Baja

Algodones to San Felipe – November 16 Joanne Eyre

Hello all...We left Algodones, Mx on Sunday morning and after getting just slightly lost, we made it to the highway and it was smooth "sailing" all the way to San Filipe with only one small stretch of dirt road from the earthquake reconstruction. It is glorious here and we are so glad we came. They were so cordial at the border and at the military checkpoint, they were thorough, but very polite. So far, I feel safer here than a lot of American/Canadian cities I've been in.

October 21

Curt Chandler

We are traveling via RV and are in Ensenada tonight after 13 days traveling from California to Cabo San Lucas and back. Will be crossing the border back home tomorrow. We did not get tourist cards but do have our passports. After 12 or so m...ilitary checkpoints, one extremely thorough search (the rest were fairly routine), we were never once asked for the cards and only 1x asked for our passports after the initial border crossing

West Coast & Nogales

Nogales to Sayulita Alice Maitland November 16

We drove our 38' motorhome towing our jeep from Nogales to Sayulita last week. We had no real problems but ran into lots of contruction and detours in Hermosillo and Mazatlan. Those were ugly - especially for MH's. The beach is wonderful and after a few days of rest, the drive down was forgotten. Tolls for us were about 1905 pesos

PV to Manzanillo Bill and Dorothy Bell November
Puerto Vallarta to Melaque

The road from the Southern-most tunnel that turns and heads south past the Pemex station has a 2 block detour. It will likely take another 2 weeks for this detour to return to the normal route.

The highway from Vallarta to Punta Perula varies considerably. It is generally in poor condition just south of PV from KM 205 to 194. The road improves but there are some unexpected rough spots to KM 163. The road improves to average to Melaque.

Our concern and major reason for this trip was to check our road conditions and RV Parks and hotels along the coast that were hit by Hurricane Jova last month. The epicenter was closest to Punta Perula –at approx KM75 on the highway. Approximately 9 kms north we began to see a few large branches at the side of the road. The road surface was clear – actually better than the roads nearer to PV!

We turned off the highway to Punta Perula and took a look at the town. The RV spots are operating – The Red Snapper looks like it incurred some palapa damage but otherwise all looked good. Some places had RV’s already parked and enjoying the beach!

The highway south of Punta Perula was clear however we saw more branches and knocked over signs at the side of the road. Not terrible but some destruction.

Bill and I visited San Blas after Kenna hit and the palm trees were topped or flattened. Homes had no roves and were caved in. The area was a real mess.

This area looks like it was barely hit. It is good and open for tourists. Come on down and enjoy the Mexican hospitality! The sun is warm. The cervesa is cold and the locals are happy.

Nogales to Bucerias Raman Rewati Upadhyaya November

With great help from Lisa & Wayne Elliot, I crossed into Mexico @ Nogales. Flawless trip. Smooth sailing all the way.

Nogales to PV Chris Lewis November

What a fabulous trip ! From Seattle to San Pancho in five days. I teamed up with J Morgan Tucker 'Tuck' in Nogales and she led the way for the next three days with great hotels, routes and the like. We had no hassles or trouble from anyone. Great freeways for the most part down 15 and wonderful places to stay in Guaymas and Mazatlan. Settled in San Pancho and Tuck wnt on to Sayulita for some relaxing I hope. I will post some pics later but for newbies.... GO FOR IT

Nogales PV - November

Hi Dorothy and Bill, our trip was a huge success thanks to you both for your GREAT road log! Also thanks to all the great people on this forum who share so much information and post their experience on the way down. I love this forum I will continue to read it every day. It sure helps a lot, before hand I gained so much information, as when Kim posted about the construction in Hermosillo the hotel suggestions from everyone etc. We left Canada on Oct 29th and we arrived in Vallarta on Nov 6th, crossing at Nogales. We travelled with our 4 cats and stayed the first night in Navajoa, a great place that accepted the cats and had great secure parking, Hotel El Mayo, the second night in Mazatlan at the large Pemex ( on your road log ) with the hotel rooms just at the end of the construction, the rooms were sufficient and very inexpensive. The security there was great. We had planned to stay at Azteca Inn but we have a small camper van and it was too high to drive into the back to park. It looked like a great place. They said that we could park in front of the office but with the cats it would have been a lot of work getting them to and from the room. If anyone has any questions about the trip ask away. We spent a total of 45 minutes at the border!!

