Even the most seasoned Baja traveler will probably say "where?" if you ask
them if they have ever been to Cadeje in southern Baja. And for a good reason...it's
not really a tourist town. As a matter of fact it's so far removed from most of Baja's
popular destinations that Cadeje receives only a handful of visitors every year.
But if you take a peek at a map of Baja and look at that dot on the map just 8 miles north of San Juanico,
you will find Cadeje. Where the heck, you may be saying, is San Juanico? Just find Bahia Concepcion
on your Baja map, located north of Loreto on the Sea of Cortez, and then scoot your finger across the
Baja Peninsula to the west side of Baja on the Pacific Ocean. That is where you will find San Juanico,
tucked away in the top end of that beautiful protected bay. And just a handfull of miles north of San Juanico
on a dirt road lies the small village of Cadeje.
Home to just over a hundred souls, there usually isn't much going on in Cadeje. Despite the lack of any
significant activity in town Cadeje does have few redeemeing qualities. Not the least of which is Cadeje International Airport.
It's not really and International airport but the orange windsock says Cadeje International, so that's our story and we're sticking to it.
As airstrips go, the Cadeje airstrip is pretty cool. It is about 2,500 feet long with a surface of dirt and some areas of sand.
Any pilot worth his salt can land here with no problem. Any pilot who isn't sure if the strip is long enough probably shouldn't try.
The runway heads right into the prevailing winds from the west so breazy afternoon landings give pilots a little more grace.
The unfortunate thing about Cadeje International Airport is that it has a habit of being closed. Sometimes the airport is closed
because the local folks have not paid their airport fees to the government, and sometimes it is closed to help fight the war on
transporting drugs to the United States. In any case it is somewhat unpredictable and important to be sure it is open before planning a flight
there. On a recent trip to San Juanico I tried to land at Cadeje International only to be greeted by several dozen car tires lining
the runway. After circling the village several times some of the local folks finally came out and removed enough tires for us to sneak in,
just before the sun set. One group of pilots that is usually able to land at Cadeje is the Flying Samaritans and Aeromedicos. These doctors fly in on a regular basis
and provide medical attention for the local folks who live nearby.
Local Cadeje kids getting a check up from the fly-in doctors. Cadeje is a one street running through town with a few dozen houses, a small market (try the ice cold Cokes in the glass bottles...heaven!) and a small school for the local kids. The street sits just above a fairly good sized arroyo and there
is usually water in a pond at the east end of town. There are no gas stations or markets in Cadeje, but those services can be found in San Juanico
to the south. If you are a single man you might want to explore the rumor about a farmer who has three beautiful
daughters at a ranch several miles east of town.
One of the most amazing things about Cadeje (as of 2009) is the new military checkpoint on the dirt road just south of town. Baja travelers who are
familiar with the various roadside drug inspection stations throughout Baja will be blown away by the size and scope of this military outpost. While many
checkpoints in Baja are pretty ragged looking and even somewhat sparse, the checkpoint at Cadeje is probably the nicest checkpoint in
all of Baja. I kid you not. The rocks lining the camp are perfectly placed and painted, and there are various small monuments located around the camp.
There is even an impeccibly maintained soccer field at the far west end of the camp. And all of this high quality check point pride leads
to the inevitable question....why? The road that transitions through Cadeje probably gets less traffic than almost any road in Baja. Maybe that is the
reason why. These kids don't have anything better to do all day long than to improve their camp.
Gringos who do visit Cadeje are usually heading up or down the west coast of Baja using the "North Road". There are actually two north roads
that transition from Laguna Ignacio to San Juanico (one along the coast and one along the base of the mountains), but they both funnel together north
of Cadeje and run smack dab through its world famous checkpoint. Many of these trekers are headed for San Juanico just 15 minutes south of Cadeje.
San Juanico is popular for a lot of reasons, including surfing, drinking, driving on the beach, drinking, off roading, and drinking. And anyone
who is in town while Casa Juan y Juan is open might just be lucky enough to have a cold beer with Juan del Rio or Carlos Fiesta.
Cadeje can be reached by taking Baja Highway 1 south to San Ignacio, and then heading 100 miles south along the coastal or mountain roads. Coming from
the south, Baja travelers can head north from Ciudad Insurgentes about 110 miles, of which 20 are not yet paved. For more information on San Juanico drop
by the SAN JUANICO page of Baja Expo.
CADEJE, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO
