Papá Fernández | Established Campground

April 27th, 2023 by woodysflyfishing.blogspot.com

Quiet as stated. Rocky beach. The pit toilets are nasty. $250 pesos per night if you are towing anything, even a cargo trailer.

April 7th, 2023 by alex5577

Getting to be more busy. About two dozen vehicles overnight. Heard someone mention the second week in April there's some sort of festival in Baja so maybe that's it.

March 21st, 2023 by joann.p.johnson

We spent 2 nights, one very windy and the second calm. We had hoped to kayak but found lovely sandy beach at high tide, rocks at low tide; not suitable for launching unless tide high. Limited services; okay outhouse but no garbage. We picked some up to take with us. 150 pesos per night for pretty and secluded cove.

January 10th, 2023 by jdeere_man

Spent one night. Charged 100p (single on motorcycle). Sign does say 150p. No problems accessing for me. Very pretty sandy beach, secluded as noted. You only see one house to the south from camping. What you get isn't fancy, basically a spot by the Gulf. Pit toilets leave a lot to be desired. Palapas are plywood (not great appeal). No tables, which would be very handy. I was the only one there.

When I arrived I just pulled up towards the rope (gate) and waited for a family member I am assuming to present themselves from the house to your left.

Didn't try wifi (must pay), but it was visible at beach sites

December 31st, 2022 by daria.pus

Beautiful little bay, tucked away behind a hill. Super quiet and piecefull. No wind when we stayed. Road was a little bit rough to get there as described in other comments. 150 MXN. Restaurant was closed when we arrived and when left.

December 10th, 2022 by Totally Tilted

As others have said, the road is a bit rough leading to Papa Fernandez but it is well worth the trip. Beautiful beach camping (no services other than pit toilets). There is a very rough hill to drive over to get to the beach, but it's 2WD and camper accessable..... barely. Paid $150mp per night (stayed 2 nights) for our Sprinter van. The recent hurricane pulled lots of the sand out to sea and exposed rocks along the waterline, but still beautiful. This location can get VERY windy. 2nd day/night was probably gusting 35+mph and I watched a couple try desperately to pitch a tent in the adjacent spot.

The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful! The combo platter at the restaurant w/chile relleno, taco y enchilada es excellente!

December 8th, 2022 by Sierra&Garrett

Awesome spot! The drive in isn’t super convincing but once you get let through their gate and drive over the hill it’s really nice! Super beautiful beach and feels very safe! We didn’t eat at the restaurant but everyone we interacted with was super nice. You pay when you leave.

November 27th, 2022 by m.m.e.gonecamping

It is really a great spot. It's a bit of a hill you have to get over to get into the campsite, but we made it in and out in our 22 foot 2w drive motorhome.
Didn't use the bathroom.

November 15th, 2022 by charl82

Amazing place! Two different beaches: one big with palapas a little Rocky and hard to swim, the other ( for 4x4 only or walking) in the bay, clear water, very nice to swim, kayak and fish!
We payed 150 pesos per night and 25 pesos per hour for very average wifi if you need.
Bring all you needs.

November 11th, 2022 by hihosilver.van

Sweet spot, over the hill and into the dunes, or the ridge, or just down to the beach sites to the left. There is some deep soft sand on the camp spots to the right, beachfront. The protected bay is awesome for fishing and calm enough for a canoe. At least when El Norte isn’t blowing! $150 pesos/nt. No cell service. Neighbors had Starlink service

April 4th, 2022 by Endless Adventuring

Spent one night here. Beautiful spots on a beautiful secluded beach. As noted in past comments, the road to the place is rough, and the road over the hill is very rough! We had a 4wd truck with camper in the back and it was fine, just had to go slow.

No cell service and there was no wifi. It says you can pay for wifi but I didn’t see any wifi signal down where the campsites were.

Entrance is just at the boat launch near an RV park. There is a gate (piece of chain) the guy in the house there came out and let us in. We paid when we left. $150 pesos for 1 night. Not much garbage when we went. The pit toilets didn’t look very inviting so we didn’t use those.

Overall beautiful place on the water to spend a night.

