Puerta Agua Verde | Established Campground

Very beautiful place but not a secret anymore. There are nice beaches half the travel on the dirt roads. Great to check all the places on the way!

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Let’s talk about the road to Agua Verde.

It’s hard to tell from previous reports because you don’t know that person’s personal pucker factor and you don’t know what the weather has done to the road. I am neither an old 4WD pro nor am I particularly squeamish. This report reflect conditions right now, mid-January, 2024.

The first 5 miles off Mex-1 are paved and in reasonable condition. The rest is rough, washboardy, and annoying, but nothing technical or difficult. Pretty much on a par with most Baja dirt roads. One section of about 3 miles is very narrow, mildly steep, with a shear drop off on one side. Many places in this section would prevent passing a vehicle coming the other way, but you can see most of this section before you enter it. Pause and see if anyone is coming the other direction and you should be fine. I saw no other vehicle on this section and only one other (a 2WD truck) on the entire road. Once through this section you are back to annoying bumpy road all the way to Agua Verde. There is no need for 4WD to get to Agua Verde.

If you have any doubt about this road, keep in mind that everything coming into this village (food, hardware, fuel, clothes, beer, etc.) comes down that road. And all the fish caught here that isn’t eaten locally, goes back up it.

If your goal is to get to the nice sandy spit on the north side of the cove, you need to take a different road which splits off ½ mile before Agua Verde. This road is clearly marked on the Gaia topo layer. It is easily driven except perhaps the last 30-40 meters which is fairly steep, rutted, and sandy. Going down would be easy. Going up might be challenging. As others have said, 4WD-Lo would be the kindest treatment for this road so as not to chew it up, but wouldn’t strictly be required, depending on your vehicle. If you don’t have 4WD or have any doubts, stop on the main road and walk the ½ to the rough section and see what you think.

If you decide it’s not for you, there is ample camping at Agua Verde, with two good restaurants and a decent mini market within easy walking distance. It is peaceful, beautiful, and pleasant, though the beach is a little more rocky than the sand spit to the north. There are also less campers than on the spit.

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Amazing place, but definitely not a hidden gem anymore.
Currently 16+ vehicles. Feels a bit like a crowded campground.

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great spot, room for a handful of vehicles. gate says private property now, but it's still open for camping. FYI, the bathroom is closed right now, so bring your own as there isn't really enough space or trees to dig holes. we kayaked and snorkeld right off the beach and both were great. saw a huge pod of dolphins this morning, and people were catching dorado from the beach.

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Really beautiful campsite with space for a few rigs. It can get pretty windy so heads up if you're in a tent (we've had good luck with the Windy app for this).

We did get asked for money right before the hill to the campsite by a couple with a kid; the guy also told us it was 200 pesos per night to camp; we didn't pay and once we got to the campsite no official fee was collected. It looked like they weren't there before around 4:30pm though.

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This place is just perfect for some beach days. Between two beaches. We enjoyed bioluminescence in October. Totally quiet, alone with one another camper. The track coming here is absolutely doable, also with big rigs like ours (MAN TGM 18 t). Easy off-road drive for every 4w drive. For experienced driver also for 2w drive. From MEX1 1.5 h. Two steep passages. But nothing dramatically. And we think we should mention the way to come here. The track is just beautiful through the mountains and with a great view to the ocean. Enjoy this beautiful place.

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If you have the vehicle, the time, and the suspension, don’t think, go. This place is amazing.
Saying that, when we were there the flys were real bad so bring bug spray so they can ignore it and continue to annoy you.

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Best spot in Baja Califronia !! 4x4 maybe needed (but we also saw normal VAN and they managed to do it).

Youtube "Objectif_Ushuaia" episode 36

-- FR --

Notre coup de cœur en Basse Californie ! 4x4 recommandé mais nous avons aussi vu un VAN normal le faire. Vous pouvez vour la route sur l'épisode 36 de notre Youtube "Objectif_Ushuaia"

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4x4 only!!! even if you can make it down you won't make it back up without 4wd, especially if you're loaded down at all. you'll either need someone to pull you, or you'll chew up the road. or both! i don't think it's fair to others to make the road even worse than it already is by spinning your tires or trying to hit the road at full speed to get enough momentum. not to mention pretty dangerous if you lock up your tires part way up and start sliding backwards. there are other ways for you to get here :) (see more below). i definitely would not attempt it in a 2wd van.

