First Time Tips for Driving in Baja
My husband and I thought a brief summary of our first drive down the Baja peninsula would help other first-timers and alleviate some fears that might be out there.
Our message to anyone who is considering the drive to Baja Sur, just do it! It was safe and easy, with good roads, and quite a few nice hotels and restaurants along the route. No narcos, no police shakedowns, no flat tires, nada.
We crossed the border at Tecate which is just a few miles southwest of Potrero, CA, on November 21. Finding the turnoff to Tecate could have been the hardest part of the crossing as it is easy to miss on the rural winding Highway 94. We drove up to the border “gate” which was open, and drove right over the border. A few sleepy guards standing to the side completely ignored us.
We scratched our heads and wondered aloud, where do we get the tourist card? So we drove around the block and parked. With the help of a guard who pointed me in the right direction (there really isn’t a sign or arrow to point it out), I walked into the “office” while my husband waited in the car. The man inside was watching TV and spoke a little English. Between his English and my bad Spanish, I learned that it was a holiday and the banks were closed. So he gave me the tourist card and told me to go to any bank sometime “soon” and pay the fee to get the official stamp. My husband then repeated the process.
Editor's Note: Insurance is not required when driving in Mexico. Keep this in mind if someone hits you. Your US insurance will not cover you. Purchasing liability or full coverage insurance is far cheaper than US drivers are use to and a safe bet. As far as the paperwork, our author discovered she was over prepare. But if you have the paperwork with you it is always better than 'back on the kitchen table'! For personal paperwork your driver licence and passport will obtain you your 180 day tourist card. If you are looking to obtain an FM document for longer or premanent stays you will also need a few other items including an apostilated birthcertificate. |
There were no other tourists crossing at that time, though there were a few large trucks which were pulled off to the side while guards searched them. No one checked our car, or asked us anything other than what was necessary to complete the tourist card; we were on our way in 25 minutes. NOTE: Even though we had it all with us, no one asked to see our car title, insurance, license, registration, or anything else to do with ownership of the car. This issue caused us no end of anxiety, and yet, at least for the southbound crossing, we did not need any of these papers.
From Tecate, we followed Highway 3 to Ensenada. The signage is good, but there are a couple of turns in Tecate; just watch carefully for signs to Ensenada as you go through the town. We joined up with Highway 1, the Transpeninsular Highway, just north of Ensenada. Highway 1 took us all the way to La Paz, our final destination.
There are/were short stretches of construction throughout the whole drive where driving is slow and rough, but our small SUV did fine. We thought the highway was really quite good, with good signs, though there are narrow winding stretches when crossing the mountains. Compared to the roads in Costa Rica or Asia or even the canyonlands of Utah, this was easy.
Fuel prices and exchange rates make a Baja Road Trip even more affordable!
Now, about those military checkpoints we feared so much. There were 7 or 8 of them through our entire drive to La Paz. Most of the time we were waved through; only twice were we asked to get out of the car and show our passports. These times the police did a very cursory search of the car; then waved us on. In Guerrero Negro there was an agricultural stop where we drove over a sprayer that sprayed insecticide on the underside of the car.
As others have advised, do stop and get gas when you can. The Pemex is the only gas station around; attendants will fill the car for you, so learn the phrase “Fill it up please” in Spanish. (lleno por favor) Do not expect anyone to speak English along the route except staff in some of the hotels.
We took our time driving the peninsula; the scenery is wonderful along the Sea of Cortez but there are no viewpoints for parking and gazing, so go slowly. We did not drive at night, and it gets dark early at this time of year, around 5:30 p.m. in November.
Here is a list of places we stayed and a few restaurants we found along the way (thanks mostly with the help of TripAdvisor). First night in San Quintin (about 4 hours from Tecate): • Hotel Los Jardines—wonderful spot, down a rough dirt road off Highway 1, but worth the search just to see the gardens. Large room, nice bathroom, good internet connection
The restaurant next door to Los Jardines was closed the night we were there so we had dinner at El Faro, back on the highway, on right side going south from the turnoff to the hotel. Excellent shrimp dinners with fresh avocados, flan and wine, about $20/person
Breakfast next morning at Mama Espinoza in El Rosario about 30 minutes from San Quintin. It was an OK meal of huevos rancheros, tortillas and coffee, about $7/person. Second night in Guerrero Negro (about 4 hours from San Quintin) • Stayed at Malarrimo Hotel, along the highway on north side of GN. Small room but clean and plenty of hot water, not much English from staff.
Had dinner at Don Gus, just a couple blocks from Malarrimo; good meal of melted cheese appetizer, soup and tacos, about $10/person. Third and fourth nights in Loreto • Stayed two nights at Coco Cabanas, great location (though tricky to find), very nice suite with full kitchen, pool right outside door, super host.
Good restaurants abound in Loreto, but two of the more popular are Augie’s Bar and Las Islas, both very good and right along the lovely malecon (boardwalk), but not cheap. It is a nice town with a nice historic district.
Would we do this again? Absolutely! As long as you have the time, driving beats flying any day!