Nogales to la Penita November

Bon and Jim Williams Vermilion Alberta (jiminalta)     Nov 2 2011       day one

Our annual migration south has always been one we have enjoyed from the first drive into Mexico in 2001 the trips have always been wonderful and educating experiences!
  That said the report here will cover our trip this year from Nogales to La Penita Nayarit.
We arrived at the primary crossing at approx 15 before 10 and were waved right past at the Mariposa truck route as this has become our easiest entry port coming from Gold Canyon.
 The short hop to the immigration and importation (temp) center 14 kms south was done in minutes and we began our entry by just minutes before 10. Entering the immigration section first we were about 6th in line and became aware of one thing quickly. They no longer accepted payment at this counter for your immigration. Tourist pass.
   We got everything done and went to where you get your car permits to pay before having to return to the copy place to get copies of everything to import (temp) vehicle.
  Our wait was a long one as it took nearly 1 and a half hrs to simply pay for the immigration card (tourist  pass) then a return to get the  now paid for card  at immigration  then to the copies office and then back in line to process the car .
  Total this process took us approx just over 2 hrs. To some very frustrating but we managed ok.
 Pulling out we moved on down the highway and became aware of an upgrade in highway conditions.
  First sign of construction is about 20 kms south of boarder and continues for about 80 kms more or less. We were slowed only a couple of times and passage was brisk and safe. We arrived in Hermosillo by 2:15 The next leg of the drive was as planned to Navajoa and on we went. Arriving Obregon at dusk Pressing on at dark we drove the last ways to Navajoa. This part of the highway is under some heavy construction as they are widening the 4 lanes. We arrived in Navajoa by 7 safe and sound. No check stops very very little traffic.


Leaving Navajoa at & we drove on to Mazatlan with a bit of construction at Cullican nothing slowing.
  Entering Mazatlan near the grave yard near center city there is a new overpass going up to speed traffic in the future building is very fast and will really improve traffic flow when complete. Slow downs but no real waits. Driving on we had a very uneventful trip to La Penita only stopping for gas in Tepic. Arriving here at 5 that evening.


1st day driving 3 hrs to border from Gold Canyon (Phoenix).
2 hrs 15 minutes wait time immigration
5.5 hrs driving to La Penita
 and yes no stops other than a gas stop
    no speeding just steady driving

day 2
11 hrs driving time  a bit more
  All safe  all nice traffic flow
 all  good highway
very little police presence
federales at most Toll Booths 
 only saw ary driving a couple times very little presence .

DRIVING FROM NOGALES TO BUCERIAS/PV

We crossed the border at Nogales on Friday morning (around 7:30). Everything was pretty streamlined because we had our FM3. We didn't have to fill out the forms, they just stamped our passport. We got the photocopies done at the booth to take to the car registration/bank booth. The line up was short, but of course, all things being the way they are...it still took about 1/2 an hour. The folks that we travelled with actually got there car registration done on-line and they were not required to wait in line once they got there passport stamped.

Cleared the red light/green light and were on our way. The traffice was light to medium. Our first city - Hermasillo was a bit crazy with construction, but the roads are well marked and with the assistance of our GPS we made it thru ok.

Lots of highway construction prior to Navajoa - single lane traffic going at about 40 miles per hour with very sharp shoulders. Still....we managed to tick along and arrive in Navajoa in the late afternoon.

We stayed at the Fiesta Navajoa - better condition than the Best Western next door. It was a bit noisy, but that might have been due to the fact that it was Friday Night. We hit the road at 6:30 on Saturday. It was a gruesomely long drive to Bucerias, but we arrived by 6:15. The only issue was the construction in Matzatlan, but once again, it was well marked and much easier going than we had anticipated. Could be because it was Saturday.

We saw lots of police presence on the highway. We were waived thru all the check stops without a second glance.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I feel much safer driving in Mexico compared to many places that I have been in the US and Canada.

Use common sense - don't drive at night - and don't be flashy.

