Baja Highway 1 — Tijuana to Cabo SanLucas.
Distance
1,700 km
Duration
7 days
Climb
8,500 m
Rating
4.9 / 5
743 reviews
Baja Highway 1 — Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas.
Mexico Federal Highway 1 the full length of the Baja Peninsula — 1,700 km from the US border at Tijuana to the tip of Baja at Cabo San Lucas. Pacific coast cliffs, Baja wine country, alien desert, gray whale lagoons, and the Sea of Cortez. One of the great open-road journeys in the Americas.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance1,700 km
Days7
Total climb8,500 m
Fuel stops1 along route
DifficultyChallenging
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7 days, 7 moods.
A suggested split across 7 days with 29 waypoints to discover along the way.
Tijuana — Puerta Mexico Border CrossingStart · Cross at the San Ysidro / Puerta Mexico crossing. Get Mexican insurance before the border if not already arranged. Tijuana's Centro Histórico is 3 km south — a strong Baja breakfast at Caesar's (birthplace of the Caesar salad, 1924) sets the tone.
Playas de TijuanaScenic Point · The Pacific Ocean and the border wall entering the sea — a uniquely charged beginning. The road hugs the coast south through clifftop suburbs as the city falls away.
La BufadoraPhoto Spot · Mexico's largest marine blowhole — seawater forced up through a submerged sea cave explodes 30 m into the air with a sound like a cannon. The approach road is worth the 20-km detour from the main highway.
EnsenadaOvernight · The largest tourist city in northern Baja — relaxed, seafood-rich, and genuinely Mexican. Fish tacos at the Mercado Negro fish market; craft beer and local wine at La Esquina de Bodegas. The first real overnight stop of the Baja experience.
Valle de GuadalupeRestaurant · Baja's wine country — over 100 wineries in a 15-km inland valley. The wine produced here rivals anything from California's Napa. A morning tasting at one of the biodynamic producers (Bichi, Vena Cava) before the desert road is highly recommended.
San Quintín BayScenic Point · A broad tidal estuary with oyster farms visible from the road and a backdrop of cinder cone volcanoes. The Pacific begins to feel genuinely wild and remote here.
San Quintín Fuel StopFuel Stop · Last reliable fuel before El Rosario and the Baja desert proper. Fill up completely. The PEMEX stations south of here become increasingly unpredictable.
El RosarioOvernight · A tiny town (pop. 500) at the gateway to the Desierto Central. Mama Espinoza's — open since 1930 — is legendary for lobster burritos on the Baja circuit. The road south from here is one of the most remote on the peninsula.
Cataviña Boulder DesertScenic Point · The most surreal landscape on the entire Baja Peninsula — a vast garden of granite spheres, cardon cactus, and cirio (boojum) trees that exist nowhere else on Earth. The boojum looks like an inverted carrot 20 m tall and grows 2.5 cm per year.
El Mármol Onyx QuarryPhoto Spot · A remote 1920s onyx quarry with a remarkable outdoor schoolhouse built entirely of translucent onyx marble. The site is abandoned but intact — one of Baja's strangest historical curiosities.
Paralelo 28 — State Line MonumentPhoto Spot · The 28th parallel marks the border between Baja California and Baja California Sur — a massive steel monolith eagle straddles the highway. A ceremony of passage and the point where Pacific Baja gives way to the drier south.
Guerrero NegroOvernight · The gray whale capital of the world. From January to March, Laguna Ojo de Liebre fills with gray whale mothers and calves in the largest whale nursery on Earth. The Año Nuevo restaurant is the reliable stop. PEMEX and full services available.
Laguna Ojo de Liebre — Whale LagoonScenic Point · A UNESCO World Heritage gray whale sanctuary. From January through March, small pangas take visitors among the whales at close range — mothers actively push their calves toward the boats. The lagoon is visible from an 8 km spur road off the highway.
