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From Baja California Sur to Yucatan [part 2] – Crossing the Sonora desert

This is part two of Jeanette and my 2023 journey through Mexico on our motorbikes. Click here to read part one where we ride from La Paz in Baja California Sur to Ensenada in Baja California.

In 2023 Jeanette and I make another large journey through Mexico. This time we’re headed from La Paz in Baja California Sur to the Yucatan area. We try to ride as few toll roads as possible and try to avoid western tourism where that makes sense.

I’ve planned a route over the last few months. And on April 24th we left La Paz with all our belongings and started our big adventure. We hope to get a good look at Mexico post-chinese flu.

From Ensenada to Puerto Penasco

In this part of our adventure we head east, through the northern parts of Mexico. It consists of only 3 segments. For the first segment we planned to ride from Ensenada in Baja California to Puerto Penasco in Sonora.
I had prepared a route via Tecate, on the USA border, to Mexicali and then crossing the Rio Colorado river delta into the Sonora desert.

We left Ensenada in the morning under a cloud cover facing stiff winds. The forecast predicted the wind should stop once we crossed the mountains near Mexicali. Looking forward to that we went on our way wearing long pants, jackets and 3 layers of clothing.
After a mostly uneventful ride of casual rain and relentless wind from every direction we finally crossed a mountainous area near Rumorosa and *poof* sunshine and no more winds! Woohoo!

There were some road repairs in the mountains and a semi-truck got stuck in a bend in the road so we took some pics while we waited for traffic to clear.

After a quick break and a hotdog at a truckstop near Mexicali we drove through the Rio Colorado river delta and headed into the Sonora desert. In a small farmers town we were warned by the locals not to loiter around as some guys on a black motorbike were trying to rob other motorists. We were lucky and didn’t encounter any trouble.

Because todays distance was 500+ kilometers this is the bit where I wanted to drive faster to make up some time and reach Puerto Penasco before nightfall. Speeding along highway 3 we quickly left civilization behind and into the desert were I crashed straight into this massive hole in the road.

Jeanette was behind me and could barely avoid it but I boinked through the hole going about 100km/h (~60 mph). Miraculously I came out fine at the other end but my wheel didn’t survive. A big dent on the right side, smaller one on the left and the tire didn’t hold air anymore.

After gathering my wits for a few minutes and cursing Mexican roads, Mexico in general and everything in it we decided to head back to the last town, some 20 kilometers back. This of-course took ages with a bent rim and an almost flat tire. We did find a friendly mechanic who had no tools to actually do anything useful but he tried to bend the rim straight with a massive wrench. Despite his good intentions he didn’t have much luck.

His advise was to head to a bigger town further down the road;
“Which town?”
“The one with a traffic light in it.”
“Right, we saw a traffic light. How much further is that?”
“Oh, just 10 or so kilometers.”

Having little choice we limped there, which took a good 30 minutes. After looking around a bit we found ourselves in a similar situation. A car friendly mechanic with few tools. He did manage to make a weak seal with paper and oil so we could carefully drive to a better repair place… But as soon as we left his workshop the tire deflated again. So that was a wasted effort.

BMW roadside assistance is a joke

While the 2nd mechanic was working on trying to get the tire to hold air we called BMW roadside assistance and spend 2 excruciating hours on the phone with their incompetent callcenter only to realize that no help was coming. It took almost an hour before they understood our problem, who we were and that we definitely had a BMW motorcycle. We provided pointless details and endless explanations and wasted a lot of time before they to promised a tow truck that never came. We got promised a hotel in the wrong city. And they would send a local taxi that doesn’t exist and then the connection was lost, or they hung up on us. When we finally got them on the line again they basically cancelled all service because “They do not provide service for BMW”. Oh, right, of-course… What were we thinking calling the BMW service number?!

So with no hope of help arriving anytime soon we paid the mechanic for his time and drove 27 more kilometers on a flat tire in the dark along a rural highway to the first place that looked like a city. Google Maps said it had a motel so we could get some dinner, rest up and rescue ourselves.

It’s now over a week later (at the time of writing) and we’re still ‘waiting’ on that tow truck, a taxi and for them to call back. You know, because BMW cares for our safety and wellbeing…

Anyway, we made it to a hotel in Guadalupe Victoria at around 10 at night. Exhausted, frustrated and me wishing I could ride this damn bike of of a cliff and go do something fun again. I was convinced our trip would be over, or at least be delayed for several months while we waited for a new wheel and BMW to finally do something useful – Since they control the parts and repairs.

