Had enough of cold weather? Head south to any of these RV parks in Baja California, Mexico! We have had an incredible time RVing Baja in winter and would come back in a heartbeat. Today I’ll show you why.
Things to know before you go to Baja (in winter, or any time of year).
We learned so much about RVing to Mexico during our trip along the eastern coast along the Gulf of California. Mainly, that the Baja Sur peninsula is not set up for a rig as big as ours (32-foot class C). This makes finding RV parks in Baja California a bit challenging, but not impossible. Fortunately, there are places for big rig camping. Here’s what I learned, and in this article I did all the research for you, so you can head to Mexico well-prepared in any size camper.
Below are our favorite RV parks in Baja California, as well as some other great big-rig-friendly camping spots. These places were big enough for our rig, and many could take even bigger RVs.
Awesome RV Parks in Baja California
Let’s start with the full-fledged RV parks. These places were more expensive than the beach parking options listed further below, but they offered amenities to make up that difference.
These RV parks in Baja California would be ideal for the individual who prefers glamping and doesn’t love the idea of dry camping. They are also great for dumping and filling tanks, charging batteries, doing laundry (depending on the location), and showering off in between boondocking sessions.
Villa Marina Camp, San Felipe
This was our first stop after arriving in Baja. Funnily enough, Villa Marina Camp wasn’t where we intended to go initially, but it’s where Google Maps sent us. We just rolled with it and ended up loving it. We had easy beach access and were about 20 minutes from San Felipe, where we found plenty of places to get groceries and eat out.
The campsite we chose was up on a cliff overlooking the beach and the ocean. It included a palapa, water, electricity, and a sewer hookup.
There were decent bathrooms with flush toilets, but the showers were in bad shape and didn’t have any hot water.
There was also a pretty sweet clubhouse.
And my kids adored the campground dogs and cats.
At 32 feet long, I think we were cutting it close in terms of being able to fit in the sites overlooking the beach. That said, there were sites just up the hill that could probably accommodate pretty much any rig—they just won’t have the nicer ocean view.
We paid $400 pesos (about $20 USD) a night, but I have heard reports of people paying $500 pesos.
Mario’s Restaurant and RV Park, Guerro Negro
This spot came up time and time again when we asked for suggestions of places to go. Honestly though, as you’ll see in RV LIFE Campgrounds, the RV facilities at Mario’s Restaurant and RV Park isn’t anything to write home about.
There were bathrooms with showers and they were clean and totally usable.
An onsite restaurant serves pretty good food at kinda high prices.
The sites were level enough and could accommodate pretty much any rig.
Mario’s nightly rate includes full hookups, but they were close together.
Unfortunately, we found the electricity unreliable because of bad wiring. If you RV to Baja, I highly recommend a good surge protector with an electrical management system.
So why did I include Mario’s RV Park on my list of recommendations?
Mario’s whale watching tours! This was easily one of the best experiences of our trip and made dealing with bad electricity worth it. The tour left from the campground and took us to the water, where we then rode out in a boat. Whales got so close we could touch them, and one particularly playful young whale even swam under our boat, almost tipping us over.
The cost for this campground came out to about $15 USD a night, which would have been a bargain if the electricity had worked, Still, it was reasonable even without electric hookups.
Villa Maria Isabel RV Park, Mulege
We actually only got a single overnight campsite at Villa Maria Isabel RV park, and we didn’t get to explore the town of Mulege. But both locations are nice enough that I feel it is worth mentioning.
If you are wanting to hang out in Mulege, this would be a good home base. It could also be a decent place to stay if you wanted to explore Bahia Concepcion but needed hookups.
Our site was a pull-through (as were most, I believe) and included water, electricity, and sewer.
The showers were clean and in good condition
There is a clean pool, though it was too chilly for swimming when we were there.
My kids adored the parakeets and the parrot near the swimming area and had a good time playing with them.
We paid $500 pesos for our single night, but I hear the per-night rate is less if you stay longer.
Loreto Shores RV Park, Loreto
The adorable little town of Loreto is a must-visit RV destination in my opinion. The only problem? There are very few RV parks that can accommodate a big rig. In fact, Loreto Shores RV Park was the only place I could find.
