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250xcfw
Newbie
Posts: 18
Registered: 2-16-2014
Location: Central Oregon
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Question and more questions
First off this will be my first trip in an rv to Mexico. So I have a list of question regarding crossing the boarder and what i need to do so.
1) Vehicle Insurance, truck, 5th wheel, 4 wheelers, How, where, how much, proof of ownership?
2)Pets what is needed?
3)Fishing licence where to buy?
4)Good place to buy food after crossing in Tecate?
5)Crossing at Tecate and taking Hwy 3 in a 5th wheel toyhauler good idea?
6)Plan on making it to San Quintin or close the first night? Gas, Rv camping?
7)Do I pay for gas and food with card or cash
All advice would be helpful.
I will be in Baja for 3-4 week, going as far south as Loreto.
Anyone going down in mid March?
Thank you,
John
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redhilltown
Super Nomad
Posts: 1130
Registered: 1-24-2009
Location: Long Beach, CA
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Howdy and welcome. A good place to start for a few of your questions might be
http://www.discoverbaja.com/
After joining you can take care of the insurance, fishing license, and tourist visas. You'll still need to stop at Tecate and get them stamped but
you'll save some paperwork/time. Others will be able to better tell you if a rig your size is doable at that crossing as to parking and going in to
the immigration office...parking is a bit tight there.
Gas is cash and keep an eye on things...you'll be spending quite a bit and always a good idea to know the prices and your liters...calculator can
help. I am not saying they WILL cheat ya a bit but if they did, it certainly wouldn't be the first time.
San Quintin no problem for a first night as to distance. Jardines is a fantastic hotel and restaurant. Have a blast!
(There are also many threads on here on all of this...use the search option. )
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by 250xcfw
4)Good place to buy food after crossing in Tecate?
5)Crossing at Tecate and taking Hwy 3 in a 5th wheel toyhauler good idea?
6)Plan on making it to San Quintin or close the first night? Gas, Rv camping?
7)Do I pay for gas and food with card or cash
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Welcome to BajaNomad, John.
Let me take only a few of your questions:
[5] No problem on the "3" with your rig. The first section out of Tecate is a long and fairly steep incline, but not bad.
[6] I think Estero Beach, south of Ensenada, would be enough for your first day. Stay the night there and get a fresh start in the morning.
Maneadero is only a few more miles south and easy access gas stations are right there on Hwy 1.
[7] Pay with cash for everything. Know the rate of exchange and keep a calculator handy if you don't have pesos, but try to stock up on local
money before you hit the road.
If dollars are all you have, just be prepared to take a small hit on the exchange when you make a purchase, but buy pesos asap.
Have a great trip and stay in touch.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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RnR
Senior Nomad
Posts: 839
Registered: 5-1-2010
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| Quote: | Originally posted by redhilltown
San Quintin no problem for a first night as to distance. Jardines is a fantastic hotel and restaurant. |
Welcome!
Jardines is a hotel and the restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Los Olivos RV park is next to Jardines. (One house between the two).
There are signs for both at the highway. About a 1/2 mile off the highway. Quiet and peaceful.
Both Jardines and Los Olivos have websites.
Always our first and last nights stop.
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250xcfw
Newbie
Posts: 18
Registered: 2-16-2014
Location: Central Oregon
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Keep the good information coming. Los Olivos is the place I was planning on staying
I heard it was safe and there was good food close
What mile marker?
Thanks,
John
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6364
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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There is also an RV park next to Jardines. You'll see the silarge sign as you leave San Quintin (the turn-off is just after the large power
transformers, on the left).
| Quote: | Originally posted by redhilltown
Howdy and welcome. A good place to start for a few of your questions might be
http://www.discoverbaja.com/
After joining you can take care of the insurance, fishing license, and tourist visas. You'll still need to stop at Tecate and get them stamped but
you'll save some paperwork/time. Others will be able to better tell you if a rig your size is doable at that crossing as to parking and going in to
the immigration office...parking is a bit tight there.
Gas is cash and keep an eye on things...you'll be spending quite a bit and always a good idea to know the prices and your liters...calculator can
help. I am not saying they WILL cheat ya a bit but if they did, it certainly wouldn't be the first time.
San Quintin no problem for a first night as to distance. Jardines is a fantastic hotel and restaurant. Have a blast!
(There are also many threads on here on all of this...use the search option. ) |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6364
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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The mile marker is actually "0", because San Quintin is a new KM start until the Bahia De Los Angeles torn off...then it resets to zero again.
| Quote: | Originally posted by 250xcfw
Keep the good information coming. Los Olivos is the place I was planning on staying
I heard it was safe and there was good food close
What mile marker?
Thanks,
John |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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mtnpop
Senior Nomad
Posts: 597
Registered: 9-8-2009
Location: Colorado/mulege
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FYI,,, from personal experience also... when you leave San Quintin in about 40 miles you will see a pemix on the left as you enter El Rosario.. stop
there and top off your fuel... It is approx 200 miles to the next Pemix and there is some mtn grade to cross in that stretch... you can buy fuel from
vendors beside the road, but I don't know what you get.. Pulling a large 5th wheel as we did mpg was low... Watch the curves and shoulders on the
road some tight turns meeting 18 wheelers and big drop offs on narrow highway..
