Ensenada Off The Beaten Path

When I first came to La Bufadora there was nothing out here except dirt and on the other side of the road, a little restaurant that served the best, lobster I've ever eaten. Since then, everytime I bring someone here I can see the massive changes to the area. Soon it will be much like Puerto Nuevo, crowded with people hawking their wares, stalls full of merchandise and a few tourists, like me at the new La Bufadora Observation Structure.

Update:

The whole look has changed. The path up to La Bufadora has been paved and the hawkers have built sturdier structures for their wares. Restraunts, fast food and full service have opened and with the Cruise Ship tour buses pulling in the place is much more crowded.

The best time to get there is during low tide, it may sound strange, but the geyser is highest during low tide. Also, early morning or late afternoon are the best time to avoid the crowds since the Cruise Ships offers this as a side trip.

It is located about 18 miles south of Ensenada, on the Punta Banda Peninsula drive south to Maneadero. Then follow the signs.

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having a sex shop in Ensenada in plain public view is sort of surpising for me since mexico is known to be deeply religous roman catholic country. That being said, since it is located in the tourist area of ensenada makes sense since mostly tourist and the curious i think are the main customers of the shop. Well what to do you expect to see in a sex shop! (lots of sex toys, aphrodisiacs, adult magazines, dvd's, edible underwears, BSDM stuffs, sex enchancer and all of other stuffs. You can find most of the stuff sold in here in sex shops in the united states (you pervert hehehe) and they don't allow photos inside so sorry if i dont have photos inside. The store is located at a corner in Avenida De lopez Mateos, you will not miss it when you are walking.

Las Canadas cabins look like a bunch of dorms. I have never been so dissatisfied in my life and I am all about roughing it. In fact while staying there I spoke with the other cabin tenants and they all agreed with me, we had all been royally screwed over. The pools were cool, you know- if you're under 12. There's also some cool place to go 4 wheeling, but stay away from those cabins, you're way better off just camping in your own tents.

No doubt the #1 natural attraction near Ensenada is La Bufadora (The Buffalo Snort), a magnificent tidewater blowhole that roars like a hugh animal at bay, then spews seawater and foam into the air, often to heights over 70 feet. It is formed by a hollow rock formation that acts as a sea spout. During incoming tides, water rushes into an underground cavern, sending spray shooting into the air like a geyser. La Bufadora is near the tip of Punta Banda, a rocky peninsula forming the southern end of Todos Santos Bay.

La Bufadora is about a hour's drive south of Ensenada, and can be reached either by bus, taxi or private vehicle. We splurged and took a taxi, and I was rewarded with a wonderful opportunity to practice my limited Spanish, with a driver who knew less of my language than I did of his.

There is a small fee to visit La Bufadora.

Tara is a large colorful statue built on a small hill, just beneath the municipal water tank, in the northeast part of the city. It was built by sculptors from Nepal and Bhutan on the original site of the 1930s Fort Keki, and presented as a gift of peace and friendship by a Nepalese international cultural organization in 1993.

This exotic landmark, symbolizing Mother Nature, is set in what tourist brochures call an ecological park. If I had not read the brochure I never would have guessed as much. The dirt road up to the monument was very badly eroded, there were huge piles of cans, broken glass, and other litter about the base of the statue, weeds were neck high, and graffiti covered much of the statue. The statue and site, with good views of the city, has an outstanding potential, but we found it sorely neglected.

With map in hand, Karen and I walked about 20 blocks from our hotel to find Tara. We felt the walk would be good exercise, and it also gave us good opportunity to get away from the tourist areas and see some of the local business and residential neighborhoods of Ensenada. In that regard it was worth the effort.

Directions:Northeast of downtown, on Calle 13, between Ave. Obregon & Moctezuma.

Punta Banda is a rocky peninsula jutting into the Pacific Ocean, about 20 miles (32 km.) southwest of Ensenada. It forms the southern end of Todos Santos Bay, and the waters on here are popular with scuba and skin divers. There are also said to be an abundance of hot springs in the area. We saw a couple of RV parks along BCN 23, the paved road that traverses the peninsula. These were apparently occupied in large part by campers from the United States. Several unmarked hiking trails beckoned us off the road, if only we had had more time to explore them.

Go for a short walk from the tourist zone shopping area (Lopez Mateos) past Mango Mango Restaurant to Ryerson, then about one block into the city to Calle Segunda, you will be able to turn left and walk up to some nice homes on the hilltop and a great view of the city. Note that the walk up Calle Segunda is a bit physically challenging.

If you are driving down to Ensenada, you may enjoy the scenic view from a rest stop between Rosarito and Ensenada.

Look for an exit that says "El Mirador" with a large orange building at the top. Here there are rest rooms and also a picnic area.