November 3 2011

The La Peņita Express came down from Lukeville with almost no issues. The roads were OK. Mazatlan is a mess and if going through it is best to go very early because of construction. Had 2 bikes stolen in the Copper Canyon RV Park in Los Mochis. Also no electric in a lot of sites so check before you park. (good idea in any park).
No one had to pay a deposit for RV or ATV's. They just registered them

We just drove down from Yuma Arizona, through Lukeville to Rincon de Guayabitos. We had a great trip and were not stopped or questioned once on the entire trip. There was lots of presence of Federales and Policia, however all were extremelly friendly and welcoming to Mexico. Continue to travel safe, in groups and not at night and you should feel as safe or safer than you do in parts of Canada and the USA. Just make sure you know where you are "over nighting" and make sure you don't stay away just because of all the "hype" up north

DRIVING FROM NOGALES TO BUCERIAS/PV Nov

We crossed the border at Nogales on Friday morning (around 7:30). Everything was pretty streamlined because we had our FM3. We didn't have to fill out the forms, they just stamped our passport. We got the photocopies done at the booth to take to the car registration/bank booth. The line up was short, but of course, all things being the way they are...it still took about 1/2 an hour. The folks that we travelled with actually got there car registration done on-line and they were not required to wait in line once they got there passport stamped.

Cleared the red light/green light and were on our way. The traffice was light to medium. Our first city - Hermasillo was a bit crazy with construction, but the roads are well marked and with the assistance of our GPS we made it thru ok.

Lots of highway construction prior to Navajoa - single lane traffic going at about 40 miles per hour with very sharp shoulders. Still....we managed to tick along and arrive in Navajoa in the late afternoon.

We stayed at the Fiesta Navajoa - better condition than the Best Western next door. It was a bit noisy, but that might have been due to the fact that it was Friday Night. We hit the road at 6:30 on Saturday. It was a gruesomely long drive to Bucerias, but we arrived by 6:15. The only issue was the construction in Matzatlan, but once again, it was well marked and much easier going than we had anticipated. Could be because it was Saturday.

We saw lots of police presence on the highway. We were waived thru all the check stops without a second glance.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I feel much safer driving in Mexico compared to many places that I have been in the US and Canada.

Use common sense - don't drive at night - and don't be flashy.

October 20

Susan McKenna Fowler

Arrived in PV yesterday afternoon at around 2:00 p.m... so beautiful, as usual. So, the update.. there were a total of 8 stops- wave-throughs by either Federales or agricultural agents, or another, not even sure who they were.. nothing eventful. Only real delay, road construction between Obregon and Navajoa.. be aware, it does delay, so if you are planning to drive and Navajoa is your destination, plan on that delay... as it took us about an hour longer because of it. All about timing we think. Thanks for all the info everyone... happy driving, enjoy this fabulous country and culture...

Jill Hanna End of October

Had a safe journey to Chacala, Nayarit. Great, loyal caravan buddies from Canada led the way. Their destination was a spot near Bucerias. Important things to keep in mind: always fill your tank if gas level gets near 1/2 tank (some stretches can be long) & if headed to PV (or that direction), try to avoid Tepic by taking the 15 libre to San Blas and then follow that coastal route to Platanitos & Las Varas & PV. The turn off will be a good 15 minutes before Tepic and it says San Blas. We offer our sincere thanks for this site. It was a huge help to us.

Mike Beck October 31

Just arrived in Sayulita from Tacoma, WA, crossing at Nogales and staying in Navojoa (Hacienda Cazadores, very basic) and Mazatlan (Crowne Plaza). A long detour south of Obregon but no delays. Also, unless you hit Mazatlan on the weekend as we did, you will have no choice but to follow a detour to go around a bridge on which work has stopped. It can be a real delay.

Got a red light when crossing the border, but had only to open the tail gate, chat for a bit, and drive-on. We also were stopped one other time by armed troops. They asked for our vehicle permit, but never looked at it and sent us on our way.  

We traveled with two wonderful Canadians that we met on this site and not only felt a bit more secure, but enjoyed their company greatly

Brownsville

Phil Trimbath Late October

Crossed at Brownsville at 6:30 this AM. Absolutely ZERO hassle at the border. Very nice guy asked about 2 questions, decided i owed no duty on a vanload of stuff. I showed no inventory list and he asked for no documents on my 2 obnoxious schnauzers The guy in the Visa office opened 90 minutes early to process us. We previously had registered the van online and also purchased insurance, so we were on the road in about 20 minutes. Stopped twice by the military on the way to Tampico, was asked where we were headed, and allowed to pass. Absolutely no problems at all. The police presence is very significant, and it feels perfectly safe

Laredo

Laredo

Hi everyone. Yesterday we crossed at Laredo and travelled in our 36' motorhome through Monterrey, Saltillo, and then overnighted at Las Palmas in Matehuala. Everything went perfectly with absolutely no problems. At the border we had a very cursory walk-thru search by a young lady who had no idea of motorhomes! At the many police checkpoints we were waved through. The toll roads are in great shape and even the libres seem pretty good.