Fixing a bent rim in 3 easy steps

We found some helpful people in the motel who assured us it wasn’t a big deal and we’d be on our way the next day. I wasn’t so optimistic. But whatever… If everything got screwed up further I needed a new rim already anyway. Or so I thought.

Step 1 – get directions

The next day we decided not to bother with BMW roadside any longer and figure things out ourselves. We extended our hotel stay for a few more days and headed into town – Explore a bit, see what’s what and try and find some capable help. We spoke to a few cops that were posted near the hotel and asked where they’d service their bikes. Officially in Mexicali, far away, but they pointed us to a place near the local hospital. On our way there we spotted a Michelin tire service center with in it a well connected guy who pointed us to a rim repair shop and a mechanic. Aha!

Step 2 – Hiring scruffy dudes to make stuff happen

The rim repair shop turned out to be a welding shop and after showing him a picture of the rim his only request was to bring the bare rim and he seemed confident to be able to fix the thing. No biggie he said. Great!
A few minutes later at the mechanic shop we were assured they could help and they claimed to have tools to remove the wheel – Which was only half true, but they managed with ‘only’ minor damages to the rim to get it off the bike and remove the tire from it.

Then, after lunch, back in the welding shop the guy used a blowtorch, a mallet and a grinder to convince the wheel to be round again..

He spent about 45 minutes on it and afterwards we tightened up all the spokes and spun the wheel for a few minutes to eyeball its roundness and some minor adjustments and 300 pesos later I was on my way back to Michelin to ask if they could put the tire back on with their magic tire machine. As I didn’t trust the mechanic guys to handle it without causing more damage.

Step 3 – Putting things back together

Michelin kindly put the tire back on and inflated it. We checked if the air stayed in by dunking it in a bathtub full of water which it did. We then measured it to be 32psi and I could head back to the mechanic to reassemble the wheel onto the motorbike. They somehow managed and 500 more pesos and 20 minutes later I could ride my bike again.

All in a days work, for less than $100US I had multiple people work on my wheel and fix it sufficiently enough to ride again without noticeable difference. I think. Not too bad!

2 days left

Since we extended our hotel stay with a few days we spent those putting the stress behind us, curse BMW roadside a bit more and exploring this dusty town, city, whatever…
We found the people to be amazingly welcoming friendly. Especially when they found out we weren’t Americans and even more so when we tried to speak Spanish. Which was a very weird but welcome experience after all the stress and miserable experiences of the last few days.

We wandered around the small town center, tried some of the local restaurants and stumbled across a 2nd hand street market which was full of curious and friendly people as well. And finally we would attempt our Sonora desert crossing again the next day.

Finishing our ride to Puerto Penasco

We headed out again, riding at a slow pace this time so we could avoid the thousands of potholes. I managed to crash into the first one, but many more followed. Occasionally we followed in the slipstream of trucks swerving all over the lanes avoiding holes for many kilometers.
As soon as we crossed the Sonora state border the road got much better and we could speed things but considerably.
We made a brief stop for drinks and fuel in a small town called Golfo de Santa Clara.

And another stop for some photos at a large salt flat.

And overall we had a nice sunny ride to our destination. The first 100 kilometers or so was very intense for me as I didn’t trust the wheel. Every little bump and vibration was butt-clenching suspicious. But over the past week I rode about 1100 kilometers on it and it seems fine. I’ll probably replace the rim when I arrive in Yucatan.

Sometime in the afternoon we finally arrived in Puerto Penasco, 4 days later than planned, and quickly headed to a hotel and then the beach to enjoy the nice weather and sea view there.

If you recall, I mentioned the desert crossing consisted of 3 segments. I’ll talk about those other two in the next post where we continue our adventure to Hermosillo and Guaymas in Sonora.

From Baja California Sur to Yucatan [part 1] – Heading north

Loreto Mexico

In 2023 Jeanette and I make another large journey through Mexico. This time we’re headed from La Paz in Baja California Sur to the Yucatan area. We’re not sure exactly where we want to end up. As usual for us we try to ride as few toll roads as possible. And we try to avoid ‘regular’ tourism as much as possible.

