Anyone have Baja Travel Advice - Safety, where not to go etc.?

[GSDrifter]

Thinking about taking a solo run down to Loreto, 750 milles from US Boarder.

Would take about 3 days to get there, taking in a few sights along the way. I'm not really that interested in spending any time along the way -- most all of my time will be spent in Loreto.

Just sort of concerned about the attitude towards gringos on motorcycles and any placeior activity in particular I should shy away from.

I have'nt heard about any gringos being shot at or run off the road etc., but just trying to get as much related input I can before making my decision to ride or fly.

Thanks in advance :

[zrx12rider]

Best book I have read about Baja: http://www.moon.com/catalog/baja.html
Loreto's website: http://www.loreto.com/

I've driven about 1/2 way down Baja and have spent a few months there (mostly in San Felipe). I've never had any problems with the locals, just about everyone I've met was friendly. Even the cops were friendly in San Felipe one day when they towed my car and didn't charge me anything to get it back. I'd either lock the bike at night or bring it into the room just to be safe though.

Get Mexican insurance. I get mine from Baja Bound but you may want to check around. http://www.bajabound.com/

Don't drive at night.

Get a Tourist Card http://www.mexonline.com/visamex.htm
Decide where you are going to enter Mexico and consider allowing enough time to get your Tourist Card from the Immigration office. You then have to go to a bank and pay the fee there. Some entry ports may have the two close together.
Banks are usually pretty busy on Monday mornings, the wait can be an hour or two (depending on the bank of course)
When you leave Mexico, you are supposed to stop and return your Tourist Card to the Mexican authorities. Good luck with that. Easiest to just keep it and throw it away after it expires.

Call your cel phone company and make sure that you can send and receive calls while in Mexico. It took me three times calling AT&T to get it done, had to talk to a guy on the international help desk. Just wanted to do that in case of emergency.

I used my regular old atm card to get money while in Baja. Bancomer bank atm's (at least the ones I used) dispense pesos at a good exchange rate. The charge for each transaction was about 75 cents.

Watch out for the topes (speed bumps), most are not marked and are hard to see until you are right on them.

In Mexico, on the open roads outside of towns, when a car or truck has their left turn signal on, it means they are letting other cars know it is ok to pass them. So, if you are turning left and have your left signal on, you may get passed on the left.

Also, don't buy any drugs from the farmacias unless you have a prescription from a Mexican doctor. You can walk right in and buy w/o a script, but once you are outside and if police stop and find them on you w/o a script you may be arrested.

There are checkpoints on the road where the Mexican Army will stop and verify your Tourist Card and possibly search through your stuff.

More info here http://www.emilebymile.com/main/article_8.html
http://www.mexonline.com/mexcustoms.htm

Lastly, have fun and bring a camera and post the pics here when you are back!

[GSDrifter]

Wow! Thanks so much! I appreciate your time and effor and all the links.

This really helps.

[zrx12rider]

You're welcome.

You will see other bikers down there also, alotta beemers.

My last cavet is to probably not camp alone. It's rare but there have been cases of campers being robbed, best to either stay in a local motel or camp in a campground around other people.

The Baja book author in the first link has suggestions on where to stay and eat and such also.

[zrx12rider]

As an add on to the advice about getting a tourist card above:

after you enter Mexico and locate the Immigration office and speak to the clerk and get a tourist card you have to pay the fee, I think it is 200 pesos (roughly 20 bucks) at a bank. The bank only takes pesos for this, not dollars. So.. I suggest stopping at one of the last two exits before you cross into Mexico at a caseta de cambio (money changer) and buy some pesos. Probably not too much since you'll get a better exchange rate just by using your atm card while you are within Baja. The bank may or not have an atm, if it does, it probably gives out pesos in case you didn't stop earlier and buy some pesos.

Most places in Baja take dollars though, like gas stations, stores and the toll road between Tijuana and Ensenada also takes dollars. That is a very cool road, great views.

[brandoncbr]

Hey when you going , i want to go at the end of march . my thread is under planning a trip to san felipe , mx and beyond. we need at least three people.

[SillyMe]

I'm kinda concerned about the attitude too, and I have no basis other than movies, ya know? But I really want to go down to Mexico. So I'm going. I have a few questions of my own ... Is my bike gonna get stolen when it's parked outside my hotel?! Overwhelming paranoidness. Has anyone been to Ensenada? Do they have markets there? The busy kind with lots of people and lotsa junk to buy and take home hehe. What about beaches?? From the map, Ensenada looks like its near the h2o, anyone been to a beach? Well ... thanks!!

[zrx12rider]

SillyMe, Baja is a great place to visit, but, I would not feel comfortable parking my motorcycle in an unsecured location in Baja (or in most of California either).

They have markets, stores (including a Smart and Final), restaurants, roadside food stops, gas stations, hotels, bakeries, dentists, etc in Ensenada.

Ensenada is about an hour and 1/2 south of the border on a very nice divided toll road. Great views of the ocean from this road too.

I'd like to ride down with your group, brandoncbr, but I won't be able to get time off of work then.

Have fun!

[brandoncbr]

Originally Posted by SillyMe

I'm kinda concerned about the attitude too, and I have no basis other than movies, ya know? But I really want to go down to Mexico. So I'm going. I have a few questions of my own ... Is my bike gonna get stolen when it's parked outside my hotel?! Overwhelming paranoidness. Has anyone been to Ensenada? Do they have markets there? The busy kind with lots of people and lotsa junk to buy and take home hehe. What about beaches?? From the map, Ensenada looks like its near the h2o, anyone been to a beach? Well ... thanks!!

I live in san diego , and frequently go down to Ensenada,mx , but have never rode my motocycle thier. The rodes are brand new, but they can be a little bumpy as thier pavement skills are not up to american standards haha I want to go on that ride though definetly . Most of the Hotels have a amigo in the parking lot who watches everyone . also the baja 500 is right thier, so thier are alot of dirt bikes. they have alot of stuff, that they sell in Tijuana too. the beaches are a nill, but they have a awesome port , and fishing for 50 bucs for a 3/4 day with pole and bait all day , bring your lunch and cervesa,
also if you want to ride a little farther , about a half hour. thier is the LA BuFFaDora, which is a cave where the ocean has created , and the water travels back and forth , and crashes way up in the sky , its thunderous and awesome to see once in your life. sorry not a english major