there is a lovely old man with his dog, Toby, who live at the beach. there's also a team of people involved in maintaining it. although this is a free spot, we left a tip and they were very grateful!

this is an absolutely incredible spot!! it's a great place for relaxing, hiking, paddle boarding, snorkelling, kayaking, etc.. it's a small sandy beach with water on both sides. lots of sailboats in the bay. if your vehicle can't make it here, you can camp just around the bay on the beach in front of the tiny town of Agua Verde, and at low tide you can walk north to this spot to explore the trails and do some snorkelling. it's about a 15 minute walk along the shoreline.

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First, this is a really special place. Second, it's that way because of the care and upkeep put into it by (as we understand it) a wealthy adjacent landowner...who presumably is also responsible for the entry road. For instance, the 3 portapotty's are unique in our Baja travels, and thus completely change the health effects of intensive camping on a tiny beach spit. No fee was charged, but we paid 200peso/hight to support the men who are on payroll (again, as we were told) of the landowner in appreciation for the caretaking. It's clean and a model of sorts for what many Baja beaches should have for care.

Regarding the access issue, this really is not a spot for larger rigs. A Canadian man had pulled a medium/lrg RV trailer down, and admitted he'd need someone to help pull him up the steep (s-t-e-e-p) climb up from the beach. We were in a heavy 4x4 Sprinter, and opted for 4Lo to be nice to the tranny and the road. Note: tearing up the road isn't your right just because you can drive your rig down in!!! Someone else has to suffer for your abuse, so consider camping at the beach in Agua Verde proper, not here.

We beach launched a Zodiac, which is great here. One of the nicer anchorages on the Baja I am told by sailors. We snorkeled here and it was very good. Nice SUP waters too.

There are also several nice, less crowded beaches on the way in to this gem. I say gem, but it's clearly getting a lot of pressure. The two nights we were there it was feeling full with 7-8 vehicles. Can be windy too as the gap forms a venturi effect.

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It is an amazing place. We need 2,5 - 3 houre for the Last 30 km. DONT TRY IT WITHOUT 4x4 or a Van. We stayed 6 days and 5days was nobody here. Fantastic 😍

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Such a beautiful place! Fun to watch all the sailboats and we saw dozens of jumping rays! It was a little busy when we came as it was Holy Week. The man that lives on the house of the beach was very sweet and just told us to find a place that we love, no payment needed! It was a little windy but not bad! Only stayed one night but would have stayed longer!

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Spent 7 days at this great spot. Just a few clarifications on previous reviews. Definitely want 4WD to go back up the hill. I suppose a small pickup truck with 2WD would make it, with a lot of spinning and damage to the road (as some locals do). A 3-axle AWD sprinter class C could not get up on their own and needed to be winched up. We are a F350 with a 3500lb truck camper and made it up in 4LO with no issues (slow and steady). The WiFi at the restaurant is not free, 35mx/hour or 50mx/day. The family looking for money came by twice. The woman is Fatima and her daughter Marianne. There was also a teenage boy with Marianne that tried the second time. We were polite and friendly, and had no issues with them, and did not give them money. Jose on the beach is a wonderful person and his dog Lola is super friendly and loves to play with other dogs. There are some rumors of some development happening (paving the steep part, big palapa, etc), but who knows...... A very special camp spot in Baja for sure, please respect it.

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Tres bel endroit seulement en 4x4 car la cote est dure pour repartir de la plage. Petit isthme de sable dur avec une vue geniale. Mon plus nel endroit a ce jour en basse californie meme s il y a 25 kms de piste pour y parvenir

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A fantastically beautiful bay. There is a restaurant on the other beach. They have free Wifi. Otherwise no supply options. You should definitely get here. Dumping, birds watching, fishing and hiking in a great environment. You do not necessarily need 4x4.

Eine traumhaft schöne Bucht. Es gibt ein Restaurant am anderen Strand. Sie haben Internet. Ansonsten gibt es keine Versorgungsmöglichkeit. Wer auf der Baja ist sollte unbedingt fur zwei drei Tage hier her kommen. Entpannen, Vögel beobachten, angeln und Wandern in
Umgebung. Man braucht nicht zwingend 4x4.