October 16
From Rhonda Viau-caron
Hi, we arrived in La Penita on Friday night. We travelled through Laredo (the Columbia border crossing) down through Monterre, Tonala and home. It took a day and a half. No problems at all. Roads in good shape, except for the 1 hour portion that is still not doubled. The tolls were just over 1100 pesos with just a vehicle not towing a trailer.

Police and army presence everywhere. There quite a few check points along the way. Hope everyone has a safe journey this year because all is well in Mexico.

October 21

Doug Hysell

Driving down from Laredo, TX to Acapulco. What an improvement the main roads are so far. The travel has been very nice. Last leg from San Luis Potosi to Acapulco today!

October 21

Duane Bender

We drove from Laredo to Tonala the first day and on to Nuevo Vallarta yesterday. There was a road closure near Compostela that diverted us north almost to Tepic and added a good hour to the drive. Otherwise, it was an uneventful trip

David Burns October 31 

Hi, everyone I crossed at Colombia Bridge near Laredo on Sunday morning at 8 AM when they open on 10/16 and the only other persons there were an American couple. Highly recommend Sundays, 8 AM.. Travelling in 26' Safari Trek and currently staying at San Miguel RV Park. When crossing the border, they gave me a form to list all the stuff in the MH ( normal items, like refri, range, etc already listed and we check how many ). Was very professional. Brought extra items, like printer, 2 mtn bikes ( I was alone and technically allowed one ), propane grill, and simply listed them on the form. I am sure I could have brought much more w/o problem, as long as it is obviously personnel and to be used on the trip. The "on-board" inspection was polite and maybe 2 minutes. The 26-mile check must have been very pleasant, as I do not even remember it! I was so happy to be on my way to San Miguel.
Matahuala is a good first night stop and if you go into town a short distance, on the right is an excellent motel/restaurnt, where i over-nighted on the parking lot in front with no problems (had dinner w/ them and asked permission). They have hook-ups in back. ALSO, there is a Wal-Mart across the street and 5 min walk to the south AND propane station a couple blocks to the north AND PEMEX right across the street. I believe the name of the motel is "Las Palmas" and there is a big sign. Watch out for the town cops. They were active. Just drive very courteously, using signal lights, gentleness,

Road Report - Laredo to La Peņita de Jaltemba October 31
We crossed over the border, at Laredo, last Thursday at about 9AM.

It would have gone quicker but there were many trucks pulling trailers and they had lots to declare. We also had items to declare so we went into the "items to declare" line. When crossing the border by car, you are only allowed to bring in $50.00 per person so if you have a car full, you must go through the "items to declare" line or face the consequences down the road at check points if you have gone through "nothing to declare" and they decide to check your vehicle. They finally gave us the go ahead, after we had paid some duty, and we were off to register our car. That also went very smoothly.

About 20 minutes down the road, there was the second federal customs stop. We were asked where we were going, where we had been and what we had to declare. We showed our paper/receipt that we had declared what we had and the officers told us to "have a nice day". Otherwise, they could have pulled us over and searched our car.

There were two other check points but we were waved through as they were busy checking other vehicles. We made it as far as Matehuala the first day and took a lovely "notel motel" for the night. We have stayed at the same one several times and our car loves the enclosed garage.

Between Matehuala and San Luis Potosi, we came upon a double lane of traffic and we were halted or rather moved like snails for one hour and 15 minutes. At first, we thought it was a federal checkpoint but soon realized that it wasn't. It was only construction on the road. We took the periferico around San Luis Potosi and soon arrived in Tonala.

The traffic going into Tonala on the cuota was more than we've ever seen it. You really have to drive defensively at all times. After doing two days of business, in Tonala, we have arrived in Tepic today. The drive here was far less stressful. Of course, we made our annual stop in Tequila for tequila so we're good for a few weeks with that.

Tomorrow, we will apply for our IMSS, here in Tepic, and we will make the last leg of our journey to our home...Casita de La Penita in La Penita.

