MULEGE, MX
To say that Mulegé is a paradise would be a drastic understatement. It is an actual oasis, by the literal definition of the word, in the middle of the desert that is Baja. You will drive into the town, and palm trees will pop up out of what was a sea of cacti. They will begin to multiply until that is all that you see. Along each side of a river will be tall forests of palms and other trees and greenery. Overwhelming green all around. It's something I had never seen before —the desert turning so green — and it's not something I will soon forget. The pictures on the page only do this part of the country a small justice. Outside of the stunning oasis, which I will get to more in the 'Sights' section, the area around the town of Mulegé is home to some of, if not the most, beautiful beaches in Baja. One after the other in the Bahia de Concepcion, a short 20 minute drive from the town of Mulegé, you will find white sand bay, after white sand bay, facing crystal clear blue water in an ocean that is about as calm as you will ever see. Camping is generally free or very cheap on all of these beaches, and it's one of the coolest and most shocking things you can do in the entire State. The beaches look like they are straight out of the Mediterranean Sea. The water is warm, blue, clear. You will be surprised as you remind yourself where you are. Apart from these natural wonders, the town of Mulegé is great as well. There are a large amount of expats here. Which is good and bad, but the town actually has a nightlife scene. There's a few bars, a brewery, and it's truly a breath of fresh air to have all these people around to socialize with after a long stint in the deserts, and on the beaches of Baja, practically solo.
Located about 60 kms south of Santa Rosalia, or 250kms or so south of the border of the northern State along highway 1. The town is situated on the Sea of Cortes, and only about 20 kms or so north of the large and beautiful Bahia de Concepcion (Bay of Conception), which is home to some stunning beaches and coves.
You cant miss Mulegé, it's right along the 1. So if you are traveling down the 1 through Baja, you will pass through. I highly recommend you spend at least a few days here. Some time in town — exploring a few things, and then at least a few days at the beaches of Bahia de Concepcion.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
Hotel Mulegé is conveniently located right in town. Walking distance to pretty much everything in town. It's a really nice spot to hold up for the night if you want 4 real walls around you for a little while. The beds are fine, the bathrooms flush and have toilet seats. It's nothing special, but it's not expensive, and it's convenient. We drove around for a while until we settled on this spot, so if it's what you're looking for, no need to look further.
Accommodation options here in Mulegé are quite vast actually. There are a number of nice hotels, some boutique hotels, some cheap hotels/motels, some local guesthouses etc. If you are looking for a place to stay, it won't be difficult at all. There aren't, however, any hostels. There's also a good amount of campsites and RV parks here, that offer facilities and hookups for my rigged out friends.
The backpacking scene hasn't quite made it here. For good reason. It's hard to get here. The expat and retiree scene here however is burgeoning, which is why there are a number of nicer places to stay. That wasn't in my budget, so I wouldn't know. However, we did treat ourselves to a room, with a real bed and bathroom for our night in Mulegé town. It was about $20 for the night for my brother and I, but we felt like kings. Oh what a month in a car, and living in the dirt will do to your expectations.
Outside of the town of Mulegé, there are the beaches at Bahia de Concepcion. I imagine out here there will be some nice Airbnbs that you could rent, as well as some hotels if you looked. People do come here to witness the beauty from all over. I wouldn't know much about either of these options as I just camped. So I will highlight a few of the options from beachfront campsites here in Mulegé. No matter what you want — a deserted beach, or a full one surrounded by other RV's, you'll be able to find it here. Some of them are extremely popular and full of tourists. I avoided those ones, but some of the beach names I won't specifically call out that you can check out if you want are: Santispac, Playa El Coyote (the most popular), Playa El Burro (town with gringo homes)...
Kind of an interesting spot. It's this site outside of town a little bit, that is trendily designed with these tiny 'home-kind' things — in the shape of wooden pyrimids. You will have to drive everywhere in town, because it's not near anything really. You can rent them on Airbnb or on site for ~$40 per night. They have a kitchen and a common area, and it's the closest thing to a hostel that I found in the area.
If you want to car camp, or just generally camp, and don't want to wild camp in the numerous locations around Mulegé town you could find with the help of iOverlander, your best option is probably here. It's cheap, they have hookups, and there will be palapas alongside some of the campsite which are convenient as any overlander knows. Located in town, and not far from much.
EATS
There is a very large range of camping options in this area, ranging from very crowded, to not at all. The area can be very congested with RV people coming down from the States and Canada. For months at a time. Playa Escondida was our personal favorite. It is the hardest to get into. A bumpy dirt road with some grade at times to get in, that the bigger RVs can't handle, so it's much quieter. There's also little palapas that you can park next to, and you'll be pretty much on your own except for maybe a few other rigs on the weekends. It's absolutely stunning, and we spent most of our time here.
This is the most beautiful camping in the bay. It is the thing that postcards are made from. A long white sand peninsula stretching out into the water where you can pull your car almost all the way out to camp on for the night. It is popular, and can get crowded though. We elected to not camp here even though it's the thing to do — and avoid the crowds.
Playa Los Cocos is kind of an in-between spot to stay down here. It's not overly crowded, but also not empty. Not too hard to reach. It's well protected from wind, and the views are beautiful. So this is a good option to camp with palapas on the beach if you are lucky enough to get there while there is still space.
When it comes to eating in the area I am just going to get into the food in the actual town of Mulegé. I didn't do any eating in Bahia de Conception and only ate food we brought in, or the occasional tamale (which was delicious) when someone would come by on the beach. But the food in the town of Mulegé is good, and refreshing after being relatively limited by eating options in the rest of Baja.
Restaurants
They seem to have changed locations to out of downtown since I was here. But this brewery has good burgers and American style food. Good beer. — Live music, and is a good time.
Cool little local spot serving really nice fish tacos and all sorts of seafood.
This was a nice little sit-down place on the main street in town. They serve more upscale Mexican plates inside a cozily designed space. We went for breakfast, and the chilaquiles were great.
NIGHTLIFE
So there isn't much to add here — at least not from me. I'm sure you could find your way to some bars here, but it's not like the nightlife scene is all that happening here. Well, I guess unless you are an expat living there for a while then I'm sure you have it figured out.
SIGHTS
If you want a night out I would recommend heading to the aforementioned Mulegé Brewing Company. When I was there, it was in town and was actually really crowded and fun. There was live music, people getting drunk, and all that. It appears that they have moved out of town to a spot a little further down the 1 on the way to Bahia de Concepcion. It appears though, that the general vibe has not changed. Still live music. Still a bunch of gringos getting drunk.
The town of Mulegé is an oasis. It's stunningly beautiful, and you can witness it as the cacti turn into palm trees. You can drive through the palm-lined dirt roads on either side of the river, get up to higher ground and see the oasis from above, spend some time on the river or walking across the man-made dam in it. But regardless, go spend some time exploring the greenery of this truly unique part of the world.
The sights in Mulegé. This is why anyone is here. The sights are beautiful, and will take your breath away.
BAHIA DE CONCEPCION
In the sake of not repeating myself, rather than name each of the individual beaches in Bahia de Concepcion, I am just going to recommend the bay in general. It will offer everyone something different, so just go and figure out what you like best. Some beaches are more crowded, others less. It's up to you.
SURFING
Nothing here. Sea of Cortez. Flat.
