One of the world's great road trips, the Transpeninsular Highway (Hwy-1)
Dating back to 1973, the Transpeninsular Highway runs from Tijuana, Baja California to Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, along the Pacific Ocean and crosses into the Gulf of California to Santa Rosalia and from there continues along the Gulf to Los Cabos, BCS.
The Transpeninsular Highway, which dates back to 1973, runs from Tijuana, Baja California to Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, along the Pacific Ocean and crosses into the Gulf of California to Santa Rosalia and from there along the Gulf to Los Cabos, BCS.
"La Transpeninsular", considered the backbone of B.C.S. due to its economic importance, began to be built around the 1940's, after several attempts to connect the northern territory with the south; however, it took some years for this project to be completed, until it was inaugurated in December 1973, with the official name of "Benito Juarez" Transpeninsular Highway.
This route crosses the five municipalities of the state and, in addition to connecting the entire state economy, promotes tourism and the natural beauties of the area; traveling along it is a fascinating experience, since along the way we can contemplate wonderful landscapes of paradisiacal beaches, the amazing desert, majestic mountains, fields and even imposing curves, as is the case of the Cuesta del Infierno in the Santa Rosalía-Guerrero Negro stretch, or the Cuesta de Ligüí.
The Transpeninsular Highway is perfect for a road trip through Baja California Sur and enjoy all that the road has to offer: visit magical towns like Loreto or Todos Santos, take the Route of the Missions, relax in the crystal clear waters of Bahía Concepción, stroll through Los Cabos, among many other great options.
Travel distances listed here include stops required for fueling and army searches:
Tijuana to Mexicali 1hr 50min (198km)
Mexicali to San Felipe 2hr 15min (195km)
San Felipe to Ensenada 3hr 10min (245km)
Tijuana to Ensenada 55min (109km)
Ensenada to San Quintín 3hr (190km)
San Quintín to El Rosario 55min (56km)
El Rosario to Cataviña 1hr 50min (123km)
Cataviña to Parador Punta Prieta 1hr (103km)
Parador Punta Prieta to Bahía de los Angeles 45min (69km)
Parador Punta Prieta to Guerrero Negro 1hr 50min (135km)
Guerrero Negro to San Ignacio 1hr 30min (146km)
San Ignacio to Santa Rosalía 45min (72km)
Santa Rosalía to Mulegé 40min (62km)
Mulegé to Loreto 1hr 45min (138km)
Loreto to Ciudad Insurgentes 1hr 20min (141km)
Ciudad Insurgentes to La Paz 2hr 20min (209km)
La Paz to Todos Santos 45min (77km)
Todos Santos to Cabo San Lucas 55min (77km)
Cabo San Lucas to San José del Cabo 25min (32km)
It takes 16h 57 min to go from Tijuana to La Paz by car, which would require a consumption of 90 liters of fuel. Buses only connect cities. There is a direct bus departing from Tijuana and arriving at La Paz. Services depart 4 times a day and operate daily with a journey time of approximately 24h 30m. The quickest flight from Tijuana Airport to La Paz Airport is a direct flight which takes 1h 52m.
The Transpeninsular highway runs about 40 km along the sea, along the bay of Loreto, from Ligüi, Puerto Escondido, Loreto Bay (with some resort and condos). There is an international airport just outside Loreto (5 km south of downtown). There are flights to USA.
Attention! The Transpeninsular highway is the most dangerous highway in Mexico, as well as the Mexico- Queretaro highway, which are the most rugged, since people usually drive at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour (Km/h). Baja California Sur is considered by its inhabitants as the safest municipality in Mexico.
Sources: Sudcalifornios, Nomad-as.com, Rome2rio.com
