hi, i'm planning on driving from la to catavina one day, then catavina to mulege the next. i know the mile distance but not sure how that translates in travel time on the baja roads. is this a realistic itinerary? how many hours should i give myself for those destinations? also, any general safety issues to worry about? older travelers are warning me about bandits, but this seems like a danger of the past. thanks for any help.

Looking up the distances: 425 mi LA to Catavina, and 325 mi Catavina to Mulege.

I always drive a camper. I would never try to make that kind of mileage. However, with a car with good acceleration for passing you have a chance. A lot depends on the time to get across the border, must take toll road, and then the time to get through Ensenada (1 hr. Keep in mind that the maximum speed limit is 80 km/hr, maybe 90 km/hr. So, you're going to be speeding on a very narrow road. The state police use radar and a lot of people are being caught. Then there's speed traps, primarily El Rosario. There's strict enforcement before and after Guerro Nego. Then if you miss seeing the "tope" sign you'll be launched skyward. There's a lot of road sections that are so curvy and mountainous that you can't go that fast and if you get behind a couple of big trucks it may be 10 miles before you have a chance of getting around them. Can you start the night before and drive as far as South end of Ensenda or San Quintin (Pinta Hotel there). It's 70 mi TJ to Ensenada and 184 mi Ensenada to San Quintin (+15mi more to La Pinta).

Depending on purpose of trip and how long you're down there (I assume short to be in such a hurry)you can fly from LA to Loreto and then rent a car or take a bus back to Mulege (85 mi). You've got a 1500 mi (minimum r/t)plus Mexican Car insurance. Savings on gas and insurance and picking up 2 or 3 extra days might make the flight worthwhile.

Go to Loreto.com to see transportation. However, last time I check Aerocalifornia was not flying out of LA, only TJ. And it may be due to safety issues. Alaskan and AeroMexicano were servicing LA to Loreto. If you can get to TJ then the AeroCalifornia ticket price to Loreto is cheap - about $120 one way when I checked last month.

I forgot to mention. You have to have a passport to fly in and out of the USA after Jan 1, 2007.

thanks a lot for the advice. i'll try to make the drive in 2 days but will have a back up plan if i don't make my eta.

We just drove Catavina to Mulege in one stretch. Took about 9 hours. LA to Catavina would have been tough for us to do in one day.