Satisfying the Wanderlust

Trail Riding Tips for Baja

Things You Ought to Know
Before Heading South of the Border

By Rick Sieman

Ride along either coast in Baja, and you'll be greeted by scenery like this.

Load everything up and head for the Left Coast. Your two best choices to enter Baja are south of San Diego at San Ysidro, or farther east at Mexicali or Tecate. I prefer to enter at San Ysidro, because you can travel south alongside the magnificent Pacific Ocean route.

You can hookup with one of the Baja trail riding services that are offered, and there are some great ones to choose from, or you can do it yourself. If you opt for your own guidance, make sure you stop into a savvy dirt bike-oriented shop somewhere in the San Diego or El Cajon areas well ahead of time. A phone call or two will find the right shop, and if you are going to purchase some goodies, or even have Baja lights installed, these people are normally very helpful.

It's not a bad idea to consider spending a few days in the San Diego area, just relaxing, while the shop checks your bikes over. It will be money well spent.

You can spend some of this time planning your route and figuring out how "brave" you want to get with distances. Do you just want to make a simple 300-to 400-mile loop to explore the middle of Baja? Or do you want to ride over 1000 miles and go all the way to the end of the Baja peninsula?

No matter what you choose, plan your route around realistic distances and stops where you can find lodging. In this respect, you can pick up a good Baja book from the AAA on lodging availabilities and descriptions, or you can just wing it.

Either way, prepare yourself well enough so you can sleep overnight in the middle of nowhere, if need be. This means carrying basic Boy Scout stuff with you: matches, space blanket, food, water and perhaps a light sleeping bag. It's pretty hard to get hopelessly lost in Baja if you use your head. The peninsula is long and skinny, and has only five main paved highways: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 19.

All of the towns and cities are located on one of these highways. Smaller villages can be most anywhere, but more often than not the bulk of them are on either the Pacific coast or the Gulf of California coast. Take a look at your route map and you'll see that Baja is divided into two sections: Baja Norte (the northern part), and Baja Sur (the southern part).

Like to ride in sand? Plenty of dunes can be found on your way south. And guess what? They're open for fun riding!

That dividing line is located at a fairly large town called Guerrero Negro. As long as you stay north of this demarcation line, chances are you will never need a visa. However, the official stance is that if you're not going south of Ensenada or San Felipe on the Gulf Coast) for more than a weekend (72 hours), you don't need anything other than carrying proof of citizenship with you.

For longer stays-and for those of us who might want to ride to the end of North America-a visa is a good thing to have. Mexico issues two types of tourist cards, and both are free. You should ask for the single-entry card, which lets you stay up to 90 days. The multiple-entry card is used for people who stay in Mexico for 180 days and - they can go in and out as needed. The multiple-entry card requires a bunch of paperwork and photos, and you won't need - it for a week or two of trail riding.
You can get a tourist (visa) card in the U.S. at any Mexican consulate or Mexican Tourism Bureau office, or at the border, but I prefer getting mine at the AAA, if yours does it. If you do a lot of traveling, you can even call a travel agency and they will get you a card at no charge, or a small fee.

Always stop before the border and get Mexican auto insurance, even for your dirt bike. It's cheap and can save you hassles if you do have an accident.
Don't worry about shopping around for prices; all charges are set by the Mexican government.

I like to cross the border with the bikes in a truck, trailer or van, and to start the trail ride deeper into Mexico. A good idea right before you cross the border is to fill all the tanks of the truck, bikes and gas cans with the best American high-test gas you can get. It's also not a bad idea to buy a few cans of concentrated octane booster to take with you.

Trade some dollars in for pesos before the border, bearing in mind that you will be charged a small amount for the transaction. Don't your pesos at a place that charges a commission or a fee. Ask: "Sin comision? (Without commission?). In most of Mexico, the U.S. buck is happily accepted, but having $100 or $150 worth of pesos is very handy when getting food or gas in the middle of nowhere.

A good starting point is Ensenada, about a one-hour drive south of the border. Crossing the border is always a delight: The feeling of entering a foreign country to have a good time with some friends is hard to beat.

As soon as you cross the border, you will find yourself in Tijuana. It's noisy, chaotic and full of life. The days of Tijuana being noted as a "sin city" are largely gone. While there are still areas with cheap bars and painted women, the town is growing and full of people eager to make a decent living at a fair price.

Drive carefully and watch out for some truly awful taxi drivers. Following the signs can be maddening, but once you are clear of town the eye-dazzling brilliant blue of the Pacific Ocean will pop into view, and the dizziness of the city will be left behind. You can take the toll road or the free road into Ensenada. The toll road will cost you a few bucks (depending on the exchange rate) at each of the three or four stops, but it's faster than the free road.

Hey, take the free road. This winding strip of pavement will take you through many small towns and villages and will give you a closer first look at the real Baja. Stop along the way and pig out. Great seafood restaurants and local eateries are everywhere and the prices are half what you might pay in the States.