My wife and I are looking for suggestions/recommendations on traveling to Mexico in for the first time with our diesel truck and 28ft 5th wheel. Which border crossing to take, safety considerations, campsites recs, where we should stay overnight, final destination? Any feedback would be appreciated.
QUOTE(John WD Smith @ Dec 5 2013, 05:03 AM) [snapback]35381[/snapback] My wife and I are looking for suggestions/recommendations on traveling to Mexico in for the first time with our diesel truck and 28ft 5th wheel. Which border crossing to take, safety considerations, campsites recs, where we should stay overnight, final destination? Any feedback would be appreciated. We have spent several winters in Mexico. For a first-timer, I strongly recommend Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point). It's about 80 miles from the US border, on the beach, and has all the services you might desire. If you like to dry camp, for $5/day you can park on the beach at Sandy Beach, next to The Reef RV Park. If you want full 50-amp hookups, we like The Reef. There are many other RV parks in town. The nearest border crossing is at Lukeville, AZ, which is by far the easiest border crossing we have used. Southbound, they often just wave you through. The road from the border to Rocky Point is excellent. An excellent source for info about RVing in Mexico is the RV.net Mexico forum. There are terrific FAQs there about border crossing, insurance, etc., as well as many members who are happy to answer specific questions. I hope we see you there is winter!
QUOTE(Denali @ Dec 5 2013, 12:20 PM) [snapback]35382[/snapback] We have spent several winters in Mexico. For a first-timer, I strongly recommend Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point). It's about 80 miles from the US border, on the beach, and has all the services you might desire. If you like to dry camp, for $5/day you can park on the beach at Sandy Beach, next to The Reef RV Park. If you want full 50-amp hookups, we like The Reef. There are many other RV parks in town. The nearest border crossing is at Lukeville, AZ, which is by far the easiest border crossing we have used. Southbound, they often just wave you through. The road from the border to Rocky Point is excellent. An excellent source for info about RVing in Mexico is the RV.net Mexico forum. There are terrific FAQs there about border crossing, insurance, etc., as well as many members who are happy to answer specific questions. I hope we see you there is winter! Dave, many thanks for your prompt reply. I will check out the website. It's comforting to know that you are okay with only going 80 miles south, we have heard that you had to go further away from the border. Any other tips would be welcome. John.
QUOTE(John WD Smith @ Dec 5 2013, 10:25 AM) [snapback]35383[/snapback] Dave, many thanks for your prompt reply. I will check out the website. It's comforting to know that you are okay with only going 80 miles south, we have heard that you had to go further away from the border. Any other tips would be welcome. John. John: We have wintered much further south, but Puerto Peñasco gives us much of what we want in a Mexico destination: warm weather, a beach, cheap food and RV sites, real Mexican food, nice Mexican people, fresh tortillas, fresh inexpensive seafood, excellent grocery shopping, and a different culture. Folks that say that you don't experience the "real Mexico" in Puerto Peñasco probably think that you don't experience the "real US" in Orange County. It is close enough to the US that folks go there on weekends from Phoenix. That means that there are lots of other gringos in town, and during the holidays they are really obnoxious (loud drunks, fireworks, etc.). Before Xmas and after New Years, though, things are pretty quiet, even on weekends. A big advantage of traveling to Puerto Peñasco it that NO Mexican paperwork is required. No visa, no Temporary Import Permit for your vehicles. Of course, you need Mexican liability insurance for your truck anywhere in Mexico. Buy it online before you go. It is less expensive to buy a six month policy online than it is to buy a week's insurance at one of the little insurance agencies you will see as you approach the border. You also need proof of rabies vaccination for your dog before you cross into Mexico. We have been asked to show it only once, but that was on the way down last December, so it might be routine now. If you want to experience Mexican architecture, ruins, jungle, cathedrals, etc., though, you do need to go further south. My favorite winter was in Celestino Gasca, a little village with two or three RV parks on the beach about 50 miles north of Mazatlan. That's about 800 miles south of the border. Puerto Peñasco, though, is an easy way to get comfortable with RVing in Mexico.
Don't forget that you will need your passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license with you, to re-enter the US.
QUOTE(Dutch_12078 @ Dec 6 2013, 10:08 PM) [snapback]35388[/snapback] Don't forget that you will need your passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license with you, to re-enter the US. We have a Canadian passport. What is a passport card and an enhanced driver's license?
QUOTE(John WD Smith @ Dec 7 2013, 11:48 PM) [snapback]35395[/snapback] We have a Canadian passport. What is a passport card and an enhanced driver's license? Ok, you're in good shape then. I didn't realize you were Canadian, so my apologies for that. The passport card is issued to US citizens that want a lower cost alternative to a full passport. The downside is that it can only be used for US entry/re-entry by land or water, from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, not by air. An enhanced drivers license is a one that has been vetted with the same identity requirements as those needed for a passport, and serves the same purpose as the passport card. Enhanced licensed are only issued currently by the states of Michigan, New York, Vermont and Washington in the US, and the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec in Canada.