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Best beach camping in Baja! You need 4*4 to go up the last steep section to the beach.

⚠️ Be aware of a local family that scams tourists for money. We came across the mother and daughter on the side of the road, and they asked us for water and then handed us a medical bill with an English note for money. We were later told by the locals and travels who frequent this spot over the years that the husband is often in the bushes spying with the binocular, and the family is notorious in the village. They used the money they scammed to buy drugs and alcohol, and they also steal things. So be aware!

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This is a pretty incredible place, but it'll be the next Bahia Concepcion unless it's cared for. What you need to know:
-- Now it's peaceful and dark at night. This isn't the place for cell service (there is none), sparkly lights on your 5th wheel (you have stars), thumping Eurotrash beats (thank you sailors), your generator, or your drone (hike up one of the hillsides instead).
-- There is/are a couple "caretakers" on the beach...an older guy who lives in the house (Jose? and his dog, Lola) and another younger guy who didn't introduce himself. Jose has a long history there--apparently used to keep the road passable--and isn't doing well healthwise. Super nice, gracious dude, and he'll tell you to "Pick a place you like and enjoy." We brought some coffee and Masa flour for him, and sent veggies with another overlander that were headed there from La Paz. The other guy was very friendly, couldn't tell if he wanted a donation or was just chatty. We offered to share lunch with him but he went about picking up a little on the beach.
-- Clean up after yourself. This especially includes toilet paper. Please don't come here if you can't put your used TP in a baggie and pack it out. Yeah, you can't see it after you bury it, but then the wind or surf uncovers it, sends it aloft, and then little toilet paper flags hang on the bushes and trees all around. We filled our trash bag with not just the typical beach trash that washes up, but with camper trash. Comon.
-- Clean up your campfires. The second caretaker asked us to put our ashes in a can that he came and collected later. We cooked on a campfire one day, kept the fire small and in a pit.
-- The road in has been repaired. I hesitate to say this, but you read this far, so maybe you will at least come with the respect this place deserves. You turn in on a sandy path, climb a little bit, then there is a steep scree downhill. This is the only part that is at all treacherous, but the locals drive it, it's wide, nobody we saw had any problems. No high clearance needed, we used 4LO on this stretch but I don't think it was absolutely needed. I wouldn't try a trailer or a large RV on any of the road to Agua Verde, much less this section. We didn't see anything larger than a 3500 truck here or on the other beach.
-- While the road is fine for cars, you should be careful walking under the road between here and the town at low tide. Rockfalls are common.
-- Leash up your dog if it can't be well behaved. We ran into the same problem dogs at Bahia Concepcion and all over, snapping at people or going after their dogs, followed by the excuses..."He's really friendly but just blah blah blah." If your dog is scaring others he has no business roaming free.
-- There is a woman and her daughter walking the town beach. There are rumors about scams, a man in the shadows, and thefts. What we do know is that she's friendly if you give her something, and that she has a story about either the need for medical donations to the town, or for herself. Most everybody in our group had a little different experience, and some of the long-term gringo residents warned us about "them".
-- Fishermen on the beach will sell their catch, the restaurant is good (they made a dinner of home cooked mole, which is no simple task, and fish tacos for our group on New Years), wifi is slow.
-- Snorkeling and tide pooling are pretty awesome...my daughter was in the water a bunch and saw turtles, an eagle ray, dorado, and more. Walk the beaches at night to see the color-changing Mexican pipefish lurking in the surf. Go easy on the fishing.

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Amazing place, super safe and quite. The old man is a super nice guy. on low tide you can walk across the bay on the shoreline to the restaurant on the other side of the bay. They fixed up the last 50m down to the beach a little, easy up and down on my tacoma.

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Beautiful place. Please give the old man something (Money or Food) as a present. He is friendly and nice and will not ask for this. Last part of the "Road" is really hard. Had problems to get up again in our 4x4 Vanagon T3 Synchro.

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As described, no 2wd, nice spot and nicely protected. Pack it in, pack it out please.

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What a marvellous place!!!! The best of Baja? Probably... whatever direction you look: nothing but beauty. Good snorkelling, sub, swimming, fishing, fish jumping out of the water, a lot of wood, friendly people and dogs. We love it here! The road is really only 4wd. Take care and enjoy!

