WILLIAM'S PLACE AT SCORPION BAY
Local Information
Everything You Need to Know
If you scroll down this page, you will find information on the following topics:
- How to reach San Juanico by car or plane.
- How to find our place once you arrive.
- The lay of the land and sea (an expandable Google map).
Elsewhere on this site, you can find information about the local surf and winds, surf-board rentals, boat excursions for surfing and sport-fishing, and local hiking expeditions. We hope that you find this information useful. If you seek further information, please contact us, and we will usually be able to help.
DRIVING TO SAN JUANICO
Reaching us by the North Roads or Southern Highways
You can drive to San Juanico by taking the north roads, one of which appears in the photo to the right. The drive along the north roads can take several hours. You should not attempt it unless you have a good 4 X 4 with high clearance. It is a beautiful, relaxing ride, which also spares you many hours of extra driving so long as you do not get stuck or lost!
On the north roads, however, it is possible to get stuck in sand or mud or get lost in the middle of nowhere and without an internet connection. You should therefore take appropriate precautions before departing. Also, try to get information about the current condition of the north roads shorty before you begin your journey.
For guidance, visit BajaNomad.com or Talk Baja on FB. If possible, have someone familiar with the roads show you the way the first time you come. That is how I did it. After a few times, you will learn the different routes by heart, and then it is usually an easy drive. We got stuck once, but were able to dig our way out in a jiffy.
What follows are basic directions that give you the general idea, but you will need more specific information to make this drive.
- To reach the north roads, take Highway 1 south to San Ygnacio, BCS. Then take a right into town, drive past the town plaza, and take the paved road that leads south/southeast and eventually southwest to the whale lagoon (it is marked by signs). Drive along that road until it ceases to be paved, then continue driving until you reach either the "high road" or the salt flats.
- The high road is a washboard road of gravel, rocks, and sand that runs to the left off the road that leads to the whale lagoon. There are a few other roads out there that match this description, so make sure you are turning left onto the high road to San Juanico (el camino alto hasta San Juanico).
- You can take the high road all the way to San Juanico, but at one point you must traverse a ranch and pay the rancher a tip for your passage.
- Or you can start out on the high road and later veer right onto one of the many trails that lead to the various "middle roads," which in turn lead to Campo Datil (a fishing camp).
- At low tide, you can bypass the high road entirely and drive instead almost to the whale lagoon, then drive more quickly along the salt flats until you reach Campo Datil.
- If you take the middle roads or the salt flats to Campo Datil, you must then follow one of the trails to La Ballena. From there you will continue driving to Cadaje, and after passing through this tiny hamlet you will continue south for about 5 km until you reach San Juanico.
- Do not attempt this drive or any part of it after nightfall.
Alternatively, you can drive entirely on paved roads by driving south on Highway 1 all the way to Loreto. This drive affords breathtaking views of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez).
- After passing Loreto, continue on Highway 1 until you reach a small town called Insurgentes. Take a right into that town and keep driving along the main road until you leave town and find yourself driving north/northwest. Keep driving for app. 90 kilometers (56 miles).
- The same road then veers to the right. Very shortly afterwards, turn left on the poorly marked road that leads to Las Barrancas rather than continue straight to La Purisima. DO NOT CONTINUE DRIVING TOWARDS LA PURISIMA, AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE ON THE OLD ROAD (EL CAMINO VIEJO) THAT GOES FROM LA PURISIMA TO EL MEZQUITAL! If you find yourself driving on any kind of dirt road for any significant length, you have turned off the paved road that leads to San Juanico.
- If you have correctly taken the left at the crossroads for La Purisima/las Barrancas, you will soon reach the entrance to a town called Las Barrancas. Don't enter, but instead turn right and take the road all the way to San Juanico, which is where the paved road ends. The last part of this drive offers a few magnificent views of the San Juanico Bay.
- Do not attempt this drive or any part of it after nightfall.
It takes several hours longer to drive by the south road than by any of the north roads, but it is paved the whole way. If your starting point is south of San Juanico, it is the only way.
Unless you are an expert in motocross or safaris, do not attempt to take any of the east roads from Highway 1 to San Juanico! I understand that they are exceptionally beautiful if you are qualified and have the right equipment to make the journey.
When driving in Baja, always keep an eye out for cows, horses, and goats, since they sometimes stray onto the roads, especially in the late afternoon and at night. For this reason, it is usually a good idea not to drive after dark for any significant distance in these parts.
FLYING TO BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
Three Airports Serve This Region
To reach this region by airplane, you can fly to Loreto, La Paz or Cabo San Lucas. Air Alaska offers direct flights from Los Angeles to Loreto, as well as connecting flights from other locations. Air Volaris offers frequent direct flights from Tijuana International Airport to all three airports. Other airlines also serve these airports.
After reaching your airport, you can rent a car, or we can usually arrange for ground transport. The drive is three and one-half hours from Loreto, five hours from La Paz, and a full seven hours from Cabo San Lucas.
DIRECTIONS AND MAPS
directions to our place
directions to our place
directions to our place
Once you reach town, ask anyone for la Casa de William, or travel into town on the main paved road, then take a right at Plaza Publica, then a left after two blocks.
Then look for two houses painted silver blue on the right. They are connected by a bridge. The first blue-silver house (to the northeast) is our home. The second blue-silver house (to the southwest) is the guest house. There is a sign before our home that says Le Jardin de Claire et Jacques. Also, we are right next-door to Sandra's Restaurant.
Someone will usually be available in our home to show you around, give you keys, and answer your questions. There are also printed instructions inside each unit.
Enjoy your stay!
map of the region
directions to our place
directions to our place
This Google map shows our location and allows you to zoom in and out to get a better idea of the lay of the land and sea in these parts.
You will observe that the San Juanico Bay is really a large inlet of water from the Pacific Ocean along a part of the coast that proceeds from the northwest to the southeast -- which is the general direction of the west coast all the way from Alaska to Chile.
The town of San Juanico looks out east/southeast to the San Juanico Bay. Its points variously face east/southeast, southeast, or almost straight south. The points themselves have all the distinguishing features of classic point breaks.