San Felipe is a melting pot for blending North American cultures, celebrating this diversity through its relaxed atmosphere, entertainment and food.  Though just a fairly small town, it hosts thousands of travelers each year from all over the world. The number of citizens from the U.S and Canada who now call San Felipe home may grab your attention, but it’s the easy going and welcoming vibe of this beachside town that creates lifelong memories.  Alongside its imported influences, is awesome dining, affordable accommodations and easy access, that attracts those seeking a place to relax and enjoy quality time.  All of this coupled with terrific beaches and a desert with surprising variety, combine for the top 10 reasons to visit San Felipe, Baja California.

TRUE STORY:  A couple reached out to me about a place to visit for a quick getaway.  Without giving too much thought to it, I suggested San Felipe.  At the end of the weekend in San Felipe, the wife called me and said she was super thankful for recommending San Felipe.  Her voice had this extra excitement that made me curious and eager to know more.  She explained that their relationship had been under stress for quite some time and that vacationing in San Felipe had rekindled their love for one another like no other vacation they had taken.  She said something about San Felipe’s vibe gave them the space to re-appreciate each other and discover love all over again. This be could be you.

In this busy life we live in, we tend to forget that humans by nature are social creatures.  Back in the days when I first started vacationing in San Felipe with friends, something magical seemed to happen after crossing the border and losing phone reception.  There were no more distractions between our group, just endless time to listen to one another and enjoy each other's company.  Driving down San Felipe - Mexicali Highway 5, taking in the desert vegetation, sharing laughs or lending a listing ear, was soothing and had a tremendous impact on creating quality friendship connections.   As phone plans became cheaper and free Mexico coverage was included, we were being robbed of the San Felipe experience that we were so looking forward to.  So we made a new rule - phones were only for emergencies on our San Felipe vacations.  What a difference this made.  San Felipe's relaxed vibe, without distractions, is the perfect place to vacation with friends and create life long memories.

If you like a beer or two, or more, this is for you, otherwise, you can skip to the other reasons to visit San Felipe.  One of the imported influences in San Felipe is beer tasting courtesy of San Felipe Brewing Company located in the Ejido.  This award winning brewery is a must visit when in San Felipe.  This microbrewery focuses on quality and flavor.  A range of 8 - 10 beer types are usually available to sample.  The beer tasting room doubles as a bar where you can celebrate events or just drop by for a drink and catch a sports game.  Outdoor seating is also available.  Donna, John and Jose, the owners and operators, are always having special activities open to all.

You can eat or buy fresh-caught seafood all over San Felipe.  Many of the gastronomic options in town are fresh-caught right from the nearby Sea of Cortez.  The central location for the restaurants is along the boardwalk “Malecon” in downtown.  Must haves are the fish tacos and shrimp tacos at the Taco Factory.  Assorted ceviche and grilled octopus tacos are favorites with foodies.  Traditional Mexican cuisines, carne asada, pastor and more are sure to wet your appetite. Prices are very reasonable. On the beachside of the Malecon, you'll find local vendors selling sweet churros, corn on the stick or a cob, fresh fruit, Mexican candies and more.

San Felipe's unspoiled surroundings boasts of some interesting nature attractions.  “Valle de Los Gigantes,” a.k.a. Valley of the Giants nature reserve, is one popular stop.  Located south of town, this nature reserve is home to huge cardón cacti, a rear species of cactus that lives in the desert sand and can reach up to 21 meters in height.  This expansive reserve has approximately 1,200 cacti. It can be found along the highway to Puertecitos...right around Punta Estrella Ranch.   Head a little further south and you find the Puertecitos Hot Springs.  This “natural Jacuzzi” (hot springs) is a great place to relax in while enjoying the views of the Sea of Cortez.
  

San Felipe's location, along the edge of the rich Sea of Cortez, presents fantastic fishing opportunities.  You can go fishing, get your own fresh fish and prepare delicous meals.  If you prefer, you can got boat fishing where the captain takes care of all the details and you learn more about the different fish species of the coast of San Felipe.  White sea bass is popular catch November to April, while Yellowfin Croacker is popular catch during the months of March through November.  Fishing is a fun activity to enjoy with friends or family and a popular reason for visiting San Felipe. 

Whether you are in to country music, hip-hop, rock, blues, reggae or reggaeton music, San Felipe caters to different genres of music tastes and everyone finds a place to their liking. Different venues across town play a variety of music. Most dancing venues open during the later hours of the day.  If you like the club atmosphere for going dancing, Rockodile in downtown San Felipe is the place to see and be seen.  For folks who lean towards country music and rock, you'll love dancing to live music at Jolly Mon Bar courtesy of the Issac Diaz band.

Vacation and beach are synonymous for most and there's perhaps no better representation this than the beaches in San Felipe which go on for miles and miles.  San Felipe's beaches along the Gulf of California are known not just as a good place to go for strolls, but are known for the extreme daily tides.  These tides means the beach boundaries are constantly shifting throughout the day.  During the day when the tide goes out, clamming is a popular activity to engage in.  Dig up some clams and roast them when you get back to your accommodation.  Yummy!

Most travellers to San Felipe are coming from bigger cities and are not looking for mall like shopping atmosphere, Instead what you can look forward to are local artisans creating unique pieces of arts. Most of these artisans are found in downtown San Felipe in the blocks surrounding the Malecon boardwalk.  So take some time to stroll downtown and allow yourself to be surprised at your finds.  One of my favorite is an artists who repurposes discarded bottles into unique pieces of art.  You can see this beautiful work been done live.  Another popular experience to checkout is the Saturday morning only swap meets held at El Dorado Ranch.
 

Many don't know this, but San Felipe has an Ostrich farm which is available for touring and can be combined with dinner.  The tour and dinner are by appointment only and pricing is very reasonable. If you are up for a one-of-a-kind experience, the ostrich farm tour with dinner comes highly recommended.  Kids and adults alike are facinated seeing the ostriches up close.