Where We Be
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| Catching glimpses of turquoise water and wondering what's around the next bend is half the fun at Bahίa Concepción |
| Conception Bay Beaches -- Baja, Mexico |
| Best of all, the restaurant is only 1 km away from our favorite beach -- Playa Requeson |
| Obviously not a beach but a scenic pull-off with great views |
| You can't miss the bright pink shrine -- it's definitely worth a stop |
| This small beach is unlabeled but visible from the road. A mostly level dirt road leads to it. |
| The beach is primarily used by RVers. There are no amenities for day use, but it's a pretty stretch of sand nonetheless. |
| Playa Santispac (km 114) |
| Posada Concepcion (km 112) |
| Playa Escondida (km 111) |
| Playa Los Cocos (km 110.5) |
| Pink Shrine with Cross (km 109) |
| Playa El Burro (km 108) |
| Playa El Coyote (km 107.5) |
| Playa Buenaventura (km 94.5) |
| Playa El Requeson (km 91.5) |
| Playa La Perla (km 91.3) |
| Playa Armenta (km 90) |
| The fish sandwiches and fries are delicious and the beers ice cold |
| The beach is calm and quiet. Camping is $3 per day. A cabana house on the beach rents for $65 per night. Kayak rental is 100 pesos ($7). |
| We waded through shallow water to this little island paradise |
| A trail leads from El Requeson (in the distance) to the secluded pocket beach shown above. In the other direction you can walk to Playa Perla. Obviously this is a great area for kayaking, but only one single-person kayak was available when we visited. |
| No question about it: this is our top beach on all of Conception Bay. It's quiet and gorgeous, with a half-submerged sandbar leading to a nearby islet. |
| Ed’s World (4th cabana from the right as you face the water) rents single kayaks for 150 pesos ($10.50) per hour and tandems for 300 pesos ($21) per hour. A guy at the other end of the beach rents kayaks for 100 pesos ($7) per hour or 500 pesos for the day. |
| It’s kinda fun to walk past the beach cabanas and pick your favorite |
| Playa El Burro was our second favorite of the northern beaches, which is surprising since from the road it looks covered with beach shacks |
| A sign marks the entrance to Playa Escondida. Take the dirt road to the right (the higher road) and follow it for awhile. It’s steep in places but not too rutted for a passenger car. Pass the abandoned beach area on the left and continue around the headland, then down to the beach. |
| Playa Escondida is our favorite beach on the northern end of Conception Bay. It's hidden from the main road ("escondida" means hidden). The sand is soft and the water pleasant for swimming. |
| We walked the entire stretch of beach, enjoying the wide views. The cost to camp / RV overnight is 100 pesos (~$7). Kayaking costs 100 pesos per hour or 500 pesos per day. |
| We enjoyed fish tacos at Ana’s Restaurant right on the beach |
| Playa Santispac is the northernmost beach along Bahia Concepcion. It's a long, sandy beach that has a lot of native appeal -- lessened somewhat by the endless string of RVs that occupy it. |
| Posada Concepcion is a private residential beach community, but we were able to drive in and have a look around |
| Just south of Santispac you'll come to this amazing overlook where some lucky people have their homes |
| Armenta Beach is furthest to the south along Conception Bay. It’s quite beautiful from above -- especially with just that one vehicle parked on it! -- but the dirt road looked a little rough for our passenger car. |
| La Perla Beach is adjacent to and reachable from El Requeson. This is the view you'll see from the highway. |
| We walked to La Perla from El Requeson, past rustic huts, and found a beach with damaged palapas and a few RVs. It's still recovering from the most recent hurricane, but it has promise for those who like small crescent beaches. |
| An RVer confirmed this is indeed Coyote Beach. No amenities for day use. The right side of the beach facing the water is RV-free. |
| Look for the sign for Coyote Ranch, a developed beach community, and just past that is an unsigned beach primarily used by RVers |
| Escondida Beach has some small camper vans at one end but no big rigs. An islet just offshore beckons kayakers. Tandem kayaking is 200 pesos ($14) for a half day (300 pesos full day). |
| Baja humor |
Recipe for a good day in Baja: get in your car
and drive south from Mulegé (or north from
Loreto), stopping along the way at the string of
glorious beaches on Conception Bay. This area
offers spectacular coastal scenery and some of
the best beaches on the Baja Peninsula. It's a
paradise for swimmers, snorkelers, kayakers,
and beach campers. Just drive along Mexico 1
(the Transpeninsular Highway) for 50 km or so
(30 mi) to get your full quota of sun and sand for
the day. Here's our meticulously researched list
of beaches with kilometer markers from north to
south:
• Playa Santispac (km 114)
• Posada Concepcion (km 112)
• Playa Escondida (km 111)
• Playa Los Cocos (km 110.5)
• Pink Shrine with Cross (km 109)
• Playa El Burro (km 108)
• Playa El Coyote (km 107.5)
• Playa Buenaventura (km 94.5)
• Playa El Requeson (km 91.5)
• Playa La Perla (km 91.3)
• Playa Armenta (km 90)
The best beaches on Bahia Concepcion? In our
opinion, Escondida Beach to the north and
Requesón Beach to the south. Requesón in
particular is the kind of secluded crescent
beach you think of when you think of Baja.
A note about beach fees: Our understanding
from locals is that posted fees relate to camping
and RVing only, not to day use. However, the
signs don't specify, and if you ask, whatever
fellow is at the beach "office" will be happy to
take your money! Fees are low (about $7) but
can add up if you're beach hopping all day.
and drive south from Mulegé (or north from
Loreto), stopping along the way at the string of
glorious beaches on Conception Bay. This area
offers spectacular coastal scenery and some of
the best beaches on the Baja Peninsula. It's a
paradise for swimmers, snorkelers, kayakers,
and beach campers. Just drive along Mexico 1
(the Transpeninsular Highway) for 50 km or so
(30 mi) to get your full quota of sun and sand for
the day. Here's our meticulously researched list
of beaches with kilometer markers from north to
south:
• Playa Santispac (km 114)
• Posada Concepcion (km 112)
• Playa Escondida (km 111)
• Playa Los Cocos (km 110.5)
• Pink Shrine with Cross (km 109)
• Playa El Burro (km 108)
• Playa El Coyote (km 107.5)
• Playa Buenaventura (km 94.5)
• Playa El Requeson (km 91.5)
• Playa La Perla (km 91.3)
• Playa Armenta (km 90)
The best beaches on Bahia Concepcion? In our
opinion, Escondida Beach to the north and
Requesón Beach to the south. Requesón in
particular is the kind of secluded crescent
beach you think of when you think of Baja.
A note about beach fees: Our understanding
from locals is that posted fees relate to camping
and RVing only, not to day use. However, the
signs don't specify, and if you ask, whatever
fellow is at the beach "office" will be happy to
take your money! Fees are low (about $7) but
can add up if you're beach hopping all day.
| There ARE plenty of beach shacks, but all the way to the right, near a cliff face offering shade, are four palapas for day use or tent camping. This part of the beach is good for snorkeling and kayaking. Across the street is JC’s Restaurant serving clams and other dishes. |
| We had lunch at Restaurant Playa San Buenaventura -- one of the best in the area. We met the owners' son, Nathan, who spearfishes fresh fish for the restaurant. He says he regularly swims with whale sharks here in April. |
| Egrets, herons, and marine life abound. This is the kind of beach you dream of when you dream of Baja. |
| We spoke to one RVer at our favorite beach, Playa El Requesón, who said this was as far as he got. He couldn't leave -- and who could blame him? |
