Baja

[kcv67]

Has any one traveled the Baja by rv/5th wheel. I am looking at a caravan to do baja next year. Any advice and stories would be appreciated.



Thank you



Casey

 

[HBarlow]

I recommend you inquire with the US State Department about travel conditions in MX before making that trip.

MX is a very dangerous, lawless country now.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I have to agree with HB so save your self some mileage and possible problems just go to Texas SAMETHING with all the new imports from CA

 

[Tractorat]

That reminds me of a guy I used to work with. He (he was a hippie at the time) and some of his friends went down to mexico in, I believe it was, the late 60's or very early 70's. They were camped out somewhere down there with their vw micro bus. First the banditos came thru and took all their drugs and beer. Then the federalays came and took everything else.

 

[JJPage]

I have not driven, nor would I, down the Baja Peninsula, I am not that brave, adventurous, or rich... .



However, when my wife and I flew into Cabo in 2005, we were amazed at all the US licensed vehicles, Americans and Aussie's everywhere we went.



We had a wonderful time, and would like to return, but not sure about today's political climate in Mexico, even though Baja is segregated from the mainland.



Here are some pics, SORRY, Mexico pics not on my new laptop... here's a pic of the Clark Fork River in Thompson Falls, much better than Mexico.

 

[Regcabguy]

Baja Nomads

Register with Baja Nomad - Taking You Back to Baja! for a realistic answer to your question. It's a site dedicated to Baja travel. Once you're south of Ensenada,things loosen up.



Returning through TJ is always an experiment in frustration as they can't seem to make up there mind on one road. They plan to construct an elevated highway that will deliver you to the Las Playas tollbooth and back without the madness of driving through downtown or whatever madness some engineer has come up with as you cross.



No place like it on this hemisphere.

 

[AEdelheit]

I've been down there 3 times, if you know way things work down there and are in a caravan I'd do it in a heartbeat, it can be an awesome experience. The last time I towed my equipment trailer down there, make sure you have all the registration and mexico insurance paperwork, they were quick to pull me in and make sure it wasn't stolen, besides that I had no issues at all. It has it's risks and if you have never been and don't fully understand how things work then I'd be caution and maybe find a different destination, but if you know what your doing awesome man, I'm
Sure you will have a blast!!!!

 

[Bill Stockard]

I've been down there 3 times, if you know way things work down there and are in a caravan I'd do it in a heartbeat, it can be an awesome experience. The last time I towed my equipment trailer down there, make sure you have all the registration and mexico insurance paperwork, they were quick to pull me in and make sure it wasn't stolen, besides that I had no issues at all. It has it's risks and if you have never been and don't fully understand how things work then I'd be caution and maybe find a different destination, but if you know what your doing awesome man, I'm

Sure you will have a blast!!!!

In the mid to late 90s there was a caravan tour compay, I don't remember which one, that had a special TDR tour just for TDR members to Baja. I know of several TDR and former TDR members (later purchased motorhomes) who took the trip towing their fifth wheels all the way to Cabo. One couple went two different times and they all enjoyed their trips.



My wife and I visited Cabo years ago when it was just a little town and had a good time there; however, we didn't drive or tow.



Bill

 

[tpuig]

I drove my '03 down to Cabo a few years ago with my 83 year old dad. We had no problems whatsoever. Things are a bit rougher now, but I'm still heading down later this year to watch the Baja 1000.



I can't speak for the current situation, but once I got about 200 miles from the border I felt much safer. I believe we stopped at El Rosario the first night when it got dark. Then another casual drive for two days until we hit our timeshare on the corridor near Cabo San Lucas.





The other Baja related forums will give you tons of info, and it will be realistic and usually very current. There are Military checkpoints where 18 year old Army soldiers will go through your car and look into everything. A couple bottles of cold water and some hard candy will be much apreciated for those guys doing boring duty in the middle of nowhere. AA batteries will make you a rock star. ;-)



When you get to Baja Sud, it's crossing the border into another state, and there is a checkpoint, similar to a tollbooth. They will charge you a couple bucks to spray some invisible chemical on your tires to "protect" it from transferring various mystery diseases, and they were very disappointed we had no meat or milk to confiscate. It's very similar to the agricultural checkpoint when entering CA from Oregon or Nevada, and about as useful.



