogs have lots to say to each other from afar. In my former home, if a dog nearby was incessantly barking, my thought would be, why doesn’t somebody do something, because it would seem the dog was calling for human attention. Here, the neighborhood rings with barking about twice a day, early morning and early evening. I don’t even hear them anymore because they’re talking to each other, not to me. Just my thoughts, which I invite you to argue with if you like. I don’t mind, because I’m pretty sure my rose colored Mexican glasses give me bias ????. Loreto is heaven to me for a million reasons, and I never pl@n to leave ❤️
May 1, 2021 at 21:58
Hi Margaret!
Thank you for your input and for sharing your experiences and thoughts about the dogs in Loreto and Baja/Mexico in general. I encourage discussions here and embrace different opinions. And, I respect people who speak up and attempt to inform others. Or try to explain different behaviors, cultures, perspectives.
I agree with most of your points. Dogs have a different life and status in Mexico. Most people have them to guard the property and that’s what they do. I also agree with the behavior of strays. Most of them stick to themselves (some are shy and scared), especially when you walk by without another dog in tow. We have befriended many strays. The majority of them crave love and attention (and food, of course). Our dog has made many Mexican friends as well.
All that being said, some of the strays have ganged up on us (as a pack), but mostly on Maya. And that has been an issue. When they charge, teeth bared, we have to chase them off. One guard dog (not a stray) jumped a fence once in Loreto and that became a problem as well. On another note, twice on a trip to Mexico, I have been bitten by a dog, including this recent two-month camping trip. Not in Loreto, though. 🙂
So, while I wouldn’t want any of the dogs we have encountered to be put down (the horror!), or get ran over by a car, I would call these behaviors I recount aggressive. Again, if we walk around without a dog in tow, some of these occurrences (and one of the dog bites) would have been prevented. Compared to other Mexican towns we have been to, Loreto appeared to have way more dogs and therefore more chances that something went wrong. Not sure why.
I could get used to the dog barking as well, if I lived in a Mexican town. And to the roosters. And the megaphone men. And, if I lived in Loreto (or even better, Mulege), I wouldn’t want to leave either, except to keep exploring the world. 🙂
April 17, 2021 at 03:02
I enjoy learning about new places to explore. Love the fabulous photos.
April 19, 2021 at 09:56
Thanks, Veronica, for swinging by and leaving a comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. I always put too many with my posts… 🙂
April 18, 2021 at 03:33
What a great way to see such fabulous places! I enjoyed your photos a lot 🙂
Thanks for joining us at ‘My Corner of the World’ this week!
April 19, 2021 at 09:58
Hi Betty! Thank you for hosting and organizing “My Corner of the World”. As we are nomads, I might join in again. 🙂 We love the camper life and it allows us to see the world from the comfort of our home on wheels.
April 18, 2021 at 04:54
Liesbet, I have never been to this region of Mexico, therefore I really appreciate your comprehensive descriptions. Both towns look fantastic and so cheap for the campsites fees.
I like how you described the places offering positives and negatives, very helpful. I think Mulege has the edge over Loreto and I particularly like that there is a good balance between locals/tourists/expats living there. Maya looked very relaxed. Great post 🙂
April 19, 2021 at 10:04
Hi Gilda!
Compared to Europe, I’m sure Mexico is cheap – to camp, travel, and live. Compared to the US, where we always camp for free, camping is more expensive (to us, if we decide to “splurge”), but groceries are cheaper. Also, when there is less stuff available, we spend less money as our expense reports from Mexico have shown. Now that we are back in the US, our money has been flying out the door!
The choice between Loreto or Mulegé comes down to personal preference – more touristy or less touristy, more nightlife or not, more fancy or not, on the beaten track or not, popular or underdog… 🙂
April 18, 2021 at 13:40
Liesbet I smiled through the whole post. We loved both Loreto and Mulege and think you have captured the positives and negatives well. When we were in Mulege we had no water issues thankfully. So kind of you to link to our post on Mulege. It remains one of the most popular on our blog. I think people are often looking for somewhere that is not as touristy and Mulege definitely fits that bill.
