In Jan./Feb. 2012 My wife and I want to ride to La Paz.
We ride F650GS/F800Gs . Information on camping,routes ,and sites would be greatly appreciated. We camp 90-95% of the time on our rides .
That time of year we would more than likely go the coast and cross border at Mexicali.What of importance should we be advised of.

Thank you,

__________________
Billy B.
keep it upright and out of the ditch

La Paz .... Bolivia?.... Oh sorry upon reading a bit farther it becomes evident that it is La Paz, Baja California Sur.
First important pointer is to always be specific and clear in asking directions ,including country and state, because there are multiple places called La Paz and there are hundreds of other examples of multiple locations of the same particular town names all over Mexico and Central and South America.This is just like in USA where just about every state has an Arlington, , Jefferson , Madison ,etc and how about London , in England,Kentucky,Ontario ..... no different , but can confuse .
But as to your question , since it is general, the general answer would be that you are set to go if you have all your documents ,insurance and bank cards in order.
Camping would be nice but hotels are cheap and warm during those winter months in the interior of Baja. And nights are long so it may get boring in a tent whereas in a hotel you are usually in a town where you can visit the plaza in the evenings. There are lots of posts about the various routes possible , but mostly you would be following Mex 1 and doing side trips to the coast ,all easy enough riding

__________________
Sjoerd

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...=207964&page=7

Hi Billy_b57,

Back when I lived in Oregon and traveled south in the winter, it meant checking the weather channel alot. This is the coldest time of the year and the Siskiyous are often too icy or snowy, so taking the lowest pass in the coast range to get to hwy 101 was often the only option jetting down the 5 to past Cottage Grove and over to the coast and down 101. Plenty of decent camping spots on the coast and I can still remember riding down the coast through intense winter storms with horizonal winter rainstorms. Fun for me, but I like that sort of thing.You will likely see no motorcyclists for the first few hundred miles at that time of year. Heated vest and heated grips and waterproof gear were appreciated. As were hot air hand driers at gas stations. Once you hit the sunshine in central California you will be smiling. Plenty of great camping and riding in California. By the time you get to Mexicali, it will likely still be quite cold at night. The Baja nights are quite cold in Jan-Feb until you get to Baja Sur although it will be 70 degrees and sunny likely by the time you hit La Paz even in the dead of winter. There is plenty of camping in Baja. I checked out RV travel websites when looking. I think Baja Nomads or somesuch. A google search for Baja camping away. I remember nice camping south of Puertocitos on the Sea of Cortez side although I hear that road is mostly paved now, pitch a tent at a nice campground just outside of Mulege , or a bit south at Bahia de Conception,(nice beach camping). Another safe site just south of Catavina, Bay of LA has decent camping although I stayed in a cheap motel last time. I hear costs have risen a lot in the 5 years since I went last, so camping is a cheaper alternative. If I were travelling with a wife I would probably camp near the RV snowbirds or stay in inexpensive motels with showers rather than stealth camping though. Safer methinks.

Best luck!
John Downs

__________________
South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831076

Billy B
Great time to visit Baja. You may run into wind at that time so be prepared. I would agree with the previous post and suggest to use the cheap hotels. Baja is certainly much safer than the mainland but camping alone may not be the wisest choice. There are few RV or camping spots along the way with safety in numbers. These can be found on the web. Not to scare you but the largest pot farm in Mexican history was recently discovered along a stretch of coast south of Ensenada. You will find great camping and other expats at the Bay of Conception north of Guerrero Negro and Mulege to Loreto and a farther south before the highway turns west to the Pacific. I'll be riding down in December to catch the ferry to Mazatlan on my way to Panama. I'll plan to post update of current conditions along the way.

Cheers