Los Frailes | Wild Camping
Mexico
Details
- Verified:
- 8 days ago
- GPS:
- 23.38068, -109.43222
- Altitude:
- 4.6 masl
- Website:
- None
- Contributor:
-
Song of the Road
Amenities
- Electricity:
- No
- Wifi:
- No
- Kitchen:
- No
- Restaurant:
- No
- Showers:
- No
- Water:
- Non-Potable
- Toilets:
- No
- Big Rig Friendly:
- Yes
- Tent Friendly:
- Yes
- Pet Friendly:
- Yes
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Description
iOverlander cannot verify if wild camping is permitted at this location. It is your responsibility to verify local laws or obtain consent before staying the night.
A free arroyo camp spot outside of a small fishing village. Many boondocking spots within 100 m of the beach and up the arroyo. Spot is crowded but still has room. Mobius rays and dolphins visible from the beach. Nice snorkeling at the foot of the cliffs. Around the corner is a sea lion colony. There is a shanty fishing village, but the fisherman only lives there a few days at a time. Please do not stay north of the fish camp, it is a turtle nesting area and part of the Cabo Pulmo National Park.
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Latest Check-Ins
big beach with lots of parking. saw mobula rays jumping. can get to with 2wd.
Report Check-Invery larges Space yo stay. no to Manu people at this Time. we haven't see whales or flying Ray. people are friendly. very si quiet place, just thé waves of the sea. there Is a well. Beeing just one night I did'nt try It
I recommande this place
Wonderful stop with lots of wildlife in the bay. We have seen multiple whales each day and Mobula rays jump and splash throughout the day. There is lots of space South of the fish camp which is the only place you are allowed to stay. We saw some people who camped north of the camp but they were asked to leave by the Cabo Pulmo park rangers because it is a turtle nesting area. Please respect this limit if you come.
Report Check-InNice beach and very popular. I counted thirty rigs, but reasonable space between them. Too breezy in the afternoon for my awning. The pictured palapas are gone and I saw no trash cans which would quickly fill in any case, given the number of campers there. Small fish camp on the north end of the beach.
The "town" has no services whatsoever. There are a small number of very nice residences, but nothing else. The market at Cabo Pulmo is a joke, so enter this stretch of beach well stocked with food.
Report Check-InBeautiful beach in a sheltered cove. Calm day today so swimming and snorkelling was easy. Looks like the beach To the south is really calm for swimming. The beach is not as steep as most of the beaches I’ve seen In Baja. No issues at all. Trash cans but that is it for services. No cell reception.
Report Check-InFree beach. Not so crouded, windy and cold in December but more protected than Arbolitos. No internet signal. No services. Near to Cabo Pulmo in case you are doing scuba. Great experience
Report Check-InGreat spot to stay just outside of Cabo Pulmo. Lots of spots depending on your vehicles capabilities, we’re in a 170 sprinter and had no issues. We were some of the only people staying just a few nights, people come out here and set up for awhile it seemed. Great snorkeling by the point to the north without having to go into the national park. Came in from the North, road was fine, as expected
@projectsoulquest
Report Check-InA very cool spot! 4x4 recommended/required depending where you want to set up camp.
Report Check-InVehicle: Ram Promaster 3500
Very crowded on both sides of the road. If going northbound, the spots on the right are difficult to get to if you don't have 4wd.
There's another camping area on the opposite side of the road that is hard packed but very busy. We kept driving.
Report Check-InFree arroyo/beach dry camping. just below a fish camp. I stayed on the beach side of the road in a 25' class C RV. Be careful pulling off the hard pack or you'll get stuck. Your tires need to be aired down for the east cape road anyway. Pretty crowded on the arroyo side, not so much on the beach side. There are a lot of long-termers here, some very nice, some not so. Excellent beach walking north (to the point and reef) and south (for miles). The reef has good snorkeling on calm days, but any swell causes significant surge. Faint cell signal.
Report Check-Instay on or really close to the packed road if you have a heavy vehicule. be carefull if you go in the water, we saw 6-7 bullshark at less than 10 ft from the shore ( close to the rock )
Report Check-InThe adjacent land owner has a pole fence closing off a lot of the west side beach camping. Now it’s only the arroyo. This makes it more crowded
Report Check-InSlept one night here. Not the best spot but free.
