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**Flipper811** · #1 28 Feb 2005

I am planning a trip from the west coast of Canada to Terra del Fuego. My whole trip is planned out exept crossing Mexico. I would like some advice on which coast I should take. I am not going back up so I have to choose only one. The factors I am looking at are lodgings, scenery, safety. For those of you who have done the trip, could you please help/

**mattpope** · #2 1 Mar 2005

Would be tricky to just pick one coastline - some inland forays will be necessary to get the most out of it I think!

I went down through Baja and then across on the ferry to Topolobampo (never can spell it right) and into the Copper Canyon on the famous train. From the canyon you can head south to Durrango and get on the Devil's Backbone road to Mazatlan and head down the coast a bit. I cut back inland to visit the cities of Guadalajara (not too great), Zacatecas (very beautiful), Guanajuato (unbelieveable tunnel network below the city) and San Miguel (pretty good too) before riding down to Mexico City, Taxco, Oaxaca, San Cristobal, Palenque, Merida and then Tulum. The route took me 6 weeks - Mexico is a fantastic country for biking and I wish I had spent more time there and less in central America. I missed out so many great places too.

Hope this helps you.

matt

**Flipper811** · #3 1 Mar 2005

Thanks for the input, I was thinking I might zig-zag through Mexico a bit as well.
I have a couple of questions for you.

Why did you say you wished you spent more time in Mexico instead of central america?

Never though about doing the Baha at all. What is it about the Baha that makes people pick it instead of going inland?

Thanks again for the info any more input would be appreciated.

**Dan 23** · #4 9 Mar 2005

Baja's gorgeous - fantastic trails, some nice coastal tarmac, and the Sea of Cortez is stunning. If you've been dreaming of days kicking up dust then sipping cold

in beach hammocks, Baja's as good as anywhere. The Yanqui tourists tend to cluster (mainly round Cabo and San Felipe), leaving the rest of the peninsula quiet.

Baja's a nice, easy introduction to Mexico. Skip straight through the snotty Tijuana border, get a tourist card in quieter Ensenada (and have a teqilla in Hussong's), and sort the bike paperwork in La Paz. Then jump the ferry across to Mazatlan and into the mainland. Ace.

Cheers, suerte, Dan Walsh

**Dan 23** · #5 9 Mar 2005

PS The trail from San Felipe south, through Baia Gonzalez and Coco's Corner is a cracker.

**Twintraveller** · #6 10 Mar 2005

We just spent 3 month in Mexico and compared to the rest of Mexico we found our 4 weeks in Baja much too long. Yes the road south of San Felipe is nice, also the road up to Mikes Sky Ranch, Coco is a great guy, but nothing compared with the Mex 16 from Hermosillo to Creel, from Creel to Parral, the cities of Zacatecas and Guanajuato. If you want to do the coast, think about going inland from hermosillo, then go down via Creel, Parral, Durango, Zacatecas to Guadelajara and take to road from Guadelajara back to the coast into Bahia Navidad near Manzanillo. From the coast back Inland to Oaxaca, back to the coast near Tuxtla Guiterrez and then up to San Cristobal. U gonna love it. I found Baja just great if u want to ride a lot of dirt in the beginning of ur trip.

check our ou Log if u want

Martin and Katja