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

[BostonSasquatch]

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.

Strength in numbers.

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[Canyon Coolers]

I would also suggest the idea of going with Expedition Offroad. Just signed up for my second trip with them. I got on the first one by just getting on the waitlist for a sold out event of theirs.

https://www.expeditionxoffroad.com/

 

[mackoy21]

Great pictures, i live in San Diego and used to live in cabo san lucas for couple years so i know the road trip is well worth it. If you guys ever plan something im down in my bronco to. Fluent spanish/english so we good there !

 

[murphtron]

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.

Damn I was planning to book that April 2024 trip. They just posted it!! Argh.

 

[murphtron]

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

hey @KT_bronco aside from ExpeditionXOffroad there’s another group that does slower paced trips. Well some are fast-ish, but a different league than the ExO stuff. It’s Camp4Lo. I’ve done two trips with them.The requirements are far less than ExoO, and so is the cost. There’s still plenty of off-roading but not as much mileage and not as much speed.

I do plan to do a ExO trip next year. Just gotta invest a bit more in the rig

 

[KT_bronco]

hey @KT_bronco aside from ExpeditionXOffroad there’s another group that does slower paced trips. Well some are fast-ish, but a different league than the ExO stuff. It’s Camp4Lo. I’ve done two trips with them.The requirements are far less than ExoO, and so is the cost. There’s still plenty of off-roading but not as much mileage and not as much speed.

I do plan to do a ExO trip next year. Just gotta invest a bit more in the rig

Appreciate the tip, I'm def on the slower side when off-road. I'll check out camp4lo.

 

[Barlos]

My wife and so recently took a trip to Rocky point Sonora and we loved it. Next trip will be Loreto but I want to get a few things I need like a compressor and basic off road gear.
can’t wait

 

[Baja Bronco]

Damn I was planning to book that April 2024 trip. They just posted it!! Argh.

LOL, they sell out quick. There’s a 4 day trip in September that’s still open. I haven’t signed up yet, but I’m going.

 

[Wiser Bronco]

Great post amazing place. Ill definitely be down to go! When is the next trip?

 

[KT_bronco]

Great post amazing place. Ill definitely be down to go! When is the next trip?

Thanks! I was just thinking the same thing, when can I go again?

 

[rws]

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.

amazing adventure!!

 

[ManSquatch]

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

If you are still interested, we are going to cross the border around June 2nd and spend some time near San Felipe and possibly the pacific side heading back to San Diego on the 6th.

 

[KT_bronco]

If you are still interested, we are going to cross the border around June 2nd and spend some time near San Felipe and possibly the pacific side heading back to San Diego on the 6th.

Appreciate the heads up, looks like a packed week for me. Have fun and looking forward to the pics on here. Cheers.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

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.

Wow this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. These pictures are beautiful!

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