No Telcel
IG: on.vagabonde
We stayed here in 2019 and hated it (too many people, smelled like sewage), but we gave it another shot and had a great time. There’s probably only 25% of the people there was back then, maybe 30-40 rigs. The sand is deceptively soft so don’t get too close to the water without 4WD. We made it about 200 yards from the water in a 2WD Sprinter. The beach and water are amazing if you walk towards the houses. We’ve seen several humpbacks come into the bay. No amenities aside from overflowing garbage cans. No cell service on ATT. FREE!
Update: Stayed another few nights and realized if you walk 20 minutes down the beach towards the houses you can get a few bars of 3G. Enough to send a text at least.
Report Check-InLong and wide riverbed, with lots of places to camp for any size rig.
stay on the sides to have protection from the wind, 4x4 not necessary.
There are no services. free and easy to get to
Great snorkeling
This is a nice spot. At first it might seem sort of stark, just an arroyo but you can pull up pretty close to the water if you have 4wd, the beach is nice for walking at low tide when sand is firm, the snorkeling is pretty nice by Baja standards at the north end of the beach and on around the point. If you're a strong swimmer and you continue beyond the point to a solitary rock formation there is a sea lion colony there where you can swim with them. At the north end of the beach there is a marked trail to the summit of the hill that affords great views.
Report Check-InNext to shanty fishermen village that’s often vacant...at least during the day. Scope where you drive, especially if you don’t have a 4x4. Oh and BYOshade
Report Check-InParked trailer at end of arroyo road but lighter rigs with 4WD could drive north to palapas on beach. North cove had good snorkeling but south had amazing show of breaching humpback whales and rays. Fisherman with scales will sell catch of the day.
Report Check-InAwesome spot right on the water at the end of an arroyo. Little fishing village with not a ton going on. We were the only ones there, tried to stay at los arbolitos but the guy at the gate said no camping. There is a well in the arroyo but nothing else, bugs were bad
Report Check-InCareful !!! Our rear wheel drive sprinter got very stuck here , the lose gravel is deceivingly unforgiving ! Took quite a bit of digging and a tow to get out. Beautiful beach, sandy, friendly people, Clear water , lots of folks fishing right ofthrsnlre
Report Check-InNot great. Just a huge gravel and sand arroyo with a ton of RV’s and truck campers. We prefer more private and smaller spots, but this worked for one night when we got too lazy to scout better spots.
Report Check-InPretty busy spot with some parking lot politics that we tried to stay out of. Apparently the three old guys who occupy the entire beach front routinely freak out on people for parking too close to them and there was some drama before we showed up. Everybody was nice to us, though. Warmer vibes were found further up in the arroyo
There's many nicer and less crowded beaches further south that are both free and free of grumpy gringos. Next time we'd go there and skip this place.
We had no issues getting around in a 40 ft schoolbus. Really nice snorkeling around the cliff just north of the beach and good fishing on the beach.
Report Check-InHere 4 nights. 23’ Class A. Slow going but no real issues. FREE. No amenities. No cell service at all. WARNING: 3 old arrogant white males dominate & whole heartedly believe they control the beachfront with belongings strewn over 300 Meters often suggesting for others to NOT 2 PARK HERE. Not enough space. ITS MADDENING & OFFENSIVE! Please please fell free to park wherever you please. ITS A PUBLIC PARK IN MEXICO. NOT THEIRS
Report Check-InRoad from Los Frailes heading back north to Los Barriles. Not too bad
Report Check-InCamping in the arroyo or at Playa Frailes is quite nice. There is a water well here in the middle of the arroyo, you will need a rope and bucket to draw water from the well. Frailes Beach is protected somewhat from the winds coming out of the North. Very good snorkeling where the beach meets Frailes mountain on the East end. Please remember that you are in the Park here and fishing is not allowed.
There is no fee here and no services.
So again please pack out your waist.
Keep an eye out for the whales as they are quite prevalent in the winter months.
