BajaNomad - Driving safety

Driving safety

tkroll - 1-7-2010 at 03:39 PM

Yo,

First post here, be gentle.

I'm planning a trip down to Costa Rica. Will be driving from San Diego, starting around March.

What's the straight dope on the driving safety in Baja? I'm a seasoned traveler but unfamiliar with the region.

Thanks!

Ty

DENNIS - 1-7-2010 at 03:46 PM

Don't drive at night.
Don't pull over for unmarked police cars.
Use common sense.

Welcome to BajaNomad, tkroll.

tkroll - 1-7-2010 at 03:50 PM

Good stuff. Any more exotic tips?

toneart - 1-7-2010 at 04:05 PM

Go straight and not on dope. :lol:

OK, I got that out of the way. Welcome to the Bajanomad! Driving in Baja is only dangerous if you are not attentive and if you drive after dark. The reason being, narrow (but well paved) highway with no shoulder in many places. The trucks do not give you much room and there is nowhere to go if you are crowded.

Driving at night presents another set of problems; livestock roaming the roads which are hard to see until it is too late...SMACK! Also, if there are bandidos lurking, nighttime presents better opportunities for them.

Staying alert is absolutely necessary. The long drive with your eyes glued to the road is mesmerizing. You get sleepy. Too many people tend to swerve and then over-correct, thereby rolling over. If you are driving you can't take in the scenery like you would if you were the passenger. You need to be aware at all times of road conditions.

In spite of all you have heard or read, the Cartel drug war is not affecting tourists while driving. Sure, you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but not likely. We are not being targeted. Hundreds of people travel up and down HWY 1 daily, with no hint of a Cartel presence. Just be aware of your surroundings and motor on south. Avoid deviating from the highway and getting stuck in Tijuana unless you are familiar with the city and know where you are going (which you said you aren't).

Good Luck! Travel Well. Vie bien.
:light:

fishbuck - 1-7-2010 at 04:07 PM

Drive as fast as you possibly can and pass on blind corners.
Hey that's how the Mexicans do it! :yes:

Costa Rica?

Dave - 1-7-2010 at 04:10 PM

Dude, look at a map. You're gonna run into a big lake just south of Cabo.

fishbuck - 1-7-2010 at 04:13 PM

Maybe he's got one of them "anphibian" cars. The kind that can swim. :coolup:

tripledigitken - 1-7-2010 at 04:16 PM

I don't think this is the gentle he was after?

OOPS!

toneart - 1-7-2010 at 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
Dude, look at a map. You're gonna run into a big lake just south of Cabo.

How did I miss that? :lol:

Sunman - 1-7-2010 at 04:29 PM

First and foremost make sure whatever you are driving is in top shape, especially for a journey such as this.
Second, pay attention. There really is little room for error. You take your eyes off the road for a second and can be in trouble quick.
Third, as the others have said, don't drive at night.

DianaT - 1-7-2010 at 04:30 PM

I assume you will be taking the ferry to the mainland in order to head further south. If so, crossing from the southern border in Mexico to Guatemala is much easier and less hassle through the mountains at La Masilla than along the coast near Tapachula.

The truck traffic goes through Tapachula and it is a zoo. Besides, the mountain towns are much nicer and prettier.

Driving in Guatemala City makes driving in Mexico City seem calm and tame---be careful.

From Guatemala to Honduras, it is much easier to cross near Copan. Even since they paved the road out there, it is much easier than Esquipules -- the main crossing.

Be very careful in the resort areas along the north coast of Honduras and in Tegus, the capital.

It is a straight shot on down to Costa Rica. You will find that every Central American country is very different---it will be a great trip.

Only different advice for driving Baja is when you see a big truck coming toward the curve, be very careful as they often cut the curve.

Have fun

[Edited on 1-7-2010 by DianaT]

tkroll - 1-7-2010 at 04:30 PM

You guys are classic. Bring it on!

Who put that lake on the map? Thought it was a mountain or maybe a blue desert.
chit. Guess I'll head up to La Paz and get the ferry to Mazatlan.

Thankfully you guys were here to stop me from driving into the water.

Ty

tkroll - 1-7-2010 at 04:50 PM

@DianaT

Thanks for the great info.

DianaT - 1-7-2010 at 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tkroll
@DianaT

Thanks for the great info.

You are welcome. Do you have any ideas of what you want to see along the way? Have a few suggestions is you would like, or are you on a straight mission to get to Costa Rica ASAP?

tkroll - 1-7-2010 at 04:57 PM

I'm surfing my way down, so the coast is priority. Want to see everythng else along the way.

