Bahia Concepcion is one of the most desirable places to camp in all of Baja. With its pristine turquoise waters, secluded beaches, and rugged desert landscapes, this picturesque bay beckons travelers seeking a place to camp right on the beach and unplug for a bit.
We’ve known many travelers who stumbled on the Bay of Concepcion and never drove another mile further south. Other travelers we’ve met extended their Baja camping adventures after falling in love with one or more of the 9 beaches you can visit and camp on along the bay.
Most of the camping cost around $15-$20 USD per night. And while you will not have any formal amenities and should be prepared to dry camp for as long as you plan to stay, there are some ways to extend your stay thanks to local vendors who sell water barrels, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat and a pump truck that occasionally services RVs on some of the beaches.
As soon as you stumble upon your first beach, or even before then when you reach the hill on Highway 1 that overlooks Playa Santispac as you drive south, you’ll see why it is so easy to fall in love with the Bay of Concepcion.
From kayaking and paddleboarding in the calm waters to snorkeling amidst vibrant marine life, there’s no shortage of outdoor adventures to be had in the Bay of Concepcion. Beachcombing along its pristine shores, hiking through the surrounding desert terrain, or simply basking in the sun’s warmth are just a few ways to immerse yourself in the area’s natural splendor.
And as the day draws to a close, there’s nothing quite like watching the sunset paint the sky with hues of orange and pink, casting a magical glow over the bay. Depending on when you visit, pelicans will likely get in the way of your view as they dive bomb bait fish and it’s likely you’ll hear the sound of hummingbirds buzzing past you on their way from one feeder to the next.
Whether you’re seeking adventure, relaxation, or simply a connection with nature, the Bay of Concepcion offers an idyllic retreat that will leave you rejuvenated and inspired.
Things to do in the Bay of Concepcion
Most of the best things to do in the Bay of Concepcion involve water sports or, well, sitting on the beach! We’ll briefly cover some of the activities you can do in the area. But the Bay of Concepcion pretty much offers the opportunity to do any kind of outdoor activity you can imagine!
We’ll list the general activities that are suitable from any beach and give some specific directions when a particular activity is better at one or more beaches.
Kayaking and Paddleboarding: Explore the bay’s calm waters by kayak or paddleboard, immersing yourself in the serene surroundings and enjoying stunning coastline views. Paddling can be done from any beach and is best enjoyed in the morning as the wind usually picks up in the afternoon.
Paddle out to any number of small islands in the bay, or make it a point to reach either Coyote Island and the hidden beach on the eastern edge of the island, or “Isla Guapa,” a little past Coyote Island that is home to nesting pelicans, cormorants, frigate birds and blue-footed boobies.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving: Dive beneath the surface to discover the vibrant underwater world teeming with colorful marine life, including tropical fish, rays, and even sea turtles or an occasional whale shark! Despite the great visibility, diving is not altogether fantastic because the bay is mainly made up of rock and not coral structures. But you will still see a variety of fish by snorkeling just a few feet off any of the beaches in the bay.
Beachcombing and Relaxing: Spend leisurely hours strolling along the secluded beaches, collecting seashells, or simply lounging on the soft sands while soaking up the sun’s rays. This is where many people get lost in the Baja camping adventure and find themselves simply relaxing.
One day quickly turns to one week when you are busy trying not to be busy while camping along the beach. Most of the beaches are sandy, with a few rocky shores, and in some cases you can hike from one to the next or to a nearby uninhabited beach.
Fishing Excursions: Embark on a fishing adventure to reel in the catch of the day, whether it’s casting your line from shore or joining a guided fishing charter to explore deeper waters. Several local captains will take you out for as long as you wish, primarily in pursuit of yellowtail or Mahi Mahi, but also giving you a chance to catch triggerfish and roosterfish.
Hiking and Nature Walks: Explore the desert landscapes surrounding the bay on scenic hiking trails. These trails offer panoramic views of the coastline and opportunities to spot local wildlife and desert flora. Here are some quick and easy hikes along the bay, starting at the indicated beach.
- Playa Santispac: Hike past the campers to the beach’s northern end and turn left when you reach the houses on the point. You’ll encounter a separate beach, where you can turn left along the coastline and hike all the way to Playa Naraja if you’d like!
- Playa Los Cocos: You can take a short hike on the beach’s northern end to go up and over a nearby hill. From there you will look down upon and be able to meet up with Playa Escondido. Note that Playa Escondida has a palapa bar now so there’s a reward at the end of this hike!
- Playa El Burro “Mirador El Burro”: Here is a short but steep 900 foot hike on the hill north of Playa El Burro. The trail is clearly visible from the beach. Standing on the rocky spine will give excellent views of the bay.
- Playa el Coyote “Lomita de Santa Cruz”: The hike starts from the south end of the beach and takes you to the top of a small hill near a cove. You can also take a longer walk to several different coves if you want. Our friend left a geocache along this hike. Good luck finding it among the rocky cliffs!
