Touring - routes through Mexico

A friend and I want to spend about a month touring through Mexico next spring. We are looking for suggestions about routes. I've been trying to find books but have not had any luck so far.

My brother is going to drop us off at or near the Mexico/US border and we want to travel south through the country and then take a bus or plane back. Costal route? Through the middle? Anybody want to share a previous route they took? Thanks!

You can see my itineraries through Mexico on the following webpages i made after my cycling trips there.
www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/guerrero (http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/guerrero)
www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/oaxaca (http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/oaxaca)
My friend Basil runs bike tours in Mexico. You can see his itineraries at
www.bikemexico.com (http://www.bikemexico.com)
Email me for more info and dont forget to sign my Guestbook.

My brother is going to drop us off at or near the Mexico/US border and we want to travel south through the country and then take a bus or plane back. Costal route? Through the middle? Anybody want to share a previous route they took? Thanks!
Well, it all depends on what do you want. Do you preferr tropical or desert? Do you prefer mountains or plain? off road or on road? What time of year?

Also, do you preferr to go thru big cities or not? What more tourist like places or not that tourist oriented? Historical places or modern?

Thanks for your thought provoking questions, rimugu.

We would prefer tropical to desert. hills over mountains or plains! on road rather than off road. rural rather than urban. less tourist oriented places, and more historical places. Also we will be leaving sometime next February or March and we are planning to tour for at least a month (could go longer) and would prefer to bike in a line and fly or take a train back rather than do a loop. Thanks for the input!

In November 2005, I toured 2.5 weeks from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuantenejo along Highway 200 with a great group led by Basil and Alix of www.bikemexico.com (http://www.bikemexico.com). I highly recommend this route for those seeking beaches, usually minimal courteous traffic, excellent paved roads, low expenses and, in the dry season, alot of sunshine. It is rural, not mountains and personally I would also prefer flying back versus the bus.

do tourists need a passport in mexico now??? i plan to bike there next year

We would prefer tropical to desert. hills over mountains or plains! on road rather than off road. rural rather than urban. less tourist oriented places, and more historical places. Also we will be leaving sometime next February or March and we are planning to tour for at least a month (could go longer) and would prefer to bike in a line and fly or take a train back rather than do a loop. Thanks for the input!
I cannot help much, I am more a desert fan than a tropical fan and do more off road than on road.
But the link rotary provided has some interesting information that may be useful, specialy on possible intineraries and FAQ. Also, there is a bunch of new airlines these days in Mexico, like volare, click, interjet plus the old ones Mexicana and Aeromexico. So there are several options now. Although there are bus lines of all sorts, including some better than in USA in case you need them.

Some links that you can use for your route planning

- For a good general overview in English
http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/

- Road atlas from the government agency that handles transportation (not exactly bike oriented, but nonetheless useful) Spanish
http://portal.sct.gob.mx/SctPortal/a...geLabel=P24095

- Interactive map from the government agency that handles statistics (you can even get elevation curves) Spanish
http://galileo.inegi.gob.mx/website/...423&s=geo&md=d
These same guys have printed topographic maps of all Mexico.

We are looking for suggestions about routes. I've been trying to find books but have not had any luck so far.
The best book for route information is the out-of-print book "Bicycling Mexico" by Ericka Weisbroth & Eric Ellman. You should be able to buy a used copy online fairly easily and cheaply if you want it shipped within the USA. Though much of the information in the book is out of date, the route information is still valid, and there is a lot of other still-useful information in the book. It is extremely well written and is enjoyable to read.


do tourists need a passport in mexico now??? i plan to bike there next year
Whether you need a passport (or visa) to enter Mexico depends on what country you're from. If you're from the USA and wish to return home after 1/1/2008, you'll need a US passport to get home. (I wouldn't seek passport information from a bike touring forum, however.)

If you're from the USA and wish to return home after 1/1/2008, you'll need a US passport to get home.To further clarify, I believe the above is correct if you're crossing a land border. However, beginning January 8, 2007, if you're FLYING from Mexico (or Canada) to the USA, American citizens will need a passport.

Although it is a dry desert, the Baja California penninsula seemed nicer than the Mexican mainland return half of our tour. In comparison the population and traffic is less crowded, the pace of life more relaxed, and the scenery better (the ocean along Hiway 1 on the West and boojum cactus in the middle and East). From there (Eastern side of B.C.) you can take an overnight ferry cross the Gulf to the mainland Mexican Riviera, (maybe its possible to get ferry tickets in advance, we had to wait hours at the front of long lines or would have been shut out).