Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Choose Tecate

Here's a tip, enter Mexico through Tecate and take Highway 3 to Ensenada. That way you'll avoid Tijuana and the Highway 1D coastal corridor with it's gaudy mish mash of development projects. You will miss some beautiful ocean views, but you will have at least avoided an area that has bore the brunt of the violence and corruption in Baja California Norte.

Unfortunately, a crew of venders in the town of Rosarito will be missed. But this alternate route may be the difference between avoiding Mexico altogether and discovering something new and interesting, and safe. By entering Mexico by way of Tecate, you will see another side of Mexico like the flip side of the coin.

Tecate is only 30 miles from Tijuana but worlds away in tempo and old world charm. There's none of Tijuanas congestion or dangerous neighborhoods to avoid. There's nothing perceptively dangerous about the town. Quite the opposite, it's charming, and beautiful the way it lightly disperses into the surrounding hills, where ranches and agriculture begin to dominate. From the hillsides looking down at the town, its downright captivating.

Ensenada is 60 miles away on Highway 3, a pleasant rural route with quite a few pottery shops along the way. The two-lane road passes through several towns before entering the Valley of Guadalupe where Mexico's best wines are produced. This is a beautiful region filled with vineyards, olive orchards. and much more.

Return this way to go back to the U.S. and you won't regret it. There' s only two gates to cross back into the U.S., but the wait and stress is much less than in TJ. You will have discovered a new region in Mexico and dazzled your friends with your insider's knowledge of Baja.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon

Here's a tip, enter Mexico through Tecate and take Highway 3 to Ensenada. That way you'll avoid Tijuana and the Highway 1D coastal corridor with it's gaudy mish mash of development projects. You will miss some beautiful ocean views, but you will have at least avoided an area that has bore the brunt of the violence and corruption in Baja California Norte.

Unfortunately, a crew of venders in the town of Rosarito will be missed. But this alternate route may be the difference between avoiding Mexico altogether and discovering something new and interesting, and safe. By entering Mexico by way of Tecate, you will see another side of Mexico like the flip side of the coin.

Tecate is only 30 miles from Tijuana but worlds away in tempo and old world charm. There's none of Tijuanas congestion or dangerous neighborhoods to avoid. There's nothing perceptively dangerous about the town. Quite the opposite, it's charming, and beautiful the way it lightly disperses into the surrounding hills, where ranches and agriculture begin to dominate. From the hillsides looking down at the town, its downright captivating.

Ensenada is 60 miles away on Highway 3, a pleasant rural route with quite a few pottery shops along the way. The two-lane road passes through several towns before entering the Valley of Guadalupe where Mexico's best wines are produced. This is a beautiful region filled with vineyards, olive orchards. and much more.

Return this way to go back to the U.S. and you won't regret it. There' s only two gates to cross back into the U.S., but the wait and stress is much less than in TJ. You will have discovered a new region in Mexico and dazzled your friends with your insider's knowledge of Baja.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Border News Translations 28: Human Rights; School Bully; Holiday Tips

Next Article

Tips for staying safe when camping in Baja

Caution recommended following the senseless murder of three young men
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader