Baja California

Baja California state is the northern half of the Baja California peninsula. Known for beaches and the rowdy border city of Tijuana---the world's busiest border crossing. The state capital is Mexicali.

Cities

• 1 Mexicali — the state capital is a popular destination for day-trippers from California, just across the border
• 2 Camalu — a beach town between Colonet and El Rosario, about 2 hours south of Ensenada
• 3 Cataviña — nearby are some cave paintings and a field of giant rocks, mixed with desert vegetation
• 4 Ensenada — "the Beautiful Cinderella of the Pacific" is an important commercial, fishing port, and cruise ship port
• 5 Puerto Nuevo — "Lobster Capital of Baja"
• 6 Rosarito Beach — beautiful coastline, sandy beaches, cliffs, a beautiful climate
• 7 San Felipe — a resort destination with a dramatic tide: the sea recedes by up to 2 km
• 8 Tecate — a border city best known for Tecate beer
• 9 Tijuana — largest city in Baja California and gateway to Mexico, just south across the border from San Diego

Other destinations

• 1 Bahía de los Ángeles — this sport-fishing hot spot provides access to the many islands of this part of the northern Gulf of California
• 2 Canyon de Guadalupe — Hot spring oasis out in the wilderness
• 3 Guadalupe Island — a remote island that is a destination for diving excursions to see Great White Sharks
• 4 Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley) — Mexico's top wine country
• 5 Constitution 1857 National Park — Remote park with a highland lake set in a pine forest
• 6 San Lorenzo Marine Archipelago National Park — Remote marine environment with five islands in the Sea of Cortez
• 7 San Quintin National Park — Remote coastal beach area on San Quintin Bay
• 8 Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park — Rugged mountain park, home of bighorn sheep and condors

Understand

Surf's up in Baja California

Geography

Baja California encompasses a territory which exhibits diverse geography for a relatively small area. The Peninsular ranges of the California cordillera run down the geographic center of the state. The most notable ranges of these mountains are the Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir. These ranges are the location of forests reminiscent of Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains. Picacho del Diablo is the highest peak in the whole peninsula. Valleys between the mountain ranges are located within a climate zone that are suitable for agriculture. Such valleys included the Valle de Guadalupe and the Valle de Ojos Negros, areas that produce citrus fruits and grapes. The mineral-rich mountain range extends southwards to the Gulf of California, where the western slope becomes wider, forming the Llanos del Berrendo in the border with Baja California Sur. The mountain ranges located in the center and southern part of the state include the Sierra de La Asamblea, Sierra de Calamajué, Sierra de San Luis and the Sierra de San Borja.

To the east, the Sonoran Desert enters the state from both California and Sonora. Some of the highest temperatures in Mexico are recorded in or nearby the Mexicali Valley. However, with irrigation from the Colorado River, this area has become truly an agricultural center. The Cerro Prieto geothermal province is near Mexicali as well (this area is geologically part of a large pull apart basin); producing about 80% of the electricity consumed in the state and enough more to export to California. Laguna Salada, a saline lake below sea level lying between the rugged Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de los Cucapah, is also in the vicinity of Mexicali. The highest mountain in the Sierra de los Cucapah is the Cerro del Centinela or Mount Signal. The Cucapah are the primary indigenous people of that area and up into the Yuma, Arizona area.

There are numerous islands on the Pacific shore. Guadalupe Island is located in the extreme west of the state's boundaries and is the site of large colonies of sea lions. Cedros Island exists in the southwest of the state's maritime region. The Todos Santos Islands and Coronado Islandsare located off the coast of Ensenada and Tijuana respectively. All of the islands in the Gulf of California, on the Baja California side, belong to the municipality of Mexicali.

Climate

Baja California's climate varies from Mediterranean to arid. The Mediterranean climate is observed in the northwestern corner of the state where the summers are dry and mild and the winters cool and rainy. This climate is observed in areas from Tijuana to San Quintin and nearby interior valleys. The cold oceanic California Current often creates a low-level marine fog near the coast. The fog occurs along any part of the Pacific Coast of the state.

Temperate winds from the Pacific Ocean and the cold California Current make the climate along the northwestern coast pleasant year-round. As a result of the state's location on the California current, rains from the north barely reach the peninsula, thus leaving southern areas drier.

The change of altitude towards the Sierra de Baja California creates an alpine climate in this region. Summers are cool while winters can be cold with below freezing temperatures at night. It is common to see snow in the Sierra de Juarez and Sierra de San Pedro Martir (and in the valleys in between) from December to April. Due to orographic effects, precipitation is much higher in the mountains of northern Baja California than on the western coastal plain or eastern desert plain. Pine, cedar and fir forests are found in the mountains.

The east side of the mountains produce a rain shadow, creating an extremely arid environment. The Sonoran Desert region of Baja California experiences hot summers and nearly frostless mild winters. The Mexicali Valley (which is below sea level), experiences the highest temperatures in Mexico, that frequently surpass 47 °C (116.6 °F) in mid-summer, and have exceeded 50 °C (122 °F) on some occasions.

Get in

There are several border crossings in the north with the state of California. Most of these are the continuations of U.S. Interstate Highways, such as the Interstate 5 (I-5).

By plane

• 1 General Abelardo L. Rodríguez Airport ((TIJ ^IATA) Tijuana International Airport). Non-stop air service is available from all regions of Mexico including flights from San Jose del Cabo, La Paz and Loreto Bay in the Baja California Peninsula.  

