Mulege, a rural town on the site of one of the original Jesuit missions. Like San Ignacio, it’s a real oasis: tucked into a lush valley, the town sits on the north bank of the palm-fringed Río Santa Rosalía and has clung onto its small town atmosphere, despite a growing US expat community. The town makes a good base for the superb beaches strung out along the Bahía Concepción. You’ll miss out on the best of them without your own transport, but here hitching is at least a realistic possibility many visitors commute to the beaches daily, particularly during the high season (mid-Oct to April).

Perched on a hillside (walk up Zaragoza and follow the signs), it offers decent views across Mulegé.

For a slightly longer hike (20–30min) but a much better panorama, visit the Misión de Santa Rosalía de Mulegé. Founded by the Jesuits in 1705, the current building was completed sixty years later and sits atop a hill 3km on the other side of town – like most of the Baja missions, it was abandoned in 1828 after the indigenous population died out. The church only opens for the occasional Mass, but it’s still well worth the hike up for the spectacular view from above the palms. Follow Zaragoza south underneath the highway bridge and take the dirt road on the right that climbs to the mission.

The caves in the 'Sierra de Guadalupe' near Mulegé with extensive ancient cave paintings are worth a visit, as are the caves in the 'Sierra de San Borjita' and La Trinidad.

A special feature of the town is the old prison. It was erected without bars. The prisoners could freely walk around town and establish or maintain families here. They just had to return to the prison in the evening. Escapes were rare because of the remoteness of Mulegé. Until Mex 1 was paved, the area was surrounded by harsh desert for many miles. All prisoners had to agree to assist in tracking any escapist and assist in their capture. Today, the old prison is operated as a museum, with a suggested nominal entry fee.

Other than as a springboard for the beaches to the south, the main reason to stop at Mulegé is to go diving or take one of the cave-painting tours out to the Sierra de Guadalupe. This range boasts the densest collection of rock art in Baja (at least 700 paintings), as well as some of the most accessible at La Trinidad, requiring as little as five hours for the round trip. Getting a group together to cut costs shouldn’t prove a problem in high season, but you still need to shop around as the tours differ considerably. Overnight excursions are possible too, including a night at a 260-year-old ranch and two different cave locations.

By land, Mulegé is accessible by Federal Highway 1, which runs from Tijuana at the US-MX border to Cabo San Lucas. The highway was built in 1975/76. Before that, Mulegé was only accessible via dirt road leading from Tijuana at the U.S. border to Cabo San Lucas at the southernmost point of Baja California Sur. The trip took about four days by car or truck, leading through extensive lava fields with lava rocks, which often caused blown tires. Mulegé was also accessible by private aircraft, and of course by sea.

Mulegé’s streets branch eastward from Hwy-1 and surround both sides of the estuary, though the old centre and Plaza Corona lies on the north bank – base yourself here if you don’t have a car. The bus terminal is at the junction of Hwy-1 and Martínez, a good ten-minute walk southwest of Plaza Corona; to get to the plaza, follow Martínez (under the faux city gate), then take a right fork, and finally a second right onto Zaragoza. Moving on, six buses head south to La Paz (three go on to Los Cabos), but only five go north and only three to Tijuana.

Since the mid-1950s, Mulegé and other towns on the peninsula, have been destinations for tourists with private planes. Celebrities such as American actor John Wayne have visited Mulegé. Younger Americans were attracted to the area because Mexico did not regulate alcohol and they could drink on the beach or town streets.

Mulegé is served by three airstrips in the area, which are used for private air travel. Extra caution is advised when using this airstrip, as dogs and other animals as well as Mexican citizens are frequently crossing the strip. Also at high tide, the strip can be very muddy or even submerged. The strip is located a short distance from the Gulf of California, more or less at sea level Mulegé Municipal, and the farthest Punta San Pedro (at Concepcion Bay). Regional flights are available at the Palo Verde Airport (to the north of town), and international flights are available at the Loreto Airport (123 km to the south).