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The information provided in all Mexican pages are only suggestions and anecdotal stories. The information in the Mexican pages is a generic peace of work and is meant only as a general guide, it should not be taken as absolute fact. The information provided in this pages can change at any given day.
Baja is a great place to take a Caravan/RV. The people are among the friendliest you'll find anywhere. The sights are spectacular, and much of the country retains its unique character. And you'll find your dollars go a long way as well.
In addition to starting with a full tank of fuel, the advice to fill up when your tank is down to half is not conservative enough. The most recent AAA maps, which purport to be recently "checked" for accuracy, erroneously indicate gas and diesel at places where there is either no longer any Pemex station; or where contrary to the AAA advice, there gasoline only. The problem is particularly critical for RVers who need diesel. Diesel owners need to know this: Notwithstanding lots of information to the contrary, there is NO diesel between San Quintin and Jesus Maria, just north of Guerrero Negro. That's a stretch of nearly 250 miles. Keep in mind, too, that Pemex stations often have erratic hours, run out of fuel, and are not always easily accessible for big rigs. The problem is clearly not unmanageable if one plans ahead carefully. If you plan this trip don't do it without taking perhaps 10-15 gallons of extra diesel with you. There are "RV friendly" Pemex stations in abundance as far south as San Quintin. After that the best bets were Catavina (gasoline only, and short hours), Jesus Maria, Vizcaino, and 3 miles south of Mulege. We have not reported on points further south.
Please read our Mexican Fuels page for more information.
South of Ensenada, plan on no hookups. You may find some, but don't count on it! So plan to find RV parks which appeared to have hookups, but they do not work. In some places, such as Catavina, there simply is no electricity. The water, where available, is of course something you wouldn't want to drink. That's why you remembered to fill your own tank before entering Mexico, and also brought along a few gallons of purified water. If you're planning on extended dry camping, such as on the wonderful beaches south of Mulege, Do bring lots of containers for fuel, water, and even waste water. You'll need them. You'll also need either a generator or solar power if you'd like to continue to enjoy the comforts of your RV. There are exceptions to the "don't expect hookups", such as the two parks just south of Mulege. Just don't count on finding many!
Please read our Mexican Water page and our Mexican Campgrounds & Caravan/RV Parks for more information.
- Should you take your pet on a Baja trip? Of course you can take your pets to Mexico. You will need a recent (sometimes within 72 hours) International Health Certificate from your vet.
- We must tell you that many hotels to not accept pets.
- If you decide to take the ferry to or from Baja California your pet must remain in the vehicle during the trip, and we have heard this has had tragic consequences.
- If you are traveling to Baja California have in mind that the vets in Baja focus primarily on livestock and may not be up to date when it comes to pets.
- If you are traveling to Baja California, take plenty of food for the trip as dog food in Baja is not cheap and quality food is hard to find.
Please read our Traveling with Pets page for more information.
The advantage, is the "security" of having someone else make all the arrangements, and not having to be concerned where to stay, where to fuel up, etc. If you reach a place you'd like to explore more thoroughly, you'll be stuck with the pre-arranged schedule. Baja is essentially a very friendly, and a very safe place to travel.
Please read our Caravan/RVs tours page for more information.
Whenever you get travel information of any type, from any source, in Mexico, always do yourself a favor and add the word "maybe" at the end of any declarative sentence. Thus, a roadside sign that proclaims an RV park just ahead with "full hookups", you should do yourself a favor and add "maybe" to the claim. Similarly, when a well meaning Pemex attendant tells you that while his town doesn't have diesel, the next town only 30 kilometers further along has diesel. You add the "maybe", and you'll never be unpleasantly surprised. And finally, when you see the truck in front of you with his left turn lights flashing, you may be getting a signal which by local custom means it's safe to pass.
Tourist Cards? Exactly what is required to go into Mexico is not clear. From all the advice we could gather, you could travel in Baja as far south as Ensenada. But once you were to set sail for the more southern regions of Baja, you surely would need to have some sort of "Tourist Card". This would of course entail ownership papers (pink slips) for your vehicles, evidence of insurance, and the like. All the books said once you are south of Ensenada, you would have to pass through some sort of Mexican Customs where you would display all these documents, and hopefully eventually get whatever "permits" you needed. Surprisingly, people have had different experiences. While some people who follow may have had encountered a Mexican Customs office some NEVER see one.
If these tips combine to make RV travel in Baja seem difficult or unpleasant, we will say that Baja is a great place to take an RV. The people are among the friendliest you'll find anywhere. The sights are spectacular, and much of the country retains its unique character. And you'll find your dollars go a long way as well. The above "Tips" were meant not to discourage travel there, but rather to help RVers prepare for a trip to Baja which will be as enjoyable as possible.
HW 1 - Transpeninsular Highway
The Transpeninsular Highway was constructed to facilitate commerce between the northern and southern states of the Baja California peninsula. The original construction was minimal and quick. As part of the minimal nature of the highway, the roadway was constructed to just accommodate two passing trucks (eight feet wide plus mirrors), with about one foot of clearance between the trucks. In general, there are no shoulders along the highway. In some areas there will be no center striping on the road. Drop-offs are common along the roadside, with the deeper ones often having a guardrail at the edge of the pavement. The drive along the Transpeninsular Highway is one of the great desert drives in North America, but it is also one of the most dangerous.
There are plenty of natural obstacles which will keep your speed down on the highways of Baja California. Cows, horses, donkeys, and goats are frequent residents of the roadway, and they seem to consider vehicles as intruders to be ignored!
It is often cautioned that one not drive at night on the Baja highway. The major reasons are:
As a general rule, night driving on the Transpeninsular Highway should be avoided.
One of the prominent features of the Baja highways is the "Vado" sign. The vados are the dips across the road through which water will rush when it rains. During the rainy season (generally, winter in the north and summer in the south) these vados can become very full! In some cases these vados can remain full for many days. Watch out for any vado with the name Peligroso! (dangeous).
Please read our Mexican Road Terms page for more information.