February 20th, 2022 by kdgreene58

As described by the previous poster. Toilets were clean, small amount of trash but not bad. The worst part is that they do not maintain the road from the gate over the hill to the beach. Major holes from 2wd spinning tires. When you get to the top of the hill, follow right along the track to get to the beach. OK, but we enjoyed Punta Final better.

January 14th, 2022 by createyourownroadshow.com

We paid 100 pesos per night, they have you pay as you leave. Beautiful and secluded. Steep and rocky hill, our 2wd Chevy Express had no problem. Drove to the left and to the end of the road for a view of the water. No trash when we visited, didn't inspect the toilets. Amazing beach combing and some tide pools at low tide. Can pay 20 pesos/hr for internet, we didn't check it out so can't comment on speed. Would stay again.

December 28th, 2021 by BTL

Gorgeous spot. We camped at the north side of the beach, with direct view of the water. Bit windy. Campsite was clean of garbage when we got there. Friendly host. As stated, restaurant seemed closed but when walking back, one of the locals saw us and asked someone from the restaurant to come over and cook for us. Had a lovely meal.

November 21st, 2021 by offpathtravels.com

Stayed there 4 nights, mostly because it’s $100 pesos per night. The beach is beautiful and somewhat secluded (only one house at the south end), sandy at high tide with some tide pools and rocks at the north end at low tide. The location marked on iOverlander is the restaurant in the residential area where you stop to pay at the gate. Just beyond that is the boat launch ramp. The camping area is actually up a steep hill and over to a separate northeast facing beach, not technically in the bays. If you don’t have 4x4, turn left after the hill and stay beyond the dunes. There are about 5 shade structures, several disgusting and mostly unusable pit toilets, and no trash bins. Unfortunately, people are not packing out their trash and it seems the pit toilets are never attended to. When we visited, the camping areas had lots of trash (including a broken tent canopy frame), broken glass in the sand, and swarms of flies due to the condition of the pit toilets. The shoreline itself is clean and it’s sad to see so much trash. It seemed most people just pay for the day to ride their ATVs on the dunes, take a quick dip, or for a cheap overnight on the drive down. We moved on to Camp Beluga - no insect infestations, clean toilets, and trash bins. You definitely get what you pay for. We would stay here again if even just some of the trash was picked up and the pit toilets were made usable.

September 2nd, 2021 by julieo81

We are in a Ram Promaster van 2 wheel drive. We had no issues making it up the little hill to get to the camp area. Turned off traction control to be sure we made it. We stayed on the northern side as the dunes do not block the view and we cannot drive on the soft sand. Would stay again. Beautiful views.

August 15th, 2021 by projetomundocao.com.br

Beautiful bay with palapas and pit toilets. Very secured and unique. We stayed in August and it was scorching hot but we had the whole place for ourselves. If you don’t manage the hot weather don’t come this time of the year. Better starting October, but if you do the area will be probably for yourself. Still 100 pesos for camping. Very recommended. We come back for sure!

April 4th, 2021 by RogueWanderers

Sandy sites along the bay, beautiful views and calm water. Can park behind the dunes with a palapas or drive north and be right on the beach. Rocky entrance to the water. 100 pesos for a.night. Pit toilets, camp rings and basic palapas. No cell coverage on Verizon. Sites were clean and garbage picked up. Access to a boat ramp.

February 22nd, 2021 by lkalmerton

awesome quiet and beautiful, friendly only porta potties, so camping is pretty much you need to be self sufficient.

February 15th, 2021 by scott krankkala

Great camping option in a nice cove. Friendly host and fair price. I’d stop here again.

February 3rd, 2021 by roamingabout.com

Still 100mx for a night in our van. Road is a bit rough, both from hwy 5, and the last bit to the beach. We do not have 4wd and handled it fine, just took it all slow. One other camper at the opposite end of beach, so basically have the cove to yourself. Saw dolphins this morning off the coast. Beach is sandier at south end. Hosts are very friendly, and masked up when we pulled up. Good to see!

November 7th, 2020 by CW

100 pesos. Really friendly host. Excellent camp sites. 4wd is highly recommended for the beach driving. Amazing fishing. Truly a gem of a spot. Host will store vehicles and boats for a fee. Very remote and secure.

