Welcome to The Bay of Conception

This guide by Roger originally appeared on the Baja Nomad Forum in 2015.

Bahia Concepcion – It doesn’t get much better that this!

This is about a road trip along the western shore of Conception Bay and also a boat trip through the same. I’ve taken photos of all the beaches and their attractions. I’d like to invite you along on this beach trip report. We generally have a pretty good time….

I’ve included many photos that I have posted before, but any good guide book must contain all the pertinent places, so here is a complete photo tour of the entire bay. Hopefully, it will give answers to anyone who is seeking information about the Bay of Conception.

I thought at first that this should go into the Baja Camping forum, but figured it was more of a Trip..and it turned into quite that…a real trip!

If you have some favorite photos of your vacation to Conception Bay, please feel free to add them to this thread.

First some background information: Bahia Concepcion lies just south of Mulege and 625 miles south of the Tijuana border. (Figure a safe and scenic 13-14 hours total driving time.) One thing most all Baja travelers agree on is that Bahia Concepcion is one of the most beautiful spots in Baja. The bay is just over 20 miles long and varies in width from two to five miles. Bahia Concepcion has, over the years, become the final destination for many Baja travelers. A lot of seasoned Baja travelers simply aim straight for Bahia Concepcion with no intention of going any farther. Many first timers arrive and they are absolutely overwhelmed with the beauty and serenity of this area…somehow they just cannot manage to leave, often extending their vacation plans by days or even weeks. In my case, it has stretched out to 45 consecutive winters…6 months at a time. 😉

The dramatic scenery along the western coastline of Bahia Concepcion is the ultimate photo opportunity for almost all Baja visitors that travel this far south. This giant bay, within the Sea of Cortez, offers travelers a close up of what “The Real Baja” is all about. The 28 miles of highway that hug the coast below Mulege offers direct access to what are considered by many to be the finest beaches in all of Baja. This spells FUN IN THE SUN.

Bahia Concepcion is one of Baja’s favored spots for kayakers, those with RV’s, campers, sailors and anyone who just loves beautiful beaches and quiet coves. The bay is especially good for novice kayaker’s and sail boarder’s as it is usually quite glassy with with light winds and not much in the way of strong currents.

From personable experience, there are incredible anchorages too numerous to count, making this area a sailors dream come true.

Some neighbors in Coyote Bay.

Say Hi to…

Louie..now off in the South Pacific somewhere.

Ralph & Dawn …he has a piano aboard.

Johnny & Cindy ..living the life.

John & Cristy..no worries.

The traveler will find excellent kayaking and boating adventures ….

…and around the many islands.

There are beach side campgrounds, with varying degrees of services for RV’s and campers scattered along the coast below Mulege. Some of these campgrounds offer complete services and even a restaurant or two. Most others offer no services at all and many camping spots are rather impromptu, discovered only as the need for a siesta arises. Fees range from sometimes free to about $8 night, but signs are usually posted at the entrances.

If you are camping, and unfamiliar with the area, it is suggested that you bring in all of your supplies as you may well end up staying longer than you had originally planned to. The few small stores that serve this area keep irregular hours, at best, and may be closed for days, weeks or even months at a time.

The rugged eastern finger of Bahia Concepcion remains mostly unexplored, and almost completely uninhabited. A few primitive fish camps dot the shore, but they are mostly seasonal and may be uninhabited depending on the current fishing conditions. Think twice before any attempt to experience the truly unique adventure that this pristine piece of “The Real Baja” has to offer. I’ll have more to offer on the peninsula in another thread.

In the interest of being ‘fair and balanced’ here is Some embarrassing truth and shame about The Bay. As an avid fisherman who is very aware of the marine violations perpetuated by lax or non-existent law enforcement, I’ve had to rename this once incredibly diverse marine habitat from ‘The Bay of Conception’ to “The Bay of Contrition”.

