HELP!!!!!!
I need HELP from anyone with RECON & experience in transporting from THE GREAT USA to Mexico using San Diego International Airport and the CBX (Cross Border Xpress) at Tijuana Airport Terminal.
Lifelong friend and fishing buddy Jerry and I are planning a Loreto, Baja fishing trip, and to save MUCH TIME & $$ - NOW that we both are on a "FIXED INCOME" (say retired), we are looking into HOW to use the CBX Tijuana Border Crossing.
https://www.crossborderxpress.com/en/
AND your jokes of just RUNNING FASTER are not gladly accepted!!!! :o
Usually, we would fly to Cabo International Airport, get a car, and drive almost 7 hours to Loreto, but you chew up the rest of your first travel day.
So, being a bit of a planner, if you have DIRECT KNOWLEGE of how to make the border crossing using the CBX Tijuana crossing,
PLEASE POST IT HERE!!!!!!
THANK YOU.
Wayne aka: El Pescador
Why not just fly from San Fran to Loretto ??
Todd
Quote from: Hardy Boy on February 04, 2025, 06:57:58 PMWhy not just fly from San Fran to Loretto ??
Todd
More Dollaros OUT OF POCKET. WE have that as a FOR SURE trip, but for LESS MONEY we fly to San Diego, make the border crossing, then fly from Tijuana to Loreto, MUCH LESS MONEY.
Jerry and I are looking at all options and we are diving into this CBX crossing option right now.
...And you want US to STOP BY Port Hardy for just a PINT???? REELY????
WE cruised past your home last year on a late season cruise to AK & BC. Winds were blowing 55 mph. With the ship traveling 20 mph, we were not allowed TOP SIDE cause the winds across deck were 70+ mph!!!!!!!
Thanks for thinking of us.
Wayne
CBX is easy. Costs like 30 bucks each. Parking is expensive but as far as the process of crossing its really easy and seemless. Alan can tell you about driving there. If you have to get rooms on either end it starts to add up.
70 mph is a puff compared to some of our blows ........ 8)
Mike always stops by but usually for a fith of bourbon.
Cheers:
Todd
I always heard your car insurance is no good in Mexico,I have no idea if it's true.I wouldn't drive there especially if I didn't know the area,a wreck with the Cartel might not go to court...Might be a bad place for a gringo to get stuck
Unless he were looking for a big burrito,don't let the skinny guy make the tacos :d
Quote from: jgp12000 on February 04, 2025, 10:15:22 PMI always heard your car insurance is no good in Mexico,I have no idea if it's true.I wouldn't drive there especially if I didn't know the area,a wreck with the Cartel might not go to court...Might be a bad place for a gringo to get stuck
Unless he were looking for a big burrito,don't let the skinny guy make the tacos :d
So. I love everybody here, but there just is no sense in spreading fear from ignorance.
Many car insurances cover Mexico; however, there is additional insurance that is required from Mexico that you need to arrange for prior to entering Mexico. It is very reasonable, and is just something you need to do.
I drive up and down Baja as often as I can. Every now and then you hit a check point, and you drive through it. If you make it clear by your presence that they will not enjoy interacting with you, they don't interact with you. The rule is, if someone tries to shake you down, you ask for a badge. When they don't have a badge, you tell them to get a real badge to come. Assuming you haven't killed someone, they would rather DIE then get beaten by a real badge for bothering them to try to get a 6 pack from a shmuch from the states. Like I said, in dozens of trips this has never happened to me, but it is the rules if you get into a fix.
When the last kid is gone, I'm going to buy a place on the Pacific side down South and drive from Washington to Baja on the regular just because it is high on the list of amazing things to do.
I'd feel safer in most places in Baja than I would going to a play on Broadway (why on Earth anyone would want to live there?)
Just my experience
The Man
I've round tripped through the CBX 6 times with Cedros Sportfishing. Show your CBX pass, go upstairs, across the border, down into the TJ terminal, go through emigration and customers and you're in the TJ terminal. Go to your gate!
My excuses in advance, I did notice the "no jokes request" but looking from outside the US and reading much of the distorted news doing the rounds, I can not help to smile at this.
Travelling by road to countries to the North of us can also be extremely tiring and rather to be avoided.
I'm going to just toss this out there since El Pescador Wayne has a pretty clear agenda, but I think maybe I am interpreting/misinterpreting his question differently. I will also qualify this by saying I have never used the CBX (but know a lot of people who have and who have also commented here and swear by it's ease). What I "think" you are asking is about landing at SAN and then immediately heading to the CBX to catch a flight out of TJ? Are you planning on overnighting in San Diego? The only direct shuttle options I found (I'm guessing you have as well) from SAN to CBX involved three bus transfers, 2 hours, and about $24. It also looks like the average Uber is about $53 and takes around 30 mins. Using those options then you are not worried about the $$$ of renting a car AND parking a car at CBX. Regardless, all of this sounds easier and more relaxing than a 7 hour drive (which you also have to repeat to come home?) flying into Cabo. Looking forward to see how this one pans out, and of course Wayne slaying some fish!!! - john
Quote from: MarkT on February 05, 2025, 04:31:49 AMI've round tripped through the CBX 6 times with Cedros Sportfishing. Show your CBX pass, go upstairs, across the border, down into the TJ terminal, go through emigration and customers and you're in the TJ terminal. Go to your gate!
