Sea of Cortez

We left northern Colorado early on September 28; it seemed fitting that the temperature was below freezing and there was ice on the truck. We arrived in Topolobampo, Mexico the afternoon of September 30 to catch the ferry across the Sea of Cortez to La Paz on the Baja peninsula. We were early, so I walked around the commercial fishing docks. Most of the boats were rigged with paired-trawls for shrimping.

Commercial fishing docks in Topolobampo

The ferry (California Star) sailed around midnight and arrived in La Paz about 7 AM on October 1. It took an hour to get the truck off the boat (we were almost the last vehicle loaded and the last to get off) and two hours to get through federal customs (even though we left from mainland Mexico). I drove the truck through a large "gamma ray" scanner and it was inspected cursorily by two young officers searching for contraband. 

California Star (from: Baja Ferries)

We arrived in Los Barriles ("The Barrels") on the East Cape in early afternoon. In all, it took us 3.5 days, 1,580 driving miles consuming 85 gallons of gas and a 7-hour ferry ride.

Arriving in Los Barriles

US-Mexico border crossing at Nogales

We crossed the US-Mexico border at the Mariposa crossing on the west side of Nogales. Highly recommended over the main border crossing in downtown Nogales. We purchased our tourist visas and vehicle importation permit at KM21 on the cuota (toll road) bypassing Mexican customs at the border. Tip: cross the border at Mariposa, stay to the left and take the toll road to KM 21.

In the past, we've driven Highway 1 from the US as far south as Loreto and it's a tough 700 miles. The road is narrow and used by everything from pedestrians and cows to 22-wheel semis and the occasional double semi. It's an easier drive on the mainland; the cuota is a better highway (some sections are four lanes) and cost less than US$30 in tolls.

Topolobampo - La Paz Ferry

When you arrive at the ferry terminal, the first thing you need to do is get your vehicle measured because your fare is based on its length. We had to look among a sea of semis to find the men in yellow hard hats and orange vests to measure our truck. With that slip of paper, you can purchase a ticket and rent a cabin in the terminal (link). Our cost was about US$300, $240 for the truck and $60 for the cabin. The truck should have been less, but they included the overhang of the kayak in the length. The cabin, which had a small bathroom with a shower, was comfortable, although over-air conditioned. Some passengers slept in chairs in the lounge or at the tables in the restaurant. Once you leave your vehicle, you can't access it again until the ferry docks in La Paz. Vehicle passengers have to walk off the ferry with the walk-on passengers and go through customs separately from the vehicles and drivers. Drivers can pick up their passengers at the front of the terminal once they pass through customs.