BajaNomad

Is it open?

spencertron - 5-14-2020 at 03:32 PM

Sorry if this has been covered. I looked but didn’t see a definitive answer. Can you travel to Baja right now? There’s a late season NW swell coming next week and a couple buddies and I were thinking of going down to surf. Looks like the border is open....but maybe they’re turning people away at the border if it’s non essential travel?

Anyone have any first hand or word of mouth experience trying to go recently? Thanks.

RocketJSquirrel - 5-14-2020 at 03:40 PM

The first serious turn-around is just north of Ensenada. A good story would help, but the surfboards won't. I needed to show my PR card a couple weeks ago. Going again in about 5 days, will let you know then.

Paco Facullo - 5-14-2020 at 03:49 PM

Whenever there's a nice swell , it's definitely "essential" travel !!!

Just go for it, the worst they can do is turn you around, then just surf K38 or Las Gaviotas .....

spencertron - 5-14-2020 at 05:47 PM

Oh no turnarounds till Ensenada???? That’s great. Yes please post I’d there is still a check point. It’s looking very windy south of Ensenada anyway so we were probably going to stick close to Rosario/la mission area. Thanks.

Alm - 5-16-2020 at 11:27 AM

Quote: Originally posted by spencertron  
Can you travel to Baja right now? There’s a late season NW swell coming next week and a couple buddies and I were thinking of going down to surf. Looks like the border is open....but maybe they’re turning people away at the border if it’s non essential travel?

It is not open for tourists. It's just Mexicans on some crossings not doing their job, what else is new. On some other crossings you'll be stopped by the US CBP before you'll be stopped by Mexicans.

chippy - 5-16-2020 at 11:57 AM

I?m pretty sure all the beaches are still closed down.

gnukid - 5-16-2020 at 12:13 PM

Yes flights come and go every day, southwest is flying and Alaska begins intl direct on June 1st. You can drive from TJ to Cabo its wide open. Beaches are an issue for some odd reason, though people do go daily, some people think its closed, but if you live on the beach, it isn't closed its only closed to people who are not from the beach, and other weird confusion, where I live every one goes to the beach, just not in a big group, nor with loud music and a ton of beer, but you can play music normal and have margaritas etc. Go figure its Mexico.


chippy - 5-16-2020 at 01:07 PM

My friend in ensenada just reported back. He said the beaches are still shut down tight. His house is on the beach.

JZ - 5-16-2020 at 02:27 PM

Go to the Sevn Sisters. No one is there.

amigobaja - 5-18-2020 at 07:40 AM

Crossed Saturday to San Quentin. Two hour crawl after the Ensenada toll booth to be questioned and temps taken. I would guess they were u-turning about every third or fourth car sending them back north. Wanted Id then proof of homeownership and length of ownership.Carry a CFE bill with you.

bajatrailrider - 5-18-2020 at 08:35 AM

That is best bet cfe bill in your name. My friends have been coming in Baja. Back and forth every week in my town all Beach's open . At 9pm they don't want people walking the streets . Enforcement in this disorganized country in small towns . Next to nothing on Sunday they opened the main park. Full of people while virus out of control in other parts of Mexico.

sanquintinsince73 - 5-18-2020 at 09:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RocketJSquirrel  
The first serious turn-around is just north of Ensenada. A good story would help, but the surfboards won't. I needed to show my PR card a couple weeks ago. Going again in about 5 days, will let you know then.


What is a "PR" card?

Lee - 5-18-2020 at 10:07 AM

Quote: Originally posted by sanquintinsince73  
Quote: Originally posted by RocketJSquirrel  
The first serious turn-around is just north of Ensenada. A good story would help, but the surfboards won't. I needed to show my PR card a couple weeks ago. Going again in about 5 days, will let you know then.


What is a "PR" card?


It's RP card, meaning Residente Permanente. Call it my green card as it's green. Not sure how far South it'll get me without a bill (CFE, for example) with my name on it. Should be able to negotiate it no problem.

gnukid - 5-20-2020 at 07:00 AM

It's open, just not open that way you might think, but everything is open, no beer yet, but exchange rate is great, gas is cheap, feed is cheap, labor is cheap, roads are quiet, and pueblos are awesome. Yesterday I saw some filters, (revision points) but they didn't stop anyone, they only stopped cars full of people who look like they are going to party, if you are 1, 2 or 3 calm people who have masks, not necessarily on your face but around your neck, and you seem calm, you proceed, periodically some police, may ask where are you going, and you say, to get food and medicine for my family, or from one home to another home. They ay not restrict your liberty to freely move, though some police are confused about what they are supposed to be doing, for example, the police in Los Barriles are illegally blocking traffic and are being denunciated and will be prosecuted for doing so. It's best to have a camera on your windshield to record all interactions, that's like kryptonite and calms down any hyped fraudulent cops.

SFandH - 5-20-2020 at 08:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RocketJSquirrel  
The first serious turn-around is just north of Ensenada.


Drove north out of Ensenada this past Saturday. Just north of the city, the southbound traffic was really backed up. I don't know how far but it looked like it was at least an hour wait, maybe more. Just an incredible backup. They were stopping everybody. I'm guessing taking temperatures and asking questions. I don't know if they were turning anybody around.

Best to do some Internet research immediately before venturing south.

Cochi - 5-20-2020 at 02:17 PM

We came down Saturday thru Tecate. In Winecountry, we had a temp check and "where are you headed stop". There were no lines. No one was turned around.We stopped for money exchange but no shopping. Lots of people just acting normal for a Saturday.
We stayed in Estero Beach, left 5:30 Sunday. I am not sure if any motels were open. Nor did we look for restaurants. Taco stands, etc were open.
Some motels had lots of vehicles, suggesting being open around San Quentin on highway 1. We arrived at our Punta Chivato home at 7pm.