A nice place with some not so nice problems. Lots of visitors with often more than 1 dog who consider the whole beach as an official dog poop place. Dog owners seem not to realize that some people are afraid of dogs or have no love for dogs. Leashes are not known. Dogs are chasing the nearby Rancho horses and cows and dog owners seem to think nothing of it.
When we were there we found that other visitors are crowding even though there was lots of space available to give everybody plenty of privacy. Especially vehicles which are well equipped to camp at the more remote parts of this beach behave like they are afraid to prove their all terrain capabilities. Generally a very disrespectful "me me me" attitude.
lots and lots of long term RVs parked there. i imagine a fair few with generators. beach seemed nice...just busy and considering so many better ones to choose from, we left. beaches further south have been great so far.
road heading north to cabo pulmo had a foot+ of water covering it and soft sand in the pools. do-able with the truck, but i wouldn't take a small car through there.
Report Check-InGreat spot right next to the beach. Our 2wd Sprinter made it to a great spot overlooking the water. There are at least 15 campers here in a variety of setups but mainly RVs. We watched whales and manta rays breaching out in the bay. A really gorgeous camp location.
Report Check-InBeach was quiet when we were there. You can go a little bit down the beach, but you can no longer drive all the way to the mountain as it is marked as a turtle breeding area. There are lots of fish to see snorkeling at the point. If you are a good paddler, there is a sea lion colony not too far around the point.
Report Check-InNice beach in front of a calm cove. Lots of paddle boarding/kayaking/snorkeling here. Many other campers, but not crowded.
Report Check-InLots of RV’ers up the arroyo, beach is really nice, rained hard on Wednesday so the road from Los Barriles is best suited for high clearance 4x4 right now. Lots of stuck rental cars!
Report Check-InWide open cove beach at mouth of big arroyo. Sand is deceptive and you may get stuck in a soft spot, but the Mexican fisherman in the camp nearby will happily pull or push you out in exchange for some pesos. Beautiful sandy beach for walking to the right and snorkeling is great by the rocks to the left.
Report Check-InStayed just one night; at this time of the year there are many opportunities to stay; we had a calm night
Report Check-InWe really enjoyed our time at Los Frailes, it’s a bit tricky to find a beach front spot with 2WD but plenty of people to help push you out if you get stuck (it happened to us). There is fantstic snorkeling on the far left edge of the beach, you can buy fish from the fishermen at sunset for a cheap price. There is a hard packed parking lot if you’re afraid of getting stuck. The road coming from the north was not too bad with small patches of soft sand. Low gears in 2WD will make it. Felt safe here.
Report Check-InNice camping at the sandy beach of Los Frailes along East Cape Road, which is sandy and washboardy, but fine for all kind of RV if you drive slow. There are a lot of campers but it´s a lot of space so you will be private. Camping is possible on the beach side of East Cape Road. It is a bit less windy than Los Arbolitos to the north. Access is ok for 2 WD.
Report Check-InVery nice beach and especially good if it’s too windy on the east cost of Cabo Pulmo.
You can park and sleep here, several RVs, travelers and local around.
The road is feasible with a 30Ft RV, with a medium clearance but you must love challenge ;) as it’s bumpy with several climbs. On the right side of the beach, be careful, you can easily get stuck in the sand, better to stay on the parking if you are a big RV. Snorkeling very good ! And beautiful beach.
The road to get there was really rough, washboard, it took us a little more than an hour to do the 10km of dirt road to get here. It was windy and not so much sunny. We went snorkelling just in front of the beach parking and got stung by jelly fish on all our arms, itchy for 4 days. * The best place to go apparently is on the left side of the beach around the rocky side. but when windy = less visibility.. couple of cars came during the afternoon, but We stayed there the night, super quiet, we were alone. We went there with our small rv and everything was falling apart because of the roads.
Report Check-InSpent two nights camping by the cliff at the north end of the beach. Bit of a trek from where cars are parked, but otherwise great spot. Not as beautiful as Los Arbolitos, but much more sheltered from the wind. It’s a small rock beach that gets quite a few day visitors but clears out completely around sundown.
There is an amazing coral reef just offshore from the far north end of the beach. Snorkelling highly recommended.
