Driving in Baja Mexico
Our family has been driving up and down the entire coast of Baja for a little over 3 years now. Driving in Mexico really is pretty easy and I think you’ll find that though some cities can be faster paced, you’ll feel safe and confident in driving to explore here with these tips.
The basics
Good for day trips & vacations. If you can drive the U.S. then you can drive here. This is a section to get you familiar with the road signs & culture driving here in Baja.
⚠️Tope: Speed Bump! Some are marked bright yellow and some are black. Pay attention for the sign. Some Topes can really sneak up on you when they blend right into the road.
🟢Blinker: Communication to other Drivers to Safely Pass or that you’re turning. When you’re in a lane and someone is behind you, if it’s safe for them to pass you, you’ll signal that by turning on your left blinker. You’ll also move over into the shoulder if there’s one to allow the passing car to do so safely. Do not hold up traffic like you would in the states. This is the quickest way to upset the locals.
☢️Hazard Lights: Communication that there’s something ahead of you slowing you down. You’ll turn these on for someone crossing the road in front of you, for Animals infront of you, a car you have to go around, ext. This lets the driver behind you know that it’s not safe to go around you.
🏜️Dirt Roads: You’ll find it completely normal to drive on dirt roads in places that are less frequented. Like going to Todo Santos, Cerritos Beach, La Ventana, etc. Most roads are groomed making it easy to drive. If it’s out of your comfort zone, just go slow, stay to the right and let others pass you signally when it’s safe for them to do so. Enjoy the adventure.
Driving Down the Baja
We have spent a ton of time driving up and down the coast. The biggest issues with driving in Baja are the narrow roads and animals randomly on the road. Mexico 5 and Mexico 1 are the 2 major lifelines into Baja California Sur. The first time we drove down the Baja we entered at the Mexicali entrance point. The border crossing went well and off we went through the city into the desert.
Here’s what you need to know to enter Mexico via driving:
The Baja peninsula loves SPEED BUMPS!!! While entering small or large towns you’ll encounter a few of these Tope’s. They seem to put speed bumps to let you know that the speed is going to change and to alert the driver of crosswalks as well. They put these around on roads to keep people from speeding through some of these small towns. The speed bumps are not well painted and blend right into the road so be careful and know where you are on the road in relation to the town.
Rumble strips are also used to alert the driver for a few things. These are seen while approaching pedestrian crossings in the middle of a small town. They are also used for altering the driver of blind upcoming mountain turns with steep grades.
Mexico 1 and Mexico 5
The hype of Mexico 1 and Mexico 5 is the real deal. The views are amazing!!! We have driven all over the USA in our truck. We thought we had seen it all until we drove in the Baja peninsula.
Mexico 1
Mexico 5
Is a little more rustic. South of San Felipe, Mexico 5 has NO SHOULDER. Passing oncoming traffic the other way isn’t that big of a deal with passenger cars but when you meet a semi truck your attention to the road and details must be on point.
This road is NARROW!!! Especially when you are traveling at 110 KM an hour. Mexicans that drive this road have nerves of steel. They like to drive fast but they are always paying attention. You do not have the space or time to be on your phone at all. Besides it being illegal in Mexico, checking your phone along certain spots could be deadly. Just pull off when you can to be safe and though this drive is a little more rustic it’s beautiful so enjoy your time soaking it all in.
Military Check Points
Most blogs talk about only encountering 3 checkpoints but there’s a few more now. We usually encounter 6 total military checkpoints and one medical/agricultural stop outside of Guerrero Negro.
Checkpoint locations:
1. We encountered a military checkpoint in El Chinero where Mexico 3 connects into Mexico 5.
2. There was a checkpoint on our way south to Guerrero Negro just south of Bufeo about 10km.
3. Approaching the Baja California Sur border there was a medical/agricultural checkpoint (they asked for 20 pesos, checked temperatures of all passengers and then sprayed the truck).
4. San Ignacio has their checkpoint on the west side of the city. After leaving the city be on the lookout for Policia in the stretch to Santa Rosalia for speed traps.
