Driving to La Ventana, Mexico
It’s been a long time coming, literally years, but we finally crossed the border from California to Mexico. This was the drive we were going to do last year but plans changed because of Covid. A year later, here we are. Our final destination is La Ventana where we will spend two (ish) months. Brent’s always wanted to get to La Ventana as it is a big kiteboarding spot.
After leaving South Padre we took Hwy 10 West to Arizona where we stayed with my in-laws for a week. We tore the van and trailer apart, cleaned and repacked for our trip South. Basically, anything snow related was left behind in the garage.
The night before we crossed the border, we stayed at the Desert Trails RV Park near Calixico as we were going to cross over in Mexicali. In one of my Facebook groups, Baja Road Conditions, I read that crossing at Mexacali East was a bit easier when towing a trailer, but in the end, we got up super early and crossed at Mexacali West. We decided to take a risk and manage our way through any tight spots. It saved us twenty minutes.
The border crossing was super easy with no problems driving through with the trailer. The whole thing took about 15 minutes. I went into the office to get our FMM cards and Brent walked a guard through the trailer and car. There were many inspection points throughout this road trip with very inconsistent protocols. The one thing we always did was stay with the guard if they asked to inspect the trailer, car or documents. A lot of the guards were very interested in Brent’s guitar.
If you are travelling to Mexico, make sure you check their government website to get the correct documentation requirements you need to cross the border. I joined a few Facebook groups but always referenced the official site to get accurate information.
For our trip, the only documentation we needed was our passports, car insurance (which has not been asked for once), our van and trailer permits (which has been asked for once) and our FMM cards otherwise known as a tourist visa/card. Don’t bother getting these online as you might get caught in a scam and end up paying more money. We got ours at the border and paid $35 US. I'm not really sure what happens if you are caught without one as I’ve heard different stories, but it seems they don’t take kindly to it. My suggestion – get the FMM.
After leaving the border, we made our way through Mexacali. I would recommend not stopping unless necessary. You have to remember it’s a border city with border city problems. We drove Hwy 5 all the way to San Felipe where we got gas for the first time. We knew that finding gas was going to be a possible issue so we brought two full gas tanks with us. In the end, gas wasn’t an issue at all. Mexico is full service so make sure the attendant calibrates the pumps back to zero before pumping your gas...just a suggestion everyone.
On the advice of many, we stopped early each day and never drove at night. We stayed at Bahai San Luis Gonzaga the first night stopping around two in the afternoon. I highly recommend this place. You get your reservations across the highway at the market along with any groceries you may need. This isn’t a big grocery store, but it has some staples. All the camping sites are right on the beach. This was one of the most gorgeous spots we’ve camped in as the sun comes up across the bay and sets behind the desert and distant mountains. The wind howled all night and shook our little camper, but we still slept like babies.
The second day, we got an early start and arrived at Guerrero Negro, one of the larger towns located on Highway 1 on the Pacific side. The town is a well known destination for whale watching and salt mining. A lot of travellers will make this their second rest stop as it has hotels, restaurants and most other amenities. After a stop at the bank and a quick lunch in the trailer, we headed back to the highway.
Did I tell you this stretch of road is very, very difficult to drive? It’s very narrow and literally has no shoulder at times meaning you could drop off. If you are faint of heart, I recommend not driving it or taking some anxiety medication.We actually had a pretty good ride until we came to the intense stretch of road just North of Santa Rosalia. The steep, long hills were very unexpected and quite nerve racking especially when transport trucks passed.
To say the least, we were pretty happy to get through Santa Rosalia, another bigger town on the Sea of Cortez. You can get gas and other supplies here. If you are hauling a trailer or have a bigger RV, just stick to Hwy 1 and don’t attempt to go through any streets as they are really narrow and lack any place to turn around.
It was getting late in the afternoon and the cardinal rule of driving Mexico is not, I repeat, not to drive at night. There are way too many things that can happen at night, the least hitting a cow! With this in mind, we stopped at San Lucas Cove RV Park for the night. It was a great spot for a short stay. I think you can get a water hook up there and they did have WiFi in the restaurant and pretty clean showers and bathrooms. Oh yeah…a great sunrise too!
The next day, although an intense drive, had scenery that was breathtaking with vistas of the Bahia Concepcion. We were lucky to park for the night on Playa Requeson at the cost of 200 pesos; the typical price for these beach stays along the way. This was the coolest spot with its own spit. At low tide you can walk across to the nearby island. That night we met Atte and Marijke, a couple from the Netherlands, who are on a world tour in the coolest custom "trailer" we've seen so far. They were so sweet to let us tour the inside of their home on wheels. For some truly inspirational stories, you can read about them at AMworldtour.
The next morning, we drove to Loreto. This is another popular stop for travellers as it’s a big city with many amenities. We normally don't stop in cities, but it was end of day. We bought some groceries, gas and we went for a bike ride. The ride did me in to be honest. Witnessing the poverty and lost puppies broke my heart. I've travelled enough to know what the real world is like, but it doesn't make it any easier to witness. I know I can't change the world, but I do my best to help out in the places we go including donating to shelters, tipping generously, and giving to food banks and clothing depots to name a few.
The next day, we drove straight through to our final destination of La Ventana passing through La Paz, the major shopping center in the area. The geography along the way was just as beautiful as the coast coming down but still a bit gnarly so you have to keep focused. Don't let the cows surprise you.
I hope this gives you a sense of what the drive is like from the Mexacali border to La Ventana. Also, I hope it doesn't scare you away. Prior to the trip, I read a lot of on-line articles and information from various Facebook groups. Some of the information can be quite scary and daunting. In the end, you just have to do it while being cautious and aware of your surroundings. The risk is worth it as it was an amazing experience.
