You can pretty much camp anywhere in mexico. Been doing it for years. I ride till I want to stop for the day, pull off the road and pitch my tent.

We are going to do border crossing at Mexicali, then heading to Golfo de santa clara. Thanks for advices, iOverlander was great find..

IMO, you should follow the advice of "Huesos" in post above. Mexicali crossing is OK but Tijuana is better and close to the cooler coastal area just South of Tijuana.

Take the TOLL ROAD to Ensenada. Nice, beautiful and COOL ride along the coast.

Once you are South of Ensenada, you can find Wild Camping and some towns in Baja have RV parks where you may be able to camp.

Mexicali and the Golfo Santa Clara area will be VERY HOT until late October or November. HOT HOT HOT. NO breeze there.

My advice (after 30 trips into Mexico) is to cross at Tijuana, quickly head South on Toll road.

Temps will be 20C cooler along the coast. Go South to Ensenada before finding a Motel. Hotels before that are fancy and expensive. But once in Ensenada you may find something cheaper. Ask Taxi driver to find good one.

Be careful camping in Mexico. Some places you can have people everywhere,
not all are honest, wonderful people. (but MOST are great!) If you have done a lot of Wild Camping before then you will know how to find a safe place (hidden is best)

As noted above, be sure to get your Tourist Visa at the border. You can also get your TVIP (for the bike) there as well ... or ... if you ride down Baja, you can also get TVIP at Ferry Terminal South of La Paz.

BUT ... you must get your Visa at the border, you cannot get it once further South!!

Molly,
You mentioned that it is possible to get the TVIP at the border crossing at Tijuana. Have you done this? I am going to look into doing this or at the consulate in San Diego which is known for being overcrowded and overworked so the border entry would be preferable.

As Sjoerd mentioned, NO point trying to get Visa (FMM) at Mexican Consulate on the USA side of border. Not sure they would even issue it and for sure not the TVIP. TVIP is Aduana and is handled only by Bancjercito.
Consulate is all about helping Mexicans doing business in USA ... they don't deal with tourists at all and it's a nightmare of Mexicans waiting HOURS and DAYS for help.

I got TVIP twice at Tijuana border. No problem now with the all new modern buildings and everything located in one building. Before you had to run around a bit. When I was there last I was the ONLY person there. (late afternoon)

I also got a TVIP at the Ferry Port on another trip. The staff at the Port weren't as knowledgable as the staff in Tijuana, took longer, but in the end either location is fine for getting your TVIP.

You need a credit card for the bike deposit. (was $400 for my '06 DR650). They do give it back but you have to stop at (or near) the border at Bancjercito to get it canceled. Keep you receipt. My credit card showed a $400 credit the next day! Not bad for Mexico.

Excellent points made by Mollydog about getting the Tourist Permit ( FMM ) at the border. You MUST get it there when entering Mexico and you will not be permitted on the ferry to the mainland without it. The TVIP ( temp . Vehicle import permit) can be gotten at Banjercito at the ferry docks in Pichilingue - which is actually NORTH and east of La Paz , so don't ride out of town southward looking for it
Remember too that when getting the TVIP you will need to put down a deposit of up to $400 USD , depending on age of the bike . You GET THAT MONEY BACK when you cancel the TVIP before leaving Mexico within its 180 day valid period.

Re: camping in mainland Mexico - Baldman does oversimplify grossly , I wager he has to look around and search for a good spot that is safe and secure or he is asking permission from property owners .
Simply putting up a tent in sight of the road is just asking for attention from the wrong sorts of people . Stealth camping requires obscurity- no lights , no campfires.
Remember that in Mexico and all the tropics you will be dealing with a constant cycle of nearly equal 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of dark , no long lingering late sunsets and early dawns as in summer in Finland and Canada that give you 15 hours of light and an hour of fading or more.
Are you prepared to sit around a dark tent for 12 hours every day?
Yes , you can find secure camping spots and actual organized camping places , but do consider that there will be plenty of small inexpensive hotels available in many of the towns and backcountry villages even . Do not force yourself to camp in areas where you question your security.
Learn to recognize such cheap hotels from the signs that most put up , signs that
say " Hospedaje " or Hostal or " Casa de Huespedes" or " Cuartos " " or Se rentan cuartos" or Motel or Hotel =).
iOverLander is a good resource but with practice you can hone your own skills for finding places like these , don't just give up and settle for the first expensive hotel that gets suggested by folks you might ask .

And most assuredly , the customs offices at the entry to Tijuana will have the service for getting the PERSONAL FMM but I suggest that you do not bother trying to get the TVIP there . The TVIP is totally NOT needed in Baja and you are making pointless work and time for yourself at an inconvenient place.
I guarantee you that the TVIP will be available and very easy to get once you are at the ferry docks early well before the hour of departure of your elected ferry boarding. Believe me , I have done that numerous times.
And for your own health and sanity cancel any thought of going to a Mexican consulate in San Diego . The BORDER TERMINAL is your only service point , that is why it is there . The consulate is there mainly for businesses and for Mexicans having problems i n the USA.Nowadays it has lots and lots of work helping that latter group .

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http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93