Destination: La Bufadora

Location: Baja California, Mexico

Accessibility: 4/5

La Bufadora, is a blowhole and tourist attraction located on the Punta Banda Peninsula in Baja California, Mexico, about 17 miles south of Ensenada. This destination is commonly reached via a shore excursion from the port of Ensenada Mexico. How is the accessibility of this location for those of us who are blind or visually impaired, and with the constantly changing political climate of Mexico, is it safe to go there? Let’s talk about it.  

Safety

La Bufadora is a well-traveled tourist destination and at the time of this writing is considered safe for travelers to visit.

Getting to La Bufadora

Travelers will likely find this destination offered as a shore excursion while cruising to Ensenada, Mexico. When visiting Ensenada on a cruise there are usually three suggested options for activities, Visiting the city center and shopping, La Bufadora and the Tequila Distillery tour. All of the activities require a bus ride, the city center is a short ten-minute ride from the dock and La Bufadora and the Tequila Tour are about half an hour from the city center. Guests have the option to purchase their tours from the tour desk aboard their ship or at the city center in Ensenada. I always opt to purchase my trips in the city center because they are cheaper than getting them through the cruise lines and they are the same tour. On a recent trip we paid $20 USD each to take the tour.

The busses to La Bufadora leave about every 15 minutes and the ride offers scenic view of the local farms and coast for those who can see. The tour guides are personable and will offer some strategies for those who have not been to a tourist location in Mexico. Make sure to save a few dollars to give your tour guide when returning to the Ensenada City Center. They will give you about an hour to an hour and a half to shop and see the blowhole, depending on your tour. I found this plenty of time to pick up some souvenirs and take some photos at the blowhole. With drive time to and from the destination, there was still ample time to shop in the city center and make it back to the boat for a drink by the pool.

Taco Time

Go to La Bufadora to see the water blowhole but stay for the tacos and margaritas. After you exit the buses, it is a short walk to La Bufadora Baja Grill, which features the best fish tacos and margaritas in the area hands down. Service is quick and there are a lot of choices for flavors in your margarita. We have been to La Bufadora many times, and never passed on the opportunity to grab lunch at the Baja Grill.

Note: many have concerns about the safety of the water in Mexico, and that always means being careful with blended margaritas. Baja Grill is careful about their water sources and we have eaten at their place many times and even those with sensitive stomachs in our party have never had a bad experience.

Navigating the area

As you exit the buses from the parking lot, you walk straight ahead to get to the shopping area which you will have to navigate before arriving at the blowhole (more on that in a bit).  Turn right and head straight to the blowhole viewing area. There are a few steps down to the viewing area. For those without sight, the smells and auditory sensations in this area are intoxicating. I loved just hanging out and experiencing the thrums of the shopping district and all the smells of cooking food, churros, nachos, margaritas and the like.  

Shopping

If you haven’t been to Mexico before, especially to a tourist destination, the sales tactics can be a bit aggressive. Let’s talk about some strategies to help you navigate this situation as a sight impaired person. First, realize that in shopping areas like the one in La Bufadora, competition is fierce. Those shop owners who have the best shop locations, like the ones at the beginning of the line, tend to get more sales. This means the farther down the line you travel, the more aggressive the sales tactics will be. In general, the more aggressive individuals might even grab you and lead you into their shops not really understanding how to effectively help someone who has little or no sight. It is fine to offer a firm no thank you if someone grabs your arm to help you to their shop.

I always put my wallet in my front pocket. If you have a guide dog or white cane some automatically see you as a target, so be careful. This is of course a generalization, and everyone is different in the way they treat you. Get good at saying no thank you. If you are looking for a specific souvenir have an idea about the price you want to spend and put that cash in your pocket, so you don’t have to take your wallet out. Haggling is a thing there, and they will often give you a price on a trinket expecting you to cut that in half as a starting point for negotiations on a final price.  Go into the situation being careful about your surroundings, make sure you always have someone with you and have a fun time haggling for the things you want to buy.  

You will find lots of goodies that are made to look like brand name products, like coach purses and that sort of thing. Be aware that these are not the real item and if you want to purchase them don’t consider the price of the actual product as a starting point for your negotiations.

Suggested shopping locations

If you are taking a bus tour, often the tour guide will give you shop names of trustworthy dealers. If you purchase from these shops will the merchandise, be better quality? Likely not, but if you encounter a problem there is more likelihood that it can be resolved with the help of your tour guide. I tend to not look at purchasing the expensive items like silver and name brand merchandise because I can’t see well enough to determine the value of these items.

Tequila time

As you wander down the shopping district, vendors will offer you tasty morsels and shots of tequila to get you to come into their shops. I usually partake in a Churro, but I stay away from the tequila because some of it is made in the shop owner’s home and contains a lot of sugar and flavoring to mask the young alcohol flavor. For me, if I buy tequila it is going to be from a shop in the city center.

The Blowhole

After navigating what I like to call the gauntlet of the shopping district, you will arrive at the stairs leading down to the viewing area for La Bufadora. Head down the stairs following the wall on your right and wait for the next big pulse of water to blow out and get you wet. There are waist high guard walls so there is little chance of falling, but do be aware that the ground will be wet and can be slippery in some areas.

Heading out.

Head back out of the viewing area the way you came and get ready to run the gauntlet of salespeople in reverse. Remember to be polite, but firm when the salespeople offer you everything under the sun.  Have a good time, don’t let anyone talk you into buying something that you don’t want to, just because you are trying to be polite. Watch your time, and make sure you leave enough to get back to the bus, there will be a lot of people waiting and inevitably there is always someone trying to get that last minute deal before they go that holds up the bus.

Conclusion

Have you been to La Buffadora? How did you like it? Do you have strategies for navigating the shopping district? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me a note here on the contact page or on social media at the links below. I can’t wait for my next opportunity to visit this fun destination.