Escape to Paradise in Mexico!

Los Barriles, East Cape, Baja California Sur

• Where is Los Barriles?
• Community Information
• Calling to and from Los Barriles
• Dining Out
• Tides/Wind/Weather
• Craig's Recipe for "The Recipe"
• Dr Mary's Music Website
• Dr Mary's Chiropractic Website
• Map to Dr Mary's Los Barriles Office
• Contact Dr Mary

Dr Mary sees patients in Los Barriles, BCS, Mexico AND Delta, Colorado! For an appointment, you may call her cell phone at 970-275-3226, her Colorado office at 970-874-4547 OR e-mail her at drmary@drmary.net.

For directions and a map showing how to get to her Colorado office, click here.

And here are directions to her Los Barriles office.

Where is Los Barriles and How Do I Get There?

Los Barriles is located halfway between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas in southernmost Baja California on the Sea of Cortez. GPS coordinates are: 23 degrees 67 minutes N, 109 degrees 69 minutes W. This area along the Sea of Cortez has long been a favored hideaway for anglers and adventurers. Windsurfers and kite boarders also claim it has the best wind in all of Mexico! The region around Los Barriles, also known as the East Cape, consists of a string of small settlements and villages, beautiful white sand beaches, rich fishing grounds and top-notch diving. Non-beach activities include hiking, biking, golf and horseback riding. There is a rustic “out-back” feeling to Los Barriles, and for the very adventurous, a dirt road takes you along the coast, past postcard-perfect beaches to La Ribera, Punta Colorado and Cabo Pulmo – the latter being a superb dive site within a national reserve. For dining, you will find everything from taco stands and family-style restaurants to fine dining with grilled seafood and lobster.

by plane

There is jet service from many major US airports to San Jose del Cabo (SJD), about a 45 minute drive from Los Barriles. You can find information about the SJD airport here and here. After deboarding the plane you will pass through immigration. You will need your passport and the blue and white immigration form that was given you on the airplane. They will stamp your blue and white form and give you one of the copies. Keep this form with your passport. You will need it to get out of the country.

After retrieving your luggage, you will go through Mexican customs. It's a little like playing the lottery. You push a button. A red or green light will illuminate. If it's green you just walk through. If red, they look through your luggage.

After customs you will pass by many time-share sales people from Cabo San Lucas on your way to pick up your luggage. If you do not want to waste your time right then with time-share, just pass by saying, "No Gracias".

After customs, you will need to pick up your rental car for the drive to Los Barriles. You can save money by booking your car rental in the US before your trip. Many credit card companies will provide collision/damage insurance on the rental car if you use their credit card to rent the car. However, you WILL need to get liability insurance on the rental car as the credit card company does not cover liability. Your US car insurance will not transfer to a Mexican car rental.

Ecobajatours (part of the ABC bus company) operates a shuttle van from the LB bus station to SJD Airport - Terminal 1 and to La Paz. They go 3 times daily. Tickets can be purchased at the LB bus station. One way trip to SJD Airport is $210 pesos. The van is an 8 seater, brand new, and does not stop along the way. For more information see their website. (ecobajatours), Los Cabos 52(624)144-3066 or Mex 01-800-026-8331

Another option is taxi. Here are some choices, though things are constantly changing, so corrections are appreciated:

Homar

Cell phone: 624 129-7038

Home phone: 141-0715

e-mail: homartaxis56@yahoo.com.mx

Ulises

Cell phone: 044 624 165-1263

House phone: 141-0536

From the US: 011 52 624 165-1263

email: ulises_taxis@hotmail.com

Raul

Ensenada de Palmas, Transportadora Turistica

Cell phone: 624 129-7206

Home phone: 01 624 141-0230

e-mail: ensenadadepalmas2007@prodigy.net.mx

Eduardo Verdugo

Cell phone: 044 624 355-4986

Tel./fax: 624 141-0042

e-mail: eastcapetaxi@msn.com

Octavio Aviles

Phone: 624 118-4405 or 624 127-3122

website: www.turispancho.com

email: turispancho@aol.com

Los Barriles is 41 miles (68 km) north of the airport on Transpeninsular Highway 1. After leaving the airport, follow the signs to La Paz instead of going to Cabo San Lucas. I would recommend you make this drive in the daylight only, since many cattle and goats roam the area freely and are very difficult to see at night. A point of interest along the way is a sign denoting the Tropic of Cancer, just past km marker 81.

by automobile

What?! Going to Mexico isn't enough excitement? Now you want me to drive?! Well, for the more adventurous of you who have more time, the drive down the Baja is wonderful. It is about 1000 miles from the US/Mexican border to Los Barriles, and there is something different to see in each section of the Baja. Highlights include:

• vineyards and wineries (with wine tasting) south of Tecate
• the vegetable farms south of Ensenada
• the fantastic cirios (also known as Boojum trees) south of El Rosario (we think these may have inspired Dr. Seuss)
• whale watching and cave paintings at San Ignacio
• beautiful historic missions at San Ignacio and Loreto
• incredible seaside drive from Santa Rosalia to south of Loreto
• more agriculture around Ciudad Constitución
• the piano museum at El Triunfo
• and loads of tasty taco stands along the way!

