COVID-19 Updates for Baja California
-The U.S.-Mexico temporary land border restrictions were extended until at least December 21, 2020. U.S. Citizens and Canadian Citizens have been allowed to cross back north into the U.S. and have had no problems crossing south into Mexico from the U.S.
-Mexico has instated a national “stoplight” system allowing certain regions to begin reopening. Starting December 7, 2020 the state of Baja Californi (norte) has a “red” light designation with non-essential activities restricted. Baja California Sur is in the “orange (level 3)” light designation with hotels restaurants, beaches, parks, retail shops, and museums/theaters/movie theaters, operating at 50 percent capacity. Specific rules vary from municipality to municipality. The stoplight designations are being assessed on a weekly basis.
-Some of the California/Baja land borders are operating on reduced hours. The following are the current hours for border crossings:
San Ysidro: open 24 hours
(PedWest is closed but PedEast remains open 24 hours)
Otay Mesa: open 24 hours
Tecate: 5am-2pm daily
Calexico West: open 24 hours
Calexico East: open 6am-2pm
Andrade: open 6am-2pm
-For up-to-date information about COVID-19 in the state of Baja California (norte) please visit the Baja California COVID-19 page. For up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Baja Sur, please visit the BCS COVID-19 website.
-For Emergency Assistance for U.S. citizens in Mexico, call 55-8526-2561 from Mexico or 1-844-528-6611 from the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has put together a COVID-19 webpage or you can follow them on Facebook for updates.
-You can find the latest updates on our Road Conditions Page. Call the DBTC office at 800-727-2252 for more information about U.S. travelers crossing the border.
Shipping Deadlines for Christmas Delivery
With shipping delays this year, please place your orders from the Discover Baja Baja Shop by December 17th to ensure delivery in time for Christmas. Happy shopping!
New $100 and $1,000 Peso Bills
There are two new peso bills in circulation in Mexico—$100 and $1,000. The new $100 peso bill features the scholar and philosopher Sor Juana Inés on one side and and Monarch butterfly reserve on the reverse side. The $1,000 peso bill is the highest-denomination bank note in circulation. The bill features three heroes from Mexico’s revolutionary era, Francisco I. Madero, Hermila Galindo, and Carmen Serdán on one side and the sub-tropical jungles of southern Mexico on the other side. The two new bills join the new $500 and $200 peso bills and the 12-sided $20 peso coin already in circulation. A new $50 peso bill is expected to be released in the next year.
Travel Insurance
If you are traveling during this time, we recommend that you purchase extra travel insurance, which can help cover things like emergency evacuation, and medical services. You can see our recommendations for travel insurance here.
Graham Mackintosh Ebook Series
Legendary Baja adventurer and author Graham Mackintosh has been busy this year penning a series of six ebooks about his epic kayaking adventures through the Sea of Cortez. Four books are written about kayaking to La Paz, and two books are about his adventures with his rescued stuffed bear, Paddy. The books are mostly photo and caption books with minimal text, focusing on the beautiful photographs that Mackintosh has taken throughout his Baja adventures. The ebooks are all available on Amazon for $2.99 (and one for $3.99) each.
Todos Santos Writers Workshop
The Todos Santos Writers Workshop will be taking place from January 31 to February 6, 2021. Due to COVID, the workshop will be digital this time, but that offers the opportunity for participants to join who may not have been able to travel to Todos Santos to attend in years past. Along with the morning classes, afternoon seminars, and panel discussions, the organizers have worked to integrate some of the magical parts of Todos Santos into the workshop. Videos of local turtle hatchling releases, a hiking trip with a local guide, and tours of local artist studios will be interspersed along with the content of the workshop. To sign up or for more information, visit the Todos Santos Writers Workshop website.
New Paradero Hotel Opening in Todos Santos
A new luxury hotel in Todos Santos, Paradero, is scheduled to open in January. The 35-suite property will focus on activities such as surfing, guided hiking and mountain biking, farming tutorials, and taco tours, that are all included in the room rate. Rates start at $550US/night. For more information or to book, visit the Paradero website.
“Tijuana 1964: The Photography of Harry Crosby” Exhibit in La Jolla
The La Jolla Historical Society reopened on October 15th showing the exhibition “Tijuana: 1964: The Photography of Harry Crosby.” The exhibit features more than 60 black-and-white photographs that Crosby took on assignment of the vibrant life in Tijuana back in the 1960s. In addition to Crosby’s work, there is a gallery featuring an exhibit called “Tijuana 2019” with photographs from twelve high school students (six from San Diego and six from Tijuana) who spent four days in Tijuana last July photographing some of the same locations Crosby did in 1964. The exhibits will be showing through January 10, 2021 and admission is free. More information can be found on the La Jolla Historical Society website. Discover Baja has rare first-edition copies of Crosby’s Tijuana 1964 book for sale.