Throughout our entire trip, we saw nothing unusual, nothing to warrant suspicion and overall another great trip to the land of paradise having completed our 23rd trip by vehicle. Now if only the rest of the world would realize how safe it is to come to this area for their vacation. Just remember....never travel before dawn or after dusk. be travel smart and you'll be fine. Safe travels everyone.

Hope to see everyone soon.
Adios
Bob and Linda Gibbs
Casita de La Peņita

Linda Randall 6:56am Oct 31

At the U.S. checkpoint they pulled over about 5 vehicles and asked us all (including our dogs) to stand in a makeshift tent while the vehicle was being scanned (to avoid radiation). A large scanner truck drove by each vehicle, when they finished the group of vehicles we were told we could go. At the Banjercito, the line up was very long with 4 cashiers (1 was designated for Nationals, 1 was for tourist visas only, so that left 2 for the rest of us). One couple may have been experiencing problems because they were at the counter for over an hour. Having to go back and get your tourist visa card after paying, standing in line again in the tourist office (with only one person working) and again another line up in this building (there were 2 people working when we stood in line the first time), then getting it photo-copied, going back and waiting for the Banjercito cashier to finish up with the customer, was a challenge. People who have crossed many times said they'd never seen it so bad. We all thought it would be quicker travelling on a Sunday. Both times we hit the red light the officers asked us where we were going, checked the trunk and said we could go. Note, that we have 2 dogs and NO ONE cared or even asked for the vets papers.

Reynosa

October 21

Mary Brey

I finished the drive from Reynosa to Veracruz last week and want to caution everyone that the highway through Veracruz is in terrible condition due to heavy rains (I assume). At best it was big bumps and joloting, at worst huge potholes which took out two of my tires at once. Same hole got 3 trucks within half an hour. This left me stranded on a narrow road with no cell signal. Took hours to get things resolved which left me driving through these terrible roads in the dark. Had been scheduled to make it Veracruz city by 5pm and by the time I hit the good tollroad it was after 10. I was breathing a sigh of relief to finally be on a good road and so close to my destination when the truck in front of me screeched to a halt and I spun out just missing the dividing barrier. The reason for the crash? Dismembered bodies that had been dumped in the middle of the road. The worst thing I have ever seen in my life. I hate to share this because I have always loved Veracruz and it breaks my heart what is going on there. Did I feel safe once in the city? Yes. But I couldn't shake the sick feeling of what I saw and that the next day there was no report of it and the governor making a statement that "no pasa nada" everything is ok in Veracruz. By the way, I felt safe through Tamaulipaus and had no issues at all. Allow plenty of extra time to go slow through Veracruz and avoid those potholes

Eagle Pass

Eagle Pass – November 15

Krysta Price

Hey everyone, crossed at Eagle Pass today... got held up a bit there because we have so much stuff since we are moving and of course they wanted to check but after that ordeal it was an awesome and easy trip down Hwy 57 to Matehuala where we are now. No issues, one military checkpoint a bit past Saltillo but nothing else... gorgeous ride through the desert. Roads were in FANTASTIC shape on 57. On our way to Puebla, taking 57 to the Arco Norte to circumvent Ctd Mexico... can't wait.

October 18

Andrew Osborne

We just traveled from Eagle Pass to Campeche where we are now.

We just went through Eagle Pass last week the biggest hassle we got was from the US Border guards 6 of them crawling all over the truck and camper but other than that all was good you get all your papers about 40 kilometers from the border there was no line not many tourists as you might expect.

Long drive but not much else. Any one want more info glad to help.

Los Indios

Los Inios Frank Peters November

Crossed at Los Indios near Matamoros on the third of November.Officials at the boarder crossing were very helpful, filled out all out all our paperwork for us, shoke our hands and wished a great vacation. Got lost in Tampico in the evening,they parked us in Walmart lot so we would be safe. Next day showed us how to go on, Slept two nights at the Emerald coast at a campground called Neptuno.Beautif.. spot on the ocean only campers there. Crossed over the other side of Veracruz to the pacific side and reached our destination Puerto Arista, Chiapas,Mexico. Four days travelling in a 37ft Notorhome with nothing but handshakes and well wishes all the way,[ yes even the military]
We recommend if you have a desire to travel to Mexico, please do so