Camping in Mexico (the country)

[DonnaR57]

Boondocking

A few places in Mexico will allow you to boondock, but you should always ask permission. Among the places that may grant you permission are stores with large parking lots and Pemex (fuel) stations and travel centers with a lot of space. If you receive permission to do this with your RV, please do the next RV'er a big favor by saying “thank you” to the store or station by buying something – a load of fuel, a batch of groceries. Do not assume that you can park in these places, as you may be in for a rude awakening. It is not advisable to just pull up into a neighborhood, park on the street, and sleep. Once again, you may be subject to either the police knocking on your door, or (worse yet) somebody trying to break in.

Beach Camping and Boondocking

Some beaches in Mexico will allow you to park your rig or pitch your tent for camping. There will be no services: no water (you don't want to drink or wash food with Mexican water anyway), no toilets, no showers. To find these beach gems or other places to free camp, ask at the local police station. There should be someone there that speaks English (if you don't speak Spanish) and can guide you, or (sadly) tell you that nothing exists. Unfortunately in recent years, some of the best beaches in Mexico have been encroached by hotels and resorts built on them, including Sandy Beach in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point).

There is a highly recommended website for Mexican camping, iOverlander.com, which lists both those elusive public places as well as the more commercial RV parks. This link will take you to their Mexico listings. You should still check locally, however, as places close or are closed to the public, faster than you can blink an eye.

Bear in mind, if you are in an RV, camping on the beach could render you stuck in the sand or your rig exposed to a lot of rust-producing salty wet air.

Private Park Camping

Mexico is full of privately-owned campgrounds, RV parks and “trailer parks” (an antiquated name for RV parks, but some also have mobile homes, or manufactured housing, in them). Like the US, some are set up for tents and all sorts of RV's. Some are older and limited in the length of rigs that can fit because their sites are too short! Many do not have pull-through sites, so learn how to back up your rig before you go!

Some have hookups, and some do not. Those that have electrical hookups may not have a steady source of power, which can play heavily on your ability to run things in your rig. Inquire at your local RV store before you go, about voltage regulators (if there isn't one already in your rig), and be sure to carry a little plug-in tool that will show you if the electrical post is wired correctly. Reverse polarity, common in Mexico, can cause damage to your rig! (It's happened to us in the U.S!) Another thing to carry for electricity are adapters. Though 30 amp service is becoming more common in Mexico, 50 amp is not. If your rig requires 50 amps, you'll need a converter “pigtail”. Some places only have 15-20 amp service (i.e. 2-prong plugs), and don't even think about running your rig's AC or electric furnace blower under that circumstance.

Water hookups – um, no. You'll need to treat any water placed into your rig's storage tanks either with a purifier or bleach. Inquire at your local RV store for the best product for your rig. Some folks put bleach into their water storage tank and then use a filter such as the EverPure, for water to drink, make coffee or tea, or wash off the fruits and vegetables you buy. Do NOT hook your RV to the water hookup and leave it open. Instead, fill your tank, purify the water, and put the hose away. If you're only going into Mexico for a weekend, just fill your fresh water tank at home.

Restrooms and showers – most of the private parks will offer restrooms and showers, but (like in the US) they will be in degrees of cleanliness and repair. If you are in an RV, you may not care. But if you're in a tent, you just might. If you're in a tent or have been boondocking awhile, truck stops often will sell you a shower (just like in the US). Once again, though, the degree of cleanliness and repair is dependent on the station.

Dump stations – many campgrounds and RV parks will offer a way to dump your tanks. They may charge extra for the service. If you decide to fill your water tank at the same time, see the water information above.

Mosquitoes and ants can be a problem in a rig or tent. Bring netting or get a tent that has a mosquito net over it. For ants, a bit of Comet-type cleanser around the tires and jacks can keep most ants from entering (it does a nice job on tents, too). Like in the US, make sure that all possible entrances for mice-rats-packrats are jammed with fine-grade steel wool on the underside of your rig. For extra assurance, place fresh dryer sheets (such as Bounce) in all of your storage compartments. Not only does it keep critters out, it helps them stay fresh smelling if you change them often – and they're cheap!


Next post will be listing of the "parques nacionales" (national parks) that DO offer some form of camping. Mexico does not have their parks listed with their own websites, as the ones in US and Canada do. Instead, information has to be drawn from other sources, which may or may not be fully up-to-date.


Donna