RVing near Loreto was a great stop on our most recent visit to Baja. Loreto Baja California Sur is an artsy town built around a mission (church). Loreto holds a special place in history as the first spot where the Spanish set up camp on the Baja California Peninsula in 1697. It was also the capital of the “Californias,” which eventually became Baja California in the north and Baja California Sur in the south.
Because of the history of Loreto, there are plenty of historic buildings, Museo de las Misiones at the mission (church) in the heart of town, and quite a few US and Canadian ex-pats because of Loreto International Airport just south of town.
Loreto is worth the visit as you’re RVing inbaja, and if you’re equipped to dry camp, then the coast line near Loreto airport is a great location to enjoy some free camping on a Baja beach.
While RVing at the beach, take a trip into Loreto
What to expect when Camping at Playa Salinita, Loreto Camping:
We took our Dodge Ram 2500 and 30-foot travel trailer to Playa Salinita to meet friends while heading south down the Baja Peninsula. We planned to stay for 4 or 5 nights and stayed for 8 nights instead. Here’s what we learned while RVing near the Loreto airport.
Palapas and amazing sunsets made camping at the beach in Loreto memorable
How to get to Beach camping near Loreto
Campendium will probably suggest you get off Highway 1 south of Loreto and take a dirt road to the beach. Friends traveling in their motorhome took this route a few days before and suggested we take the path through the city instead when we came out to RV on the beach near Loreto with them.
Alternatively, routing may tell you to get off the highway at the airport and drive through the airport’s neighboring subdivision to get to the beach, but while those roads are in place, there are no buildings in that subdivision, and as of 2025, the through roads are blocked off with cement blocks.
Even though we were hesitant to want to drive through the town towing our RV through traffic, tight roads, and low-hanging electrical wires, we’re glad we did since this was an easier route than scraping along desert plants on the dirt track that was the “more direct route” from the highway, or getting turned around in a blocked-off community.
This is the best route to beach. If you’re not staying at Loreto Shores, start by putting it in your GPS and go from there
Is the beach near Loreto big-rig-friendly?
While there’s plenty of space to park an RV of any size on the beach near Loreto (Playa Salinita), the sand is soft in many places when you pull off the road, so consider that and get out for a walk before choosing to pull off the road and park your RV.
While towing our 30-foot travel trailer, we had to put our Dodge Ram 2500 into four-wheel drive to get positioned on the beach and when driving away. We parked parallel to the coast and road (just off), so we didn’t get far into the sand. Our friends in a motorhome were more particular about where they parked since they wanted to pull in with the windshield facing the water.
The coast at Playa Salinita near Loreto runs north to south (approximately), so you won’t be facing a sunset over the water.
We loved RVing with friends at Playa Salinita near Loreto
How much does it cost to RV on the beach near Loreto?
Playa Salinita near Loreto is a free beach. There is no entry gate to get to the beach and while the police drive by regularly to watch for theft or disruption, nobody monitors the beach or collects payment to stay.
Does the beach near the Loreto airport have full hookup sites?
No, Playa Salinita has no hookups. Expect to be dry camping or boondocking when you visit. Here’s how we prepare for dry camping on the beach.
Unlike Santispac, there are no amenities (not even an emergency dump station), and we didn’t see any vendors come through to sell produce or pastries or offer to top up water. This beach by the Loreto airport is much quieter than any other beach we’ve been to, so it’s probably not worth the drive for vendors to make the trip from town, as short as that drive is.
The best beaches in Baja don’t have any amenities, so if you haven’t got solar for your RV, consider adding that before you go to Baja.
Hanging hammocks in the palapa while RVing with friends at Playa Salinita
Are there restaurants or restrooms at Playa Salinita?
There are no restrooms or restaurants available at this beach. The lack of amenities is probably one of the reasons that the beach is so quiet and rarely frequented by travelers or locals (along with the soft sand and rough road to get there).
Where is the closest grocery store to RVing near the Loreto Airport?
The closest grocery stores are about a 10-minute drive into town.
In Loreto, there’s Super Mercado El Pescador, which seemed to have a fair amount of traffic and some decent produce but plenty of imported American products that were extremely overpriced. We knew they were American products because they were English labels with no Spanish. A can of beans for $8. A package of bacon for $25. We realized quickly that we needed to find an alternative.
The best grocery store in Loreto was Super Ley, where most locals shop. It had a similar selection of produce as the first grocery store but also a full bakery and local products that were more reasonably priced.
We found two major grocery stores in Loreto and thought Super Ley was the best option
Are there palapas at Playa Salinita?
The palapas at Plata Salinita were a pleasant surprise. While other beaches (like Santispac) were basically an 8-foot x 8-foot frame on top of posts with palm leaves for a roof, the palapas at Salinita were, in many cases, quite large and intricate.
