 ENSENADA
, just ninety minutes on from Tijuana by the toll road
and sitting on Bahia de Todos Santos, is favoured by
Californians "in the know", and at weekends
it's packed with partying groups of southern Californians.
Yet it remains far calmer, cheaper and smaller than
Tijuana - though still with a pretty clear idea of the
value of the US dollar - and has a growing reputation
as an ecotourism spot. Almost all the action is squeezed
into a few streets around the harbour: seafront Boulevard
Costero, Avenida Mateos, which runs parallel to and
as far inland as Avenida Juárez. Here you'll
find scores of souvenir shops and outfits offering sport-fishing
trips, as well as the bulk of the bars, hotels and restaurants
- most visitors come here to eat, drink, shop and little
else. If you do want to explore further, you could check
out the view from the Chapultepec Hills, overlooking
town from the west, or visit the Bodegas de Santo Tomás
winery, one of Baja's largest, which offers tours and
regular tastings. From December through to March, the
California grey whale migration from the Arctic to the
Baja's Pacific coast can be seen on daily whale-watching
tours from Ensenada, which go to Todos Santos Bay, although
what you'll see is nothing compared to what's further
south.
Ensenada also attracts its share of surfers, of course,
though as you'll find throughout Baja it really pays
to have your own transport. The best beaches are at
Estero , some. Ensenada itself hosts numerous events
aimed squarely at the large US encampment in town, from
sporting contests to food and wine festivals. The Newport
to Ensenada Yacht Race in April, is one of the largest
international regattas in the world, with yachts leaving
Newport on a Friday afternoon and finishing in Ensenada
a day later, when the partying commences and the town
gets packed out. April is also when the Rosarito-Ensenada
Bike Ride draws thousands of cyclists here for the scenic
eighty-kilometre "fun ride" from Playa de
Rosarito to Ensenada, while off-road racing is the theme
du jour during the Baja 100 (June) and the Baja 2000
(Nov). Culinary events kick off in August, when some
of Baja's better wineries and vineyards host the ten-day
Fiestas de la Vendimia, where wine-tastings and wine-themed
competitions and parties are held at the wineries and
in town; for information about tickets for the ten-day
festival ask at the tourist office. The town celebrates
Independence Day with a week of festivities.
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