I’ve been planning the route for the last few months. And on April 24th we left La Paz with all our belongings strapped to the bike and started our big adventure. We hope to get a good look at Mexico post-chinese flu. Our trip will be about 8800km (~5500 miles) long.

Jeanette rides her BMW G310GS and I’m on a BMW F850GSA. Both bikes have been modified a bit with pannier racks, sidecases and GPS phone mounts. Jeanette also has a 4 liter RotoPax fuel tank.

Loreto and San Javier

Loreto

Our first stop was Loreto. A silly little town full of American tourism. Our main reason for stopping there was to visit the tiny village of San Javier a little ways into the mountains. Loreto is nice for its restaurants and hotels but has otherwise very little to offer to us. We spent 2 days here, 1 day exploring the town center and the next day we went to San Javier.

En route to San Javier

San Javier

In San Javier the main attraction is the old mission church and what’s left of the garden/grounds behind it. Most of it is in ruins, but the main church building is fully preserved which was very nice to see.

Mulege

After Loreto we moved on to Mulege, another small town where we spend the night.
Mulege is a bit of an oasis town which has a small river and some trees which was a nice change from living in La Paz where most nature is arid desert most of the year.

Mulege River

Mulege also has a old mission church, which was closed. I was hoping their old Prison would be open, apparently there is a nice museum in there, but it was closed as well. So instead we explored the town and its surroundings for the afternoon and moved on the next day.

Mulege river dam

San Ignacio

San Ignacio is another oasis town, mostly known for its town square and preserved church, which has a small museum next to it. Some of the clergy quarters and such are preserved. The museum was open, and lucky for us, free of charge. We also found a small museum that had replica cave paintings found in the area. Which was nice to see as well.

Also here, we explored the town and tried the few restaurants and had a nice time here.

Guerrero Negro and the cold front

Unknown to us a cold front had snuck up on Baja California. Which presented itself to us on the way to our next stop – Guerrero Negro. First as clouds, but later a firm northern wind hit us head-on as well. Suddenly we went from sunny 25-35 celsius to 8-15 celsius temperatures and a thick cloud cover. We stayed in Guerrero Negro for 1 night mostly to split up the long ride to Ensenada. But it was the coldest night in weeks…

Cold in Guerrero Negro

We both kept adding layers of clothing to keep somewhat warm, but that only works for so long. So we felt a bit miserable in our summery clothes.

Clouds in Guerrero Negro

In Guerrero Negro we strolled around town a bit looking for a decent restaurant but not much was available. The ‘hotel’ was one of those places where you’d expect a cockroach in every corner, but actually was pretty good. Still, we felt we made a poor choice in hotel somehow. At least the shower was hot…

El Rosario de Ariba and Ensenada

The next day we headed out into the pervasive northern wind which was even colder than yesterday. Our next stop was El Rosario de Ariba, a small farmers village, again to break up the long ride to Ensenada. We found a nice hotel there with an attached restaurant which had great food, yay! This cheered us up from the freezing cold quite a bit. The hot showers also helped a lot.

And the next day we started our 3rd day into the strong winds for the final leg to Ensenada.
The ride to Ensenada was scenic at times, with ever greener mountains and long stretched valleys. But the endless wind sort of ruined our mood. The road was narrow and didn’t allow for much stops, so we kinda had to get a move on and we arrived in Ensenada in the afternoon.
Ensenada, the touristy bit anyway, seems to be a small-ish sleepy town. Until a cruise ship arrives. Then suddenly all shops open up. The actual Ensenada is of-course much bigger and a ton of people live here.

Also the weather cleared up a bit, which was nice. No more clouds, woohoo!
Ensenada

We explored the touristy bit first and the next day the ‘regular’ city center as well and found the excellent Casa de Cultura, a preserved hacienda style building with a large garden that apparently has been used as a casino, hotel, bar, disco and a bunch of other purposes over the years. According to the lore the Margarita drink was invented here.
Currently it’s a bit of a museum and has a small bar kind of setup in the courtyard. A nice place to sit and have a drink.

Ensenada Casa de Cultura

Onwards!

Soon we’ll head east into Sonora and onto the rest of our journey trough Mexico. Some 7000 kilometers to go. Hopefully in nicer weather than the last few days.

My drinking problem is solved!