San IgnacioRestaurant · A date-palm oasis town that appears miraculously lush after 100 km of desert. The 1786 Dominican mission church of San Ignacio de Kadakaaman is the most beautiful in all of Baja. Fresh dates sold roadside September through November. Lunch at the plaza.
Santa RosalíaScenic Point · A French-built copper-mining town on the Sea of Cortez coast with a remarkable iron church designed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Paris Exposition, then shipped here in crates. The only Eiffel-designed church in Mexico. The French-era mine buildings are still intact.
MulegéOvernight · A lush mission town where the Santa Rosalía River meets the Sea of Cortez, lined with date palms and bougainvillea. World-class sport fishing (dorado, marlin) from the estuary. The 1705 mission perches on a cliff above town. An idyllic overnight after the long desert day.
Bahía ConcepciónScenic Point · The jewel of the Sea of Cortez — 50 km of turquoise water and white-sand coves with the highway running directly along the shoreline. Santispac and Posada Concepción beaches are accessible right from the road. The water temperature exceeds 28°C in summer.
LoretoRestaurant · The original capital of Baja California, founded by the Jesuits in 1697. The mission church — the mother of all California missions — has been continuously operating for 329 years. The best malecón (ocean promenade) on the Sea of Cortez; a perfect lunch stop.
Puerto Escondido MarinaScenic Point · A naturally protected deep-water harbour used by blue-water sailors as a hurricane hole. The water is crystal-clear — visibility exceeds 20 m. Sea kayaking tours depart from the small marina.
Ciudad ConstituciónOvernight · An agricultural service town in the vast Magdalena Plain — the most fertile valley in Baja. Basic but reliable services. Book accommodation in advance — options are limited. Fuel is available and prices are good here.
Bahía Magdalena — San CarlosScenic Point · The largest Pacific lagoon on the Baja Peninsula is a gray whale nursery from January to March. In summer, the mangrove estuary supports frigate birds and blue-footed boobies. A boat tour from San Carlos gives the full experience.
El TriunfoScenic Point · A former silver-mining ghost town with 19th-century brick chimney stacks rising from the desert scrub. The town has been revived by artists and artisanal coffee roasters — the café in the old assay office is one of the best in Baja.
Los Barriles — East CapeScenic Point · The East Cape kitesurf and windsurfing capital — the Cortez trades blow reliably here November through March. The approach road gives the first glimpse of the deep blue Sea of Cortez since Mulegé.
La PazOvernight · The elegant state capital on the Sea of Cortez — more authentic and less commercialised than Cabo. The sunset Malecón promenade with taco carts and ice cream vendors is one of the great pleasures of Baja. The ferry to Mazatlán departs from the terminal 4 km south.
Todos SantosRestaurant · A Pacific-side artists' colony and surf town with excellent breakfast cafés and galleries. The Hotel California — reportedly the inspiration for the Eagles song (disputed by the band, embraced by the town) — is the most-visited building. The Pacific swell breaks at Punta Lobos, 3 km south.
El Pescadero Surf BreaksScenic Point · Pacific point breaks directly accessible from the road — a series of right-hand reef breaks that work best October through April. The Baja Surf Club compound is here. The road drops to sea level and the Pacific is immediately beside you.
Sierra de la Laguna FoothillsScenic Point · The highway crosses the spine of the Los Cabos corridor — a desert mountain backdrop as the Pacific gives way to the Sea of Cortez. The approach to Cabo begins here with the resort corridor visible below.
Land's End — El Arco ViewpointPhoto Spot · The granite arch at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula — El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Visible from shore and from the boats that circle it. The water on each side is a different colour.
Cabo San Lucas MarinaEnd · The end of 1,700 km of Baja. The marina is lined with seafood restaurants and the waterfront Zócalo has margaritas and a view of the arch. Take the glass-bottomed boat to El Arco to close the loop. You have ridden the length of a peninsula. That deserves a cerveza.
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743 verified rides logged on this route.
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743 verified rides
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