This bay was once teeming with scallops, oysters, butter calms and nice-sized game fish of every species. My first remembrance of any mention of Bahia Concepcion was when someone told me (in the late 60s) that the bottom of this bay was paved with butter clams and scallops. The oysters and scallops are long gone, as are most of the game fish. You can still see the huge piles of harvested scallop shells left scattered around the bay shorelines.

These days the clams that are available and the bigger fish are only found only along the beaches of the eastern shore. Humanity just seems to have a natural talent for depleting nature’s bounty…more’s the pity for those who care. This should not deter you from the great camping available in this most scenic bay in all of Baja.

Sadly, fishing conditions along the western shore of Bahia Concepcion are not the best in Baja although some smaller, yet tasty, fish can still be caught within the bay. At one time the fishing for tuna, yellowtail, and dorado was fantastic inside the bay. This little yellowtail was fun on my light rig and huge schools of much bigger ones were literally everywhere..circa 1974.

Angling fishermen made their camps in the bay and fished there, too…no need to go outside back then. I recall a couple of annual angler’s campsites…one at Burros by a group of San Diego dorado fishermen and another at the southern end for yellowtail. This was during the Golden Age of Baja. I’m very glad to have seen a part of it.

A nice cabrilla at the mouth of the bay.

If Mexico decides to actually enforce it’s own marine conservation laws, perhaps those golden days can return.

The eastern shoreline offers a completely different set of circumstances, mainly because of the great effort it takes to get there. The rugged eastern shore is not easily reached and is largely uninhabited. Visits to the eastern shore should only be attempted in 4×4, high clearance vehicles, that are well equipped for extreme conditions. More on this in another thread.

If you are planning a camping trip to Conception Bay, the following photos should help you find a good location.

Beach summary & index:

These are the most popular BOC beaches as you drive south from Mulege.

– North Bay Straits

– Suenos

– Flambes

– Naranja

– Santispac

– Posada

– Escondido

– Coco

– Burros

– Coyote

– Requeson

– Perla

– Armenta

– South Beach

Those pictures don’t begin to touch the reality of what it is like being & living here. I was fortunate to move here before the earth cooled..and it still thrills me to this day.

Cafes:

Some general information on cafes in BOC:

General and seasonal hours. Summertime hours and weekly specials could be different and it MAY temporarily close according to business activity.

This is common practice for all the Coyote Bay area beach cafes. It�s all about the amount of customers. The Bay in summer is rather un-crowded. It might have something to do with the HEAT…which a lot of folks actually enjoy.

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

AERIALS

THIS PHOTO SHOWS BEACHES AND BAYS OF SANTISPAC – POSADA – ESCONDIDO – BURROS

COYOTE CAMPING BEACH – BARGA ISLAND & DEAD DOG (NUDE) BEACH

MAP

NORTH BAY – THE STRAITS

Here’s the mouth of the Bay as seen from the microwave tower access trail. Note: The service road to the tower may be gated and locked these days.

This is the view I look forward to at the start of my particular season. First look at Coyote Bay driving south. Playa Santispac is just over the hill.

HEADING SOUTH VIEW FROM THE BOAT

PLAYA SUENOS – HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

BEACH PALAPAS SOUTH OF PLAYA SUENOS – SOME RENTALS

LIGHTHOUSE RESORT AT PLAYA FLAMBES – RENTALS (NOMADS BOB Y SUSAN)

GOOD WIND IN THIS AREA – WINDSURFERS & KITE SURFERS HEAVEN

If you’re into the wind and water sports, then this is the place for you, as it has been a destination for wind lovers ever since the highway was built.

PLAYA NARANJOS

Heading around the corner to Pta. Arena and Playa Naranjos. Lots of room ..because the old palapa houses at Pta. Arena are now long gone….from fire. Playa Naranjos is still intact, though.

MARINA

That 2-story palapa was built by some Oregon amigos…and was where I enjoyed many a good cup of coffee with Grand Mariner on the way to the fishing grounds in my boat. Ahoy, Pollo del Mar!