Where we stayed with friends, we found a large palapa with a center post. We could hang out hammocks from the corner beams to the center post and still have space for a table and chairs for a shaded place to hang out on the beach.
There was an even larger covered palapa just down the beach from us; around 30 feet by 15 feet. There were tables built into the corner, shelves along the plywood wall, and a grill built out of concrete blocks with a grate for cooking.
After a week of not seeing anyone use that large palapa, we pulled our charcoal out of the back of our truck, lit it under the grate, and then put a cast-iron grill on top to make burgers.
A local told us those large palapas have been built and are mostly used for fishing parties. They’ll plan a day to take their boats to the beach, catch in the morning, and then hang out all afternoon and into the evening cooking their catch.
We enjoyed having a palapa near our RV at the beach near Loreto Airport
How often will we hear airplanes at Loreto Beach?
While this is an international airport, we saw planes fly in a couple times each day at most. It seems like the planes are only landing and taking off during the day, so we didn’t get disturbed while sleeping either in the morning at night from planes coming or going.
What is the beach like at Playa Salinita, Loreto?
The sand is gritty and not white like Playa Santispac or Playa El Tecolote, and there were waves every day while we were there. The water also gets deep fairly quickly from shore, so there’s not much wading in the water. There isn’t a significant difference between high tide and low tide. It’s noticeable but not the most significant tide change in Baja California Sur in the Sea of Cortez.
Nearly every day, we would walk down the beach in ankle-deep water, but just a few feet further into the water, we could have been waist-deep. There was plenty of marine life and birds to see, like crabs, clams, small fish, pelicans, and seagulls. The tide brings in new shells to inspect and collect each day.
One day I went into the water to cool off. I was only out a 20 or 30 feet and I was up to my shoulders.
We loved the sunsets while RVing at the beach near Loreto
Is there cell signal at Playa Salinita near Loreto?
We got some cell signal at Playa Salinita, but it was weak and unreliable. Don’t rely on cell signal alone if you need a reliable connection for work or being online.
Loreto Bay National Park
When you visit Loreto, you may want to consider a day trip out to Loreto Bay National Park. We could see Isla Carmen from where we were camping on the beach but didn’t take a boat tour out to the island. The locals selling the tours claim that, depending on the season, you may see fish, dolphins, whales, sea lions, and sea turtles.
I’m sure from the air or the highest point of the island the water looks turquoise, but from where we were camping on the beach, that coloration didn’t come through.
What should I bring for RVing at Playa Salinita near Loreto?
We stayed the night at Loreto Shores RV park to dump our tanks after coming from Santispac and restock on fresh water. We also stocked up on groceries before we left Loreto because this was our first time on the beach, but realized that was probably unnecessary since we were close enough and the drive was easy enough to get into town.
Empty waste tanks before arriving and fill up your freshwater tank. There’s no fresh water or dump station at Salinita.
Bring drinking water with you if you don’t have a filtration system attached to your tank. We have an Acuva UV water filtration system built into our RV, and we haven’t had any issues drinking Mexico water straight out of our fresh water tank.
Here’s what we pack when we’re going to be dry camping on the beach and if you’re RVing as a family, then here are some of the best camping board games according to our boys when we’re just hanging out on the beach instead of spending the evening in town.
Bring hammocks with you when you come to RV near Loreto
What is the closest RV park to Playa Salinita?
There are a few RV parks in Loreto. Some seem easier to get to than others. If you’re looking for a place to stay the night, refresh your tanks, and have a shower before or after Playa Salinita, visit Loreto Shores for an easy in and out.
What are the highways like getting to Loreto?
Driving in Baja California is a unique adventure. Be prepared for potholes, highways without shoulders, and the occasional cow wandering across the lanes. On the bright side, you’ll be treated to some of the most stunning vistas in North America. Here’s what to expect when driving in Baja.
Do I need to speak Spanish to camp at Playa Salinita near Loreto?
While fluency isn’t required, having some basic Spanish knowledge can greatly enhance your RVing experience in Baja. You won’t see many locals at the beach, but it will be helpful to know a few things when you go into Loreto. We’ve discovered some useful tips for communicating in Spanish while RVing in Baja.
Is Playa Salinita near Loreto good for RVing in Baja?
Yes. We enjoyed our time there and we look forward to going back. It’s the quietest beach we’ve stayed on. The soft sand, lack of amenities, and rough road to get there are all discouraging for less-adventurous RVers, so we got to enjoy a quiet, peaceful beach because of it.
We did see locals visiting the beach from time-to-time, but short of a few off-road vehicles driving past once a day, it was rare.
If you’re ready to start your Baja RVing adventure, then check out this list for our recommendations of what to pack for RVing in Baja.
Enjoying a sunset while RVing at Playa Salinita near Loreto