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We came to this place in 2013 and named it “el Paraiso” it still is. Beautiful double bay. With calm water ok both sides. Mostly pebbles but in the middle there’s sand. An abandoned house and a house of an old very friendly fisherman. Last access down to here is with 4x4 only as steep and loose. To find this place take a left where the big tire is on the ground off the main dirt road. At the end of the road is the small village with a restaurant, a little store and bathrooms with shower for 20 MXN.

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what a special place! we spent 9 days and finally decided to leave to get more supplies. No fishing here for the next 5 years (Nov 2022 will open again) we were told fishing isn't as good here this time of year. Unfortunately that meant no shrimp & fresh fish as previous reviews mentioned. you can still fish by line within 50m of shore (see picture for sign and regulations) Great place where sailboats come and go every day. eco cruise shows up every Monday with 65 passengers that hoard the beach.

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Truly wonderful spot! But be aware, that reaching this place really gives your car a beating. It's at least one hour dirt road one way and the last few meters are in fact very steep. For the way back up 4x4 is a must. Locking differentials might be necessary as well. We did it with our 4x4 Sprinter. Take one of the last left dirt roads from the main dirt road where two old tires lie on the street. The old man, who lives there is very nice and didn't charge us anything. You can swim, paddle or kayak over to the main beach to get some delicious food.

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Let’s just start with access. In truck camper with 4x4 and needed it for the descent as we are pretty heavy. Would not recommend anything larger like a class B as the corners are very tight and loose. At the bottom, one can turn left and camp at Ranchos San cosme or continue the extra 8 Miles to Agua verde About 3-4 wild places to camp on the way to Gaus Verde. The first road on the left past Rancho san
Cosme leads to private land but after that....,it’s free and beautiful. Arrived late in agua verde so spent the night on beach. Woke up to fisherman unloading boats FULL of red snapper. Bought beer from the one restaraunt and found some camping closer to Rancho. Rancho is nice and has
Access to hot spring but it’s just a gravel parking lot.

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Este lugar es único, solo 4x4 para llegar. Durante los fines de semana y vacaciones puede llegar más gente. Estuvimos solos por 3 días. Procuren traer todo lo necesario. Solo Hay una pequeña tienda en el pueblo.

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Very crowded on the Easter time. The road was no problem in our 89 Toyota Pickup 4WD. Some people do their poop etc. on the back of the beach and partly leave their paper, that is simply not fair... so we left because it was to full.

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As described, beautiful place! Definitely one of the best Baja camping experiences! Quiet and secluded, awesome bay with snorkeling and flat water for SUPing, far enough away people aren’t always trying to sell you stuff but close enough to a little town if you needed something. Road in is rough, no motorhomes. Please be respectful of the man who lives right on the beach. Don’t tear up the road (he goes out and fixes it by hand), ask permission to camp there, bring him a gift (food) and he won’t even ask for money.

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Did not stay here. There were 10 sailboats in the bay and somebody at the campground(?) on a boat was yelling at us because of the dust?! After that we turned around. As others said, going uphill requires a 4x4 or plenty of speed. There is a sign „Solo 4x4“ at the top of the hill. No problem in our car.

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Beautiful place. If you don't dare to drive down to the bay or are in doubt if you can make it up when leaving, there is a possibility to turn around just before the final descend. We saw a couple of people doing so. We, however, found it easy to drive in our Toyota Landcruiser (4WD station wagon, low gear box, 5.40 m (18 ft.) long) with a pop-up roof (no cabin).

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beautiful beach as described previously. the road is pretty wild at the very end, I suggest walking it first before making a decision. we made it in a 86 Toyota mini motorhome with 4wd. going down was ok, up may prove to be more challenging. worth the drive if you can make it. secluded, beautiful blue green water, sailboats, just lovely. can get water and basics in town, but best to bring what you can.
fyi- Mondays big 100 person cruise ships come and bring passengers ashore

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Camping at the beach of the headland before Puerta Agua Verde. Fantastic as a campsite can be! In the evening we could buy Camerones directly from the fishermen and sailboats anchored in the bay.

We would, however,

strongly discourage people with similar sized cars to come here.

The last 50 meters to the beach are as steep and the road as full of deep bumps we partly slipped away. This was clearly too dangerous, but to reverse the road along the ocean was not possible.

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