Delightful Departures: Loco for La Paz

Passports, Visas and Entry

Since March 1, 2010, all U.S. citizens – including minors – have been required to present a valid passport or passport card for travel into Mexico (upon entering the United States by air, all citizens, regardless of their age, must show a U.S. passport in book format. A U.S. passport in a card format is not valid for entering the United States by air). While documents are not routinely checked along the land border, Mexican authorities at immigration checkpoints approximately 10 to 20 miles from the border with the U.S. will often conduct vehicle and document inspections and will require valid travel documents and an entry permit or Forma Migratoria Multiple (FMM). All U.S. citizens entering by land and traveling farther than 20 kilometers into Mexico should stop at an immigration checkpoint to obtain an FMM, even if not explicitly directed to do so by Mexican officials. Beyond the 10-20 mile border zone, all non-Mexican citizens must have valid immigration documents (FMM, FM2, FM3 or FME) regardless of the original place of entry.

Mexican Tourist Cards (FMM) Facts:

The FMM is a document issued by Mexico's INM (Instituto Nacional de Migración)
Casually called a tourist card or tourist visa
Issued to U.S., Canadian and other nationalities for vacation purposes
Easily obtained at an INM office at the border, not available online
Requires a valid passport
Cost as of February 2013, $295 Pesos (appx U.S. $25) per person
May be issued for up to 180 days

Location

La Paz, the capital city of the Mexican State of Baja California Sur, is located 940 miles south of San Diego, California and 129 miles north of Los Cabos, BCS. La Paz is also known as the city of peace and abundance.

Getting There

With an international airport, La Paz is only two hours away from Los Angeles or Mexico City. Alternatively, you can fly into Los Cabos airport where you have a great choice of flights and carriers from Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Dallas. From Los Cabos it takes three hours by road. Additionally, ferry boats arrive daily from Topolobampo and Mazatlan to the ferry station at Pichilingue Bay.

Language

Spanish is the native language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas. It is also not uncommon to find multilingual guides, including German, Japanese, Italian, and French.

Currency

The Mexican peso is the legal currency, although U.S. dollars (not coins) are commonly accepted in most places. Major credit cards, such as Master Card, Visa, Amex, as well as traveler's checks are also honored in most places. When using credit cards, the total on your statement will be reflected in pesos at the exchange rate posted that day. Additionally, ATM machines that accept U.S. bank cards are available 24 hours per day (transaction fees may be around $3). Money exchange places are located in downtown La Paz, as well as banks. Banks are usually open weekdays from 9am-4pm. The Baja California Peninsula has an 11% federal tax.

Tips

It is customary to leave a tip to thank waiters, valets, gas station employees, bellboys and other service providers. At restaurants, bars and coffee shops, it is customary to leave 10% of the total amount of the bill; if the service was very good, you may wish to leave up to 15%. Some restaurants and bars include the tip in the final bill, so be sure to check this in order not to overpay. Not tipping is frowned upon.

Timezone

Baja California Sur is on Mountain Standard Time of the USA.

Climate

Baja California has a desert climate with more than 300 sunny days per year, and less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain. This makes for hot summers (105F), but the evening sea breeze drops the heat to nice levels. Winter time has an average temperature of 70ºF.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Air (ºF)	65	68	73	80	81	86	90	93	95	86	75	72
Water (ºF)	66	66	66	66	65	65	72	84	84	84	77	68

Health

La Paz has one of the best qualities of life in Mexico, with several private hospitals and health clinics, as well as public hospitals and emergency rooms. Tap water comes from deep wells, and it is much cleaner than other cities where water comes from rivers and dams, However, drinking bottled water is advised.

Electricity

120V / 60 hertz - outlets are the same as the United States

Communications

A great option could be to call collect or use calling card because local phone cards can save you money. The area is compatible for cellular phone usage as well.

Many hotels have broadband Internet or Wi-Fi in guest rooms or public areas (Malecon). You’ll also find Internet cafés in the area.

•To call the U.S. from your U.S. cell phone, dial 00 + 1 + area code + telephone number.
•To call locally to land lines, just dial the seven-digit number.
•To call locally to local cell phones (within the same area code), dial 044 + area code + telephone number.
•To call Mexico outside of La Paz, dial 01 + area code + phone number.

Mexican Holidays

Annually several public holidays are celebrated in Mexico. Government offices and banks remaind closed.

Jan. 1 New Year’s Day
Feb. 5 Anniversary of the Constitution
Feb. 24 Flag Day
March 21 Benito Juárez Day
May 1 Labor Day
May 5 Cinco de Mayo (Battle of Puebla)
Sept. 16 Independence Day
Oct. 12 Día de la Raza (Columbus Day)
Nov. 2 Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
Nov. 20 Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution
Dec. 12 Virgin of Guadalupe Day
Dec. 25 Christmas Day

1. http://www.bajabound.com/before/permits/visa.php

2. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html
3. http://golapaz.com/travel-tips-information/