what do i need to drive to mexico

Puerto Peñasco fans beloved to brag that the Mexican beach town is closer to Phoenix than San Diego'due south surf and sand are.

So information technology'due south plumbing equipment that the 215-mile route trip from key Phoenix to Rocky Betoken, equally the northern Sonora destination is normally known in the United states of america, starts out the same every bit the 350-mile expedition to San Diego.

Head west on Interstate 10, get off at Go out 112, chug south along State Route 85 for 30 miles, brand a pit end in Gila Curve.

The similarities end there, though. Instead of taking I-8 toward Yuma and San Diego, travelers spring for Puerto Peñasco continue southward on SR 85 all the style to the Arizona-Mexico border in Lukeville.

At that place are enough of other differences, of grade. Travelers headed to Rocky Point need passports and Mexican automobile insurance, must convert speed limits to kilometers, listen U.S. State Department warnings about travel to Mexico and navigate roads with poor signs and drivers who oftentimes make their own rules.

It'south enough to brand a starting time-timer hesitate. Simply that would be a mistake for embankment lovers looking for a relative bargain. The drive to Rocky Point is fairly easy, although longer than you may look, thanks to varying speed limits.

thirteen tips for driving to Puerto Peñasco

one. You lot need a passport. And then do your kids.

Passports for border crossings by country have been required since 2009. We were only asked to show ours when we re-entered the United States. (Some parents have reported getting across the border with immature kids by showing their birth certificates, simply the State Department says passports are required.) Notice out more at travel.state.gov.

ii. Bulldoze during the solar day.

The State Department says travelers headed to Rocky Bespeak should travel during daylight hours and utilise the Lukeville/Sonoyta border crossing, which is 150 miles from central Phoenix and 80 miles from Gila Curve. The crossing is airtight from midnight to 6 a.m.

Arizona and Sonora officials in late 2016 designated the stretch of highway from just past the edge to Puerto Peñasco a "safety corridor." In that location are bilingual signs, surveillance cameras and, during busy periods like leap break, a police force-enforcement presence and security checkpoints. (We saw no constabulary enforcement or checkpoints in mid-Apr.)

3. Purchase Mexico auto insurance.

Almost U.S. policies don't cover incidents in Mexico. Policies are sold online, by AAA and other agencies and along the way to the border. The sales pitch starts at gas stations in Gila Curve and ends at the Gastrak station in Lukeville. The biggest cluster of shops is in Ajo, one of them a drive-thru festooned in the colors of the Mexican flag. Nosotros bought ours at Mexico Trip Insurance in Ajo.

• Prices don't vary significantly among insurers. They're based on the value of your car (have that figure and other car details handy), length of stay in United mexican states and type and amount of coverage.
• Liability coverage is required. We opted for full coverage (liability, collision and theft) and paid $71 for five nights for a 2012 Volkswagen Protrude worth almost $10,000. Liability lone price $sixty.
• Be prepared to evidence your registration and driver's license.
• Proceed the policy in your automobile and the insurance contact info, including roadside aid, handy in case yous are in an accident or break down.
• Constabulary reports must exist filed in Mexico for whatsoever accidents or incidents.

4. Sentry for U.South. border patrol checkpoints.

Be on the lookout for border patrol immigration checkpoints in Arizona and slow down as yous arroyo them. You might exist asked questions or waved through. These are split from the border crossing.

5. Boring downwards as you approach the border.

The speed limit here decreases speedily. On a Sat afternoon in mid-April, at that place were no lines and we were waved through. Expect lines during peak vacation flavor, such as spring interruption and long holiday weekends.

6. Plan your bath/snack breaks.

There are no services between Gila Bend and Ajo, and few from the border to the beach. The final stop before United mexican states is the Gastrak station steps from the border in Lukeville. Make full your tank in Arizona, also. Gas is much more expensive in Mexico.

7. Stock upwardly on essentials.

Ajo has an IGA grocery store and two dollar stores that sell bottled water, coolers, beach chairs, soda and more. The Why Not Travel Shop in Why is a slap-up stop, too, with some of the nicest bathrooms en route and a good selection of beverages and snacks, including seafood from Rocky Point on the trip home. Choice up free tourist brochures, including maps.

8. As edge towns go, tiny Sonoyta is no Nogales or Tijuana and is easily skipped.

It's a blink-and-you-miss-it town and the signage isn't great. Watch your speed and pay attending to route signs, where they exist. (Ditto in Rocky Signal.) If always there'southward a disorienting "We're not in Phoenix anymore'' moment of the trip, this is it. The drive through Sonoyta is curt and earlier you know it yous're on Mexico 8.

9. Give a lilliputian.

Drop a couple dollars into the Red Cantankerous (Cruz Roja Mexicana) collection saucepan shortly afterwards you enter Sonoyta, Mexico. A volunteer will give you a sticker. The possessor of the Sandy Beach condo we rented suggested it for adept karma and our trip was flawless.

10. It's about 65 miles from the border to Rocky Point.

It can take more than lxxx minutes if you follow the varying speed limits on the route.

11. Driving the Mexico 8 highway.

The nearly lx-mile stretch of Mexico 8 that takes you to Puerto Peñasco is a relatively polish two-lane highway and a so-called hassle-free zone or safety corridor. The desert landscape volition remind y'all of the drive from Phoenix to Tucson. The speed limit ranges from 40 to xc kilometers per 60 minutes, or 25 to 55 mph. We were passed multiple times.

12. Drive advisedly. Don't get pulled over.

If yous get pulled over for speeding or other infractions, any fine levied should be paid at a police force station. Don't hand greenbacks to the officer. Mexican officials have been distributing "Stop Bribery'' brochures to accost travelers' concerns most rogue "police'' officials. We had no issues on an April trip and saw a very limited constabulary presence.

13. Hang on, you lot're nigh there.

Don't question your holiday decision as you approach Sandy Beach, home to the biggest cluster of hotel and condo high-rises in Rocky Betoken. The sandy road is dotted with rusty shells of buildings, one-half-finished projects and other eyesores. You'll forget them as soon every bit you pull into your circuitous and catch the first glimpse of the shimmering Gulf of California, besides called the Sea of Cortez.

14. Visit Organ Piping Cactus National Monument.

This park just a few miles north of the border is an International Biosphere Reserve. It has a visitor eye, breathtaking bulldoze and hiking trails. Arizona Republic/azcentral outdoor guru Roger Naylor says the remote attraction should exist on your saucepan listing.

MORE ROCKY POINT TRIP-PLANNING Assist

• x tips to make your Rocky Point trip a success
• Across the beach: half-dozen things to do in Puerto Peñasco
• 13 restaurants and bars in Rocky Indicate
• Puerto Peñasco resorts, hotels and condos

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Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/destinations/2018/06/25/puerto-penasco-passport-insurance-driving-tips/568533002/

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