Red Bandit's Road Trip to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

[KT_bronco]

This latest trip came up when friends wanted to go to Cabo to celebrate a 10 year anniversary and a birthday. I figured I could celebrate the Red Bandit's 1 year anniversary too and use the journey to do some research for work as well. This was my first time in Baja California. It ended up being quite an adventure.

Flying was def an option, but I'm really glad I took the time to drive. Not too much off-roading on this trip, but I did manage to make it out to drive on some beaches and a few off road tracks. I had a schedule to meet the rest of the crew, so my ability to explore was limited.

Headed out solo on Saturday from LA through the Mexicali crossing. I would be taking the gulf side down.

Took about a day to acclimate to the different driving rules in Mexico .. speed limit suggestions, topes(speed bumps), animals, military checkpoints etc..
I was searched about 4 times, 1 time throughly. All military personnel I encountered were very friendly and professional. I didn't get out to take pics, didn't want to aggravate anyone lol.

First stop San Felipe, not much time spent here. Some lunch on the Malecon and on my way.

Donkeys.

Horses.

And goats along the road.

From there made it to Santa Rosalia where I spent the night. Hotel had no running hot water, but that was resolved fairly quickly by the staff.

Along the way I was very eager to get off-road down some trails, didn't get very far in, but still had fun exploring a few.
The views were spectacular and the cactus as large as I have ever seen. Since the region had gotten a lot of rain, everything was very green and super lush. I would liken it to a desert jungle. Really gorgeous.

Checked out the town of Mulege.

Had lunch in Loreto and did my first stint of driving on the beach here. While doing so I met a fisherman who needed help loading his boat onto the trailer from the beach. So a few of us gathered and got it up after some struggle. The laughs and beers we shared after was worth it. Sadly I didn't take a photo

From there I continued down to La Paz. I found an off road trail that quite a few cars and trucks were going down. One of the guys told me it wasn't a long ride to the pacific side along the trail. I managed to make it half way, before deciding to turn around due to time constraint.

You can see the Pacific Ocean in the far distance.

Continuing on the main paved road I ran into an Off-road race and my first bronco sighting. I would run into a total of 4 4-doors and 1 2 door. I had to pull in and stop! It was a 250 kilometer race from La Paz to this spot along the highway. Hung out here and chatted with the teams. Really a nice surprise to find along the way.

In La Paz, I had set aside about a day to hang out and sample the local dishes.

Malecon at night in La Paz.

But not before a little early morning off-roading

Here I'm sitting with the chef (on the right side) discussing the dishes and local flair. They recommend I check out the Balandra (a beautify bay/beach)

I got there a bit late and it was closing but I managed to go to the beach near by called Tecolote. Water temp was absolutely perfect.

At this beach I met some really interesting people, an ecologist, a local Fishermans guild rep and someone who I'm sure was a local "jefe". It was made clearly evident to me when he pulled a 9 and let off a shot. Nice man, he did offer to buy the bronco several times. I nervously declined.

The next morning I made my way down to Cabo San Lucas, at first on paved roads then via a dirt road route along the coast. I saw a lot of construction of coastal homes.

Lunch - Love the local food.

After the dirt section, I ran into a bronco from Wyoming. We didn't get to say hi, but I got very excited. LOL.

In Cabo I did all the tourist things with my friends and celebrated their birthday and anniversary. Not my bag but nothing beats being with your friends on vacation.

After about 4 days in Cabo I made my way back up towards Los Angeles. Only this time I would take the Tijuana route.

Spend the night in Guerrero Negro

Along the route I stopped in at Ejido Valle Tranquilo, here I got hustled by a local drunk fisherman who said where I was I wasn't supposed to be, even though it was a public area. Some pesos got me moving again.

Beach driving in Santa Maria.

I had lunch in Ensenada and then made my way to Tijuana.

Border crossing took about 3 hours.

Late night taste of being back home.

Next Baja trip will def be with an off-roading group. I missed out on a lot of trails due to time and not wanting to head out solo in Baja.

If a group is headed down, keep me posted. Would love to attend.

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[fordbroncowildtrak2023]

Very cool. Was the 5 (gulf side) paved the whole way? We drove down a few years ago and had to offroad about 30 crazy miles, in the rain, and we weren't in an offroad vehicle at the time.

 

[KT_bronco]

Very cool. Was the 5 (gulf side) paved the whole way? We drove down a few years ago and had to offroad about 30 crazy miles, in the rain, and we weren't in an offroad vehicle at the time.

