La Peñita RV Park is now a Passport America Park so if you aren’t a member already please use our name as a referral. The campground # is CG3883. Passport America is good all over the US & Canada and now Mexico and offers great discounts. If you are crossing at Nogales there are several Passport America Parks and I think there are some near the Lukeville, AZ crossing as well.

You can get insurance before you cross the border but it is a good idea to get it early. There are many companies out there and they are not all the same. Shop around and read the policies. We use Lewis & Lewis, www.mexicanautoinsurance.com.  They offer a 10% discount if you are staying in the park and mention “La Peñita RV Park”.  Depending on how long you are in Mexico, you may want a 6 month or a year policy as it is less expensive than monthly in many cases. Definitely a 6 month policy is about the same as 3 months. With Lewis & Lewis, I recommend getting the VIP policy. Wherever you get insurance make sure you READ YOUR POLICY and ask pertinent questions. Check for mistakes. Make sure your tow vehicle has a separate policy, not just when it is being towed.

Make sure you have your original vehicle registration and title with you as well as your drivers license, passport and credit card. You will need these to get your Temporary Import Permit (TIP).  In some cases, marriage licenses have been requested. I carry ours with us just in case but have never needed it. If your vehicles is leased or there is a loan against it you are supposed to have a letter from your bank or leasee giving you permission to travel into Mexico. I think this is only if they are listed on the registration. Best advice is to get your TIP online before you leave home.  You can apply 60 days out before your border crossing but not less than 10 days.  It will be emailed to you and you will need to print it out in color. But make sure that you are going to cross into Mexico! If you don’t, you still have to go to the border to cancel the TIP and get your deposit back. I’ve heard the you can even get your Tourist Visa online now up to 30 days of crossing but I have not tried it yet. If you decide to get your TIP at the border, be sure to have extra copies (3 EA) on hand of all of your documents (registration, original title, drivers license,  marriage license, and passport).   You can get your vehicle permits or TIP on line at https://www.banjercito.com.mx/registroVehiculos/# choose “ingles” for English.
NOTE*** If you have a one ton truck, you must prove to the Aduana that it’s not a commercial vehicle!! You should take pictures of the truck and trailer connected with the front plate clearly showing. They still may want to see the inside of the truck doors to see that it is for recreational use. Go to a border crossing that has an Aduana office, Nogales or Mission. Please contact me for more information, JoLynn Forney.

Pets are supposed to have proof of current rabies shots. A health certificate is required if you fly down BUT I have never been asked at the border. If your dogs are barkers please get bark collars. There are too many dogs in the park to have barking and it will not be tolerated.

If going on the caravan, purchase hand held radios. Midland or Motorola are the best. Have your instructions with you as we will have to set channels, etc. Please don’t get the cheapest ones. Get some that will travel at least 20 miles.
Download a road log from www.ontheroadin.com. I hear that there is a new one about to be published with the new perifericos. It is an invaluable tool even for seasoned drivers. You will be using it for reference of what Pemex’s to stop at, etc. You can get road logs specific to each crossing.

I would like to remind everyone we only have 20 AMP power in the park and that is NOT enough for air conditioning so make sure you have a fan or two. There is usually a nice breeze that will help you keep cool.  This is a NO generator park. Also, you CANNOT put toilet paper in your holding tanks as it goes into our sewer. Mexican plumbing is very fragile! To avoid blockages in our 3 inch lines and filling up our tanks we do not put ANY paper into the system. Just keep a small basket next to your toilet for ALL paper.
Please note La Peñita RV Park is NOT smoking friendly. Smoking will only be in designated areas.

Safe travels everyone!
Carole