Camping Under the Stars: Set up camp on the beach and spend the night under the twinkling stars, falling asleep to the soothing sounds of the waves lapping against the shore. You won’t be alone in this endeavor, so you may need to wait until your neighbor turns the lights off likely at or around “Baja Midnight” (9 PM). The stars are pretty remarkable from any of the beaches.
Photography and Sunset Watching: Capture the bay’s beauty with your camera as you witness breathtaking sunsets painting the sky with vibrant hues, creating unforgettable memories to cherish forever. No two sunrises or sunsets are ever the same, and they all look different from the different beaches that all face in slightly different directions and offer differing landscapes from which to contrast the colorful sky.
Beaches Along the Bay of Concepcion
There are no formal campgrounds along the Bay of Concepcion. All camping is dry camping at one of the following beaches, where you will be asked for a small fee, around $15-$20, in exchange for million-dollar views you can’t find elsewhere in North America for the price.
No beach has set campsites, per say, so you are welcome to find your own stretch of beach and set up camp. Many have palapas that mark where a site is supposed to be and campground hosts will charge a little more for access to a palapa. It is always polite and sometimes required, to back your RV into a camping area so that you leave room for other campers to enjoy the beach.
You will also find that vendors of all sorts will frequent each of the beaches, some more frequently than others, so be sure to count on purchasing fresh seafood or delicious baked goodies at any of these beaches.
In order from north to south along the Bay of Concepcion:
Playa Santispac
- KM 114
- GPS: 26.76575, -111.89008
Playa Santispac is the first beach and is easy to access through Highway 1 just south of KM 114. The sheer breathtaking beauty you’ll see as you near the beach and drive over the hill overlooking it has made this a haven for snowbirds. You’ll find long-term campers scattered about the beach, from the mangrove swamp to the south, across the half-mile or so long beach, and along a narrow road that leads to a point overlooking the bay.
The beach’s calm water is excellent for snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding. We particularly enjoy camping on Playa Santispac because it is the most southeast-facing beach and offers the longest amount of sunshine between sunrise and sunset.
This is also the largest and most big-rig-friendly of the beaches listed. So, if you have a Class A or large travel trailer, you may want to look no further than Playa Santispac for camping. The beach also has a few restaurants, a small store and the opportunity to purchase very scattered satellite WiFi if you must connect to the world outside of Bahia Concepcion.
At Playa Santispac you should pull forward or back your RV into a spot such that you are not parallel with the beach. This is a busy beach and it is rude to take up more room than you should. There are a handful of palapas scattered about along the beach, most of which tend to be taken up by long term campers who turn them into a secondary storage area.
Note that Playa Santispac has a dump station from the beach toward the mountains. You can pay a handful of pesos to empty your tanks and extend your stay a few extra days or weeks.
Punta Piedrita (GPS: 26.76575, -111.89008) is another small beach on the eastern edge of a small just of land that separates the Bay of Concepcion from the more sheltered Bahia Coyote. To reach this beach, enter Playa Santispac and turn to the left. Follow the road along the bay until you see the houses and turn left. There is a small gated fence protecting a few palapas and informal campsites. Campsite views here face the Bay of Concepcion and tend to be more exposed to the winter wind. But camping here offers spectacular options, particularly if you want to avoid the crowds on Playa Santispac.
Playa la Escondida
- KM 112
- GPS: 26.74619, -111.89574
Playa Escondida, as its name suggests, is a hidden beach accessible through a narrow rocky road unsuitable for low clearance or longer rigs. It is one of the more difficult beaches to reach, and thus you will not find many tourists there.
What you will find is very few campsites that are not held by longer-term campers who have taken up permanent residence for the four or five month winter camping season. These campers are some of the most helpful in many ways. But they also have a bad reputation in other ways.
The beach is beautiful and ideal for snorkeling, paddling your kayak or paddleboard or simply relaxing. The recent addition of a palapa bar has made Playa la Escondida a destination on its own during the day.
Playa Los Cocos
- KM 110.5
- GPS: 26.74384, -111.90029
Playa Los Cocos is just a short drive south of Playa Escondida and offers a slightly easier path to its sandy beaches. The turn-off is not well-marked and, like most beaches on Bahia Concepcion, you’ll follow a suspect dirt road that is always subject to changing conditions.
But you can have a bit of isolation here depending on how far down the beach you camp. Although the highway passes by Playa Los Cocos, the road is mostly level so you do not hear as much noise from semi-trucks as at other beaches.
There is also a sometimes-functional dump station here. It is sometimes functional because nobody really knows if it is maintained, as you do not have to pay to use it. To find it, drive back toward the highway, and you’ll see a concrete structure at the very southernmost end of the beach where the dump station is.
Playa El Burro
- KM 108.5
- GPS: 26.72986, -111.90714
Playa El Burro is located just before Playa El Coyote. It is not the most beautiful beach as most of the cove is taken up by permanent residents with houses rather than campers and trailers. Camping is permitted on the beach’s northern end for a small fee that is sometimes collected and other times not.
