sgdyer
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Recommended overnight stops San Diego to Playa del Carmen
My girlfriend, son and I are driving from San Diego to Playa del Carmen. We have 10 days to make the drive down Baja take the ferry across to
Mazatlan, and then all the way to Playa del Carmen. I am looking for nice towns with internet(work) along the way.
Thanks
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JZ
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Loreto and La Paz are must sees in BCS.
You'll want to go out to the islands at both places. Pangas are pretty cheap. $90 to go out to Isla Coronado for the afternoon.
La Mision hotel is the ta taas in Loreto. Oasis is cheaper, but right on the ocean as well.
Needing Wi-Fi cuts a lot out. Bahia de Los Angeles a must see, but only has spotty Wi-Fi at some hotels and stores.
What are you driving. We can recommend some day trips/trails.
Watch the first video in my sig.
[Edited on 10-10-2019 by JZ]
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chippy
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I don´t think he will have much time for sight seeing. 10 days with the ferry is gonna be ALOT of driving!
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JZ
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Oh, I was thinking 10 days to drive Baja, my mistake.
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paranewbi
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Having driven the Mazatlan to Playa Del Carmen route many times (and various versions) that drive is not a two-day drive as you might find online...It
is mountain passes, sometimes slow heavy traffic, crowded cities as well as beautiful and enticing. You will be exhausted when you get there if you
don't stop and see the thousand places that can be visited on the way.
Looking for towns with internet on the way means your stopping during your drive and that adds time taken.
You didn't say if your moving to Playa or that the ten days includes the round trip.
It sounds like two different trips to me, Baja and Mainland. I would save PDC for a later time and fly into Merida where you can rent a car and drive
to PDC in a couple of days bypassing the incredible ruins of the Maya all over that area. Drop south from Merida and go through Escarcega and over to
the coast. Don't bother going south from Cancun unless you want to drive a major highway that looks a lot like the US.
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chrishaynesusa
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This is the Trip as the google flies.
3000 miles there and 3000 back
one way is 300 miles per day driving.
round trip is 600 miles per day driving.
cross is at la paz to los mochis 130 miles
crossing to matzatlan is longer ship route. 260 miles
I drove 8000 in 21 days ( 380-400 per day) to Deadhorse Alaska , Anchorage and back to San Jose ca, the trip as you can imagine was all driving.
There is no stop and smell the coffee or cerveza or tequila or anything except gas and pee.
I have decided to take 21 days to drive from San Diego to Cabo and back (roughly 2000 miles).
Average is 140-200 miles per leg with multi-day stops.
Even then this forum has accused me of not stopping enough to smell the cerveza or tequila.
Good luck on your trip.
[Edited on 10-10-2019 by chrishaynesusa]
[Edited on 10-10-2019 by chrishaynesusa]
[Edited on 10-11-2019 by BajaNomad]
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David K
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Why ferry north to Topo/Los Mochis instead of south to Mazatlan?
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chrishaynesusa
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130 Nautical versus 260 nautical
as the google measure distance files.
I show 10 hour sailing to Los Mochis
and 13 hours sailing to Matzatlan
I would add 2-3 hours to each of these for paper work and staging.
From what I have read.
[Edited on 10-10-2019 by chrishaynesusa]
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David K
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Yes, shorter sea route, but added driving miles. What is the cost to Mazatlan, less the cost to Topo., plus the hundred+ more miles driving cost and
hours of driving, to compare?
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JZ
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The road from the border to Mazatlan is way easier if you cross near Nogales and go down through Sonora. Avoids the ferry as well.
If you aren't going to stop at different places there is little reason to drive Baja.
The Sonora route is a ton safer and probably 2 days faster. From San Diego you can be in Mazatlan in two days. A good place to stop is San Carlos,
Sonora. A beautiful coastal town. Lots of gringos.
[Edited on 10-11-2019 by JZ]
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wilderone
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Not a fun trip.
Mulege
La Paz
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Queretaro
Puebla
Oaxaca
Tuxtla
Merida
Playa Del Carmen
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chippy
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Oaxaca Tuxtla You want to be headed east and no. east not south. After the
Arco Norte (to avoid cdmx) you want to head towards Veracruz and on to destination.
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wilderone
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Well, could take any one of 25 routes - was looking at major highways. Odd question to pose on a forum anyway with such a trip. A trip like that,
map in hand, you're going to be driving from morning until night, and end up where they end up at the end of the day. Toll highways will be faster,
but adds to the cost. You can buy roundtrip airfare from TJ to Cancun for $150. Ok, so Puebla, Villahermosa (which is almost all toll highway). DF
to Veracruz is almost all toll.
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Marc
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This adventure has been on my bucket list. I was thinking of winging it without reservations. I've had good luck in the past not following a set
schedule. I always seem to luck out on accommodations. I wouldn't of course try this with the wife along.
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wilderone
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Once I took a bus out of Tijuana to Merida and return. Takes 3 days (each way). No problem just driving a long distance, but actually enjoying the
trip, stopping long enough to explore towns, national parks, hotsprings, archaeology sites, culture, museums, historic sites, beach, forest, jungle,
desert, mountain, canyons, suspension bridges, boats, birds, cenotes, caves, waterfalls, food, music, festivals, hike, snorkel, fish, dance. Can
definitely do it without reservations. The only things you need are time and money.
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