November 2024
Tecate to Loreto on Honda Africa Twin bikes.
Crossing into Tecate, Baja, Mexico on our Africa Twin machines, we knew we had a few long days in the saddle to make it way south to our destination of Loreto in southern Baja.
This wasn’t just another Baja motorcycle trip, this time we had a mission: to scuba dive in the beautiful islands off of the Loreto coast with the Blue Nation Baja dive team.
Myself and my buddy Todd “TC” Corbitt had hatched this plan a few months ago when we both realized we were certified scuba divers. We took a refresher dive course, and after a few test dives in the cold and rough ocean off the coast of Laguna Beach, CA, we were ready to head south to warmer and clearer waters.
Day 1 Tecate to El Parador hotel/ Bahia de Los Angeles junction 360 miles
After an easy border crossing, and a quick stop to get a 7-day visa, we were on the road, and quickly crossing the high altitude twisty La Rumorosa pass towards Mexicali. The Honda machines were just amazing to ride, and we quickly clicked off the miles south towards San Felipe for a quick lunch stop on the malecon overlooking the Sea of Cortez.
The road south of San Felipe has several areas with potholes, so we were on even more high alert than usual. The last thing we needed was a flat tire and a bent rim. Fortune smiled on us as we passed Puertocitos and Gonzaga Bay with zero issues.
Before dark we arrived a a new small hotel called El Parador at the Bay of LA turn off to spend the night and grab a few cold Tecates and some dinner.
Day 2 Hotel El Parador to San Ignacio. 172mi.
After a long first day we had made good time, and day two was a much easier day. On this trip we wanted to have time to stop and smell the roses along the way, so we made a lunch stop to visit our friend Tim Tascione in Guerrero Negro. Tim has a great moto workshop in town, and being literally half way down the Baja peninsular he is perfectly located should a passing rider need assistance. Tim stocks everything from moto/ADV tires, to fork seals, oil, clutch parts and much more. A great asset to know about in Baja. Tim Tascione (310) 883-5469
On the road again, we made our way down to the small town of San Ignacio, complete with a town square, a mission, and hundreds of huge palm trees.
We arrived mid afternoon to the Hotel La Huerta (a Tim recommendation), and then made a short walk to the town square for some tacos and cervezas.
Day 3 San Ignacio to Loreto 169mi.
Another relatively short mileage day on the bikes, but as we got further south, the Baja vibe was taking hold of us, and we stopped many times to take in the views. We rode past the Tres Vírgenes volcanic complex that contains the only large stratovolcanoes in Baja, California.
We made a stop in Mulege to take a look at the small mission before heading south past the amazing Bahia de Concepcion, and made it to our southern most point of the trip- Loreto.
We had a taste of luxury at the Hotel La Misión on the seafront in Loreto, and headed into town to explore some of the old building, and also to check in at Blue Nation Baja for our scuba dive the next day.
After some great pizza and a cold beverage at the hotel, it was an early night for us as we would be up at sunrise and headed to the marina the next morning.
Day 4 Loreto scuba diving, then ride to Conception Bay 63 miles
The day had arrived… we were going scuba diving. Something completely different from riding an adventure motorcycle!
We took the dive boat south of Loreto to Isla Danzante where we would stop at two different coves and do two dives for the day.
The Blue Nation website described this location as:
“The north half of Danzante island offers pristine, easy dive sites suitable for every diver. Underwater walls, huge boulders, rocky slopes and sandy bottoms mingle constantly, allowing for a great biodiversity, where you can find tons of moray eels, turtles, reef fish and rays.”
Our dive master, Yago, took is on two dives where we maxed out at about 65 feet depth, and we were very happy to be diving with thin wetsuits in 78F crystal clear water. After our dives we anchored in a small cove for some lunch, then took the ride back to Loreto and arrived at around 2:30pm.
We geared up in our Alpinestars gear and hit the road back up to Bahia de Concepcion and arrived at sunset. What an epic day…
Day 5 Conception Bay to San Ignacio 100 miles
Just a short day on the bikes, but we took in the full beach life vibe in the small coves around Bahia de Concepcion. After a morning spent swimming and exploring the area, we hit the road north back up to San Ignacio again.
We went to the same chilled out restaurant in San Ignacio as we had been to a few days earlier, and saw our old friends, the town square dogs.
Day 6
San Ignacio to Gonzaga Bay 240 mi
With our fairly early start time, we were able to cover several hundred miles at a good pace to get us to one of our favorite spots, Gonzaga Bay, just after lunchtime.
A quick swim, then into the great little restaurant at Alphonsina’s located at the end of a long sand beach next to the turquoise Sea of Cortez.
We knew that the next day would be a long ride back up to the border, so we went to maximum chill over some great food and a few cold cervezas.
Day 7
Gonzaga Bay to Tecate 300 miles
On our bikes at sunrise, we carved our way up the east coast of Baja, passing back through Puertocitos, San Felipe, Rumorosa grade, and back to an easy border crossing in Tecate to wrap up an amazing 7 days and 1500 miles on our Africa Twins.
Big thanks to Todd Corbitt, Blue Nation Baja, Scott Burnworth, Tim Tascione, Alpinestars, Honda, Shinko Tires, Giant Loop, Yoshimura, and Doubletake Mirrors.
