Roadtrip: San Diego to Baja California

Dec. 19, 2008 - PRLog -- Crossing over the border from sunny slow San Diego, into the chaotic clash of cultures in Tijuan, is many people’s first taste of Mexico. TheMoveChannel.com looks at the popular roadtrip from Tijuana along the Baja Peninsula to Cabo San Lucas on the peninsula’s southern tip…

The Tijuana / San Diego border is the world’s busiest international border crossing and a shopper’s paradise – most of the shopping is centered around a ten block area on Avenida Revolucion, in the central tourist zone – which sells everything from tourist tat to designer sunglasses and Cuban cigars.

Whilst it’s very easy to get out of the US – a trolley zips tourists from San Diego right to the border for a few dollars and thousands of Mexican workers cross into San Diego each day for work– it is extremely tough to get back in. Passport checks can take hours and security is very tight.

Tijuana, the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, is barely a century old yet two million people call it home. As well as the cross-border business, (both legal and illegal) there is also a thriving industry stoked by more than 600 assembly factories for giants such as Samsung, Sony and Hitachi.

The city also has a blossoming music and arts scene and a tiny old town, which spills from the arch on Revolution Avenue and feels like you are stepping back into the 1950’s.

And onto the road…

Between the bustle of Tijuana and the tourist mecca of Cabo San Lucas on the peninsula's southernmost tip, lies a land of desert and sea, much of it wild and isolated.

The Baja California peninsula extends 1,100 km from the US border to the southern tip and runs parallel with mainland Mexico, separated by the Gulf of California.

To drive the 1050 miles from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas takes around 25 hours and you will pass an eclectic mix of scenery - from four major mountain ranges- the Sierra Juarez, Sierra de San Pedro Martir, Sierra de la Giganta and Sierra de la Laguna, to miles of desert dust and cacti as far as the eye can see, to sleeping volcanoes and colonial ghost towns.

The ‘Baja’ is also home to world class surfing, sailing and deep sea fishing, plus a mix of
latino, hispanic, pre-hispanic and anglo influences.

Where to stop

Ensenada: An hour and a half south from Tijuana, Ensenada is a popular weekend destination for Californians. Its scenic hillside setting overlooks Todos Santos Bay.

Bahia de los Angeles: Dive into the steely blue waters of the Sea of Cortés. All beaches in Mexico belong to the Government and are open to the public.

San Ignacio: With its date palms and pastel-colored buildings, San Ignacio is an unhurried oasis in the middle of the desert.

Magdalena Bay: Whale-watching excursions are offered from October until March. From January to March, 27,000 gray whales migrate to give birth here.

Cabo Pulmo: Here you'll find the only living coral reef in western North America, filled with over 300 species.

Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo: Sport fishing and surfing are hugely popular here, but the area is also home to an impressive string of championship golf courses.

For more information on Mexican properties and the market in general, please visit http://mexico.themovechannel.com/

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

TheMoveChannel.com is a property website that was founded in 1999 as an online resource for buying, selling and learning about property. It now receives as many as 300,000 visits per month and advertises over 50,000 properties in nearly 90 countries, which are listed by over 500 partner organisations.

For further information as well as images and interview possibilities, please contact:

Dan Johnson
Managing Director
www.themovechannel.com
0207 952 7650

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TheMoveChannel.com is a property website that was founded in 1999 as an online resource for buying, selling and learning about property. It now receives as many as 300,000 visits per month and advertises over 50,000 properties in nearly 90 countries.