David K - 5-20-2020 at 02:38 PM

In another thread, someone asked you if issuing FMMs was still happening?

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=94451

Did you get one at Tecate or do you already have one or another type of visa being a resident?

[Edited on 5-20-2020 by David K]

RocketJSquirrel - 5-20-2020 at 03:01 PM

San Diego to El Chaparral crossing to Ensenada today. Easy peasy.

Showed PR card at the filter in San Miguel area (just off the toll road) right before Ensenada and the guy asked where I was going. Told him and was on my way.

Oldbajabilly - 5-21-2020 at 04:27 AM

I can’t say what is happening in Baja North, but Baja Sur isn’t letting anyone venture off highway 1. I had friends turned back at Guerrero negro that own a house in punta Chivato but they were on tourist visas. The beaches are still closed and if you show up in a small town be prepared to be escorted out by police or locals.

Alm - 5-22-2020 at 11:32 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RocketJSquirrel  
San Diego to El Chaparral crossing to Ensenada today. Easy peasy.

Showed PR card at the filter in San Miguel area (just off the toll road) right before Ensenada and the guy asked where I was going. Told him and was on my way.

It appears that Southbound RP are allowed at the border. DHS memo says that US permanent residents are allowed to cross North, the agreement (extended until June 22) is mutual between the two countries.

Tourists are not on the list of categories allowed to cross.

Checkpoints within BC or BCS are a different thing, they are trying to filter out those who don't live in a particular town or further South. RP card may or may not work, confirmation of current address will work but don't count on it if you're a tourist. Locals sentiment is against tourists now.

[Edited on 5-22-2020 by Alm]

Bajazly - 5-22-2020 at 07:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  

Tourists are not on the list of categories allowed to cross...

Locals sentiment is against tourists now.

[Edited on 5-22-2020 by Alm]


Good. Seeing way too many tourists in town recently. Heard today the closure has been extended till the end of June now. Mexicali is closing markets and stores at 7 pm as well as cutting lanes of traffic around the city. That is all supposedly is in effect today.

El Gringo Feo ?

MrBillM - 5-22-2020 at 09:00 PM

Stopping the Tourista Trotting ?

No one should be surprised.

Whether justified or not, the Political Default in Mexico for 200 years has been to blame the U.S. and its peoples for ........... whatever possible.

There's no reason for this crisis to be an exception.

As a regular reader of the (Spanish Language) Mexican Newspapers over the years, I said more than a few times to the wife and others that those tourists who were already uneasy as to how they were looked upon would be a lot more uneasy if they read some of the news stories and (especially) editorials therein.

4baja - 5-27-2020 at 06:42 AM

are they still stopping cars south of san felipe and are they turning people back? thanks

SFandH - 5-27-2020 at 07:53 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Bajazly  
Quote: Originally posted by Alm  

Tourists are not on the list of categories allowed to cross...

Locals sentiment is against tourists now.

[Edited on 5-22-2020 by Alm]


Heard today the closure has been extended till the end of June now.


I think there is some confusion between the border restrictions to essential travel only and the various restrictions that are implemented in Mexico, many of which are by locality.

The border crossing restrictions have been extended to June 21. At that time there will be a decision made to remove the restrictions or extend them.

Mexico itself is implementing a red, orange, yellow, green system to determine when activities can get back to normal. Currently, the entire peninsula is "red", meaning essential activities only.

It's a plan, we'll see how well it is executed.

https://www.milenio.com/ciencia-y-salud/coronavirus-mexico-c...

Alm - 5-27-2020 at 05:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  

I think there is some confusion between the border restrictions to essential travel only and the various restrictions that are implemented in Mexico, many of which are by locality.

Yes. Border restrictions is one thing, local activities is another.
Tourists not allowed at the border is the law, not a sentiment. Local activities by state - red/green light - are set by the federals based on what they think about the states' readiness.

Filters at the entrances to major cities is something different yet, approach there is more arbitrary.

To 4baja - yes, they stop cars at San Felipe. At least, they did, on Memorial Day long weekend. Can't post direct link to FB post - if such thing is possible.

* May 23, 2020 *

* Time * 06:00 to 14:00

* Place *: El Chinero federal road 5 San Felipe to Mexicali

* Authorities present *

* Seda *:
Plan D.N.III-E
* 1 * Infantry Corporal Francisco Javier Caporal Chagala
4 of trope

* Facts *: contingency operation is made to protect planning find COVID-19 together from DSPM and SEDENA

* OBJECTIVE *
The security plan is applied, in the hold the chinero looking to reduce access to tourism to the port of San Felipe, also inform the population with the use of safety and prevention measures, with use of gloves and masks.

Verified Vehicles
From 06:00 to 14:00

* Heavy Load Vehicles * * 06 *

* Supplier Vehicles * * 09 *

* Resident Vehicles * * 36 *

* Government Vehicles * * 02 *
* South Vehicles * * 27 *

* Vehicles. Companies * * 07 *

* Vehicle returned * * 26 *

Of which they present identification as residents of San Felipe and southern areas

* DSPM unit k-9 413 A *
Resp. 85 Sovereign Rios Zenon
Op. Sandez Osuna Jose Francisco

4baja - 5-27-2020 at 06:30 PM

thank you!

David K - 5-27-2020 at 07:31 PM

Hi Steve!

BajaNaranja - 5-27-2020 at 10:39 PM

Technically, it is not open, won't be until June 22 earliest.

https://mx.usembassy.gov/travel-restrictions-fact-sheet/