It was, there would be small sections that were being worked on, but only about .5 miles to a mile on dirt here and there. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the roads, well paved and fairly smooth.

 

[BostonSasquatch]

"If a group is headed down, keep me posted. Would love to attend."

I'd love to, too, but those cartels scare me--so count me out. I'd hate to think my Bronco is on a Panamanian freighter headed for the Persian Gulf.
Especially as a local gangster flashes a 9mm and pops off a round? I wouldn't even go to Big Bend NP!

 

[KT_bronco]

"If a group is headed down, keep me posted. Would love to attend."

I'd love to, too, but those cartels scare me--so count me out. I'd hate to think my Bronco is on a Panamanian freighter headed for the Persian Gulf.
Especially as a local gangster flashes a 9mm and pops off a round? I wouldn't even go to Big Bend NP!

lol yeah that part was a bit sketch. It's def a story to share over beers and camp fire.

Big Bend is def a must, I wouldn't worry about security there.

 

[Baja Bronco]

Check out EXO - Exhibition Off Road. They have great trips. Bronco and Raptor. Just came back from a quick 4 day Baja trip west side with Broncos. They have videos you can watch. Going down to Cabo next month, off roading all the way down with Raptors. There was a April trip, but it sold out all ready. There’s one up for September (next year).

Don’t worry about the cartels. They don’t bother you. As the saying goes, you look for trouble, you’ll find it. Off roading in Baja is a lot of fun, should be experienced.

 

[Luckylat]

Love Mexico, love the people, and the off-roading. I was fortunate to be included pre-running the Baja 500 & 1000 as well as the San Felipe 250. Met so many great people and have many fond memories of all of the different locations and great food. Thank you for sharing! You clearly had a great time and should go again with a group of other off road enthusiasts.

 

[orveezy]

Amazing trip, nice to see so much more large cactus!

 

[Rkeally]

Took a 10 day trip in the Bronco down though Baja and it was amazing. Did about 100 off road miles with a buddy in a 4Runner. Noteworthy trails were the 4x4 trail from Bajia De Los Angeles up to Misión San Francisco de Borja, ending in El Rosarito (highly recommend to stop and view the Misión with the caretaker José Angel. Driving on the beaches at San Juanico (scorpion bay), camping at Punta Conejo with rattlesnakes and coyotes (looks like you actually got close to this area) and off-roading from San Juanico to San Ignacio (60 miles), near the salt flats. You definitely need another vehicle though, I wouldn’t do any of the long distance trails without a partner. I want to go back !!

 

[KT_bronco]

Check out EXO - Exhibition Off Road. They have great trips. Bronco and Raptor. Just came back from a quick 4 day Baja trip west side with Broncos. They have videos you can watch. Going down to Cabo next month, off roading all the way down with Raptors. There was a April trip, but it sold out all ready. There’s one up for September (next year).

Don’t worry about the cartels. They don’t bother you. As the saying goes, you look for trouble, you’ll find it. Off roading in Baja is a lot of fun, should be experienced.

Appreciate the suggestions. I'll be on the lookout for those.

 

[KT_bronco]

Amazing trip, nice to see so much more large cactus!

Absolute giants, I was very impressed. lol

 

[userdude]

"If a group is headed down, keep me posted. Would love to attend."

I'd love to, too, but those cartels scare me--so count me out. I'd hate to think my Bronco is on a Panamanian freighter headed for the Persian Gulf.
Especially as a local gangster flashes a 9mm and pops off a round? I wouldn't even go to Big Bend NP!

lol yeah that part was a bit sketch. It's def a story to share over beers and camp fire.

Big Bend is def a must, I wouldn't worry about security there.

I was at Big Bend National Park in 2021, it's very safe and pretty cool. There's a trip the Central Texas Bronco Group is doing there right before New Years, btw.

 

[ManSquatch]

Great write up! I am planning a Baja trip around early June next year if you have any interest. A group of my friends and I are driving from DC to San Diego, then down the coast of Baja. We plan on doing a lot of beach camping so I don't think we have time to go to Baja Sur but plan to explore a lot of the norte. I might hit you up later anyways for some recommendations.

 

[KT_bronco]

Great write up! I am planning a Baja trip around early June next year if you have any interest. A group of my friends and I are driving from DC to San Diego, then down the coast of Baja. We plan on doing a lot of beach camping so I don't think we have time to go to Baja Sur but plan to explore a lot of the norte. I might hit you up later anyways for some recommendations.

