Tips for Crossing Borders
in Mexico and Central America

The one thing I can say about border crossings is that each crossing is different from the last. There are a lot of intangibles that influence the process.

In the following section I suggest ways to make the passage easier, comment on the conditions of the roads and spare parts for your car, and give details about the border crossings we used, including official and non-official costs. The details discussed here are based on our first trip through Mexico and Central America in the late 1990s with our cat. It's likely that much of the information is out-of-date, but I'm leaving it on the web because I would have loved to hear any detailed stories about crossing borders in Latin America before our journey. There seem to be few people who are willing to post how things really work. We never volunteered paying "extra, undocumented fees", but when an official won't return your passport until you "contribute", it seems best to adapt to the "system".

Preparation for Latin American Borders

• The more Spanish you speak the easier it will be to cross.
• Dress conservatively on border crossing days -- men in Latin America don't seem to wear very brightly colored shirts and they never seem to wear shorts.
• Have plenty of small bills in both the local and US currency. You won't get change when you pay bribes or tips.
• Never let anyone see more than a small amount of money in any form, but don't appear to be hiding it either. Before you get to the border put away all but what you need for the crossing. Use multiple stashes in increasing amounts.
• If the official suggests a bribe and gives an amount, always try to dicker for a lower one or the price will increase. There seems to be an unwritten rule that every official in the "transaction" must get at least $5 so if you try to talk to the "jefe" to get a better deal, remember that each added layer in the negotiation ups the minimum.
• If you'd like to offer a bribe (that the official hasn't specifically demanded), be discreet where and how you ask. Usually asking if there is any other way to handle the situation will open the discussions. Never take your wallet out where other people can easily see that you're paying a bribe. Most countries have an official policy that bribes aren't to be accepted, but the guards aren't well paid so they're usually happy to accommodate ...
• It may be possible to never pay a bribe. But many times you have 2 options: pay the bribe or wait for days until the guards tire of waiting for you to cough up the money. We do know of people who simply refused, the border magically closed "for Americans", and finally two or three days later they were allowed through. Once or twice we were kept waiting a few hours when we refused to pay an initial demand of hundreds of dollars. This a very good reason to start your border crossings early in the day.
• If a man and woman are traveling together, the person of the opposite sex than the official inspecting the vehicle, paperwork, etc. should try to handle the crossing unless you perceive the border as unsafe and then use your best judgement.
• The moneychangers at borders have the worst rates anywhere. Some are very honest; many are not. Watch for shortchanging in various forms. Don't change more than you must for your immediate needs. If you don't know the approximate exchange rates before you exchange currency at a border, you will be very unhappy later when you check the going rate. Negotiate if the rate is too high; there are usually several moneychangers around.

Conditions of Roads and Suggestions for Spare Parts

The roads throughout much of Central America can be rough (lots of pot holes, washouts, livestock resting in the highway), but passable with care. I'd strongly suggest that you follow everyone's advice and only drive during the day. You'll want to allow more time to travel, too. We averaged 35 to 40 miles an hour driving the 3,120 miles from the US-Mexico border to San Jose, Costa Rica. Most of the Mexican and Panamanian highways were in good repair.

I'd suggest that you get at least 3 spare air filters and at least 6 fuel filters for your vehicle. This is enough for years in the US, but you'll need them in a single trip in Central America. Or you'll have a dead vehicle until you get the filters shipped in, as we did more than once. The dust in the desert and the impurities in the gas are tough on filters ... and, it's not always easy to find them in the middle of nowhere. If you can find a matching fuel filter with replacable foam inside, which are sometimes available in Mexico, protect it like the treasure it is. Also, make sure your tires are in good shape, including the spare, and that you have a reliable car jack ... we had 4 flat tires in one week ... it's a record I hope we never repeat ... or break.

Border Crossings We Used

We wandered through Mexico and only paid attention to roads to the extent that they were generally heading south. As we approached Guatemala, we got onto the Panamerican Highway and followed that road most of the way through Central America. We did vary our route through Nicaragua to avoid the capital and were rewarded by finding one of the best resturants along the side of the road -- my mouth waters at the thought! And, we used the smaller crossing into Panama, but you must be willing to drive on one of the roughest roads in Costa Rica that we've ever used -- and that's saying a lot.

Basically, to discover the major highways we used through Central America, just get a good map and connect the dots (i.e., the border crossings).

Eagle Pass, Texas - Piedras Negras, Mexico: 45-60 minutes

• Texas
  
  • Buy Mexican insurance before you cross the border
  • Just drive through; there's no checking as you exit the USA
• Mexico
  
  • $11 for the vehicle which you must charge to a credit card in your name or pay a large cash "deposit"
  • You'll need the original copy of the title for your vehicle in your name. This means you can't use someone else's car or one where you're making payments.
  • Inspection was cursory

Cuidad Cuahtemoc, Mexico - La Mesilla, Guatemala: 30-45 minutes

• Mexico
  
  • $8 in pesos so they wouldn't fumigate the car
• Guatemala
  
  • $16 in quetzals
  • get careful details about the vehicle on the Guatemala forms (radio, spare tire, etc.) or you may be charged for these when you exit Guatemala
  • glanced in the vehicle's windows for their inspection

San Cristobol, Guatemala - San Cristobol, El Salvador: 90 minutes;

• Guatemala
  
  • $15 to Guatemala in quetzals
  • $2 to our border guide (who turned out to be the jefe's nephew which really sped up the process)
• El Salvador
  
  • $20 for tourist cards
  • $20 in bribes to get our passports back from one official
  • $2-3 to border guides
  • all payments, except for the guides, had to be made in US dollars
  • glanced in the vehicle's windows for inspection

Amatillo, El Salvador - Amatillo, Honduras: 3 hours;

• El Salvador
  
  • $3 to El Salvador in colones;
• Honduras
  
  • $46 to Honduras (they originally demanded $600; at one point 8 guys surrounded Mark demanding more money; after it became clear that Mark wasn't going to be intimidated, the guys slowly wandered off; Mark finally negotiated with the chief official to get a more reasonable price; the jefe explained to Mark that each of the 3 or 4 officials who dealt with us would demand $5 from the final cut, so Mark decided he couldn't get it any lower)
  • $1 to the border guide who tried to rip us off for an extra $15
  • all monies paid in US dollars because we didn't have any local currency, but I doubt they cared what we used
  • customs never even saw our vehicle so no inspection
  • we hope never to cross this border again; everyone we've talked with has had similar stories to tell

El Triunfo, Honduras - Somotillo, Nicaragua: 2 hours

• Honduras
  
  • $25 in local currency
  • $1 to our young border guide in local currency
• Nicaragua
  
  • $45 to Nicaragua in local currency
  • never looked at the vehicle

Sapoa, Nicaragua- Penas Blancas, Costa Rica: 2 hours

• Nicaragua
  
  • $6 to Nicaragua in local currency
  • $2 for the border guide
• Costa Rica
  
  • $42 in local currency which included car insurance/taxes for 3 months
  • quick search of vehicle
  • no border guides available; none needed

Sixola, Costa Rica - Guabito, Panama: 30 minutes one time; 2.5 hours another

• Costa Rica
  
  • $0 to Costa Rica (make sure you're leaving within 3 months of the last time you entered CR or get an exit visa in San Jose)
• Panama
  
  • $5 to Panama for the vehicle
  • no need for border guides
  • inspection cursory