If you need a break from cooking, Playa el Burro has a new coffee shop and restaurant near the north end of the beach and JC’s Restaurant is across Highway 1 from the turnoff into Playa el Burro next to the fire station.
Playa El Coyote
- KM 107
- GPS: 26.72228, -111.90981
Playa El Coyote is a semi-gated beach (it has a gate, but it is rarely if ever, closed!) popular among locals and campers alike. There is a steep grade turning into the beach, and we have not had any success at any time we’ve visited in not bottoming out the back of our RV.
However, it is one of the more popular beaches for longer-term campers who spend the entire winter season escaping the cold of Canada and the United States. This is both a draw and a deterrent for many travelers, such as you will find at Playa Santispac and Playa la Escondida as well.
The beach is divided by a narrow, rocky stretch of road that can be intimidating to larger rigs. The beach’s northern end is shorter, with a few palapas, and is most popular with travelers just passing through who want an easy-in and easy-out.
Most campsites include a palapa for fifty extra pesos or so per night, and vendors come by daily to offer everything from fresh water in barrels to fruits and vegetables, kayak rentals, blankets, and T-shirts.
Like other beaches, don’t expect anything by way of amenities – other than some rudimentary pit toilets. The southern end of the beach tends to be occupied by more long-term campers who stumbled on the beach many years before.
Note that this beach is not as popular as others because the mountain behind it prevents the sun from rising until a few hours after the official sunrise and sets a few hours earlier than it should. Campers are also either turned on or off by the number of long-term campers on the beach and the community that they have created for themselves.
Playa El Buenaventura
- KM 94
- GPS: 26.64338, -111.84574
**Playa El Buenaventura is now CLOSED!**
Playa El Buenaventura is located about halfway down Bahia Concepcion. Although billed mostly as private residences and businesses, the beach offers the opportunity to camp away from other RVs—if you can contact the owner.
The beach has facilities for kayaking and paddleboarding and you can usually find quality information about fishing in the bay by asking around. The restaurant at the beach also serves some pretty amazing tacos on Taco Tuesdays.
This is the biggest draw to Playa Buenaventura are the relatively expensive tacos and mixed drinks you can purchase. The tacos are delicious and stacked high and can usually be chased with a piece of key lime or other homemade pie. In recent years the owners have included live music to create an even more enjoyable atmosphere.
Playa El Requeson
- KM 92
- GPS: 26.63778, -111.83175
Playa El Requeson is the last easily accessible beach along Bahia Concepcion, famous for its unique geography and picturesque landscapes. Unlike the other beaches along the Bay of Concepcion, the road to the beach from Highway 1 is paved until you reach the entry, typically a rudimentary gate made from a few road cones and rope.
Known for the spit of land visible at low tide, which is then covered with water as the tide rises, Playa El Requeson is picture-perfect. Because of its reputation, it receives a lot of daily tourist traffic, in addition to people like yourself who want to spend a day or more camping.
There are two parts to the beach here as well. Most people angle their rig as best they can in the more popular area leading out to the spit and the island on the other side. But there is also a small drive to the south where you can have a little more beachfront and privacy.
At night, the beach is very quiet, and the sky is typically filled with stars. In late winter and early spring, the bioluminescent tends to peak, and you can take your kayak or paddleboard out into the water and watch the way anything that touches the water sparkles blue-green and leaves an illuminated trail behind it.
Consequently, during this time, your chance of encountering a sting ray also increases, as it does at most of the beaches along the bay during the spring.
Like the other beaches, there are suspect pit toilets and no other amenities. Due to how far south it is, many vendors that visit other beaches do not make it to Playa el Requeson so you may be on your own more here than at other beaches further to the north.
Playa La Perla
- GPS: 26.63550, -111.82455
Playa La Perla is a gem of a beach not easily accessible for anything but smaller RVs. Because it is difficult to reach and offers fewer formal campsites than its neighbors, Playa La Perla feels far more remote and uninhabited. You can access the beach either by turning right at the shoreline as you enter Playa el Requeson or with its own entrance a little further south.
There is a small sandy beach here and around a half dozen palapas. However, much of the beach is rocky and not as ideal for watersports as the other beaches. You’ll probably appreciate this beach more if you don’t want to be around many people. We’ve watched people call this a “hidden beach.” But don’t be fooled. It’s not hidden and very clearly marked on the map. It’s just not as accessible to most.
Playa Armenta
- KM 90
- GPS: 26.62520, -111.80991
Playa Armenta is the beach furthest south and arguably the most difficult to reach. You can see the beach from the highway at the end of a steep descent suitable only for smaller RVs, vans and car-camping vehicles. There are two entries to the beach from the highway. One is closer to Playa La Perla on the north end of the beach, while the second is further south overlooking the beach itself.
Playa Armenta is not very well developed, aside from some pit toilets and palapas. But because it is not as popular, you can stay there to swim in crystal clear water and sometimes enjoy the breathtaking views all by yourself.
Due to its location so far from Mulege, where most of the vendors live and work, don’t expect vendors to come visit you here. It’s the last beach as you drive south along the Bay of Concepcion.