Thank you. Absolutely keep me posted. I just got a tiny taste of what Baja has to offer in terms of off-road fun.

 

[Fonz54]

This latest trip came up when friends wanted to go to Cabo to celebrate a 10 year anniversary and a birthday. I figured I could celebrate the Red Bandit's 1 year anniversary too and use the journey to do some research for work as well. This was my first time in Baja California. It ended up being quite an adventure.

Flying was def an option, but I'm really glad I took the time to drive. Not too much off-roading on this trip, but I did manage to make it out to drive on some beaches and a few off road tracks. I had a schedule to meet the rest of the crew, so my ability to explore was limited.

Headed out solo on Saturday from LA through the Mexicali crossing. I would be taking the gulf side down.

Took about a day to acclimate to the different driving rules in Mexico .. speed limit suggestions, topes(speed bumps), animals, military checkpoints etc..
I was searched about 4 times, 1 time throughly. All military personnel I encountered were very friendly and professional. I didn't get out to take pics, didn't want to aggravate anyone lol.

First stop San Felipe, not much time spent here. Some lunch on the Malecon and on my way.

Donkeys.

Horses.

And goats along the road.

From there made it to Santa Rosalia where I spent the night. Hotel had no running hot water, but that was resolved fairly quickly by the staff.

Along the way I was very eager to get off-road down some trails, didn't get very far in, but still had fun exploring a few.
The views were spectacular and the cactus as large as I have ever seen. Since the region had gotten a lot of rain, everything was very green and super lush. I would liken it to a desert jungle. Really gorgeous.

Checked out the town of Mulege.

Had lunch in Loreto and did my first stint of driving on the beach here. While doing so I met a fisherman who needed help loading his boat onto the trailer from the beach. So a few of us gathered and got it up after some struggle. The laughs and beers we shared after was worth it. Sadly I didn't take a photo

From there I continued down to La Paz. I found an off road trail that quite a few cars and trucks were going down. One of the guys told me it wasn't a long ride to the pacific side along the trail. I managed to make it half way, before deciding to turn around due to time constraint.

You can see the Pacific Ocean in the far distance.

Continuing on the main paved road I ran into an Off-road race and my first bronco sighting. I would run into a total of 4 4-doors and 1 2 door. I had to pull in and stop! It was a 250 kilometer race from La Paz to this spot along the highway. Hung out here and chatted with the teams. Really a nice surprise to find along the way.

In La Paz, I had set aside about a day to hang out and sample the local dishes.

Malecon at night in La Paz.

But not before a little early morning off-roading

Here I'm sitting with the chef (on the right side) discussing the dishes and local flair. They recommend I check out the Balandra (a beautify bay/beach)

I got there a bit late and it was closing but I managed to go to the beach near by called Tecolote. Water temp was absolutely perfect.

At this beach I met some really interesting people, an ecologist, a local Fishermans guild rep and someone who I'm sure was a local "jefe". It was made clearly evident to me when he pulled a 9 and let off a shot. Nice man, he did offer to buy the bronco several times. I nervously declined.

The next morning I made my way down to Cabo San Lucas, at first on paved roads then via a dirt road route along the coast. I saw a lot of construction of coastal homes.

Lunch - Love the local food.

After the dirt section, I ran into a bronco from Wyoming. We didn't get to say hi, but I got very excited. LOL.

In Cabo I did all the tourist things with my friends and celebrated their birthday and anniversary. Not my bag but nothing beats being with your friends on vacation.

After about 4 days in Cabo I made my way back up towards Los Angeles. Only this time I would take the Tijuana route.

Spend the night in Guerrero Negro

Along the route I stopped in at Ejido Valle Tranquilo, here I got hustled by a local drunk fisherman who said where I was I wasn't supposed to be, even though it was a public area. Some pesos got me moving again.

Beach driving in Santa Maria.

I had lunch in Ensenada and then made my way to Tijuana.

Border crossing took about 3 hours.

Late night taste of being back home.

Next Baja trip will def be with an off-roading group. I missed out on a lot of trails due to time and not wanting to head out solo in Baja.

If a group is headed down, keep me posted. Would love to attend.

Just made me think of this and also about "The Shawshank Redemption", Zihuatanejo.

Great pictures thanks for sharing.

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