Would love all suggestions.

DianaT - 1-7-2010 at 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tkroll
I'm surfing my way down, so the coast is priority. Want to see everythng else along the way.

Would love all suggestions.

Surfing is something I know next to nothing about---cannot help with that. But one of our last trips from Guatemala to the US we followed the coast and it was beautiful. Do fill up with gas OFTEN--there are some long gaps.

If you do go through the mountains to get to Guatemala, you will go through the beautiful town of San Cristobal in Mexico. It has grown a lot in the last several years, but still beautiful.

And through the highlands of Guatemala there is the famous market at Chichicastanego----very touristy in parts, but the local part is great. Also, Lake Atilan is considered the jewel of Central America. It is beautiful. And to see a number of gringos in a great colonial city, do visit Antigua.

The part of Honduras you will be traveling does not hold a lot of interest unless you detour along the north coast to the towns of Tela, La Ceiba, etc.---but I don't think there is any surf there.

In Costa Rica, to see a beach less popular with tourists, go to Samara---but opps, calm water there.

One thing to be very careful of in Costa Rica are the pedestrians---they often walk way out into the street because there they know no one will run over them. If they were in Guatemala or Honduras, they would be speed bumps. :-)

For the entire trip, grab a Moon or Lonely Planet Book and talk to the locals a lot. If there are some problem areas, they will tell you about them.

It has been a few years since we were back there---can't wait to travel there again.

tripledigitken - 1-7-2010 at 05:13 PM

The coast from Puerto Vallarta to Ixtapa is a great place to linger. Can't speak specifically to the surf though. Others here have that expertise.

Have fun.

Bajahowodd - 1-7-2010 at 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
The coast from Puerto Vallarta to Ixtapa is a great place to linger. Can't speak specifically to the surf though. Others here have that expertise.

Have fun.

Tons of great surfing spots along that stretch.

David K - 1-7-2010 at 06:24 PM

Welcome to Nomad...!!

I didn't see you say what you are driving (this is very important to get good advice here)...???

4WD, AWD, 2WD, hitch hike?

Ever drive in Mexico before? Do you know about having Mexican Auto Insurance, Tourist card (FM-T), Car Permit (for the mainland when you cross over)?

The highway becomes very narrow about 200 miles south of the border, which is where the newest section of the Baja highway built in 1973 begins. There are a few miles of new, wider road to the south that are a look at the future of Baja roads. Be very careful on this narrow road because it is also used by large semi-tractor trailer rigs, motorhomes towing boats and crazy ex-hippies on bicycles... all forcing you off your lane if you are surprised by them on a blind curve and unable to slow down fast enough! Much of the highway is on a raised levee with no shoulders to pull off easily, as well.

Range cattle will be on the road and even like to sleep on it at night... burros too!

Have a great time, and report back to us when you make it to Costa Rica or at any Internet cafe, along the way!

Oh, and be sure to take the short side trip into San Ignacio, a mile off the highway... This oasis is surrounded by desert:

Plenty of beauty along the way, like here at Bahia Concepcion:

Lot's of history too... missions and mission visiting stations are along the way... this is San Juan Bautista Londo, and can be seen from Hwy. 1... built 300 years ago:

Enjoy!

mojo_norte - 1-7-2010 at 06:39 PM

I would ask David K to adopt you !

Drive to Baja - Surf - Drive back San Diego - catch a cheap flight to Costa Rica - wish you were back in Baja ..

tkroll - 1-10-2010 at 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mojo_norte
I would ask David K to adopt you !

Drive to Baja - Surf - Drive back San Diego - catch a cheap flight to Costa Rica - wish you were back in Baja ..

No doubt.

I'm still shopping for a vehicle. Was thinking an older Rav4. From what I hear, Toyota parts are easy to find.

DianaT - 1-10-2010 at 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tkroll

Quote:

Originally posted by mojo_norte
I would ask David K to adopt you !

Drive to Baja - Surf - Drive back San Diego - catch a cheap flight to Costa Rica - wish you were back in Baja ..

No doubt.

I'm still shopping for a vehicle. Was thinking an older Rav4. From what I hear, Toyota parts are easy to find.

Lots of Toyota dealerships in Central America

lizard lips - 1-10-2010 at 01:30 PM

Don't drive at night anywhere on your way to CR.