PLAYA SANTISPAC

Santispac – The Annex beachcamp & mangrove lagoon

Fire at Anna’s Cafe (don’t worry, it was a long time ago…)

Sometimes it’s almost deserted…and there seems to be plenty of room for you on this day.

Ana’s (the old Russ y Lupe’s) at Playa Santispac with some happy patrons at the cantina.

Ample parking in front

Russ, Lupe, and Co-pilot at front table

Good times on the dance floor for all ages.

Always plenty of pretty sailboats here..like this one.

C-Pilot goes wading to check out some pretty shells and keep a lookout for sting rays…

SANTISPAC FROM OFFSHORE – Ana’s Cafe is far right. A newer beach cafe is to the far left.

Back In The Day….For you movie buffs, the former beach home of film director, JOHN STURGES after he relocated from a Posada beach home. (Dirty Dozen, Magnificent Seven, Gunfight at OK Corral, The Great Escape, etc.) Someday I might post a hilarious story about how this came about.

Other Hollywood people frequented this bay, too.

PTA. PIEDRITA – A hidden beach just over a small hill from Santispac. Most times you can have it all to yourself.

From my boat I noticed the solitary camper..a fifth wheel…on this relatively unused stretch of camping beach. I doubt many people know of it’s existence. You can reach this nice spot by driving all the way through on the Santispac beach road…continuing on out towards the point, then taking the left turn that will take you over a slight rise and onto the beach. Your home for the vacation’s duration. 😉

Driving a little south we come to …

POSADA COMMUNITY

Hillside homes. I noted that my old hillside casa had a Se Vende sign out. Hope that works out.

My old house above Posada and my pickup camper. Hi to Co-pilot. Hah…whenever I look at the white water tank on that roof, I am reminded of the time a buzzard lost his grip, fell and drowned in there…phew!

Here’s a flashback photo taken from my old balcony in 1978.

And another from 2012 taken from the same place.

The community tennis court. Back in the day, I played the old ‘craters’ like everyone else..fair fouls to all. Pulled an achilles tendon on that court…

The now-defunct Eco-Mundo Cafe. Had drinks, snacks, and kayak rentals. Ranger Roy’s enterprise.

In that same place this caravan of 100 Airstreams camped for a few days in 1974…probably the first large organized caravan to come down the new highway. We had a lot of fun making up stories about the ‘locust horde’ drinking all the beer supplies.

Taking a shallow run between shore and an island, we see hard to port the Posada community of homes as we leave the scene by boat. It’s constant changes have always caught my eye since it was just a cluster of trailer palapas started by Herman, Sr. back in the day. Those were wonderful times! When we played the love ballad, “A Thousand Bullets.” … You had to be there….:rolleyes:

PLAYA ESCONDIDO … The Hidden Beach

Offshore view

Our old volleyball beach is always uncrowded with pristine water.

We always had plenty of volunteers to maintain the volley ball court. We hauled many loads of sand & small shell in my old army trailer. The little guy thought it was his personal sand box.

On past Escondido, where it’s still semi-deserted..few campers, lots of room. Just a really bad entry road.

PLAYA COCOS to the left and PLAYA ESCONDIDO to the right

PLAYA COCOS

I didn’t notice the US and Canadian flags yet this year?? Come ON, you people..let’s get with it. Get that border UP!

SHRINE OF THE BAY

FROM THE SHRINE PULLOUT is one of thee best locations for photos.

A very calm Coyote Bay.

Great landmark for kayakers.

A great place to pull over…for a prayer or simply a superb overlook of the Bay. Bring the camera.

The shrine is precious to the faithful and gets a fresh coat of paint every year.

Lots of candle votives are placed with a special prayer.

A lone kayaker passes below the shrine.

On down the road to…..PLAYA BURROS

As seen from atop a hill to the south.