Nelson Rigg Trails End bag

Today I received my Nelson Rigg Trails End mini roll bag to hold a bottle of water for longer rides. This comes in handy for the desert segments through Baja California next month. Or so I hope. But also in the future as a mini beach bag or something – You know, stick a beach towel or something in it for a beach day…

It straps right to the top of my Givi side-cases, but the straps let me put it anywhere where I have a bunch of attachment points really. My plan is to either strap to the case as pictured or tie it to my drybag that goes on my luggage rack.

It’ll fit my luggage rack and side rack as well. So that’s good.

Day trip to Leona Vicario from Cancun

jeanette-leona-vicario

It was my first ride outside the city of Cancun and off the highway into the Mexican countryside. Following the D180 National route to Leona Vicario, a sleepy little Puebla 45 minutes outside Cancun.

Leona Vicario is named after the wife of Independent figure Andres Quintana Roo. This little village had about 6500 inhabitants in 2010 and I doubt any more have been added over the years. Because it is away from the tourist area it was my first taste of Mexican life in the countryside. And I must say: I like what I see.

Little did I know when I took that trip that I would see so much more authentic Mexican villages, unspoiled by tourism. But this was a good start. If you ever plan on going there: Across the cemetery there is (or was when I was there) a burrito restaurant that has great food! And you can enjoy the mural of the cementario while eating.

I made a short video impression, walking through the town, and a visit to the tiny colorful cemetery.

Fixing my BMW F850GS Adventure once again

A few months ago I had a little accident where I crashed into the back of a car at a traffic light. Someone pulled out in front of me into my lane and when I swerved to avoid that I was of-course distracted with ‘saving myself’ and didn’t see a car already waiting for the red light.

Minor damage to me and the motorcycle. Last month or so the insurance finally paid for my damages and yesterday the new headlight I ordered finally arrived. Other than that I also need a new plastic cover for the front wheel and had a tiny dent in the rim fixed along with a loose spoke.

A dumb stupid accident at the end of a long day of driving.

Yesterday afternoon I replaced the headlight and today I finished up the protector that goes in front of it.

Riding a motorcycle in Mexico City for the first time

With the metropolis of Mexico City approaching quickly my worries also grew. I love riding a motorcycle but I prefer the more quiet roads, paved and the sun in my back. Mexico City appears to offer none of that. Looking at maps, I saw endless roads, flyovers, red markings for heavy traffic, and tons of road crossings and bypasses.

On top of all that I heard some pretty bad stories about riding a motorcycle in the Mexican capital. People told me I would be robbed while waiting for traffic lights and I would be pulled off my motorcycle.

Not the kind of stories I wanted to hear and that made me ride very stressed. I seriously considered taking down the GoPro and the GPS that day because they’re in plain sight. Me with my vivid imagination was totally worked up and nervous the night before.

Luckily for me the road towards the city was quite awesome. Arnan picked a twisting road through the mountains with lots of nature, forests and sunlight filtering through the trees. It was a good road too. You really had no idea that you were approaching one of the biggest cities in the world. Well, have a look for yourself.

After arriving safely at our hotel in the middle of Mexico City I realized that things weren’t as bad as people make it out to be.

In 2021 Arnan and I did a motorcycle trip through Mexico

Driving through Mexico City was but a small part of our large trip through Mexico.

  • More than 9500 kilometers (~6000 miles)
  • From Cancun to La Paz
  • Avoiding toll roads where possible
  • We drive through the heart of Mexico
  • from north to south
  • from the East coast to the West coast
  • from state to state
  • from Pueblo to Pueblo

You can download our routes from city to city Cancun to La Paz here. These routes include all the information you need for an amazing and hopefully safe road trip through Mexico in GPX files that you can import into most GPS systems.

Included with the routes you’ll get Points of Interest which include:

  • Gas stations
  • Lunch Stops
  • Hotels
  • Government checkpoints
  • Illegal checkpoints and caution zones we encountered
  • And for some segments; Road Conditions and warnings

The entire route is split up in segments which makes it easier to use the routes also for day trips.

Dealing with checkpoints and road blocks in Mexico

Checkpoints in Mexico

There are lots of stories going around about Mexican government checkpoints, not all of them are good. And many people experience checkpoints as the scary part of their motorcycle trip filled with uncertainties and risk.

