The Desert Opens Up and the Sea Appears
We’d been driving south from Mexicali for almost two hours when the desert finally cracked open. Highway 5 cuts through some of the most desolate landscape in Baja — flat sand, scattered cacti, mountains that shimmer in the heat — and then the road drops and the Sea of Cortez appears. Not gradually, not in glimpses. One moment you’re surrounded by nothing, and the next there’s an expanse of turquoise water stretching to the horizon, bordered by sand and backed by rust-colored mountains. San Felipe sits right at the edge of that transition, a small fishing village that feels like it was dropped at the end of the world and decided to stay.
Our first trip was a disaster in the best way. We’d planned a quick overnight — drive down Friday afternoon, camp on the beach, drive back Sunday. We ended up staying four nights. The shrimp was too cheap, the sunsets were too good, and every person we met told us about one more thing we had to see. A fisherman offered to take us out on his panga for 500 pesos. A woman at a taco stand insisted we try her ceviche and then wouldn’t let us pay. An American expat at the RV park next to our campsite handed us two beers and said, “You’ll figure out pretty quick that nobody’s in a hurry here.”
He was right. San Felipe operates on a different clock. This is a town of maybe 25,000 people, most of them connected to the fishing industry or the tourism economy that swells on weekends when Southern Californians and Arizonans drive down for the beach. There are no high-rise hotels, no nightclubs, no resorts with wristbands. There’s a Malecon, a handful of taco stands, a couple of hotel-bars with ocean views, and miles of open beach where you can park your truck and sleep under the stars for a few dollars a night.
Jenice says San Felipe reminds her of what the beach towns in the Philippines must have felt like thirty years ago — before the developers arrived, before the prices went up, before the character got polished away. The charm here is in what’s missing. No traffic lights. No chain restaurants. No pressure to do anything except eat shrimp, drink beer, and stare at the water until the sun drops behind the mountains.
What Makes San Felipe Different?
San Felipe’s defining feature is something you can’t see until it happens: the tides. The northern Sea of Cortez has some of the most extreme tidal shifts on the planet — up to 23 feet between high and low tide. At low tide, the sea pulls back hundreds of yards, exposing a vast plain of wet sand, tide pools, and stranded boats tilted on their keels. Kids run out to explore. Fishermen wade knee-deep to check their nets. It looks like the ocean just got up and left. Then the water comes back, steadily and surprisingly fast, and by evening the waves are lapping at the Malecon seawall.
We’ve made the mistake of parking too close to the water at low tide and scrambling to move the truck when the tide turned. The locals laugh because they’ve seen it a hundred times. Check the tide charts. This isn’t a suggestion.
The other thing that sets San Felipe apart is the Baja 1000. Every November, the world’s most famous off-road race tears through the desert around San Felipe, and the town transforms into a motorsport festival. Thousands of race fans camp in the desert, set up viewing spots on the course, and flood the bars and taco stands. Even if you’re not into racing, the energy during Baja 1000 week is electric. We came for the tacos and stayed for the spectacle of trophy trucks launching over berms at 100 miles per hour.
Beyond the tides and the racing, San Felipe is simply one of the most affordable beach destinations within driving distance of the US border. A weekend of beach camping, fresh seafood, and cold beer costs less than a single night at a mid-range hotel in San Diego. The Sea of Cortez water is warm — Jacques Cousteau called it “the world’s aquarium” — and from October through April, the weather is dry, sunny, and perfect.
Where the Desert Meets the Sea
The Sea of Cortez glows turquoise against red desert mountains, and the silence out here is the kind you feel in your chest.
Where to Eat in San Felipe
San Felipe is a shrimp town. The Sea of Cortez delivers some of the best shrimp in Mexico, and the local cooks know exactly what to do with it. Eating here is simple, affordable, and consistently delicious.
Mariscos La Vaquita
Our first stop every time we’re in town. This no-frills seafood spot on the main drag serves shrimp every way imaginable — garlic butter, breaded, deviled, in tacos, in cocktails. The garlic butter shrimp plate with rice and beans is the thing we crave on the drive down. Expect to spend 120-250 MXN ($7-14 USD) per person. The portions are enormous.
Tacos y Mariscos El Sinaloense
A street-side stand where the tacos are assembled fast and disappear faster. Their shrimp tacos — battered and fried, with cabbage and a creamy chipotle salsa — are the best in town. At 35-55 MXN ($2-3 USD) per taco, we order five each and regret nothing. Open from mid-morning until the shrimp runs out.
The Red Lobster (El Restaurante de Mariscos Rojos)
Not the American chain — this is a local seafood restaurant right on the Malecon with open-air seating and sea views. The seafood soup (caldo de mariscos) is rich and loaded with shrimp, clams, and fish. A full meal runs 180-350 MXN ($10-20 USD) per person. The margaritas are strong and cheap.