April 19, 2021 at 10:07
You did a fantastic job with that post on Mulegé, Sue. I like how we both grew an affinity for this little town. The water issues have been real and constant. Yet, it doesn’t keep people away. You deal with it, as a tourist or a resident. We loved Mulegé so much that we wanted to move there. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out. I hope to blog about that saga soon.
April 18, 2021 at 14:09
You captured both towns well. We loved our time in the Sea of Cortez. Such a fascinating and inviting place to visit. Cheers!
April 19, 2021 at 10:09
Seeing the Sea of Cortez from another perspective – the water – would be really cool. I do think you enjoy the wildlife, peace, views, surroundings, and serenity much more that way. But we won’t get another sailboat any time soon. 🙂
April 18, 2021 at 15:47
I confess that I am not much of a traveler but get to travel vicariously through blog posts. I enjoyed your pictures and posts. Even though I do not travel much, I think your including postives and negatives is really helpful. Thanks for this post. Michele
April 19, 2021 at 10:11
Hi Michele! Thanks for the visit and for traveling virtually and vicariously with me to Mulegé and Loreto. I’ve written a few posts about the Baja peninsula and there are more to come. A lot happened during the two months we were there, despite our only goal being to relax. But, that’s us! We always make our lives more challenging and exciting than they need to be. 🙂
April 18, 2021 at 16:53
Looks like a funtastic place! Thank you for the post.
April 19, 2021 at 10:12
You’re welcome, Antoinette! We truly liked Mulegé. Thank YOU for reading and commenting! 🙂
April 18, 2021 at 18:16
Interesting to read about this part of Mexico that we have no clue about but look forward to one day making the trip up there. How fun that you got to revisit fifteen years later, it is always interesting to come back to a place and see whether it is how your remembered it or whether it changed a lot.
Some of the negatives you mention re lack of water etc sound like they could be pretty challenging, but I do like how you do the pros and cons because bottom line a place needs more pros than cons and then determining how important each of those factors are to you personally. Some times those pros and cons can be adjustable I just found out. I used to think i HAD to have hot water, but where we live now I do NOT and interestingly I barely miss it. Maybe once or twice on a cooler night but for the most part I just adjusted and shower during the day.
Terrific post.
Peta
April 19, 2021 at 10:17
Peta, it’s so weird how mainland Mexico appears to be so far away from Baja, yet it’s only a (long) ferry ride away. Still, Mexico is such a big country and making progress on the roads is slow (darn topes and military checkpoints… :-)), something one only realizes when doing it.
The desire for hot showers is only a matter of how warm or cold a place is. In Baja, it was often chilly and it was painful when there were only cold showers available. When we lived (sailed and traveled) in the tropics, a cold shower wasn’t an issue. Plus, the ambient temperature makes those cold showers lukewarm sometimes, which suits me just fine. 🙂
Yes, you do learn to live with situations – pros and cons – when you travel or live abroad. You have to! And, I agree that they can be adjustable!
April 19, 2021 at 18:14
An interesting retrospective of two Baja towns Liesbet. They both have their good, bad and uglies and both remind me of La Ventana and Los Barriles. Although the latter is more cultural and touristy. They exist for wind and board sports and the local economy suffers once the wind dies and the heat begins.
You may see that I’m now logged out of WP because I opened this from my email.
April 21, 2021 at 13:38
I kept hearing about Los Barriles when in Baja, Terri, but we haven’t checked it out yet. Maybe if and when we return. We lost our hearts in Mulege, but unfortunately whatever we were after didn’t work out. More about that later.
April 19, 2021 at 21:56
I always enjoy your journey’s. Thank you for sharing.
April 21, 2021 at 13:39
You are very welcome, Kristin! I love going on and sharing our journeys! Thank you for reading and commenting.