Bajahowodd - 1-10-2010 at 04:27 PM

Until a few years ago, there was a ferry service from Cabo to Puerto Vallarta. Obviously, it was unable to sustain itself financially. But, that would have been the ultimate connection for the journey to Costa Rica.

mulegemichael - 1-10-2010 at 04:42 PM

take it VERY SLOWLY through the mountain curves, always anticipating an 18 wheeler pouncing down, (or grinding up), on you with him using your portion of your lane...slowly is the answer through the mountain curves; gives ya a lot more time to adjust...and, as you've heard before, no driving after dark...let that be your mantra.

irenemm - 1-10-2010 at 04:51 PM

be careful sometimes the semi's put on the left passing light for you to pass but it can also mean that they are saying hi to the semi coming toward them. pass only when you feel safe.

805gregg - 1-11-2010 at 07:53 PM

Check out Expedition Portal website, there was a great trip report about 2 guys that took an old suburban diesel to CR and back, they spent about 9 months a good read for someone like you. A Rav 4 is a Toyota joke, doubt it would be able to tackle the job, maybe a diesel truck would be better.

djh - 1-12-2010 at 07:45 AM

I have driven from N. Idaho & Seattle (area) to Cabo solo many times and I still love the open road and the Baja trip. Last winter (in spite of the deep snows in ID, WA, OR, and even N. CA., I drove Seattle to Cabo in 4 days :-). I had company for the US part of the drive which was fun.

I would add one item that has helped me avoid any troubles over the many years:

Cross the border from San Diego in the early morning.... 6 or 7 AM... You'll have good clear roads, and you'll slip through any problem areas while the "problems" are still asleep. I would suggest you stay on the road until San Quintin at least, and many Nomads (self included) make El Rosario the first day....

Ensure that you DO get your FMT (tourist visa) at the border, as the office in Ensenada is famous for its worthlessness and many folks get turned right back to the border for their FMT.

Someone already mentioned the car permit for the mainland. Baja N and S does not require it, but you must have it on the mainland, so be sure you get that taken care of.

When are you leaving ?

Have a great trip !

djh

boe4fun - 1-12-2010 at 09:36 AM

Welcome tkroll, Back in '92 I was surfing at Tamarindo, sitting in the water talking to another gringo. Turned out he worked at the Abalone farm in Cayucos, about a 30 minute drive from where I live! He drove down a mid size pickup with a shell on the back, surfing along the way. The only thing I would suggest is to research Guatemala, as a buddy of mine has done about 2 decades of humanitarian work down there, and when he visits he stays in a gated compound. Seems like there can be a lot of nonsense going on at times down there, political unrest, kidnappings, etc.

Martyman - 1-12-2010 at 10:25 AM

tkroll

I've travelled busses and trains to Guatemala twice and am getting fired up just hearing about your proposed trip. Surfboards used to be a sure way to get pulled over by policia and searched for weed in the old days so... hide yer stash well!
Crossing into Guatemala was such a change, something like crossing from the US into Mexico. A Rav-4 sounds great, have an adventurous trip, trust the local families.
Have you tried the new inflatable surfboards?

mojo_norte - 1-12-2010 at 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tkroll

I'm still shopping for a vehicle. Was thinking an older Rav4. From what I hear, Toyota parts are easy to find.

I would suggest a 4X4 Pickup - Toyota Nissan F150 with a locking shell and rack -sleep in the back.

Hopefully you are posting on message boards that deal in mainland Mexico and Central America. The character of Mainland Mex. and travel is much different than Baja. Also, the border crossing and permits in Central America can be tricky and costly. You will need auto insurance in each country. When I researched this a few years back I was told to drive straight thru Guatemala without stopping due to crime.

Curt63 - 1-12-2010 at 10:17 PM

Last June I ran into these guys at Carmelitas. They were headed home after a 6+ month surfing/ kayak fishing / Road Adventure from Cali to Costa Rica and back.

Their blog at Blog

is full of pictures, adventures, information and highly entertaining. I think many Nomads will thoroughly enjoy this blog

WARNING: It is really long! This particular trip starts in Nov 2008 and goes to June 2009.

Cheers, Curt

BajaGeoff - 1-17-2010 at 04:38 PM

Man what a great trip tkroll!

Research your route, plan your trip accordingly and take your time heading south. You will have so much coastline to check out and a ton of surfing opportunities. As previously stated by other Nomads, don't drive at night. Other than that, have fun and post pictures when you get a chance!

805gregg - 1-23-2010 at 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Curt63
Last June I ran into these guys at Carmelitas. They were headed home after a 6+ month surfing/ kayak fishing / Road Adventure from Cali to Costa Rica and back.

Those are the guys that posted their trip report on Expedition Portal forum. They had a dog right?