Hints
on Driving Through Mexico |
Bob Smith has done this trip a
number of times, and has graciously provided us with the following information and hints
on driving to Belize through Mexico, without major incident (the really important
part).
All directions are from Brownsville,
Texas/Matamoros, Mexico. Distance from Matamoros, Mexico to Chetumal, Mexico is
about 1,300 miles.
Mexico
Border Crossing/Legal Requirements |
You must have Mexican insurance and
a Visa to drive across Mexico. Get both at the border. Insurance for 5 days
will cost about $10 USD and a Visa will be around $15 USD. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT
DRIVING WITHOUT INSURANCE!!!!!!
Your vehicle almost must be registered in your
name, and if you have a loan on the car, try to obtain a letter from your lender
consenting to the vehicle being taken out of the country.
The Vehicle Identification Number will be checked
at the U.S. border, the Mexican border and the Belize border. The purpose of this
check is to prevent stolen cars from being taken out of the US.
If you are not bringing much "stuff"
into Mexico, you can cross as a tourist. You'll need a credit card or cash to pay
for a bond for your car. The bond can be as high as $4,000 USD, but you will get the
money back when you exit Mexico (the bond is based on the value of your vehicle).
Make sure you get a tourist sticker, or you'll be turned back at the checkpoint near
Tampico.
If you do have a lot of "stuff" that you
may leave in another country, you will be classified as a commercial vehicle. Best
advice is to hire a broker at the Texas/Mexico border. The cost of a broker in
Brownsville, TX will be about $150 USD which includes the cost of your insurance and
Visa. Make a list of everything in your vehicle, even down to the jack and spare
tire. Try to find a broker by 5:00 a.m. so that you can be across the border by 5
p.m. You must receive a commercial sticker for the vehicle, or you will be turned
back at the checkpoint near Tampico.
At the border, change around $450
USD into pesos - try to get at least $100 USD changed into 20 Peso bills. You'll
want to use larger bills (100 pesos) for gas. Depending on your vehicle, you'll
spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 pesos each time you fill up. You will use a lot
of 20 peso bills for tolls. Never show all your money, but keep one or two 20 peso
bills out within easy reach.
The general rule is not to drive
after dark. You will be stopped a number of times at roadblocks. Just show
your passport and papers. I always say "no habla espanol." If they start
to look in your car, LET THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT , UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GIVE
THE MEXICAN AUTHORITIES A HARD TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes I've given roadblock
authorities a $20 peso bill and said, "coka, cafe" (coke or coffee).
(It's a bribe, but not a big one - and it may save you a lot of time and hassle.)
Always take an ice chest of food.
(I don't know this for a fact, but I've been told that there's a prohibition
against bringing chicken products into Mexico - they'll even confiscate dog food that
contains chicken by-products). If you stop to eat (other than what you have in your
ice chest), stop where you see people cooking outside, with lots of trucks and cars
around.
Take toilet paper, a bath towel and
soap along with you in your vehicle - you're not likely to find them supplied in hotel
rooms.
Hotel rooms should cost about $20 USD. Stop
at hotels that have courtyards into which you can pull your vehicle (for security
reasons).
Brownsville/Matamoros
to Tampico (323 miles, about 3 hours): Take Highway 101 to El Como
Highway 180 toward Tampico. Half-way to Tampico is Soto La Marina. Roads are
not in great shape, and the road is very poor from Soto La Marina to Tampico (about the
half-way point between Matamoros and Tampico), so try not to drive after dark.
You'll find a hotel with a courtyard just past the gas station on your right in Soto La
Marina, and you may want to stop there for the evening - - it's a long way to the next
hotel. Also, if you're a commercial vehicle, and don't get out of Brownsville
until around 5 p.m., you may want to spend your first night in Matamoros (lots of lodging
facilities there). Otherwise, it will most probably be dark when you get to Soto La
Marina.
Tampico to Tuxpan:
Roads are pretty bad for the first 60 or so miles, the rest of the way, they're fair to
good.
 Tuxpan to Veracruz (about 2
hours): You'll find a turnoff (150D) north of Veracruz. Don't miss
it!!!! If you do, you'll end up in Veracruz. This is not the end of the world
if your vehicle has been classified as a tourist vehicle. (Veracruz is actually a
pretty interesting city. If you do end up there by mistake and have some time,
definitely visit the zacolo and have coffee at Cafe Parroquia - quite an experience - and
GREAT coffee.) However, if your vehicle has been classified as a commercial
vehicle, and you end up in Veracruz, you can be fined about $200 USD.
Veracruz to Villa Hermosa:
Highway 150D starts the toll road between this oint and Villa Hermosa. Follow the
Villa Hermosa signs all the way to Villa Hermosa. You'll find some good hotels there
just as you get into town.
Villa Hermosa to Chetumal
(Mexico/Belize Border): Take Highway 186 out of Villa Hermosa to Francisco
Escarcega. Stay on 186 to Chetumal. It's about a one-day drive from Villa
Hermosa to Chetumal.
The crossing into Belize is fairly
easy - and you definitely don't need any of the help offered by what seems like hundreds
of "experts" there waiting to take your money. If you're entering as a
tourist, they'll check your vehicle, and you should be on your way in a couple of hours at
the most. If you have a commercial sticker and have used a broker, give your papers
to the broker's counterpart in Chetumal. The broker will take the papers, do the
paperwork, then your vehicle and contents will be inspected. This process can take
all day.
If you are going to have to pay duty on your
vehicle, ask to have it delivered to Belize City (where the duty should be less expensive
- and you can have your contents appraised there, also). It will cost you $35
BZD to have a customs officer drive with you to the customs office in Belize City.
If you have any questions about any of this
information, you can contact Bob by email at defenderdna@yahoo.com. |