5. The location of the last checkpoint heading into Loreto was around where highway 1 splits to go westbound. We were about 45 minutes away from arriving at our destination for the night. The sun was setting and the guys gave us more pushback than the rest we had previously encountered. I assumed it was because it was getting dark and they were being suspicious but allowed us to proceed with no issues.
6. After leaving Loreto we drove through the Mountains again and encountered another checkpoint, I cannot remember where this one was and it didn't matter to us because it was the last day of driving.
The last checkpoint is right before you arrive into La Paz and is staffed by the local police and not the Military.
Every military checkpoint is comparative to the rolling of the dice if you get fully searched, partially searched or not searched. The men at the checkpoint are professional and to the point. You have to remember that they have a job to do and it's best to just let them do it so you can be on your way. So definitely plan for this happening and have a plan B if it gets too dark for driving on the road. We had a 3 day plan that gave us a few hours of wiggle room between each day in case something were to take longer than planned. We also had a plan for alternative places to stay in case things didn't work out as planned either.
At the checkpoints have your documents ready in hand and be polite. If you get searched, do not leave your personal belongings in the car like your phone, wallet, purse, passports, FMM or your cash.
They ask you “where are you going”, “where did you come from”, “what’s the purpose of your travel”. If you are polite and ask in Spanish if they speak English often times they will switch.
Tips & Helpful info
Oversized Vehicles:
We encountered a semi truck with an oversize load in the mountains. Before this happened, we saw a car with its flashers on and driving slow. It was a two way road, no shoulder on the side and a cliff on the semi drivers side. I slowed down even more and moved over as far as I could safely and continued on our way. If you see this, it’s best to find a spot you can try to move over on quickly and safely.
Construction:
We encountered a lot of construction (road improvements) on Mexico 1 in Baja California Sur. They are replacing and fixing the bridges and the creek/wash crossings. Often times they’ll have a detour that takes you off the road onto a packed dirt road next to the concrete. These are very bumpy and not well maintained so be careful not to pop a tire and travel slow. We encountered a handful of detours like this.
Driving at Night:
Be more vigilant at dusk and at night. The road does not have barbed wire fences everywhere like in the states. The livestock will just roam free into the road at night getting to the grass and feed next to the road. You’ll hear people warning you to not drive at night and it has nothing to do with anything else but that the animals scattered along the road cause dangerous situations. We don’t drive at night in Baja.
Rest Stops:
You can get gas at most stations but not all have actual food in them (PEMEX, usually is just gas). You’ll likely want to look for an OXXO nearby to grab snacks & drinks or you’ll want to look for the VIP Truck Stops. There are no rest stops like the USA or Canada. If you gotta depending on the section, you’ll likely have to find a dirt pull off and just go. Same if you need a break, just pull over & do what you need to do.
Getting Pulled Over:
Things are done a little differently here. Cops in Baja can be a different breed. We’ve been pulled over two times and it’s always a little scary at first especially when you hear so many stories. If you’re going to have an infraction it’s mostly going to happen in a city/town and it’s usually because you ran a stop sign or kept driving while someone entered a walkway.
Many people who have experience with being pulled over have different methods when it comes to this.
Major Intersections
Don’t be surprised if you see vendors selling things or locals doing magic tricks in an attempt to make money. They will walk the middle between you and other cars. If you’re not interested in supporting them or purchasing anything don’t worry. Just smile and they’ll continue walking by.
Bring With You:
Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer, Water, Plastic Trash Bag
If renting a car you’ll likely be staying in populated towns so you won’t have to worry too much about taking the adventure down.
Here’s our Car Rental checklist:
If driving long distances in Baja, be prepared with water, some tools and extra necessities. You’ll. thank yourself if you have an issue. Also, get fuel everywhere you can. We arrived at one location and the station was closed/out of fuel. We suggest carrying an extra 5 gallon jug at minimum.
Do not plan this trip like you would in the states in regards to being able to do 12 hours of driving and just finding a place to crash real quick. You may be mentally exhausted after only a few hours, so be prepared for this happening.
Enjoy
Have a great drive and enjoy the VIEWS they are SPECTACULAR.
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