This section covers the bicycle touring from Tijuana to our arrival in La Paz. It doesn’t include the 8-day loop I did on my own around Los Cabos as those costs are only for one person.
We loved cycling in Baja California, specially on the shores of the Sea of Cortez. The more we got out of highway 1 and hit the dirt roads, the more we enjoyed. Laguna Ojo de Liebre, the city of La Paz and the beaches around Bahia Concepcion were our favourite spots. Cycling wise, the climb to the sierra in San Javier and the roads around Bahia Luis Gonzaga.
About the traffic… well, you certainly need a mirror in Mexico. Most of the roads have no shoulder and the traffic on highway 1 can be heavy. Lots of trucks! That’s why we recommend to hit the small roads as much as you can.
* Costs in american dollars (USD)
ON THE BIKE
Total: 39 Days
Days cycling: 20 Days
Days resting: 19 Days
Total pedalled: 1372Kms (852mi)
Kms/day: 35 Kms (21.7mi)
Kms/days of cycling: 68 Kms (42.2mi)
Total Spent: 557.5 USD
Average spent per day: 14.29 USD
Average spent per person per day: 7.14 USD
LODGING
Total Spent: 128 USD
Average spent per day: 3.28 USD
Average spent per person per day: 1.64 USD
FOOD
Total Spent: 320 USD
Average spent per day: 8.21 USD
Average spent per person per day: 4.10 USD
OTHERS
Total Spent: 109 USD
Average spent per day: 2.79 USD
Average spent per person per day: 1.39 USD
We came to realize that our 25 USD per day budget is way more than what we need in Mexico. Camping is easy in Baja and the price of the food is considerably cheaper than in the U.S. Although we hit lots of taco stands, we cooked most of our meals.
LODGING
Total : 39 Days
Days paid to sleep: 12 Days
Days not paid to sleep 27 Days
Showers: 21 (Once every 1.7 days)
Hostel-hotel : 4 Days
Host – Friends: 5 Days
Camping: 30 Days
- Paid: 8 Days
- Unpaid: 22 Days
We slept in our tent most of the nights and most of the time without paying for it. Mexicans are nice and warm people and they never turned us down when we asked to pitch the tent at any place.
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Hey guys!
I left this same message on your warmshowers account, I wasn’t sure if maybe you use one more than the other.
I’m planning on cycling through Mexico at the start of 2015 and I just checked out the route you took. Did you leave out Colima, Michoacan, Acapulco for reasons of safety with regards to cartels etc? I’m doing my trip self-supported and I’d really love to have any inside info on whether you encountered or heard of any trouble on the route you took/ the coastal route through Michoacan and Acapulco?
Thanks guys
Hope you’re well and firmly in that saddle
Henry
Hi Henry,
We decided not to go to Acapulco, Colima and Michoacan because we thought the other route via Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Huasteca Potosina and Mexico DF was going to be more interesting. No for safety reasons. And the detour was very worth it. Especially the Huasteca Potosina and the cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende (highly recommended).
We heard of other cyclists taking the costal route and didn’t have any problems. But I can’t simply tell you if it’s safe or not because we didn’t go!
We loved Mexico and we didn’t feel unsafe at all during the 8 months we spent cycling around the country. Mexicans are amazing people.