In fact, there’s far more along the road than you’ll find on this list, which leaves out Tijuana, Ensenada, Bahía de los Angeles, Todos Santos and most of La Paz and Los Cabos. The spots below, listed from north to south, are places I encountered first-hand and liked — local tours, trails, restaurants, historic churches, cave paintings, beaches and other attractions from the Guadalupe Valley to Cabo San Lucas. Though I only slept in one hotel, I inspected several more and included the best here.

To guide me, I hired Nathan Stuart of Legends Overlanding, which specializes in small-group and custom overlanding and camping trips to rugged Baja landscapes. Activities can include whale watching, surfing, fishing, snorkeling and hiking. All-inclusive prices (often including private chefs) typically run $5,000 to $8,000 per couple for a five- to 10-day trip.

Our vehicle came from Topoterra, based in San Diego, which rents trucks, camper vans and camping equipment for off-grid travel in Baja and elsewhere. Daily rates for vehicles run $189 to $285. Though Baja trips make up most of his winter business, Topoterra founder Brandon Thomason told me, most travelers prefer to explore one part of Baja, not rush through the whole thing.

About the phone numbers below: To call a Mexican mobile phone or landline from a U.S. mobile phone, begin with the + key, then hit 52 (Mexico’s country code), then the area code and local phone number (which add up to 10 digits; that’s what is included here). To call Mexico from a U.S. landline, begin with 011 instead of +, then add 52, area code and local number. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has more details.