I would recommend you take some time (at least 4 days) to make the drive your first time. Towns we like to stop at along the way are:

• San Quintin (Jardines Baja Hotel 616-165-6060)
• El Rosario (Baja Cactus Motel 616-165-8850 info@bajacactus.com)
• San Ignacio (Ignacio Springs Bed & Breakfast 615-154-0333 mail@ignaciosprings.com)
• Loreto (Hotel Angra 613-135-1172)

Here is a map of where to find these places. If you have other places you recommend, please let us know so we can add them. Also, just e-mail us if you would like more info on the drive.

by train

Sorry, there is no train service in the Baja. But wouldn't a train ride down the length of the Baja be spectacular? At least we can dream.

by boat

Well, the Baja is a peninsula, surrounded on 3 sides by water. So, sure you can get there by boat if you have one.

Community Information

• Past major Francis Olachea welcomes you and shows some of the available activities in this video.
• East Capers Newspaper is a great source for local information.
• The Baja Pony Express is the very best place to find what is happening in the Community.
• The Los Barriles News is another good source for local information.
• The Western Baja Onion shares news and happenings for the Pacific side of the southern Baja around Todos Santos.
• Medical Information
  • East Cape Medical Center
  • Emergency Medical Information
  • Dengue Fever Facts
• Moving to and Building in Mexico - good source of information for those considering the move to Mexico

Check Out the Los Barriles Weather

• Hurricane Tracking -- (eebmike) and (NOAA)
• Los Cabos Area Historical Weather Statistics
• Tide Tables for Los Barriles

Calling to and from Los Barriles

Using the phones in Mexico used to be confusing, even to the locals. However, in August of 2019, the system was significantly simplified. Here is a document explaining how to make phone calls to/within/from Mexico.

An economical way to call home from Mexico is with VOIP (voice over internet protocol) using your cellphone or a computer and a service such as Facetime, Google Duo, Skype, Magic Jack, or WhatsApp. If you have never used one of these services before, it is a good idea to get it working on your cellphone or laptop BEFORE going to Mexico.

You must have a GSM phone (the kind with a SIM chip) to receive cell service around Los Barriles. T-mobile, Verizon and AT&T phones should all work. I know that Verizon and AT&T have attractive plans for Mexico. Just give them a call to make sure you are signed up with the appropriate plan for your Mexico trip.

Most anywhere you stay in Los Barriles should have an internet connection. There are also several internet cafés in Los Barriles.

Dining Out & Getting Around

Craig's Margarita Recipes

There are good margaritas to be had at the restaurants in Los Barriles. However, for the best margarita you will have to either come to our house or make your own using our recipes below. Enjoy!

Margarita on the Rocks

For an authentic Margarita recipe on the rocks, go to How to Make a Real Margarita. The only suggestion I have for improvement would be the addition of 1/6 part of Damiana (see below) to this drink. Damiana is the "secret ingredient" to the margaritas made in Cabo San Lucas. This makes a 1 part tequila, 2/3 part lime juice, 1/3 part Controy, 1/3 part Jarabe syrup, and 1/6 part Damiana drink. Watch out; it is powerful!

Frozen Margarita

Remember the Baldwin sisters on The Waltons? The ones who were always making "the recipe?" My husband, Craig, experimented for 3 years with all sorts of complicated recipes for a frozen margarita. In the end, the tastiest recipe he could invent was also the easiest! So here is his recipe for "the recipe!"

The secret ingredient to the most delicious and easy-to-make frozen margarita is Damiana Tequila Liqueur, a light herbal-based liqueur from Mexico. It's made with the Damiana herb, a natural aphrodisiac that grows in Baja California, Mexico. It has great mixability and tastes great as a shooter. The bottle is shaped like a pregnant woman and is modeled after the Incan God of Fertility. The Damiana Margarita is very popular in the Los Cabos area of Mexico. Thanks to Pepe, the bartender at the pool at Misiones del Cabo, for teaching us about Damiana.

Craig makes the frozen margarita in a 1½ quart automatic ice cream maker. The ingredients are:

• one 12-ounce can of Minute Maid frozen limeade - OR if you want a really KILLER margarita, replace the frozen limeade with 4 oz of fresh-squeezed lime juice and 6 oz of simple syrup (3:2 sugar:water solution made by heating on the stove)
• 20 ounces of cold water
• 8 ounces of reposado tequila
• 4 ounces of triple sec or Grand Marnier
• 2 ounces of Damiana

Put all these ingredients in the ice cream maker tub (limeade last), and turn on the ice cream maker. You will have delicious frozen Margaritas in about 20 minutes.

If you are not in a hurry and you do not have an ice cream maker, it works to just mix the ingredients and place them in the freezer for 24 hours. We like to make several batches ahead and keep them in the freezer for guests.

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Contact Webmaster

Map to Dr Mary's Los Barriles office