April 19, 2021 at 23:45
I was excited about your description of Mulegé until I read about the lack of water and grocery stores. Nope, not for me! But this is another place that I’ll enjoy through your experiences. 🙂
April 21, 2021 at 13:44
Aaaah, the basics in life, Diane. We could get by with the smaller stores in Mulegé (there is a bigger supermarket 45 minutes away), but the not having water while at the campground did get old after a while, because we looked forward to normal showers and a bath for Maya! 🙂
April 20, 2021 at 20:30
Mulegé Is absolutely charming. I think I fell in love with it at first sight. It was the first Mexican town we had come to with real character. I love the river and the view! Such a great choice to stay there for a while. I wish we had visited longer and really got to know the town. I had one of the best chili rellenos in Mulegé – made to order, whatever vi wanted in it.
We didn’t make it to Loretto on our trip but from your photos I still think we would have liked Mulegé better.
April 21, 2021 at 13:47
So nice to find out that you had the same reaction and feelings as us when arriving in Mulegé the first time. Do you remember where you got the chili rellenos? Was it at the brewery? We have been thinking a lot about this town – while we were in Baja and once we left – and we are extremely bummed about missing out on the opportunities that were presented to us when we were there. Now, all is lost! 🙁
April 24, 2021 at 07:58
It’s good to hear more about Baja California, Liesbet. Whenever I look at a map of North America, my eyes are often drawn to it, wondering what it’s like and how long it would take to drive from the Pacific coast to the gulf of California. I’ve only been to Mexico once (for one day) and the parts you visited look so much more better.
And I had no idea you and Mark drove all the way to Panama. What a journey that must have been.
April 26, 2021 at 15:04
Doesn’t Baja have a funny shape, Hugh? I’m sure my eyes were drawn to it years ago when I was a teenager and spent hours looking at my wall-to-wall world map in the bedroom. Now, I’m used to the skinny appendix in that part of Mexico. I think it takes anywhere between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours to drive from the Pacific to the Sea of Cortez. There aren’t many road to do this on, though.
That Mexican – Central American journey we took in 2006 was of a different caliber than any other RV trips of mine, as this was before online resources were available… I once planned to write a memoir about this one-year experience (that didn’t end well), but so far, the story has only made it as a condensed version in an early chapter of Plunge. 🙂
April 27, 2021 at 05:53
Well, that means I’m going to have to read Plunge to find out more about that trip, Liesbet. I promise that I will get to it one day. I have to be really in the right frame of mind to read, other than blogs which I read just about everyday.
And it’s good to hear you had the same fascination with the appendix of Mexico (I like that) as I did when I was a child.
April 28, 2021 at 18:41
No worries, Hugh! If you ever get to Plunge, I promise you will find out about much more than that Central American trip. 🙂 I don’t know how people can read (a lot of) books these days. I spend all my free time reading (and commenting) to blogs and checking my social media accounts. I know, priorities… 🙂
April 29, 2021 at 05:05
I get you, Liesbet. ????
May 3, 2021 at 14:30
Hi, having driven to and stayed in a house rental in Mulege, I found it to be a safe and friendly town. The water is a non-issue cause every house has a “pila”
that is filled when water is on, and turn the valve from the pila on and water is there. The drive from SanQuintin is very long, and dangerous especially do not drive at night.12 to 14 hours to cross from Pacific to Santa Rosalia and then down to Mulege. I enjoyed the trip.
May 4, 2021 at 21:40
Hi William!
Thank you for your input! Yes, we are aware of the pilas – a great invention! 🙂 We did wonder whether they run dry, though, when the water has been turned off for over a week, which is often the case now. The issues with the water company have worsened over the years.
So nice that you made the trip to Mulegé from California. Yes, that would be a long drive. With our camper this is easy to break down and visit places along the way. Your comment makes me want to rent a place in Baja California right now. Although, I assume it’ll get pretty hot soon!
June 30, 2021 at 13:19
When Rob and I travel, we do the same thing – look at the places we visit and imagine living there. There are so many glorious places in the world, and I think I could happily live in many of them. But, interestingly, we always circle back to BC in the end.
Jude
July 1, 2021 at 05:57
British Columbia is a gorgeous province to live. No wonder you keep circling back, Jude. Vancouver Island would be my pick in Canada as well. 🙂 Enjoy the summer and the hikes!