Ensenada, Cruise Port Guide
Good Morning,
Welcome to Ensenada, Mexico! If you're hopping on a cruise out of California, the likely chance is that you’ll have a stop here in Baja California. Located just 90 miles from San Diego, it’s the perfect spot for cruise ships to stop in and get home to California the following day. While Ensenada is not a favorite amongst guests, it’s still a great port with rich history and culture.
The Port
Cruises dock at the Ensenada Cruise Port Village. Excursion desks can be found port side to assist in getting you to your excursion or help you pick something out. When walking outside of the security gates, you can find a bus that will take you downtown for a $5 round trip. If you wish to save money, the walk is a leisurely stroll only about 15 - 20 minutes away.
Shore Excursions
I’ve personally done a few different shore excursions through Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines. While they can offer a few different things from each other, all of the cruise ships that visit, do go through the same tour company. The main highlight you’ll find to do in Ensenada is a stop over to the infamous La Bufadora. I have done the La Bufadora tour, but I’ve done a few others, such as the Food And Tequila Tasting & and a Segway tour. Things that I’ve never done, but have been recommended are the ATV tour, Wine Tasting tour, and Snorkeling tour. While I haven’t had the opportunity to try these, I’ve heard they are good tours.
La Bufadora
La Bufadora, or The Blowhole, is the largest marine geyser in the world blowing upwards of 100 feet above sea level. While it is a site to behold, after a few minutes, a few pictures, and a few videos, that’s about all there is to it.
Back in March of 2022, I took a tour I booked through Royal Caribbean for $50. The tour started by boarding a motorcoach and riding 45 minutes up to the Blow Hole. On this tour, I had the pleasure of getting Freddie, our tour guide. You’ll recognize him from his long hair and rocker personality (he actually is in a band). I was quite impressed with his knowledge of Ensenada’s history and background. Even though I had planned to sleep for 45 minutes, I stayed awake and listened.
Once we arrived at La Bufadora, I will say I wasn’t impressed. It was a 10-minute walk to the blowhole, surrounded by plenty of vendors trying to sell you things. They are a bit pushy with trying to get you to step into their shop, so be mindful. If you want to do your shopping that’s great, but be careful in the stores you pick. It does help to shop at the places a local expert suggests, so I relied on Freddie when picking what place to stop at.
Once we made it past all the shops, we reached the main attraction, The Blowhole. After a few pictures and videos, I got pretty bored with it. Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of action, with the blowhole firing every 30 seconds to a minute. Hearing the rumble of the water, and seeing the spray come all the way up to the cliffside is pretty impressive. It just isn’t my cup of tea.
After that, Freddie released us to free time, where we could hang out by the geyser, or head back up to go shop or eat. Nothing to major to report, other than the restaurant by where we were dropped off had pretty good tacos.
To hear my full thoughts on La Bufadora, check out my video in the link above. Overall, I’d say the tour was worth the $50 I spent, but it’s not something I am planning on doing again.
Segway Tour
I might be biased when I say this, but I believe the Segway Tour is the MUST-do tour in Ensenada. If you don’t know how to ride a segway, the Tour Guide, Gill, will easily teach you how to ride one. It’s perfect for beginners, and perfect if you want to explore downtown in a fun and unique way.
The biggest issue with the Segway tour is that only Carnival ships offer it. In addition, only 4 people can go on the tour at any 1 time. So for those of you with larger parties, you may want to skip. If your group only is 4 people, then I would jump on this tour in a heartbeat.
For my full review and guide, check out my video below.
Food and Tequila Tasting with Walking Tour
On my most recent trip to Ensenada, I decided to take a walking tour. Booked through Royal Caribbean, we met at the pier side with our tour guide, Angel. He was one of the nicest tour guides by far, and one of the funnier ones. He walked us down the boardwalk to the fish market, where we tasted shrimp tacos. After he took us to a candy store, where they had authentic Mexican Candies. The main event led us over to a tequila store where we were able to sample multiple different types of tequilas. The tour concluded with a walk back to the port. Overall a pretty great tour, only made great by Angel. While it is a great place to learn about Ensenada’s history, walking around isn’t the most exciting thing in the world.
On Your Own
If you elect to skip out on shore excursions, Ensenada has a few options to take a look at. With downtown only being a 15 minute walk, there’s a lot of shopping and dining to choose from. You also don’t have to worry about getting lost, since the Largest Mexican flag sits near the port. While yes it’s a great photo opportunity, use that flag as a compass to finding your way back to the ship. Head towards the flag, and soon, you’ll see your ship.
When it comes to Dining, La Guerrerense Food Cart tends to be the most popular place for tourists, especially since the celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, recommends it for their seafood. If you’re looking for a more local preferred cart, then I would recommend considering El Guero, just down the street. Both are great options for seafood, check out one or the other, if not both on your next visit.
History Buffs might appreciate visiting the Cultural Center Riviera, for its history as a casino and as it is the home of the first Margarita. It’s only a 10-minute walk from the port, so it’s worth visiting. Back during the United State’s Prohibition, the rich would fly to Ensenada to gamble and drink in a place it was legal. Within the building, you can find small descriptions and photos throughout to help explain more of the history, so this acts as a free Museum to visit too. Then if the first Margarita is interesting to you, then may I recommend stopping in the bar for a drink.
Shopping comes really easy when you’re looking for souvenirs. Once you find yourself on the main drag of downtown, you’ll find a full street full of stores trying to get you to buy something. It’s recommended to barter for a better price since a lot of shops keeps are willing to negotiate with you. All the stores in my experience will take US dollars, so there’s no need to convert ahead of time. Be sure to check the exchange rate ahead of your visit.
If you’re looking for the party scene, then Papas and Beers is the perfect place to head to. Located in downtown on the main street, Primera, you can hear the music from this place a mile away. This place isn’t known for its deals on drinks but is known for how crazy the party can get.
Final Thoughts
Even if Ensenada is not the primary reason for taking a cruise, it still holds up as a solid port to visit with enough history, culture, food, and drinks to keep anyone occupied. I have been there 5 times already, and am still finding something new with each and every visit. With Ensenada being the only spot for a weekend getaway from California, I will certainly be back again real soon.
