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Self-drive Mexico: Discover Baja California and the Sea of Cortez

12 days from £4,200pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Mexico

  • mexico baja

Overview & Highlights

Explore the raw desert scenery of Baja Peninsula, its palm-sheltered oases, small colonial mission towns and secret white-sand beaches with the freedom guaranteed by a self-drive hire car.  

The skeletal Baja Peninsula, separated from the Mexican mainland by the narrow Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) consists of the bare bones of crinkled mountains sliced through by parched canyons. This pitiless landscape, infused with an ethereal beauty, has always been a challenge to human settlement, from the indian hunters of millennia ago to the Jesuit colonists of the Spanish era. Farmers still scratch a living in miniscule oases and fishermen scour the seas off the bays and cliffs of the craggy coast.

In modern times development has centred on the southern coast which attracts millions of visitors every year lured by the luxury resorts of Cabo. However, away from the fleshpots, you can explore the real Baja, its exquisite, other-worldly interior, its quiet colonial towns, the uninhabited flour-white beaches and aquamarine bays. What better way than in by self-drive car-hire: travel the trans-peninsula Highway 1, completed only in 1973, and discover along it or within easy reach the lesser-known delights of Baja. You’ll find prehistoric cave paintings, abandoned missions and national parks - home to a surprisingly robust wildlife. Stop off at the slow-paced towns San Ignacio and Loreto, both recalling the style and elegance of the Spanish era and from where, January to April, you can view whales and dolphins up close.

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  • Explore the highlights of Mexico City
  • Discover the unique landscapes and remote environments of Baja California
  • Go whale watching along the Pacific coast and relax on its beaches

THE UK’S NO. 1 SPECIALIST IN TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA

Hannah

Hannah Waterhouse

Travel Expert

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Things to do

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Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.

Bartolome, Galápagos

What our clients say

  • The ubiquitous music and dance of Cuba and the infectious joie de vivre of its truly multicultural people who seem to live life to the full with the little they…

    DC, London
  • As always, JLA provides very experienced guides and this ensures the success of the trip.  They are very knowledgeable and go out of their way to ensure clients get a…

    VH, Australia
  • "This was a very important holiday for us and we were a little apprehensive but it was a wonderful experience."

    HB, Perth
  • JLA is one of the best Tour Operators I have been with - nothing in the booking process was too much trouble. They stick to specialising in one continent, the…

    LS, Didcot
  • Difficult to say as it was a trip of contrasts - two cities and some beautiful landscapes.  I achieved two ambitions which was to visit the Torres del Paine National…

    TW, Hook
  • "Nigh on impossible to pick out just one memory but the vastness and emptiness of the salt flats, Machu Picchu in the mist, rain and finally sun, being photo bombed…

    JH, Staines-upon-Thames
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Our Expert's Opinion

Hannah
Hannah Waterhouse Travel Expert Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

Inspired by this trip

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Millie
    Millie Davies - Travel Expert

    Having caught the travel bug as a child, Millie has travelled all over Latin America before making her home in Buenos Aires for 3 years.

  • Ben
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

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