Changeable Baja presents two faces to visitors. One is the stark beauty of a rugged terrain with arroyos and barrancas crowned by cactus forests and brilliant desert flowers and punctuated by towering peaks mantled in pines. The other face is a vast winter playground for vacationers who appreciate miles of isolated beaches, fish rich seas, and palm shaded resorts that dot the peninsula's eastern side and southern tip.
The 1,061 mile Transpeninsular Highway (Mexico 1) extending from the U.S. border to the southern tip at Cabo San Lucas of baja california(poetically named "Land's End"). It is true that most of Baja was once the preserve of private pilots and auto adventurers with all terrain vehicles, the paved highway has made the whole peninsula a motor route complete with a string of government financed hotels, and with campgrounds in such startling locations as the Vizcaino Desert.
Baja offers no ancient cathedrals, large marketplaces, or brassy night life beyond the border. Tijuana and Mexicali both border towns are its largest cities. Only Ensenada and La Paz qualify as small towns; other spots are little more than villages.
But beyond the main highway lies a land of antiquity, of pastel deserts and startling green oases, of deep blue waters and crashing surf, and of supreme peace and quiet.
A peek into the past
Conquerors, colonizers, and developers have found Baja California's rugged terrain inhospitable in the extreme. Even today, a good portion of the peninsula remains uncultivated, unmined, virtually uninhabited, and almost unexplored.
Since its discovery (when it was thought to be an island), Baja has changed little. Most of Mexican territory was rapidly explored, subjugated, and mapped by the Spaniards, but the peninsula continued to be an enigma until the end of the 17th century.
Hernando Cortez sent the first exploratory expedition to Baja in 1532, and he stayed there himself in 1535 after hearing tales about great pearlfishing grounds. No permanent settlement resulted from his efforts, though in 1539 his last envoy, Captain Francisco de Ulloa, was the first to sail along both the Pacific Coast and the body of water he named after his benefactor the Sea of Cortez.
Pirates and buccaneers Sir Francis Drake among them made it necessary for the Spanish to occupy Baja, establish defenses, and locate a safe port for galleons en route from the Philippines. It was then that the Bay of La Paz (Peace) received its name.
In 1697 a Jesuit missionary, Padre Juan Maria Salvatierra, landed on the coast of Baja to establish a chain of 17 missions. Along with his followers he brought fruit trees, dates, and vegetables that remain today as reminders of the settlers' perseverance and toil. Dominicans and Franciscans helped in the actual construction of the stone edifices (San Ignacio, rebuilt in 1786; Santa Gertrudis, built in 1796; and San Borja, built in 1801).
How to get there. Millions of people cross the border into Baja for a day or so of shopping or sports. Until recently only the most adventurous attempted to trek down the wild peninsula Now you can do it in your car.
Many travelers don't realize there are alternate ways to visit Baja that let you enjoy the peninsula without the time and energy commitment of driving your own car or camper.
By air. Scheduled airlines serve major Gulf Coast settlements as far south as San Jose del Cabo, and cover the resorts of the Cape country. Almost every resort has its own landing strip for private planes.
By boat. Good harbors are open for private boats, and modern car ferries crisscross the Gulf between Santa Rosalia and Guaymas, between La Paz and the mainland ports of Mazatlan and Topolobampo, and between Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. You can make reservations with your travel agent in advance. Confirm reservations as soon as you arrive in town . You'll need a car permit from customs to take your vehicle to the mainland, so get it first. Arrive at the ferry terminal early on the morning of your departure date to make arrangements.
By tour. Most bus or jeep trips cover only northern Baja. Baja Adventures, Los Angeles, has a combination air and bus tour of the entire peninsula.
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After 400 years of exploration and settlement, these fortress like stone missions are the only marks of civilization that look at all permanent. Probably nowhere else in the habitable world is there so much land without roads and railroads, or so much shoreline without ports and power lines.
Throughout its history, Baja has been shunned by civilization. Baja's Indians were the poorest and most despised, and its deserts the most feared of all in Mexico. In 1847 the United States forces that conquered Alta California had an equally secure grip on Baja California, but they let it go; nobody considered Baja worth keeping.
Getting around. If you fly in to a large town or resort strip you can expect to be picked up by hotel vehicle or taxi. Car rentals are available in most border towns, La Paz, and Cabo San Lucas. There's also bus service from La Paz to the Cape.
Accommodations. Attractive government owned El Presidente hotels and paradores (deluxe facilities for highway travelers including superPemex gas, cafes, and campgrounds) stretch up and down the highway.Number of hotel rooms are available at reasonable rental.
A comprehensive travel service started to provide Baja pilots with air charts and resort reservations has recently added services for other travelers, too.
Weather . Visiting Baja's high northern mountains is best in late spring, summer, and early fall. From La Paz to the tip of the peninsula it is always warm and sunny hot during the summer. Winter and spring are ideal for traveling; fall is pleasant but sometimes subject to chubascos (rain wind storms).
Baja California Map