March 4th, 2020 by instagram.com/migratory_animals

Very tranquil spot by the bay that is well worth the 100 MX. There were two other vans here so we felt safe, although the drive in from the highway looks a little apocalyptic with a bunch of (seemingly) abandoned RV. Be aware that HWY 5 is now complete, but we saw at least four crews picking up rocks that had fallen into the roadway. Unfortunately we caught one and popped a tire.

February 3rd, 2020 by mioaradragan

This place is a gem! Stopped for a night, stayed for a week in our mini 2wd camper truck. Fishing was AMAZING. Sand was not a problem, pit toilets are rugged, friendly staff, good restaurant. Slow wifi. 100mx per vehicle. Food, water, beer, gas and faster wifi down the road at the rancho grande market

January 1st, 2020 by readmarcopolo.blogspot.com

Nice and peaceful area to camp. As described, Goño will come and open the lock and when you leave you pay 100MX/night.
The restaurant has yummy food. tacos are yummy. The camarones are fresh from Dan Felipe. Price average. Egg. 1 plate with 3 burritos is 130. Bring your own beer/wine/water. They only sell coffee(15mx) or soda (27mx)

November 5th, 2019 by the nomad partnership

Camping on a quiet cove, beautiful! As described by others - seems deserted but a family will open up the gate for you. We ate lunch at the restaurant and it was fine but nothing special.

June 25th, 2019 by Tucks' Truck

Looked closed, but the family live in the house to the left of the gate. Go in to get their attention and they will open the gate. Restaurant won't serve food/drinks out of season, so bring everything you need. Buy a wi-fi token if you need it 25 pesos per hour, average quality connection. Nice beach just over the hill from the entrance. Ideally 4x4 but not essential. We saw non-4x4 vehicles struggling to get back out from the beach. It's a bit steep, but they made it after a few tries. 100 pesos per vehicle per night. The only facilities are palapas and long-drop toilets with no door.

March 1st, 2019 by zachrohe

Beautiful secluded bay that is spread out with simple outhouses. Wifi available at the restaurant $1 an hour. Really cool bluffs to the south that you can climb and view Gonzaga Bay. 100 pesos.

February 24th, 2019 by gmail.com

The dirt road isn’t bad. Once you go through the gate someone will come out and give the rest of the direction. Basically up over the hill to the beach. There were several fishermen that stayed there but was quiet. Little trashy but was fine for one night.

February 23rd, 2019 by facebook.com/roamingsmallpatricks

We pulled in to spend a couple of nights.
The gate to the camp sites were closed and no one seemed to be around.
We continued north.

Looked like a good place but we did not stay.

January 31st, 2019 by rsmartins007

We spent 2 nights at Papa Fernandez. We picked the peninsula end of the bay and highly recommend doing so - if its not windy. Only one other couple traveling on motorcycles were camped at the other end of the bay. Very quiet.
We had one of the best meals yet in Mexico at Papa Fernandez's little restaurant. Try the Combinación Especial (California Pepper) and Papas Fritas!

January 17th, 2019 by Bob Johnson

One of my favorite stops. Very quiet this year with the road problems, I was the only camper there for several days. Quiet, pretty, good fishing from the beach. La Senora Claudia runs a little restaurant and makes wonderful food at fair prices, her chile rellenos are wonderful. If no one is in the restaurant, just shout at the house and she'll come over and cook you something.

New outhouses this year, much better than previous. Internet actually works at the beach, but be sure to tell them you plan to use it there as it's different passwords than the internet at the restaurant.

January 5th, 2019 by amaia.uriarte

Amazing! Very quiet and beatiful place. Could get a little windy, but, if you are facing the palapas continue on the road that goes to the right, it will take you to some abandoned gringos houses, we park there and is more protected from the wind and you are next to the best small sandy no-wind beach. Amazing. We end up staying 3 nights here!

They have wifi at the restaurant, 20 pesos or 1usd per 1 hour.

Very nice people, beach is clean, and you have the supermarket of gonzaga 10 min away (the slowest part is passing the militars, the really like to talk haha).

Absolutely recommended place!
We paid 100 pesos a night.