Take the suggestions to heart. Do not drive at night, and keep your eyes open. The buses and trucks tend to straddle the center line on the highway, and sometimes it's very close when they get back into their own lane. The edges of the highway are steep and the roads are much narrower than we're used to. Going off the road to avoid a head on is fine when you have a large open field of soft dirt. But when there is a 600 foot drop into the ocean only a few feet away, it tends to make you a very good driver...



You will need Mexican insurance, which is pretty cheap. I got a one year policy and renew it as needed. Other insurance is worthless, and if you get into an accident, it's likely you'll both get taken in to the police station until one of you wins the argument.

I don't know of any RV rental places that allow travel across the border into Mexico.



Baja is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but very unforgiving. Read the forums and then read them again. Right now I'm probably not going to drive Baja because none of my friends will come with me, and it's not something to do alone. But I had a great time and it was probably the best two weeks I've ever had travelling. We did about 60% of our time off road, and it was rough. But a great time.



Hope this helps. Take the warnings seriously, but just like any other place, you only hear about the bad stuff.

 

[Bob4x4]

The old 12 valves are a great engine to run in Baja with no ulsd worries and very few electonics to be concerned with. The fiver I hope is not too long. The roads are very narrow with 6''+ drops at the edge of the lane. The big rigs do use more than their share of the road. Fresh tires and shocks will help cut down the worry factor as will a well equipped boonie box. Pemex stations make finding diesel easier than here imho. About $1 less per gallon on my last trip.

I wouldn't even consider pulling over anywhere till you get down to ensenada.

Tinted windows are a problem and will get you pulled over.

Stay in a group and you should be fine.

 

[sarj]

I was fortunate to enjoy a lifetime in baja during the 60's & 70's as a kid, and spent six months down there in 81. I've been down quite a few times since, but I'm less inclined in the last 8 or 10 years. I would classify it as potentially dangerous in terms of travel. I never travel in a group with less than three vehicles, and would never take a trailer down there. I have a very rugged double-door shell on my truck for Mexico type traveling & camping. I wouldn't classify it as RV traveling, and an RV turns you into a target. I'm not trying to scare you, it's simply experience speaking. It's third world travel down there, a corrupt culture, and relatively poor. As with most everywhere, thugs are much more emboldened compared to 20 or thirty years ago, and highway piracy is a growing concern.



A trip into Mexico is either a very good trip, or a very bad trip. I've had very few in between, and very few bad ones. The bad ones are usually due to traveling with an inexperienced novice, or kids acting up, not understanding they're in a foreign country. I go prepared and operate defensively. It can be very hard on vehicles & you need to be very diligent on the road. I can't overstate that. It is not unordinary to come around the corner of a winding downhill road and find someone coming at you in your lane passing blind. Road conditions can be sketchy in places, and you cannot relax behind the wheel. If you are forced off the road suddenly, it will not be a soft landing. My grandparents took their trailer down there, and always traveled with two spares just for the trailer.



Outside of the cities, the country is beautiful, villagers tend to be genuine once you get to know them, and it's a great place to experience.



Above all, I've always followed one rule in Mexico. I never go down there with anything I'm not willing to leave there. The other rule I'd follow is to be nice to people down there. They are for the most part, a very nice people. I found that if you stay in an area, it's good to get to know the local villagers, come bearing gifts if you frequent an area repeatedly, and smile when you converse with them. It's also cheap entertainment for them if you know enough to butcher a few Spanish phrases.



I have plenty of stories, as would any regular in Mexico, but those are best around a fire with a grill. I will say that I've only been shot at twice, and they were just friendly warning shots. If you make the trip, you'll have one or two stories as well. Mexico is always good for a story.