Bertha’s Cafe before the remodel. Now under new management. Good luck to ‘Bob’.

Flashback photo….Hiking up above Burros Beach to view some rock art..this was about 1980.

Back to the present…

PLAYA COYOTE

I’ve watched a few sunrises from my home in Coyote Bay…and loved every one.

AERIAL OF COYOTE BAY & BARGA ISLAND..looking for some perfect anchorages?.;)

CAMPING BEACH AT COYOTE BAY

Coyote Cafe – “Estrella del Mar” (Old Boney’s place on the highway at Rcho Coyote, another place where we used to play volleyball.)

Drill marks for new highway in 1973. Used in blasting with very loud TNT. I remember one huge rock chunk that arched out over the bay and splashed about 20 feet away from my sloop. A tense moment!

Old Baja Road above Coyote Camping Beach. Co-pilot gives me directions.

ENTRANCE TO COYOTE CAMP BEACH FROM HIGHWAY – GOING NORTH

BEACH CAMP ENTRY ROAD GOING SOUTH

OFFSHORE VIEW

A HAPPY CAMPER BUILDING A PALAPA FOR SHADE

Playa Coyote

Still lots of room left..and the beach road is okay for any rig.

Perfect to kayak in the mornings, before the wind comes up.

PLAYA BUENAVENTURA

THE WATCHDOG IS ON DUTY AND READY TO ANNOUNCE YOU..OR TO USE AS A DOORMAT?

MEETING SOME PATRONS …

PLAYA BUENAVENTURA’S HOSTS MARK & OLIVIA

The cafe as seen coming from the South.

More Playa Buenaventura

An afternoon at Playa Buenaventura – Mark & Olivia’s

The other day,we were coming back north towards home base, pulled into Mark & Olivia’s, met some new folks, and had a good discussion about kayak fishing around Roca Frijoles…and some other things.

As always in Baja, we are met by the parking attendant who checks our tires for free.

Just a nice Baja beach bar, great hamburgers, with a killer view.

A funky, cozy haven..full of Baja memorabilia and interesting stories as told by the interesting parrots..er… patrons..

I listen to a tale of woe from a local and offer a shoulder to cry on..or whatever..?

Things go sour when …..

.. I find he’s put all his drinks on MY tab. Carumba!

Andiamo!

A short drive down the road will bring you to this….

UNNAMED CAMPING BEACH – You should camp there and give it a name. 😉

A little used beach just before Playa Requeson. We’ve had many a private picnic here. The steamers and chocolates in the little bay were outstanding.

Now comes a real jewel for campers…. with it’s own isthmus.

PLAYA REQUESON

Flashback for next 4 photos: 1974 Clamming at Requeson…and it hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years.

Those clams were sooo delicious!!

We’d just bring a folding table, go for a little wading, and set out the feast…

Lots of room on the other side..??.:rolleyes:

Boating into Playa Requeson so Co-pilot can go clamming.

Highway entry to Requeson

A few long-term setups. Nice place for it!

As you can see, all these beaches, Armenta, Perla, Requeson and the entire southern shore…are not crowded and easily accessible to any size rig. Come find your spot and relax.

PLAYA PERLA A real ‘gem’… :rolleyes:

Looking back at Playa Perla.

Going from Perla to Requeson

All these trails were in GREAT shape..

…for off-road Baja . :rolleyes:

Playa Requeson ahead…and a chance for a fixer-upper beachfront condo?

PLAYA ARMENTA

PLAYA ALMEJAS – SOUTH END OF BAY CLAMMING BEACH – DEFUNCT RV PARK

(Be advised that this beach is not the best place to leave any belongings unattended or out of sight, as there has been a history of petty thefts here.)

SOUTH CLAMMING BEACH

BOC SOUTH END SHELL MONUMENT

Well, that’s the west side of the Bay of Conception and it’s best-in-Baja beaches. Hope to see you there.

Happy Camping, amigos!