January 4th, 2019 by Wilde Weite Welt

Camping at the clean beach, very nice, very quiet, today we were the only camper at the beach. Some palapas and 3 pit toilets are available. Check in at the restaurant (we paid 100 Pesos) and drive up a rocky hill and steeply down on the eastern side to the beach.

December 20th, 2018 by outdoorwonderexploring

great stay here. there was one other group here at the other end of the beach and we barely ever saw them and never heard them. no whales like we saw in March but still a beautiful beach and much more private than the palapas at Gonzaga. pit toilets were nice and clean

April 13th, 2018 by sethmgeiger

Old Baja camping. Quiet. Tons of stars and No one around for days. After you enter the gate the road over the hill looks a little rough for big rigs but we made it just fine. 100 pesos a night.

March 21st, 2018 by schneckerl.de

we paid 7.- USD and that is realy too much!!!

March 12th, 2018 by Brian Johnson

Wonderful protected beach camping. Surrounded by low hills. They just installed new prefab latrines. 100 pesos per night

March 1st, 2018 by kpbeadle60

place looked closed however a local went to a house on the right (as you look at Papa's) knocked and they came over to cook an evening meal. excellent stuffed peppers and fish tacos, no beer or wine but they did not seem to mind people bringing thier own.

February 26th, 2018 by yukonjack1898

A very rustic place with a very simple outhouse but the beach is beautiful and the surrounding is very quiet. We paid 100Pesos a night.

February 23rd, 2018 by chuckanutwestfalias.com

Only one other camper here. This is a primitive campsite but authentically Baja. No, the outhouse is not great but the beach and the sun is! A camper cleaned up the beach about a year ago and gave the three bags to the owner. The place is quite clean now with garbage cans and there are even a few gross dead fish on the beach for your dog to enjoy. Stunning sandy hook beach. Very friendly owner and if you want to eat at the restaurant you walk up there and they will cook for you. Takes a while but they start from scratch. Apparently they cook breakfast on Sunday mornings for many local people and that is supposed to be great.

January 17th, 2018 by vanablog.com

Beautiful spot but not for the facilities. We paid 100 pesos for one night but our friends with truck/trailer paid 200 pesos.
We came to end of road and saw restaurant on left that left much to be desired and thought we were in the wrong place but you’ll see a little chain/gate to a steep hill. You pay right at chain then go over steep hill. There are spots with palapas and two pit toilets. There are dunes in front of them blocking ocean view.
Our 4 x 4 van did get stuck in sand when we tried to go to remote places to the right so be mindful.
We camped to the left for an ocean view with no facilities.
We also ate at the restaurant. Honestly from outside doesn’t look like much but the food was great and we all ordered more. It was a bit pricey for Baja. We spent roughly $25 usd for our meal but ordered quite a bit.

December 8th, 2017 by n

Very nice site by the beach, a little difficult to access as the last km is rocky and bumpy. Price depends on size, it was double (200) for our 24' rv, same for our neighbours with their 21'.
WiFi available at 35 pesos for 1 device and only 40mb(!)

November 24th, 2017 by atmoorelaw

Rustic palapa behind dunes, and a beautiful, quiet beach. Pit toilets leave much to be desired. Much less crazy than Rancho Grande palapas and Gonzaga just south. 100 pesos per night.

September 5th, 2017 by j_vermeulen

nice place by the beach.
when we were there, the restaurant wasn't open. when we stopped at the gate we were greeted and given directions to the beach.
simple spots at the beach with a few pit toilets. had it for ourselves too which was great. still 100 pesos

March 4th, 2016 by The Pin Project

Decent location. Its like a dump hole behind the dunes. No facilities. Price: 100 pesos or 7 USD. Friendly owner.

January 23rd, 2016 by vannatravels

Had the beach to myself! I took my garbage to Papa Hernandez when I left. Otherwise it would have ended up all over the beach. Paid 100 pesos.

January 9th, 2016 by facebook.com/pages/Perky-Mog

Nice secluded bay that is gated off from public access. Some old palapas and pit toilets. On the far North end are spots on the beach. The rest are spots behind small dunes. Enter through gate by the restaurant at GPS location. After gate a rough rocky road over a small hill leads to the secluded private bay. We payed 100 pesos per vehicle per night.