Mexico has a lot of checkpoints. Especially in the Yucatan and Quintana Roo area and in border areas there are plenty of them. Commonly found at important intersections in rural areas, in front of rural police stations/compounds and on state/city or municipal borders. Sometimes a stop is required, but often times most traffic is waved trough. It’s common curtesy to slow down to a walking pace, even if a stop is not required, this helps officers on duty to see what you’re up to and do a quick visual inspection without having to stop you.

We use the iOverlander app a lot to scout routes and attractions and when you check their database you read the most outlandish stories of checkpoint experiences mostly jotted down by paranoid American citizens. During our motorcycle trip from Cancun to La Paz we waited in line on several occasions while a vehicle from the USA before us bursted out in panic and overly dramatic nonsense when a the checkpoint police officer ask simple questions about where they’re going or where they came from.

We all know the stories of illegal checkpoints and roadblocks, often operated by cartels stopping you or sometimes corrupt police officers. But during my trip I noticed something; Checkpoints aren’t half as scary as some of the overly-dramatic Americans make them out to be.

If you are uncertain about checkpoints during your motor ride through Mexico, just ignore the ‘reviews’ or stories. But also if you’re curious if there are any on your chosen route every route all routes available on MotoTravel have a points of interest file with the checkpoints and chokepoints we encountered on our travels. This will help you plan and prepare for such eventualities.

The federal government is working hard to eliminate corruption

This is a big focus point in the modern Mexican army and amongst the various police services, both municipal and state police. But also within the Guardia Nacional, who took over the Federal police a few years ago. Simply because the Federal Government wants every citizen and tourist in Mexico to feel more safe.

Do not make drama when you get stopped, these people are simply doing their job in most cases.

For the most part I have found them to be very polite, for safety purposes they document everything they do, either through a body camera or a colleague with a camera or phone, expect documents such as your drivers license or ID card to be photographed as well.
A few army checkpoints near the US border seemed a bit more strict and demanding with a hint of impatience for you to open bags and cases if they want to look inside though. Some of them were build-up like proper defendable positions with sand-bag barriers, walls and machine guns.
These look a bit scary and the realization of a gun barrel pointing at your from the fortifications is a bit weird.

Overall though, most of the inspections and checkpoints we’ve gone through were done professionally and without foul play.

And that is exactly why I write this post, to give balance to the idiocy that is going around on the internet over checkpoints in Mexico.

In my opinion, many of the stories floating around are fuss about nothing or outdated, or are just incidents. I suspect due to the skittish behavior of the passengers in the vehicle being stopped. The drama I have witnessed when US citizens get pulled over in a checkpoint is beyond belief. I do not envy the persons on duty that have to deal with these people.

I think I might have seen one cartel checkpoint but did not have to pass through them, but they did not look all that scary. Even though the dudes were heavily armed, they only seemed to stop trucks coming from the opposite direction as we were going to. We did encounter many illegal checkpoints, and at one point I used a car as a shield to pass through the checkpoint simply because I did not feel like stopping to pay a their illegal tolls.

We also passed a few Immigration Checkpoints. Most of the time I could just ride through without stopping at all. In another checkpoint I had to unpack my bags, and a few times I had my paperwork for the motorcycle checked.

One time it was a sanitization stop for covid-19 and I got sprayed down with something – probably a disinfectant. That was hilarious, I could hear Arnan through our helmet intercom talking to the guy like: “What is this stuff, why do you do this???” as no explanation was given. It made me laugh.

Other times such checkpoints are to counter things like birdflu. These have no interest in civilian traffic and only check trucks with livestock and food stuffs.

In the videos below you’ll see some checkpoints we passed through.

A large Immigration checkpoint near the Chiapas/Oaxaca border.

And a compilation of various other checkpoints throughout Mexico.

Are you planning on taking a Mexican Road trip?

Don’t let the bad stories deter you and start planning your adventure.
Please check out our tracks and routes in the MotoTravel webshop.

These routes and segments have been carefully prepared so everyone can use them. They include many Points of Interests including all checkpoints, official or otherwise, we’ve encountered as well as hotels, fuel stations and more.

Seeing a family member crash with the motorcycle

Motorcycle accidents

I think one of the most devastating things a mother can witness is seeing her child being involved in a motorcycle accident right before her eyes. That split second you see the body being thrown in the air, not knowing how it will end.