Baja Mar Fish Tacos
A small stand near the fishing pier that serves some of the freshest fish tacos we’ve had in Baja. The catch comes off the boats in the morning and into the fryer by lunch. Fish tacos at 40-60 MXN ($2-3 USD) each. Jenice prefers the smoked marlin tostadas — ask for them if they’re available that day.
Rosita’s
The spot where locals eat breakfast. Huevos rancheros, machaca burritos, and strong coffee. Jenice orders the chilaquiles every time and says they’re the best she’s had outside of Pampanga — high praise. Breakfast for two costs 150-280 MXN ($8-16 USD). Get there before 9am on weekends or you’ll wait.
Rice & Beans Bar & Grill
An expat-friendly restaurant and bar on the Malecon that serves solid Mexican and American food. We come here for the fish and chips on days when we want something easy, and for the sunset views from the second-floor deck. Dinner runs 200-400 MXN ($11-22 USD) per person. The bar stays open late by San Felipe standards.
Golden Hour on the Malecon
When the sun drops low, the entire town turns gold. Fishermen haul in the day’s catch while families walk the seawall eating elotes and paletas.
Where to Stay in San Felipe
Accommodation in San Felipe ranges from beach camping under the stars to comfortable hotels with pools and air conditioning. There’s nothing luxury by international standards, but that’s part of the appeal.
El Cortez Hotel (Mid-Range to Upscale)
The nicest hotel in San Felipe, sitting on a hill overlooking the bay. Pool, restaurant, bar, and rooms with actual sea views and functional air conditioning — which matters more than you think when summer lingers into October. Rooms run 1,600-2,800 MXN ($90-155 USD) per night. This is our pick when we’ve had enough camping and want a hot shower and a real mattress.
Hotel Las Misiones (Mid-Range)
A beachfront resort-style hotel south of town with a pool, tennis courts, and direct beach access. It’s aging but clean, and the location right on the sand makes up for dated decor. Rates run 1,200-2,000 MXN ($68-112 USD) per night. Good for families who want space and facilities without the premium.
Pete’s Camp (Budget — Beach Camping)
The quintessential San Felipe camping experience. Basic palapas (shade structures) and fire pits right on the Sea of Cortez, about 15 minutes south of town. Cold showers, pit toilets, no Wi-Fi — and at night, more stars than you’ve ever seen. Camping spots cost 300-500 MXN ($17-28 USD) per night. Bring your own food, water, and firewood. This is where we stayed on our first trip and it’s still our favorite.
Kiki’s RV Park & Camp (Budget)
Closer to town with slightly better facilities — warm showers, a small store, and hookups for RVs. Tent camping runs 250-400 MXN ($14-22 USD) per night. RV spots are 400-700 MXN ($22-40 USD). The communal fire pit on Saturday nights is where you’ll meet half the expat community.
What to Do in San Felipe
Watch the Tides (Seriously)
This sounds like non-advice, but watching the tidal shift is genuinely one of the most remarkable natural spectacles in Baja. At low tide, walk out across the exposed sand flats and explore tide pools full of starfish, hermit crabs, and sea cucumbers. Then watch the water return. Time it with sunrise or sunset and you’ll understand why people keep coming back. Free, obviously.
ATV Desert Rides
San Felipe is surrounded by open desert that begs to be explored on four wheels. Several operators on the Malecon and along the main road rent ATVs and offer guided tours through the desert and along the coastline. A two-hour guided ride costs 800-1,500 MXN ($45-85 USD) per person. We did a sunset ride along the beach and up into the hills — the views of the Sea of Cortez from above are stunning, and Jenice, who was nervous at first, ended up leading the group by the end.
Baja 1000 Race Weekend (November)
If you can time your visit with the Baja 1000 — usually the third week of November — do it. The world’s most famous off-road race passes through the San Felipe desert, and the town fills with race fans, vendors, and a festival atmosphere. You can watch from designated viewing areas along the course for free. The pre-race contingency (tech inspection) downtown is worth seeing even if you don’t care about engines. The bars and restaurants are packed all week.
Fishing
San Felipe is a fishing village first, and the Sea of Cortez is rich with yellowtail, dorado, sea bass, and corvina. Local pangeros (boat operators) offer half-day trips from the harbor for 1,500-3,000 MXN ($85-170 USD) for a boat that holds two to four people. We’ve pulled in yellowtail within thirty minutes of leaving the harbor. Ask at the Malecon or your hotel to connect with a reliable captain.
Valle de los Gigantes (Valley of the Giants)
About 30 minutes south of town, a dirt road leads to a forest of cardon cacti — the largest cactus species in the world. Some of these specimens are over 60 feet tall and hundreds of years old. There’s no entrance fee, no visitor center, no gift shop. Just you and ancient cacti in the desert. Bring water and tell someone where you’re going. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended.