We always have Pesos for fuel... the exchange is lower at Pemix and sometimes the transaction happens so fast you leave a pretty good tip that you
realize when you get down the road...
Take your time and enjoy the trip,,, drive safe...
If you stop in Mulege we have cold beer...
Common sense is a flower that doesn\'t grow in everyone\'s garden.....
A wise man once spoke nothing.....
Never kick a cow chip on a hot day!!
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El Jefe
Super Nomad
Posts: 1027
Registered: 10-27-2003
Location: South East Cape
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Tell your bank you are going to Mexico so they don"t ixnay your card. Then use your ATM card for pesos. 4000 pesos is about 300 dollars. There are
several banks on the long four lane road on the way out of Ensenada. Also a good area for stocking up on groceries. Big box stores etc. have large
lots for your rig.
After arriving in San Quintin take a deep breath. It gets so much better from there on. For planning purposes figure on averaging about 50 mph on your
trip.
One more thing. Make sure you have title or registration papers for all your motorized vehicles. May need to show at border crossing.
[Edited on 3-3-2014 by El Jefe]
No b-tchin\' in the Baja.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Ensenada Area
As you are leaving the "main" downtown area headed south, there will be a large Wal-Mart - Home Depot shopping center on your right. Plenty of RV
parking and several banks with ATM's. Just avoid the Bancomer ATM's....highest user fees.
On your left as you pass the Wal-Mart center there is a COSTCO and a Commercial Mexicana shopping center. Good RV parking and a variety of bank ATM's
inside the stores
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65276
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great info...
To add... The Kilometer Marker for Los Olivos RV park/Jardines Restaurant (next door) is 1... at the south side of San Quintin & Lazaro Card##as
(twin towns) the highway NARROWS to 19 ft. and that is Km. 0. Just a kilometer ahead look for the Jardines sign and turn right... go 1/2 mile and turn
left...Los Olivos is on your right... and Jardines is just beyond. I think Jardines is closed on Monday, however.
No fishing license needed for surf fishing, only boat fishing. (Discover Baja Travel Club is $39/ year and a good source for that and other stuff
(books, maps, etc.)
Hwy. 3 is fine and recently widened... even 4 lanes in part. You will have much more twisty roads, and narrower further south on Hwy. 1. Don't be in a
hurry! Last Pemex Pumped gas for 200 miles is El Rosario... about 30 miles from Los Olivos, as you come down the hill, on your left. Honest station,
owned by Baja Nomad member 'BajaCactus' (Antonio).
Km. 0 San Quintin/ but looking north.
Baja Cactus Pemex in El Rosario
[Edited on 3-3-2014 by David K]
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3879
Registered: 2-9-2004
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Get vehicle insurance online.
"Food" can be bought in the large grocery stores in Ensenada - Calimax, Gigante, Soriana
There is a big outdoor fruit/vege market as you're passing out of town - past Maneadero I think.
But for dried fruit, nuts, chips, crackers, drink mixes, canned beans, pasta - get it in San Diego. Go to the 99 cent Only Store on Market St at
27th; the Grocery Outlet on Market Street (at 10th); and the Big Lots stores. You can stock up on the basics that you won't find in Baja at a very
reasonable cost. At the 99 cent store, obviously everything is 99 cents - toilet paper, napkins, cleansers, toiletries, seasonings, basic hardware,
toys, plastics of all kinds.
Then, buy tortillas, fresh stuff, eggs, ice, beer in Baja. Eat at all the fish taco places.
Mex. 3 has been greatly improved - will be no problem
"Cash" should be pesos. You can exchange at the small convenience store on the US side at the Tecate Border. You can also buy insurance, coffee and
gas there. If you don't get pesos there, there are exchange places in Ensenada on the main drag. Look for the flashing neon signs with their
exchange rates. In the past, I have found them to be competitive to San Ysidro's rates. You can get pesos at ATMs en route as well.
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cocoscabana
Junior Nomad
Posts: 83
Registered: 6-24-2013
Location: Mulege and British Columbia
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Mood: Que sera, sera!!!
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If you are going down for 4 weeks in the middle of March, this means you will be returning NOB in mid April. This coincides with Semana Santa...2
weeks of major road traffic and fully occupied beaches, as mucho mucho Mexicans flock to Baja for Easter. Just a word of caution!!! Be especially
cautious driving, and camp in an RV park, not on the beach. This is the Mexican time to enjoy beaches and they get very crowded.
Enjoy your trip.
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apple
Nomad
Posts: 284
Registered: 11-4-2013
Location: SD
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Hey, I've said this before but this book has a lot of great info for the drive down, especially when it comes to advice on the roads. It has been a
god send us on our travels.
http://www.amzn.com/0974947180/
That said, you can't miss a Pemex and ALWAYS pay in pesos.
"Lleno, por favor"
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
As you are leaving the "main" downtown area headed south, there will be a large Wal-Mart - Home Depot shopping center on your right. Plenty of RV
parking and several banks with ATM's. Just avoid the Bancomer ATM's....highest user fees.