I have witnessed it twice during my motor-rider lifespan, which isn’t that long, probably 4 or 5 years. I ride a lot with my son Arnan, the owner of this website. And I have seen him crash into a Labrador-sized dog. That happened on the island of Siquijor in the Philippines.

That time he left a lot of skin on the asphalt. A scraped-up knee, leg, elbows, and hand. Scratches on his hip and more such wounds. And his motorbike, a Honda, a nearly total loss. It took forever to find parts to repair the damaged bike and it took even longer for my son’s body to heal. He still has scars today.

Recently I witnessed it again when an ignorant SUV driver cut him off, swerving into his lane to avoid a car in front and not paying attention to other road users. While he tried to avoid colliding with her car he crashed into the rear of a car in front of us. I was driving behind him but luckily could stop in time.

I saw him hit the car, being thrown over his windshield, slammed back on his gasoline tank, and being launched into the air before falling over and hitting the ground.

The woman in the car, kind of tried to ignore the whole thing although I urged her to get out of the car. Unfortunately refused to take any kind of responsibility or even say sorry and kind of waved me away like I was an annoying insect.

After we lifted the motorcycle, with help from the driver of the car my son hit, my son walked his bike to the side of the road, pure on adrenaline I guess. After the initial shock, he sat down on the pavement with that look in his eyes people have when after an accident. Probably the awe of what just happened, processing in shock. Feeling pain, disbelief, relief, and every emotion in between.

I called our insurance company which promptly put me on hold for over 10 minutes, I kid you not! After 10 minutes of listening to how important I am to my insurer, I called again and finally got to speak to a person.

It was the first time we had to deal with a foreign insurance company. But they handled it fine I think, although it took a long long time for everything to be processed. First, we had to wait for about 40 minutes for the accident investigator to arrive. Then the endless parade of forms, signatures, photos, describing damages, and more forms, and a few phone calls.

Imagine that you hit a car around 8 and by 11.30 you finally can leave the scene.

By daylight, while feeling sore and heavily bruised all over his body, he discovered more damage to his bike than we noticed in the bad streetlights of the Mexican night. So a few messages to the insurer to make sure they covered all the damage in the report they were expecting from the repair shop.

Before the accident, during the day, we had a weird ride anyhow. We decided to make a quick round through Cabo and on the way there we passed a flipped-over gasoline truck on the highway with a few guys around it flagging traffic to slow down. When we drove past there was a stench of fuel that was still pouring out of the cracked tanker wreck into the gutter. An hour later when we entered Cabo we saw emergency vehicles from the Civil Protection head the way we came and in the news, we heard they finally closed the highway for several hours.

In Cabo we had fun eating ice cream, watching a sea lion in the port of Cabo San Lucas, and exploring the marina a bit before finally driving home through the crazy busy rush hour traffic of San Jose del Cabo.

We left a bit late, but we figured that driving in the night wouldn’t be that bad for once. And headed through the mountains where we were caught up in a long line of slow traffic following a bus with a police escort because it had a flat tire on the narrow road there was no way for the bus to stop and no way for everyone to overtake the bus.

In villages and straight stretches, balzy drivers would overtake the line of slower vehicles and often push in at the last second nearly driving others from the road, this also happened to us a few times.

Riding a motorcycle in developing countries is always juggling with death. You need to have eyes everywhere as well as ears. I guess we have guardian angels that are on overtime since over the years, as new drivers, we do not have that much damage and accidents if you take into consideration the crazy traffic and situations we sometimes find ourselves in.

But this was a day I will not easily forget, some images will stay with me vividly for way too long, like my son’s body being thrown in the air.

Material damages from the accident total about $1500US and include; A broken headlight, crushed fender, bent crash bar, broken spokes, and a bunch of superficial damages to plastic covers and such.

Luckily we have insurance for all of it.

The best time to visit Baja California Sur on a motorbike

The best time to visit Baja California Sur

After we left Cancun in mid-2021 and drove across Mexico over the span of a few months, we ended up in the area of La Paz, Baja California Sur. And the cold weather caught us by surprise. It made us wonder what the best time in the year is to visit Baja California Sur.

Over the past year we have learned that the climate in Baja California Sur can vary from place to place due to the long stretches of desert and mountain ranges between areas. So, the weather in la Paz is not nearly the same as the weather in Los Cabos. And same goes for Loreto.

In general all these areas have cold winter nights and very little rain throughout the year as a common climate.