Fortunately, this park is big-rig friendly and was an awesome place to call home for a few nights. The park is home to both RV sites and villas, and we ended up parked at one end of the place next to one of the villa buildings. I think we might’ve had the best spot in the whole place.
As far as I could tell, every site here includes full hookups.
They also all seem level and they are gravel, so there is less dirt tracked inside.
The bathrooms at Loreto Shores were the best we’ve found down here. They were almost brand new and the showers had awesome pressure and plenty of hot water.
There is also a lovely pool area that the kids enjoyed very much.
While some of the sites were quite small, we also saw a few rigs bigger than ours parked here. That said, if you need a big site, I do recommend emailing to make a reservation.
The one downside to Loreto Shores RV Park?
There are two ways to get in and out, but neither is ideal. One option is an extremely bumpy road that stretches on for a good while. The other involves a huge dip down and up. We scraped our motorhome’s back-end pretty hard. This entrance/exit is along with a very tight drive through a busy town. However, once you’re in the park, having access to this cute town in a smaller vehicle is very nice.
We paid $29 USD per night to stay in Loreto Shores.
Campestre Maranatha, La Paz
Finally, here’s why I recommend Campestre Maranatha. This RV campground is located just outside of La Paz. Honestly, this town isn’t my favorite place. It’s probably one of the most “USA”-like cities in Baja. But, La Paz is the perfect place to be if you work from your RV, need to run errands, or just get domestic things done. The overnight rate is steep for Baja. But we felt it was worth it to have a few days with full hookups and easy access to things.
Campestre Marantha might just be the best Baja RV park for big rigs.
It’s wide open with large campsites and full hookups at each site.
The bathrooms are new, clean, and have plenty of water pressure.
There is a pool and even a playground for the kids.
It’s also right next to an awesome coffee shop that you can walk to.
So why do RVers really go to La Paz? This is the place to go to see whale sharks, and some other tours are offered out of this city.
We paid $560 pesos per night at this park.
5 Beachfront Boondocking Spots in Baja
Amazing dry camping on Baja is waiting for you now. But you need to be willing to forgo the amenities offered by the RV parks in Baja California that I shared above. When you’re ready for some oceanfront boondocking, you are in for a treat.
The RV camping spots listed below don’t have many luxuries. All but one have a fee. But they were some of our favorite Baja boondocking spots.
Rancho Grande, Gonzaga Bay
I recommend Rancho Grande for the beautiful views, paddling opportunities, and amazing shell collecting. Trash cans and palapas are the only amenities. The cost is $300 pesos per night.
Playa el Requeson, Bahia Concepcion
This Baja boondocking spot offers so many fun activities! There’s good paddling, hiking across a land bridge to an island, snorkeling on the backside of said island, and occasionally, bioluminescent water! Trash cans are available, but the bathrooms are unusable. The cost is $200 pesos per night.
Playa Santispac, Bajia Concepcion
Like Playa El Requeson, Playa Santispac is also a great boondocking spot with tons of things to do. This location offers paddling to nearby islands and occasional bioluminescence in the water. Amenities include pit toilets, water refill trucks, a dump station, cold showers, and a restaurant. The cost is $200 pesos per night.
Playa Los Cerritos, Western Baja Coast
Located on the west side of the peninsula, Playa Los Cerritos is the place to go for excellent surfing due to the immense waves that form a ways out. We also spotted LOTS of whales from the shore. Amenities include bathrooms with flush toilets, a bar, water refill trucks, a pump-out truck, and close proximity to restaurants and shopping. We paid $200 pesos per night.
Playa Tecolote, a free campground in Baja
Finally, there is Playa Tecolote. This was one of the few free campsites we found while in Baja. It’s a lovely spot with fun things to do like snorkeling and paddling. There are bars within walking distance and there are trash cans, but no other amenities. Unfortunately, it is a hotspot for campground theft right now, so take precautions as you would in any US city.
Winter can be a great time to RV to Baja California. And you can see, there’s no need to be afraid of RVing to Mexico. My kids and I were safe and had a great time. You can too. Be smart, drive slowly and carefully, get Baja campsite recommendations from other RVers, and you’ll have a great of a trip as we did.
