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Spending the night in San Diego and picking up final supplies
Because many of our customers do not live in southern California, simply getting to the border requires some planning. I am a big fan of crossing the Mexican border early in the morning, so this requires that I spend the night in the San Diego area on the US side of the border the night prior to crossing into Mexico.
Besides spending the night in San Diego, there are some other Baja trip preparations that can be taken care of in San Diego.
Buy Mexico Fishing Licenses in Person from CONAPESCA Office
If you plan to fish from a boat or flotation device while in Mexico, you are required to get a sport fishing license for each person who will be on the boat. If you are only fishing from shore, no fishing license is required. Read more about Mexico sport fishing rules and how to acquire your Mexico fishing license.
Mexico fishing licenses can be purchased through the mail in advance of your trip, but sometimes it is easier to just buy the licenses in person from the CONAPESCA office in San Diego. The office is just a few minutes off Highway 5, and the entire process takes less than 15 minutes. The CONAPESCA office is open from 8am – 2pm. Make sure to bring a money order or cashier's check before you get to the office because they do not accept cash or personal checks.
Picking up Your Satellite Phone Rental in Person
I am also a huge fan of bringing a satellite phone along on your road trip through Baja. A satellite phone could literally be a life saver if you need to call for help while you are in a remote area (cell phones do not work in most of Baja). I rent my satellite phone from All Road Sat in San Diego. By picking the phone up in person, I save about $70 on shipping costs.
Purchase Final Supplies
San Diego is where I buy my last supplies before entering Mexico. There are numerous grocery stores in the San Diego where you can buy your fresh produce and other foods, water,and any other supplies you may have forgotten before you left home. If you like organic produce and other health foods, there is a Whole Foods Market located in San Diego within a few minutes of the satellite phone rental company and the CONAPESCA office.
Where to Spend the Night
Car Camping - There is a KOA campground in Chula Vista which is about 15 minutes from the Mexican border. If you are car camping, this is one of the few safe options for spending the night. There are many RV parks in the area, but most of the RV parks do not allow car or tent camping. Visit the Chula Vista KOA website for reservations and further information. Their rates are about $35-$45 during the winter months, and a bit more during the summer.
RV Parks - There are some nice RV parks just off Highway 5 within a few miles of the Mexico border. Most of these RV parks do not allow car camping, so you must have an RV to spend the night. Some of the parks are located near the shoreline of the San Diego Bay, and they are clean and have plenty of amenities. They tend to cost about $50 - $60 per night. Google the term "san diego RV park" or visit these websites to get you started: Chula Vista RV Park or Bernardo Shores RV Park
Hotels -There are hundreds of hotels in the San Diego area, so I will not endeavor to explain every hotel possibility. All of the hotel chains have locations in the San Diego - Chula Vista - Imperial Beach areas. If you want to stay in a hotel, a quick google search will bring up multiple possibilities.
What I Did on Day 1
I was driving from Santa Cruz, California - about 8 hours drive from the border - and my travel buddy and I arrived in San Diego at around noon.
Once in San Diego, we did the following:
12:00 PM - Picked up Mexico fishing licenses from CONAPESCA office first, because they close at 2pm. Had to go to the 7-11 a few blocks away from CONAPESCA in order to get the money order to pay for the licenses (no cash or checks accepted). CONAPESCA phone (619) 233-4324 NOTE: Only open Monday - Friday - If you miss their 2pm closing time, their offices open at 8am in the morning.
12:45 PM - Picked up satellite phone from All Road Sat. Their office is just a few blocks away from the CONAPESCA. Mike, at All Road Communications, gave me a quick demo on how to use the phone. The whole process took about 15 minutes. Make sure to call in advance so they have the phone ready for you for pickup! Their phone is (619) 596-4574
1:30 PM - Went to Whole Foods Market to purchase final supplies. Bought 12 gallons of water, organic oranges, apples, carrots, celery, bananas, spinach, and some granola snacks. Also ate lunch here, but the sandwich was awful and way over priced.
3:30 PM - Drove to the Chula Vista RV Park to find our place to spend the night. I had spent the night there before when I was hauling a Lance Camper, but they told me I was not allowed to stay there this time because I was in a minivan, "Minivans are not RVs". I was getting tired and grumpy from the long drive, so I laid into them a bit about staying here before, and that I am the president of Adventure Mexican Insurance, etc - so they agreed to make a special exception for me. I just didn't feel like driving out to the KOA campground at that exact moment in time. We then took a nap in our minivan at the RV park.
5:30 PM - Headed out for dinner. There are many great restaurants in San Diego, but the place we ate at was terrible. I don't want to bad mouth this place, cause maybe it was just an off night, but I am not going to recommend the place either. We'll leave it at that.
7:30 PM - Returned to Chula Vista RV park and passed out in the back of the minivan with visions of Baja dancing in my head.
