Mulegé Overview

Mulegé (pop. 3000) has always drawn in travelers for longer than they expect to stay. Indeed, a number of Americans have moved here permanently. With its thick forest of palms ushering the Río Mulegé into the Sea of Cortés and its proximity to the glistening beaches and opal waters of Bahía de la Concepción, this desert oasis has all the elements of a tropical paradise and rewards divers, archaeologists, beachcombers, and those just looking to relax. Set back from the shoreline, the narrow streets of this small mission town are friendly and Mulegé has not yet bent to the demands of tourists accustomed to a different way of life.

Transportation. The bus station (☎153 0409) is located in Restaurant La Noria, on Mex. 1 just north of the turn-off for Mulegé. All buses are de paso. Arrive 15min. before departure. Buses head north to Mexicali (19hr., 3 per day 3am-2pm, 1073 pesos), Santa Rosalía (1hr.; 4, 7pm; 59 pesos), and Tijuana (16hr., 11pm, 934 pesos). Southbound buses go to La Paz (6hr., 6 per day 1am-11pm, 463 pesos) via Loreto (2hr., 129 pesos) and Cabos San Lucas (8hr., 3 per day 9am-9pm, 573 pesos).

Orientation And Practical Information. With its tangle of steep, narrow one-way streets, Mulegé is a fun town to explore on foot. Coming from the north on Mex. 1, there’s a turn-off for Mulegé on the left. The road then forks. Moctezuma is to the left, and Martínez is to the right. If you’re driving, one-way traffic will force you onto Martínez. Both streets are crossed a block farther in by Zaragoza. Martínez continues east and converges with Madero, which follows the north bank of the Río Mulegé for about 4km, ending at the beach, Playa el Prieto, and lighthouse. The zócalo is on Madero at Zaragoza, a block west of the intersection with Martínez.

Bancomer opened the first bank in Mulegé in December 2006. Located on Zaragoza at Martinez, the bank exchanges currency and traveler’s checks and also has a 24hr. ATM. (☎153 1029; open M-F 8:30am-4pm.) Other services in Mulegé include: Lavamática Claudia, on Zaragoza just downhill from Hotel Terrazas (☎153 0057; wash 19 pesos, dry 7.50 pesos, soap 4 pesos; open daily 8am-6pm); police, in the old Pinatel de Educación building on Martínez, near the in-town PEMEX station (☎153 0770); Farmacia, at Madero on the plaza (☎153 0042; open M-Sa 9am-2pm and 4-10pm, Su 8am-2pm and 6-10pm); Centro de Salud, Madero 28 (☎153 0298; open 24hr.); Internet access at Servicio Internet Minita, on Madero near the Centro de Salud, as well as fax and photocopying services and Wi-Fi (☎153 0212; Internet 20 pesos per hr.; open M-Sa 9am-9pm); Fax services at Telecomm, on Moctezuma near Zaragoza (☎153 0133, open M-F 8am-2pm); and the post office, in the same building as the police (☎153 0205; open M-F 8am-1pm). Postal Code: 23900.

Accommodations And Food. Free camping is available on Playa el Farito, a public beach home to noisy weekend parties. (3km from the centro at the end of Madero. Camping is only recommended for groups.) Nearby Bahía de la Concepción has much nicer camping. If you’d rather stay in town, Mulegé has a number of well-priced hotels. The best, without a doubt, is  Hotel las Casitas 5, on Madero near the plaza. Las Casitas offers bright, beautifully decorated rooms around a shady, bird-filled patio. All rooms at Las Casitas have strong A/C. (☎153 0019. Free Wi-Fi. Singles 342 pesos; doubles 393 pesos. MC/V.) Casa de Huéspedes Manuelita 4, on Moctezuma next to Restaurant los Equipales, has basic, small rooms with A/C and baths. (☎153 0175. Rooms 250 pesos. Cash only.) Next door, Casa de Huéspedes Nacho 1 has the cheapest rooms in town. The rooms, which are essentially in the backyard of the owner’s house, are dark and extremely basic. Rooms come with fan and share two bathrooms with water that comes out of a pipe fixture. (Singles 100 pesos; doubles 200 pesos. Cash only.) Orchard RV Park 1 occupies a stretch of Río Mulegé’s southern bank, accessible via a well-marked seashell-laden road from km 133 on Mex. 1. Although Orchard suffered extensive damage during a recent flood, the park still has palm-shaded spots. (Tent site US$5. RV site US$18. Cash only.)