On your left as you pass the Wal-Mart center there is a COSTCO and a Commercial Mexicana shopping center. Good RV parking and a variety of bank ATM's
inside the stores |
Don't confuse "RV Parking" for overnighting. I don't think that would go well here.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Nope
| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
As you are leaving the "main" downtown area headed south, there will be a large Wal-Mart - Home Depot shopping center on your right. Plenty of RV
parking and several banks with ATM's. Just avoid the Bancomer ATM's....highest user fees.
On your left as you pass the Wal-Mart center there is a COSTCO and a Commercial Mexicana shopping center. Good RV parking and a variety of bank ATM's
inside the stores |
Don't confuse "RV Parking" for overnighting. I don't think that would go well here. |
Providing info on shopping and ATM's, didn't mention, nor would I suggest overnite parking at either location
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
Providing info on shopping and ATM's, didn't mention, nor would I suggest overnite parking at either location |
Yeah...I know. Just thought the mention of RV parking and WalMart might suggest a stateside tradition of camping in the parking lot. 
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Wouldn't even suggest stopping on the US side at Tecate. parking for that rig will be a problem. Minimize your time at Tecate......however if you need
to get FMM's at the Tecate INM, you may not have a choice.
1) Vehicle Insurance, truck, 5th wheel, 4 wheelers, How, where, how much, proof of ownership?..............get your insurance on-line from Bajabound,
they will have the info you need for your rig and toys bring copies of your vehicle titles and registrations:
http://www.bajabound.com/
2)Pets what is needed?......officially, an International Health Certificate from your vet within the last 10 days. You can get by with vet records
showing current rabies vaccination.
3)Fishing licence where to buy?....as mentioned above, no license required for shore fishing
4)Good place to buy food after crossing in Tecate?.......again, minimize your time in Tecate with your rig. Several places in Ensenada that have easy
access for your rig....see above
5)Crossing at Tecate and taking Hwy 3 in a 5th wheel toyhauler good idea?.......No problem S/B. you will probably get flagged into Mexican Customs
"secondary" for a quick look at your RV and load. Highway 3 is in good shape, some construction areas, not bad. the 2 lane opens up to a 4 lane at the
north end of the Guadalupe Valley
6)Plan on making it to San Quintin or close the first night? Gas, Rv camping?......doable, but don't push. Don't drive at night. plenty of PEMEX
stations
7)Do I pay for gas and food with card or cash....Having a card is good back up, but cash is king. Use pesos. Get 'em from ATM's....see above. Most
places will take dollars, but with the new money laundering laws in Mexico it is becoming more difficult for the locals to convert dollars to
pesos.....although it is good to have a "stash" of US dollars....just in case
| Quote: | Originally posted by 250xcfw
First off this will be my first trip in an rv to Mexico. So I have a list of question regarding crossing the boarder and what i need to do so.
1) Vehicle Insurance, truck, 5th wheel, 4 wheelers, How, where, how much, proof of ownership?
2)Pets what is needed?
3)Fishing licence where to buy?
4)Good place to buy food after crossing in Tecate?
5)Crossing at Tecate and taking Hwy 3 in a 5th wheel toyhauler good idea?
6)Plan on making it to San Quintin or close the first night? Gas, Rv camping?
7)Do I pay for gas and food with card or cash
All advice would be helpful.
I will be in Baja for 3-4 week, going as far south as Loreto.
Anyone going down in mid March?
Thank you,
John |
[Edited on 3-3-2014 by bajaguy]
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Pappy Jon
Nomad
Posts: 494
Registered: 8-27-2003
Location: Wrong side of the Continental divide.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Temp rising.
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| Quote: | Originally posted by cocoscabana
If you are going down for 4 weeks in the middle of March, this means you will be returning NOB in mid April. This coincides with Semana Santa...2
weeks of major road traffic and fully occupied beaches, as mucho mucho Mexicans flock to Baja for Easter. Just a word of caution!!!
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Uh? This is new to me. Can somebody explain? I scheduled my vacation to avoid the college spring break crowd. What is NOB? What is Semana Santa?
"The association of flowers and warm-blooded love is more than a romantic convention; it is based upon one of the great advances in the evolution
of life." Ed Abbey
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Uh? This is new to me. Can somebody explain? I scheduled my vacation to avoid the college spring break crowd..............
Uh, the US College Spring Break crowd has nothing (much) to do about it.
What is NOB?..............North of the Border
What is Semana Santa?........big week long holiday for Mexicans.
All campgrounds and beaches will be elbow to elbow, roads will be busy with traffic headed to the recreation spots or back home. Many US Mexicans also
participate and drive down to be with family
| Quote: | Originally posted by Pappy Jon
| Quote: | Originally posted by cocoscabana
If you are going down for 4 weeks in the middle of March, this means you will be returning NOB in mid April. This coincides with Semana Santa...2
weeks of major road traffic and fully occupied beaches, as mucho mucho Mexicans flock to Baja for Easter. Just a word of caution!!!
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Uh? This is new to me. Can somebody explain? I scheduled my vacation to avoid the college spring break crowd. What is NOB? What is Semana Santa?
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