Traveling along Ruta 1 on a motorbike

I live in Mexico City and I have been riding the roads of Mexico and the United States for years with my group. The motorcycles are my world!  I work for a worldwide known motorcycle company, I give driving lessons and on my free time, what do you think I do? That´s right!  I go out riding…

I have done the Ruta 1 and I can´t recommend it enough.  Thus I will share some useful tips and some of the spots you can´t miss along this route.

My group and I left Mexico City heading to Mazatlan via the city of Guadalajara.  Once in Mazatlan our motorbikes and we boarded the ferry going to La Paz where we spent a night cruising.   This first leg takes you one whole day, therefore if you don´t have enough time or don´t want to ride your bike all the way to Mazatlan, you can always fly to Los Cabos where you will find several motorbike rental options and join your group there at the start of Ruta 1. 

We arrived to La Paz in the morning, hop in the bikes and head north to Puerto Lopez Mateos to live one of the most amazing experiences of the entire trip- grey whale watching.  The tour operator we booked the tour from had everything ready for us, the boat ride to see the whales, the parking space where he locked up the motorbikes, and our visit to the sand dunes.  When we came back to the pier we picked up the bikes and resumed our ride towards Loreto.

One of my favorite places while driving along Ruta 1 was the Cuesta de Ligüi … it is an incredible winding section of the road that goes uphill located between La Giganta Sierra and the Sea of Cortes.
From the highest points along the way you can see the Carmen Island. Throughout the whole ride you can enjoy truly spectacular views especially at dusk.
Once we arrived to Loreto we head to our hotel to rest and resume our journey the next day.

Very early in the morning we started riding towards Santa Rosalia, passing by Bahia Concepcion – an astonishing place with beautiful beaches and little restaurants with delicious food (as in all Baja California Sur). In Santa Rosalia we took the ferry that goes to Guaymas to start our journey back home.

Here are some specific recommendations to ride along Ruta 1.  It is essential to have all the gear and clothing needed to regulate your temperature and make sure you are well hydrated at all moment. Use sunscreen, plan your fuel reloading stops in advance and locate the places where it is safe to camp on the beach in case you don´t want to stay in a hotel like we did.  Also, be aware that in spring the days are longer which gives you more time to ride.  And of course have a Mexican motorcycle insurance and stick always with your group. 

I am sure whomever decides to ride along Ruta 1, will definitely want to return to explore more of this amazing route. 

Photo by Bikead