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Introduction to Camping Mexican Style
“Mexicans don’t
usually camp,” says a surprised Thomas the owner and manager of Isla Aquada
Campground on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. “In fact” he says pointing to
a cluster of tents and SUV’s, “that is the third time in 40 years that
Mexicans have camped in my resort. Maybe this is why the trailer parks are
different than in your
country.”
Camping is different in Mexico. Very
different. If you expect firewood and grills, marshmallows and forests you
will probably be very disappointed. However Mexican camping is for you if you want beach and
sand mixed up with a goodly amount of culture and colonial cities and a
pyramid or two tossed into the experience. Enjoy it all from the comfort and
convenience of your own RV.
While the majority of
RV Parks were built to service camping, many are offered as an
add-on to an existing business or enterprise. Resourceful Mexican businesses
have incorporated RV space into resorts, hotels and motels, water parks,
farms and ranches.
Chihuahua City rents
out space in a park/sport stadium parking lot. In the state of Chiapas, an
orphanage encourages campers on a by-donation basis. On the Baja you can
stay at a school for the deaf. If you expect the unexpected in Mexico
and can do it with a smile, you are usually pleasantly surprised.
We don't recommend boondocking. We believe there is
safety in numbers and that simply parking on a deserted beach or urban
camping in an unfamiliar city is asking for trouble. While Mexico is usually
very safe, we always remember that our RV and it's contents are worth more
than a decade of work to many Mexicans. It is worth the few dollars to be
secure.
As a general rule of thumb we avoid parking our rig in
parks or places without some kind of security; fences,
caretakers/security personnel or one or two other rigs. We have included a
discussion and recommendations regarding Desperate Times.
Destination sites are
sites that are built as campgrounds at places you want to stay for a while.
These could be simple facilities on a beach or a full-scale resort complex.
You probably won’t see trees and chances are in the busy season you will be
packed together like sardines. But IT IS PARADISE. Up and down the beaches
of Bahía Concepción on the Baja for example, various parks and camping areas offer
minimal or partial hookups for $7 – 15 US per night. Vendors with pickups
bring fresh scallops as big as silver dollars or fresh shrimps and spotlessly
crisp and firm vegetables for half of the price we know in our
supermarkets.
On the Caribbean
coast, Paa Mul RV Resort sits smack in the middle of the Cancun Tulum
corridor. With overabundant theme parks- ecological or otherwise; hundreds
of trained dolphins ready to ride, jump or swim; numerous archeological
sites nearby
 for a quick climb and cenotes (ancient underground pools) for a
quick dip or snorkel….You get the picture. It would be pretty hard to get
bored when so much is going on within an hour of your RV Park. For $17 US
per night or $100 per week, Paa Mul offers full hook-ups, a small but beautiful beach,
restaurant, laundry hut and small store. Hard to beat.
Bahía
Concepción
Some hotel resorts are destination RV Parks. If the facility is a five star
complex and offers restaurants, pools, business facilities expect to pay
between 180- 260 pesos. $18-26 US. In the town of Santiago just outside of
Monterrey, RV’s camp in a spotless KOA facility that is fully integrated
into a huge hotel resort complex. There are water slides, a number of pools
both indoor and outdoor, exercise and weight facilities, skate parks, racket
sports, fishing, boating, not to mention the bars, restaurants and other
socializing areas. The cost is approximately $26US per night - a pittance of
what it would cost to rent a room or to enjoy those caliber of extras back
home. Kids and adults talk about this place for years after they have
enjoyed it.
Motels and Hotels – Paradise at the Foot of a Parking Lot
One of the most common types of Mexican RV campgrounds is the Hotel/Motel
parking lot or adjacent RV site. Typically you will camp in a parking lot or
area designated for RV’s. Many have full hook-up and all allow unrestricted
use of the hotels facilities. While this type of camping does not sound
particularly exciting, it does provide the ability to visit urban centers or
stay the night comfortably while passing through in your motor home.
Prices vary greatly depending on the facilities provided. A motel type
park with full hook-up in the parking lot would likely cost 120 – 180 pesos
or $12 - 18.
The Pyramid Hotel is just 5 minutes from the entrance gates to Chichén Itzá
one of the most intriguing archeological site in the Mayan kingdom. The
hotel offers full hookups next to the hotel, use of their pool restaurant
and restaurant. It even has it’s own pyramid. The cost is $16 per night.
If camping in a parking lot is not
camping to you then consider parking for a night or two at a water park.
Balnearios are a cross between a water park and a public swimming pool.
These balnearios often provide space on their grounds
or a parking lot for RV’s. Prices vary from 120 – 150 pesos per night - $12
- 15 with or
without use of the swimming pools and or slides.
“Agua Caliente” is a
water park just 20 minutes from the ring road around Guadalajara the second
largest city in Mexico and arguably one of the most artistic and cultural
spots in the country. The park has full hook-ups, has numerous shade trees and offers
free water park entrance for the price of 120 pesos or $12 US. Balnearios
offer kids and adults an opportunity to “chill out” after a long hot day in
the city and are common spots throughout Mexico.
Back 40 – Fields and Dreams
Campgrounds in farmer’s fields or
compounds are common too. Often the facilities range from full hookups
-electricity, water and sewer or combination thereof to an empty field with
lots of grass. The camps are not usually the end in themselves but usually
on the road to some other destination camping.
A prime example would be
Rancho Hermanos Graham in Agua Dulce in the state of Veracruz. This is a
ranching and farming community south of Veracruz City between Catemaco and
Villahermosa in Tabasco. This is a working farm that has diversified by
building a pool and installing services to RV's
Another example is farm/balneario
in Chiapas just North of Ocozocoaulta in Chiapas. This operation's primary
purpose is farming but the owner has built a small pool and invites the
public to enjoy a swim while he or one of his family members sells beer,
soft drinks and chips in a tiny booth on the pool deck.
He strings out a cord from his house to power to your
rig but other than that you are on your own. The chickens walk around the
pool and your RV all day, and the pigs and other animal barns and corrals
are short 2 minute walk from your site.
Just about every RVer I know has been stuck for one
reason or another on the road without a camping park in site. This occurs
for various reasons; insufficient planning, the target park was closed or
full, delays on the road occurred due to breakdown or road conditions.
EVERYONE KNOWS YOU ARE FOOLISH TO DRIVE AT NIGHT.
If you are absolutely desperate we recommend one of
the following strategies:
a) Find the nearest Pemex (gas station) and plead you
case. Give a tip or purchase lots of stuff.
b) Find a Motel or Hotel or Restaurant with parking
capabilities and try to bargain for a dry camping rate. Offer to have
dinner.
c) Park near the Zocalo in a city or a place
that would have lots of light and foot traffic such as a Supermercado. I
would use this strategy with caution because you may be disturbed in the
middle of the night by the police or security asking you to move on.
Fruit stand on road north of Puerto Vallarta
near Las Varas
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