For an informal and delicious bite, try Taquería Doney 1, on Moctezuma. One of the nicest taquerías in Baja, locals cram the blue checkered tables indoors and the stools outdoors to wolf down 12-peso tacos. (☎153 0095. Open M and W-Sa 7:30am-10pm, Su 8am-10pm. Cash only.) El Candil Restaurant 4, on Zaragoza near Martínez, serves tasty seafood and meat entrees for around 60 pesos. The restaurant mellows out in the evening and service can be slow. (Open M-Sa 9am-10pm, Su 11am-9pm. Cash only.) Taquería Dany 1, at Rubio and Madero, not to be confused with Doney, is a friendly taquería that specializes in carnitas de puerco (11 pesos), the only dish served on Saturdays.

Sights. There are more than 700 sites with ancient cave paintings and etchings in the mountains and hills near Mulegé. By law, you need a permit to visit them. The easiest way to obtain this permit is by hiring a local guide. Two guides in town will take you to two of the sites, La Trinidad and Cuevas San Borjitas. Trinidad, which actually is made up of three main caves, is about 1hr. away by car. During the rainy season (Oct.-Dec.) visitors need to swim through a canyon to access the site. Otherwise, it is about a 1 mi. hike. San Borjitas, about 2hr. away by car, consists of five principal caves and is a mi. hike from where you park your car. Salvador Castro leads hiking tours to the caves year-round. (☎103 5081. US$40 per person.) Ciro Cuesta at Baja Adventure Tours, on Madero near the plaza, also brings tourists to the sites, except during the summer. (☎153 0566 or 0377. US$40 per person.) Since Trinidad is nearer than San Borjitas, both guides also take tourists visiting Trinidad to Piedras Pintas, a site with more than 2000 carvings.

Visitors who prefer not to spend 5-6hr. on a tour can visit an impressive array of petroglyphs on their own at Playa El Burro, at km 109 on Mex. 1. Park in front of Bertha’s restaurant, on the beach. Then, cross the highway. On the side of the road, you will notice a yellow street sign with a left-turning arrow and a smaller “danger” sign. Walk between the two signs. The petroglyphs lie in the gully between the two main hills ahead of you. Follow the gulley (laden with boulders) for about 10min. If you look closely, you will notice that the boulders are covered with carvings of turtles, fish, stars, and even humans. A number of rocks also have flat tops with smaller stones stacked on top of them. These are known as “bell rocks” and, incredibly, if you hit them with the smaller stones, they ring like bells.

The 18th-century Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé sits on a hill west of town. Walk down Zaragoza away from the zócalo, go under the bridge, and turn right on General Emiliano Zapata. The mission is on the hill where the pavement ends. The look-out behind the church provides an impressive view of the town and river.

Museo Comunitario Mulegé is housed in the town’s old prison at the top of the hill. To get there, continue up the hill past Hotel Terrazas and turn right. The prison is the large white building around the curve in the road. It was once known as the “prison without doors” for its policy of allowing inmates out into the town during the day and then summoning them back at 6pm by the blowing of a conch shell. Visitors can themselves walk in and out of the prison cells, including one still blackened from the fire a prisoner lit to kill himself after learning that his wife was having an affair. Unfortunately, the cells have recently come under the guard of a belligerent flock of pigeons. The museum includes an assortment of semi-relevant objects, including a piece of a spaceship that allegedly fell to Earth at a rancho near Mulegé, rusty dishware, typewriters, a phone, a mini-kitchen set, and a stuffed sea turtle. (Open M-Sa 9am-6pm.)

Outdoor Activities. Cortez Explorers, Moctezuma 75A, the only dive shop in town, brings divers and snorkelers to Punta la Concepción or the Santa Ines Islands. (☎153 0500; www.cortez-explorer.com. Snorkeling -day US$50, full-day US$95. Dive tours US$70. Cortez also rents an array of equipment, including snorkeling gear. MC/V.)

Mulegé is centered around the Río Mulegé, which is flanked on both sides by dirt roads. For a quiet hike, follow Madero out of town for 4km as it trails the river and finally reaches Playa el Prieto. On the way, you will see a huge array of birds, including flocks of vultures. Playa el Prieto is also home to the town lighthouse and if you’ve still got the energy, you can climb to the top of the lighthouse hill for a view of Bahía de la Concepción. On the way back, La Casa de Pancha Villa 1, on Madero immediately before the beach, has freshly squeezed orange juice for 15 pesos. (Open daily 6am-11pm. Cash only.)