Report Check-InGreat place only one other group camping. A few day trippers. Nice fisherman. Nice well for washing water. Bring a bucket and Rope. Beautiful marine life.
Report Check-InVery nich beach with local fishermen. We stayed here 4 days, felt very safe, just careful in the sand with the vehicle. If you want to snorkeling go to the end of the beach where you see the rocks.
Report Check-InNo fence when we visited (June). People camping on the beach, fishermen since early morning, ATVs... kind of dirty too.
Report Check-InProtip: We had no trouble at all finding a local fisherman to take us a short distance by boat to the Sea Lion colony to the north. You can snorkel in the water with them!
We didn’t camp here but saw a few trailers parked near the cliffs in the arroyo inland, so it shouldn’t be a problem to camp.
Report Check-InYou cannot camp there anymore. It's all fenced off. At the only small stretch of the beach with public access camping is not allowed.
Report Check-InGreat free campground. Lots of other campers but we did not feel crowded. 3G signal. Beach is sandy and water was warm enough to swim. We saw lots of flying stingrays and some whales. Great snorkeling by the rocks at the foot of the hills.
Report Check-InJust pulled in, several other overlanders parked on the beach side of the road. Haven't been to the village. Telcel service
Report Check-InAll private land, large community of shack stay local homes set up. felt kinda sketchy. can't drive on the beach were those Palapas are anymore. they extended the Cabo Pulmo National park to include this area. They seam to be building a nature center for the turtle nesting. There seams as though you could park with the shack homes, but we were concerned about our stuff if we walked the mile or so to the rock and went snorkeling. it would give people plenty of time to take your stuff.
Report Check-Ingreat free spot with a lot of space
water was great for swimming and snorkeling
fishermen are nice
the road from capos is in a bad condition!
Great beach. First thought the ick and crowded area south of the fishing village was the place but further investigation found the nearly deserted camping next to the beach palapas. Lots of campers in not so nice area but only us and one other by palapas. Two pit toilets. Free
Report Check-InGreat place to camp for free.twice a week a truck with some groceries comes.you can also buy drinking water.just ask the other people, some of them lives for month hier.from the fisherman you can buy fresh fish every day.
Report Check-InWe stayed here 5 nights for free. Ended up partying on a sailboat in the bay on Christmas! Many friendly expats, and Mexican anglers, families. Great snorkelling near the rocks. There are palapas with a couple pit toilets nearby, though no vehicles allowed in this area, you may pitch a tent there. Tons of space for Rv's, trailers. There is a small colony of mostly permanent residents across the main road, about 200meters back from the beach. Careful driving in the soft sand! We helped bail out 2 vehicles, and saw a few more working at it. (Hint: don't drive a rental sedan on the sand). You can get water, beer, and limited groceries in Cabo Pulmo. We did not trust the well water for much...one guy said he'd fished a rat out a few months back.
Report Check-InThis is a nice free camping beach, with a fisherman village. You can go to the left or the right of the village and camp. But you have to stay back off the first 100 yards or so of beach because it is protected land. The snorkeling and under water activities are why you come here. There are prettier stretches of beach on the peninsula for just camping. If you don't plan to dive or go out on a boat, not sure it's worth it just for the beach.
Report Check-InMany boo docking spots within 100 m of the beach. Spot is known but still lots of room. Flying manta rays and dolphins visible from the beach. Nice snorkelling at the foot of the cliffs
Report Check-InSuper nice beach and great snorkeling spot. There were about 50 rv's and lots of them are permanent or semi permanent, most of them away from water, so if you want to camp by beach there are quite a few spots.
Report Check-InThis was a nice place to camp. We hear that in November there may be up to 60 rvs that stay for a few months. When we were here there were only maybe 2 others camping. We walked over and bought fresh tuna steaks from the fisherman for about 50pesos a kilo and had the best meal yet in baja. There are pit toilets near the treed area that these coordinates will take you too, or you can go just a bit further down the road for open beach camping. It's all free
Report Check-InA free beach camp spot outside of a small fishing village. The fishing village looks a bit sketchy, but the fisherman only live there a few days at a time. ~USD Free
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