Alternatively, you can fly to San Diego (SAN ^IATA) and take a taxi or bus to the I-5 (San Ysidro) border crossing.

Get around

By car

• & Mexican Federal Highways 1 & 1D are the main north-south highways in Baja California.

Kilometer markers track the distance along Fed 1 through Baja California in four separate improved segments The first of these is the 109-km (68 mi) length from Tijuana to Ensenada, which is known informally as Mex 1 Libre to distinguish it from Fed 1D, the parallel toll road. The second portion of signed road runs 196 km (122 mi) from Ensenada to San Quintín. The third segment comprises 128 km (80 mi) from San Quintín to the Parador Punta Prieta junction. A final segment stretches 128 km (80 mi) from Punta Prieta to the border of the state of Baja California Sur near Guerrero Negro. The total route of Fed 1 in Baja California is 713 km (443 mi). Mexican Federal Highway (Hwy) 1D is a 4 lane highway ('freeway-like') serving as the main toll highway between Tijuana and Ensenada while Hwy 1 straddles along side serving as a 'libre' road with access to multiple local side streets.

• Mexican Federal Highway 5 begins in the border city of Mexicali at the western border crossing. It has four lanes from there for about km 80. At this point it becomes a two-lane highway (with little or no shoulder in most areas) until km 160, about 18 km (11 mi) south of the junction with Mexico Federal Highway 3, and about 40 km (24 mi) north of San Felipe. From there, the highway is a broad, divided, four-lane highway with a median and ample shoulders, until it ends in San Felipe.

• from Mexican Federal Highway 2 serves as the main east-west road along the US/Mexican border from the Mexican side. It connects Tijuana to Hwy 15 in Santa Ana, Sonora (110 km south of the border in Nogales) through Tecate, Mexicali, San Luis Rio Colorado and Sonoyta.

• Mexican Federal Highway 3 from Tecate to Ensenada is the main route through Mexico's wine country of the Guadalupe Valley, it is also an important alternate route from the US/Mexican border, connecting to Mexican federal highway 1 to points south of Ensenada.

By bus

The main bus companies connecting the towns and cities along the Transpeninsular Highway (MX Hwy 1/1D) between Tijuana and San José del Cabo are:

• Autotransportes de Baja California (ABC). 
• Autotransportes Aguila. 

In addition to the above the following offer east-west service between Tijuana, Mexicali, San Luis Rio Colorado and points in between on Hwy 2 in Mexico and between San Diego, Calexico and Yuma along I-8 in the United States:

• Grupo Estrella Blanca, ☏ 0800-507-5500 (domestic). Connects Mexico City Terminal Norte to Tijuana via Guadalajara, Tepic, Mazatlan, Cualican, Hermosillo, Mexicali and points between along Hwy 2 and 15. They operate the Elite, TNS (Transportes Norte de Sonora); Chihuahuanese, Pacifico, TF (Transportes Frontera); and the Estrella Blanca brands. They have a partnership with Greyhound Lines for onward travel to the U.S. and vice versa. (updated Jun 2022)
• ETN Turistar, ☏ 0800-8000-386 (domestic). Connects Tijuana and Mexicali to the Mexican mainland on Deluxe Class for 20% more than 'first class' service 
• Greyhound Lines & Cruceros USA. Connects San Diego to Yuma via Calexico on the U.S. side and from San Diego into Tijuana. 
• Tufesa, ☏ +52 644 4102444. Connects Tijuana and Mexicali to multiple locations in Jaliscos, Nayarit, Sinaloa and Sonora in the Mexican mainland and to Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the U.S. Click here for their U.S. operations 

See and do

• 1 Cerro Picacho del Diablo. This is one of many high peaks in Baja California. Mountains in the region are much like the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. (updated Jan 2018)

Eat

See Mexican cuisine.

Drink

While Mexico is not usually seen as a wine-drinking country, wine-making has been increasing both in quality and in quantity since the 1980s, and the Baja California area produces 90% of Mexico’s wine.

The “Ruta del Vino” (Wine Route) connects the wine producing areas of the municipality of Ensenada, such as the Valley of Guadalupe, the Valley of Llano Colorado, Valley of Santo Tomás and the Valley of San Vicente with the port city of Ensenada and the border cities of Tijuana and Tecate. The Route connects over fifty wineries, along with upscale restaurants, hotels, museums and other attractions of this part of Baja California state. The route is marked by “Ruta del Vino” signs on the roads and highways to promote the area for enotourism, especially from the U.S. border.

Another major tourism draw is the Fiesta de la Vendimia (Vintage Festival), which takes place in Ensenada and the Valley of Guadalupe every year in August. The festivals include wine tasting and contests, winery tours, fishing tournaments, cook-offs, gourmet food and concerts. These events are sponsored and/or organized by the area’s wineries. Since the event occurs in the summer, afternoon temperatures can hover around 38 °C (100 °F). Some of the events include “Noche de Cofradia en Ensenada”, which features wine and food tasting from about thirty wineries and restaurants, matching local wines with local culinary specialties.

Stay safe

Baja California is generally safe for tourists, but drug cartels are present, particularly in the border area near Tijuana, and theft and petty crime is always a risk, particularly in crowded areas. South of the U.S. border region, tourist areas like Ensenada and the wine growing areas of the Guadalupe Valley are extremely safe.

Go next

• Baja California Sur
• El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
• California