BINGO MARK T!!!!
THIS IS THE EXACT
RECON I AM LOOKING FOR!!!!! TANKS MarkT!!!!
Jurelometer (Dave) called me yesterday - we had a great call about the border crossing & fishing tips & tricks while in Loreto. Dave pointed out that Alan is the guy who started the CBX border crossing to Cedros trip. Alan, I'll be calling you after you get caught up from your last trip.
Brewcrafter, you have our planning down pat. No overnight in San Diego, though my older brother lives N of SD in Vista and his daughter (my niece), hubby and 7 children live in SD. THEY ARE always looking for some fresh caught fish.
I am a planner, and stepping into the abyss WITHOUT knowing what I'm getting into is not my style.
Today, with ALL THE INFO on the internet, AND WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON THE AT.com BRAIN TRUST, I feel much more comfortable now attempting a possible CBX crossing to Tijuana Airport & a short flight to Loreto.
I'll post our trip after we return.
Right now, Jerry and I are planning a Feb. 18 fishing day on Pyramid Lake, 30 minutes NE of Reno, NV. HUGE thanks to Crabpot for his X4 Clown flatfish lure recommendation.
With trips back to back I think I'm turning into Alan Junior!!!!!!!!
Wayne
I've gone to loreto several times with my wife, we really enjoyed it. Some of the nicest people on earth. If you're looking for a couple side trips there's some good ones. There a big ranch outside muleje that offers tours of these incredible cave paintings. It's along a river which is interesting hike in itself. They also put on a good bbq feed for lunch
Another one is a trip to guerro negro to pet the grey whales. You go out in a panga, splash the water with your hand and they swim up so you can pet them. Some will come up with a calf and lift the calf up next to the panga
Both eat a full day but something you will see no where else
Good fishing too
Have a good trip
Swami!
THANKS for the additional RECON for the area of Loreto!!! Appreciate it very much!!!
Mulege area cave paintings are HIGH on my list when we travel to Loreto. For a long time...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_de_Guadalupe_cave_paintings
https://sailingstonetravel.com/la-trinidad-cave-paintings/
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/714/
PET a whale??? Interesting!!!! I've had a gray whale swim UNDER our panga one time, that was amazing!!!!
Will I see you in Morro Bay this fishing season????
Wayne
Hope to see you in Morro bay for sure
Yes grey whales and their calfs, they call them the friendlys. They swim up to the boat and seem to enjoy human contact. One of the highlights of my time on the planet. It's seasonal late winter, early spring when they're in the lagoons calving
The cave paintings are worth the trip alone.
Rosie with Cedros Sportfishing has always set up our crossings on the CBX. it doesn't look that hard. you go through the gate on the US side, up the elevator, across the border, down the next elevator and it opens up to mexican customs. go through customs, then check your luggage, then through mexican TSA, then to the gate and wait for your flight. rods might be your only hassle. remember that fishing line is not allowed on mexican planes as carry on. absolutely no vape pens. laptops can get taxed if you bring too many. most everything else is the same as on the US side.
Alan,
Even more GREAT information.
What about an ice chest with frozen fish???
Are we able to bring that across the border at CBX??? not that we are planning to bring fish back, just want to know.
Thanks.
Wayne
Different Mexican airports enforce differently, and the enforcement level waxes and wanes, but the general trend is that it is getting tighter.
As of last year, you can't carry on pretty much any kind of fishing gear flying from Loreto. This includes reels with no line on them.
They are also enforcing the four rod and four reel maximum inbound rule more vigorously. It used to be just at Cabo. If you go through Mexican customs with more than four, you will be charged an import duty and possibly a penalty. They know how to use the internet to find prices, and they decide which rods and reels are the extra ones, so it pays to be nice. The old trick of, "oh this is my friend's rod, he already went through", doesn't work so well any more. You are best off bringing just four outfits.
Regarding driving in Baja: to reinforce Ron's comments, if your car is broken down on the side of the road in Baja, the car that stops to see if you need help is most likely the very first that comes by. That is how they roll there. Kids are walking around, ladies are walking around. Baja is not some sort of cartel infested hell-hole.
Things have been changing in terms of safety when getting off the beaten path. Some members have been pushing the no-politics rule pretty consistently lately- so to avoid going down that path, please feel free to PM me to discuss more.
-J
returning with fish has never been a problem. we use the 48-can norchill bags. i print out extra copies of my fishing license and hand a copy on a luggage tag outside the bag, one in a ziplock inside the bag, and keep one with my passport.