Temperatures between daytime and nighttime may vary around 20 degrees celcius. And some days, especially in early spring the wind can be cold. But with little to no rain during the biggest part of the year, Baja California Sur has an excellent climate for motorbike riders.

Spring in Baja California Sur starts in March

Spring definitely is the best time of year, although it is a relatively busy time when it comes to tourism. You will see motorbike riders and campervans everywhere. But with the long stretches of road between villages and cities traffic is usually very light and some miles you feel like you are the only one on the road. Temperature-wise, the period between March and the end of May is the most comfortable we think.

Temperatures easily go up to 100°F (38°C) when Spring progresses. There is no rain, And during Spring Break and Easter, this is the busiest time of the year on the peninsula. During Semana Santa, Mexicans and Americans will camp out on the beach for the entire weekend and you’ll find the urban areas mostly empty.

Whale season is at its peak. If you’re lucky you can see the whales play out in the Sea of Cortez while following the panoramic coastal roads, and it is pretty spectacular.

La Paz

Summer in Baja California Sur starts in June and ends at the end of August

Summer is hot. You soon learn to start your days early to catch the early morning coolness. But that soon vanishes as summer reaches it’s peak in August. Temperatures are around 95ºF (35ºC) and you can imagine that that does to the tarmac. The chilly wind is gone, seawater is warming up to a point where you do not cool down when you take a dip.

Even at the night, it will not cool down, although the temperature still drops to around 20-25 degrees celcius. Because the days are hotter, so are the nights. July and August are the perfect months to honor a siesta during midday and start your days a little earlier when it is still cool.

At the end of summer sporadic rains may start, but don’t get all excited about the idea of all the desert dust settling down, it will be very brief and very localized, mostly in the higher mountains.

Fall is from September until the end of October and it will come with lots of storm warnings

Temperatures range from 98°F (36°C) and 82°F (28°C), which will feel very nice given the humidity and the breeze. Rainy periods will add up to a total of 4 days a month, and those downpours can be severe.

Almost immediately you’ll see the water crossings in the roads flooded by the rivers that suddenly fill up and you can’t continue your journey due to the raging river that suddenly appears. In the smaller towns and many neighborhoods streets will be muddy, with debree and rocks everywhere, a lot of it spilling out all over the towns and cities down hill. Especially in the mountains it will rain a lot. With that in mind you have to come prepared and drive with caution.

Tourism is fairly slow during these months because nobody wants rain during their holiday. But still, there is plenty of sunshine and the flash floods will disappear as fast as they appear in the dry grounds leaving only a few puddles as a reminder of the rain.

It is spectacular when the sky bursts open and the ground for the first time in months gets soaked. Within days mountains and the much of the desert turn a luscious green.

But then December through February winter arrives!

Many tourists from the USA love these months and consider them the best months to visit Los Cabos and La Paz. At night temperatures will drop to 50ºF (10ºC) while during daytime int he afternoons the thermometer will stop around 80ºF (27ºC) at most when the winter is at its peak.

But in october you already notice the turning of the wind, cooling down the air when you ride. While riding through the mountains large shadowy areas appear and you’ll feel chilly and later on even riding the pacific coastline will make you shiver.

The happy news is that the rain has stopped, on average it rains in winter no more than 1 day divided over the whole period. Of course this can vary from the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Coast, and from the plains to the mountain areas, the mountains always seem to get a little more rain. Overall though, there will be plenty of sunshine to brighten up your cool winter day.

Winter, and spring make the perfect climate to ride in Baja California Sur, all the way down to Los Cabos.
Plenty of places to camp or stay overnight, and the choice of coastal or winding mountains roads is yours.

You can join the campervans and mobile homes from the winter-birds coming down from the north looking for sunshine, visiting the many bays and beaches where you can camp and get that “Robinson Crusoe feel” of living on a lonely beach and endless sea.

Just be sure to bring a sweater or a jacket.

What will be your favorite time of year in Baja California Sur? And how did you experience the temperatures during your stay?

Looking for routes to ride on the Baja California Peninsula?

We have tested and safe tracks and routes for you to check out. Routes also includes Points of Interest with noteworthy locations such as hotels, restaurants, checkpoints and fuel stations we’ve used or or encountered.

All prepared in easy to use GPX files that you can import in many route planning apps.

Interesting routes