Lonely Planet

ON THE ROADHOW TO GET THEREAeroméxico has services to bothTijuana and La Paz via Mexico City(from £535; aeromexico.com). Youcan also fly to either destination withKLM, although it’s more expensiveand involves another stop inAmsterdam. British travellers don’tneed a visa to visit Mexico, but youwill need to fill in a landing form.You’ll then be given a tourist cardwhich you must keep until you leavethe country. There is no charge for thetourist card but it costs £13 to replace.HOW TO GET AROUNDPublic transport is very limited withinBaja California and the best way toaccess remote areas is to rent a car(from £105 for a week; europcar.com).There are Pemex petrol stations inmost towns, but long stretches ofroad without them so it’s wise torefuel whenever possible. Whendriving in Baja you’ll encountervarious military checkpoints, whereyou may be asked to display yourpassport and tourist card.HOW LONG TO SPENDThis itinerary could be completedin as little as two weeks, however,a longer trip would allow more timeto break up the lengthy stretches ofdriving required to travel from the topof the peninsula right down to the tip.More time would be needed if youdecide to spend a couple of daysstaying on Espíritu Santo islandas well as in La Paz.WHAT TO BUDGETPetrol costs are low throughout BajaCalifornia (from around 70p per litre),particularly once you’re south ofEnsenada. Dining out can be donevery cheaply, with roadside tacosand burritos available for around £1each. Accommodation is the mostexpensive and variable factor, rangingfrom £20 per night for budgetaccommodation up to over £400per night for first-rate hotels andpicturesque glamping locations.WHEN TO GOWinter is an excellent time to visitBaja California as it means avoidingthe summer heat and providesopportunities to see grey whales, whoreturn to the Sea of Cortez each yearto give birth. The whales begin arrivingin November, and can usually bespotted until March. The average dailytemperature hovers around 30°Cfrom June to November, but can dropto 21°C in February before reachinghighs of 37°C in May.``````WHO CAN HELPThere are numerous wine tourcompanies that can assist with tripsaround the Valle de Guadalupe,including Baja Vino Tours, Baja WineTours and Baja Winery Tours. BajaDiving Adventures can provide scubaequipment for both guided andprivate tours (from £700 for twotanks; bajadivingadventures.com).Journey Latin America has a rangeof self-guided tours around thepeninsula, with an emphasis on activeholidays and whale-watching (11days from £1,899 per person;journeylatinamerica.co.uk).``````HOW TO PLANPick up our Mexico guide(£18.99) fordetailed information on travellingaround the whole country.Alternatively, individual chapters,including the one relating to BajaCalifornia, can be downloaded atlonelyplanet.com (£2.99). Find moreinformation and listings for the regionat discoverbajacalifornia.com.BAJA CALIFORNIAOctober 2017 Lonely Planet Traveller 45``````EatBaja-style seafood. With the PacificOcean and Sea of Cortez on eitherside, it’s no wonder this is a land ofexquisite seafood. La Guerrerensefood truck in Ensenada serves agreat variety of fishy tostadas(pictured); ingredients include seaurchin and pismo clam.``````ReadJohn Steinbeck’s TheLog from the Sea ofCortez, his account ofa marine expeditionwith his friend, thebiologist Ed Ricketts.It is both a real-lifeadventure story andan introduction tothe aquatic diversityof Baja’s coastline.``````WatchDust To Glory, a documentary aboutthe infamous Baja 1000, an annualoff-road race in which variousmotorcycles, buggies and truckscompete to drive from Ensenada to LaPaz. Steve McQueen and Paul Newmanboth competed over the years.``````Listen toCorrido Norteño, whichtranslates as ‘northernballad’, is the traditional folkmusic of the region. One ofthe best-known groupsperforming it is LosTucanes de Tijuana, whichhas been going strongfor 30 years, led bysinger Mario QuinteroLara (pictured).``````DrinkMargarita. The cocktail isthought to have beeninvented at Hussong’s Cantinain Ensenada in 1941 whenbartender Don Carlos Orozcomade one for Margarita Henkel,daughter of the Germanambassador to Mexico.Hussong’s, the oldest cantina inthe state, is pleasingly authentic.GREAT ESCAPE