The Sea of Cortez at Dawn
The water is glass at 6am. Pelicans dive in the shallows, fishing boats motor out to sea, and the mountains across the gulf glow pink in the first light.
The Baja 1000 and San Felipe’s Racing Soul
San Felipe’s relationship with off-road racing goes deeper than one weekend a year. The desert terrain around town has been a proving ground for desert racing since the late 1960s, and the Baja 1000 — the longest non-stop point-to-point off-road race in the world — has put San Felipe on the international map. During race week, the town’s population doubles. Makeshift camps spring up in the desert, locals set up food stands along the course, and the roar of trophy trucks echoes off the mountains at all hours.
We were in San Felipe during the 2024 race and the energy was unlike anything we’ve experienced in Baja. A family next to our campsite had been coming for seventeen straight years. They had folding chairs, a cooler the size of a coffin, and a hand-painted banner cheering for a driver we’d never heard of. By the end of the day, we were cheering too.
Even outside of race season, you can drive sections of the old course on unpaved desert roads. The landscape is beautiful and severe — volcanic rock, dry washes, cardon cactus forests, and views that stretch to the horizon in every direction.
Closing Thoughts
San Felipe surprised us. We came expecting a dusty fishing town with cheap beer and not much else, and we found a place with genuine character — the kind of character that develops when a community is small enough that everyone knows each other and remote enough that nobody’s trying to impress outsiders. The shrimp is fresh because the boats go out every morning. The sunsets are incredible because there’s nothing between you and the horizon. The camping is cheap because the beach belongs to everyone.
We keep going back because San Felipe offers something increasingly rare: a beach town that hasn’t been optimized for tourism. No all-inclusive resorts, no Instagram-bait installations, no influencer-friendly brunch spots. Just sand, sea, desert, and the kind of quiet that makes you wonder why you spend so much time in cities.
Bring a cooler, bring sunscreen, and check the tide charts. San Felipe takes care of the rest.
Scott’s Pro Tips
- Getting There: From San Diego, cross at San Ysidro or Otay Mesa and take Highway 5 south through Mexicali to San Felipe — about 3 hours of driving plus border wait time. The route through Mexicali is slightly longer but avoids Tijuana traffic. Highway 5 south of Mexicali is a well-paved two-lane desert road with almost no services, so fill up on gas in Mexicali. You'll need Mexican auto insurance — buy it online before you leave for $15-25/day.
- Best Time to Visit: October through April is the season. November through March is ideal — daytime highs around 70-80°F, cool nights perfect for campfires. Summer (June through September) is dangerously hot, regularly exceeding 110°F, and many businesses shut down or reduce hours. If you come for the Baja 1000, book camping spots and hotels months in advance — the third week of November fills up fast.
- Getting Around: You need a car — there's no public transport, no Uber, and the town is spread out. A regular sedan handles the paved roads fine, but if you want to reach the best camping beaches or Valle de los Gigantes, bring a truck or SUV with ground clearance. Taxis exist but are few — negotiate the fare before getting in. Expect 50-100 MXN ($3-6 USD) for rides within town.
- Money & ATMs: Bring cash. San Felipe has a few ATMs (Banorte on the main drag, a Banamex near the Malecon), but they run out of pesos on busy weekends. Some restaurants and hotels accept credit cards, but taco stands, campgrounds, and fishing charters are cash-only. Budget 450-1,100 MXN ($25-60 USD) per person per day for food, drinks, and activities.
- Safety & Health: San Felipe is genuinely safe — it's a small town where tourism is the lifeblood. Walk the Malecon at night, camp on the beach, no issues. The real safety concern is the environment: carry more water than you think you need (the desert is unforgiving), wear sunscreen constantly, and respect the tides — water comes in fast and people have lost vehicles to rising tides. Don't drink tap water. The nearest hospital is Hospital Comunitario de San Felipe on Avenida Mar Caribe, but for anything serious you'd need to get to Mexicali (2 hours).
- Packing Essentials: Sunscreen (SPF 50+), a wide-brim hat, a reusable water bottle, and layers — desert nights get cold (dropping to 45-50°F in winter). If you're camping, bring your own firewood (none for sale reliably), a windbreak or tarp, and extra water and fuel. Sand shoes or sturdy sandals for the tidal flats. A headlamp for the campsite. Mosquito repellent for evenings near the water.
- Local Etiquette: San Felipe is friendly and laid-back. A simple "Buenos dias" or "Buenas tardes" opens every interaction. Tipping 10-15% at sit-down restaurants is standard. At taco stands, leaving 10-20 MXN is appreciated. If a fisherman takes you out on his boat, tip generously — 15-20% of the charter cost. Jenice reminds us to always buy something from the taco stands near your campsite — they're your neighbors, and a few tacos build goodwill fast.