A Baja Escape for Compass & Globe Travel

All United States citizens and permanent residents visiting Mexico must have a valid US passport and/or permanent residency card to enter the country. When visiting us in Baja California Sur, your two airport options are San Jose del Cabo (SJD, typically the better-served airport) and La Paz (LAP). When you disembark at the airport, you will first go through immigration and present your passport. For travelers entering Mexico by air, Mexican immigration authorities have replaced the previous paper Forma Migratoria Multiple or FMM with a Forma Migratoria Multiple Digital or FMMD. The FMMD process is in place at all 66 international airports in Mexico. Mexican immigration authorities will determine your authorized length of stay and place a date stamp in your passport.  

You will then go through baggage claim and, after that, customs. Here you will present your completed customs form that you (most likely) received during your flight. You will then be asked to push a button. If you push the button and the light glows green, you are free to go and exit the secure area. If the light glows red, you will be required to subject your luggage to further inspection before exiting the secure customs area. Guides and drivers are not allowed into the waiting area, so you must exit to the outside by heading right through the sliding glass doors and head to transportation umbrella No. 10. If your adventure includes airport transfers there you will see your driver holding a sign with your name on it. Go with him or her and let the adventure begin!

The currency of Mexico is the Mexican peso (MXN). Current exchange rates can be found at https://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=USD&to=MXN&amount=1. Dollars are widely accepted throughout Baja Sur, and many, but not all, locations accept credit cards, mainly Visa and MasterCard. In general, only the largest resorts accept American Express.

The weather from November through April is generally perfect, with highs during the day in the mid to upper 70s and lows at night in the upper 50s to mid-60s. There may be windy days that can have an impact on certain adventures, and there is the occasional rainy day in those months as well. May and June are a bit warmer during the day but still delightful, and the truly warm weather starts in mid-July. Hurricane season is exactly the same as in the eastern United States, and officially runs June to November. However, most storms tend to occur August to mid-October. You can check weather forecasts for Todos Santos at: https://weather.com/weather/today/l/MXBS0126

Internet is available in all regions. Most hotels in the mid-range and above categories provide Wi-Fi or access to connected computer terminals. There are also many inexpensive cyber-cafés in cities and towns throughout Mexico.

Electrical outlets, plugs and voltage are all exactly the same as in the United States, so if your electronics work there, they will work in Mexico with no adaptors or converters required. If you are coming from other parts of the globe, you will need the same adaptations you would need for traveling to the United States. For those of you going to our luxury tent camp on Isla Espiritu Santo, we do have solar panels for charging phones and cameras.

WIFI

All the hotels we use onshore in Baja California Sur have wifi. Some places have faster/better service than others, but it is generally available. There is no internet or phone service available at Camp Cecil on Isla Espiritu Santo or at the ranches in the Sierra La Laguna mountains.

People often ask us about tipping on our trips so we will add in a few guidelines here:

• Hotel housekeeping staff: US$2 per day per room
• Guides: US$20/person/day
• Camp Cecil  Staff: $45/person/day
• Boat Captains in Magdalena Bay: US$35/boat (this is per boat so everyone pools funds)

As elsewhere in the world, tipping is completely at your discretion, and these numbers are guidelines only.