Puertecitos

PUERTECITOS is the end of the road...in more ways than one! Yes, this is where the blacktop from the north stops and the dirt road to the south starts as the Baja traveler heads into more remote sections of the Peninsula. However, this is also where conventional thinking stops, and almost anything goes. Puertecitos is an interesting place, and a bit difficult to describe. "Long on character" would be a good start!

This eclectic collection of mostly north American vacationers and ex-patriots is unlike any other town in Baja. For that matter, it is unlike any other town on the planet Earth!

There are a couple of hundred homes and mobile homes here, most lying on a low hill which overlooks the Sea of Cortez on the east side, and the inner bay of Puertecitos on the west side. This bay is gorgeous at high tide, and less than gorgeous at low tide.

If there are any street or road signs missing from your home town, you may very well find them here, nailed artistically to the side of someone's house! An no, that boat on top of that house ot the south end of town did not float up there during an unusually high tide. Somebody actually put it up there! There are many other interesting items to be viewed as one drives around Puertecitos. If someone is manning the 'guard house' heading up to the main residential area, you may have to pay a small fee to gain access to this part of town. You can consider this fee your small donation to help the local economy, whatever that might be!

Puertecitos shares the same arid climate as San Felipe. An average of only 2 inches of rain falls here per year. And there are times when the area goes years without any rain!

There is a welding and machine shop just east of the main part of town, "Taller Panama". Their services might come in handy to put your vehicle back together after the shake, rattle, and roll of the road from Gonzaga Bay! If you are headed further south, Puertecitos is your last chance to buy much of anything. As you enter town, on the right side of the road, a small plywood-sided store sells some basic items, but don't expect much. A sign above the door says "ALPHA BETA". Tell a friend.

Puertecitos Beaches 

It is obvious from the general looks of this seaside town that Puertecitos is not a 'beachy' community. The main harbor in town is does have a sandy beach, and when the weather is right this can be a nice place to relax.

Most of the better beaches are just north of town, accessible off the blacktop by decent dirt roads. Spectacular beaches await the Baja traveler further south in Gonzaga Bay.

NORTH BEACHES

There are several beaches which start just north of town, east of the blacktop. Usually very quiet, local residents here enjoy the solitude.

PUERTECITOS HARBOR

Right in town, on the innermost portion of the bay. A decent sandy beach at high tide, the sea goes w-a-y out at low tide.

Organized camping is not big in Puertecitos, as this is not really a destination for most Baja travelers. With all of the camping available around and south of San Felipe, most visitors here are generally on their way to the great beaches of Gonzaga Bay, a few hours south.

This strip of coast is pretty desolate, and it is possible that certain camp areas might be abandoned from time to time, especially during the hottest months of summer. Camping options north to south include:

Campgrounds

The waters off of Puertecitos offer good fishing. There is a good launch ramp near the point, south east of the bay. Some of the locals own boats, and occasionally head out for half day excursions.

Organized fishing has not yet reached Puertecitos, but the Baja traveler can usually track down someone in town who will take them out for a few hours.

The Islas de las Encantadas (Enchanted Islands) south of Puertecitos is a good destination for a day excursion.

There is one small motel in Puertecitos, but nobody seems to be able to find it. This seaside village is mostly a collection of part-time 'permanents' (how's that for an oxymoron?) and does not offer most Baja travelers very much in the way of services.

The only accommodations in a 60 mile radius are the hotels in San Felipe to the north, and the 16 "new and improved" rooms at Alphonsina's in Gonzaga Bay to the south.

There is one restaurant in town, Posada de Orozca, and it is located right on the beach on the harbor in town. Sometimes it is open, sometimes it is closed.

If you are real hungry, and the restaurants happens to be closed, the small market is your only hope for snacks. The next restaurant south is Papa Fernandez Camp, 2 to 3 hours away, depending upon the road and the type of vehicle being driven.

As time goes on, the little market right off the main road (west side) features a little bit bigger selection than the year before. Still, don't expect much. The next market south is 60 miles away on the gravel road, offering a bigger selection of goods, including tampons and tequila.

ALPHA BETA

Located on the right hand side of the road, as you enter town from the north.

A small market with just the basics. If you can't find what you want here, try "Las Palmas" on the other side of the street, as you enter town.

LAS PALMAS

Entering town from the north, Las Palmas is on the left hand side of the street, before the airport.

The newest shopping location in town, with an increasingly larger selection of goods. Also selling beer and ice!

The gasoline situation in Puertecitos is iffy. Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don't. If they do have it, the place to look would be the PEMEX station on the left side of town, as you enter from the north. Not that there will be any gas in the pumps, but there may be gas available in 50 gallon drums nearby. The residual gasoline left in one's mouth after an adventure with the siphoning hose does wonders to remove that unwanted plaque from the teeth. We're still not sure what affect this has on gums. The price of gasoline here is generally higher than gas purchased in San Felipe.

Puertecitos also has an airstrip, but it's not for weekend pilots. It is located right in town, with mobile homes, fences, dogs and dune buggies on all sides. It would be advisable to inquire at the airport of entry in San Felipe about current landing conditions.

Of all of the 'claims to fame' offered by Puertecitos (and, believe me, there are very few), the hot springs tend to be the one most Baja travelers enjoy the most. And for a good reason. After hours on end of sitting in a vehicle heading north or south through the Baja desert, the muscles can really tighten up and get sore.

Relaxing in these natural springs at the water's edge can be a 'peak experience' that even Abraham Maslow would have appreciated.

Caution! If the tide has been out for a while, the pools can get boiling hot, and soaking is not recommended until the incoming tides cool the water temperature.

Puertecitos offers most of the same water sports opportunities that many other Baja towns offer, as long as you bring your own toys and equipment. And the off road opportunities just outside town will test the endurance of any man or woman.

Whether you head out over the land or sea, remember that mechanical breakdowns or equipment problems can be a very serious event, because of the extreme remoteness. It's always a good idea to let someone know where you are planning to go, and when you are planning to return.

DIVING

Scuba diving activity is limited because of the lack of facilities providing air fills. The Enchanted Islands south of town offer interesting diving. Snorkeling around the rocks at the south and east end of the harbor can be fun at high tide. Be careful, the small fish near the rocks like to nibble on exposed toes.

KAYAK

For the die hard kayak fans who did not put in at San Felipe, this is the last place to launch with access to a good road. The kayaking from here south to Gonzaga Bay and on to Bahia De Los Angeles is some of the most beautiful and desolate available. Light kayaking from the harbor around the point and a bit south can be fun for a short excursion or picnic.

OFF ROAD

Puertecitos is the end of the pavement. From here south, all the way down to Baja Highway One, nature offers a terrain unlike anywhere else on the Peninsula. The rocks on the graded roads can be v-e-r-y sharp, and shredding a tire is a common experience. Side routes off of the main road are just as bad, and the terrain is generally very steep. Conditions improve the as the road approaches Gonzaga Bay. The road becomes straighter, the rocks are not as razor sharp, and some degree of civilization kicks in as you near 'G' Bay.

WINDSURFING

At high tide, launching in the harbor is easy. It's usually a port tack all the way out. Winds usually remain calm in the harbor, and pick up past the point. When the screaming northern winds drop by in Spring and Fall, wave hopping can be fun. Equipment breakdowns far from shore could be fatal.