The following is our experience checking into Mexico in Ensenada from San Diego, California. We checked into Mexico in Ensenada in and stayed at the Hutchison Ensenada Cruiseport Village Marina in November of 2021. I cannot promise that processes have not since updated but I WILL update this page if/when I hear of any changes.
Checking into Mexico in Ensenada
We arrived in Ensenada, Mexico in November of 2021, a few days after the cruiser-famous Baja Ha-ha passed through the area with hundreds of cruising boats headed south. We wanted to be behind all of that chaos, though I’m not slamming anybody that chooses to join the Baja Ha-ha rally to get south.
We left San Diego at 3AM the morning of ‘go day’ to motor/sail the ~12 hours to get to Ensenada. Sunset was around 6pm and we wanted to make sure that we gave ourselves plenty of time to arrive and get tied up in a slip before dark.
Overview of Marinas in Ensenada | No Anchoring
While en route to Ensenada, we were able to book a reservation at the Ensenada Cruiseport Village Marina.
There are 3 marinas in Ensenada, and you’re not allowed to anchor anywhere- so you have to pick one. Cruiseport Village is the middle-tier marina and we were glad we chose this one.
Originally, we’d been planning to stay at Baja Naval, the lowest cost-point of the marinas here and the most exposed to swell and wakes. After visiting friends there, we were really glad that we picked Cruiseport Village instead. It is a little further from town, and more expensive when paying by the day, but the extreme motion at the docks at Baja Naval made us thankful for our protected spot inside the breakwater at Cruiseport.
The third and final option for a marina in Ensenada is Marina Coral, the most expensive and luxury marina there. We knew some friends that opted for this option and they were also very happy with their choice and the assistance that they received from the marina staff/officials for getting checked in.
So, to recap:
–Baja Naval Marina – cheapest option, very exposed marina to wind and wakes, with fairly rundown docks. Very close in to the malecon. Locked gates.
–Hutchison Cruiseport Village Marina – the middle-tier marina, cost-wise, and the one I recommend and where we stayed. Well protected slips within a breakwater. A 10-15 minute walk to the malecon. Great security and nice amenities (showers, laundry, etc.)
–Marina Coral – the top-tier marina in Ensenada, cost-wise. I’ve never seen it, but have heard good things from friends that stayed there. It’s a ways from the malecon area, I believe there’s a shuttle that will take you to town.
Hutchison Cruiseport Village Marina in Ensenada
So, upon our arrival, the marina had a couple dock workers down on the dock waiting to help us tie the boat up in the slip. We tossed them lines and were not allowed to even step down off of the boat until the doctor came for medical clearance.
They checked Covid vaccine cards, took all of our temperatures, checked oxygen levels, and then Brenden had to fill out a form stating that nobody had died while on passage from San Diego (specifically from any illness or reason other than an accident).
We were thankful that the marina and doctor were willing to start this process of our clearance into the country even though it was later in the afternoon at our arrival. We passed the medical clearance and were then assured that we could go walk around town even though we wouldn’t officially check into the country until the next morning. “Just don’t get into any trouble,” the lady said.
I have since had several friends update me with their first-hand experiences checking into Mexico in Ensenada at Cruiseport Village Marina as recently as January 2023:
– We did not have a doctor check-in or need medical clearance of any sort. They had line catchers to help us into the slip but we were allowed off once we docked.
– We were on D dock and the marina’s supplied internet was quite decent, good enough for us to be on work Zooms all day. It was weak below deck, but being up high in the bridge it worked great.
– The marina office will receive packages for you (and they hand deliver them to the boat). Many folks get their Mexican Starlink once down here and have it sent to Cruiseport.
– The washing machines accept US quarters. $1.50 per load. They offer change in the marina office. The machines were frequently broken, so sometimes there was a wait, but it all generally worked out ok.
– They have a free pumpout service once per month. Otherwise, it’s $10US and they can generally pumpout the same day you request it, barring that the tide isn’t too low for the ramp to be too steep for the machine to come down.
Our first stroll in Mexico
We did take the opportunity to stretch our legs and headed down to the Malecon (boardwalk/waterfront) to get our first impression of Mexico before officially checking into Mexico in Ensenada. There was a cruise ship docked near our marina and many, many vendors along the waterfront trying to sell us wares or entice us to come into their restaurant to eat. It was pretty overwhelming really.
We quickly learned to say, “No gracias.” and just keep walking.
Before too long, we got a little chilly and decided to head back to the boat. There was a portable fence now blocking the main path back to our marina and we had to backtrack to get around. There’s a gatehouse checkpoint on the road into the marina and where the cruise ships dock, and we were stopped and questioned by a guard asking where we were going. We struggled through with very limited Spanish and were eventually allowed past the gate to go back to the boat.
Checking into Mexico in Ensenada: FMMs and TIP
The next day, we checked into the marina officially and they had an agent that drove us to the official offices to complete the process of checking into Mexico in Ensenada. It was crowded and everybody was speaking so fast, we 100% didn’t know what all was happening.
Eventually, another driver from the marina took the kids and I back to the marina and we left Brenden to finish the check in and getting our TIP (a document to allow us to have the boat in Mexico). Thankfully, they do this enough that it was all routine for them, but it was a bit strange to us since we couldn’t understand most of what they were saying. Just smile and hand over the credit card. If they’re happy, we’re happy.
At the end of it all, they said we were all checked in. Grin and just believe that to be true, check the forms and receipts as best we can with it all being in Spanish. Ha. Google Translate helps.
Getting Money in Ensenada – Pesos!
Checking into Mexico in Ensenada took all morning. In the early afternoon, we walked back to the Malecon and around town a bit trying to get some pesos from various different ATMs. The debit card shut off but we were able to get a small amount of pesos, at least. Brenden spent 45 minutes on the phone with the bank arguing about access to funds.
We fumbled awkwardly trying to order fish and shrimp tacos from a streetside taco stand. Once we finally got them, boy they were delicious (and only ~$11 USD for all ten of them). But the whole experience left us frustrated and overwhelmed. Again.
After that, we walked down to the Baja Naval Marina and spent a couple hours hanging out with our friends from Captain Musick and a couple other cruising boats. It was a nice break from the culture shock and great to hear everybody else’s experiences.
We all chatted weather and when we should leave. We had all arrived within a day of each other and were in similar places in the process. We were thinking of trying to leave on Sunday or would need to wait until at least the following Thursday due to a system of higher wind coming in for a couple days.
On Saturday, we were able to get some more pesos from an ATM and also bought a SIM card at an OXXO for Brenden’s phone which we hoped would get him Mexican phone and data for internet. It didn’t work though and we spent hours messing with that and finally gave up, yet again feeling defeated. We decided that evening that we were not ready to leave the next day even though many of the other boats that we knew confirmed with us that they were leaving.
Pay for the longer option unless you’re certain you’ll leave within a few days…
On Sunday, we talked with the marina and decided to pay for staying a whole month. We’d paid about $320 USD to stay for the first 3 nights. The rate (in 2021) was $2.10 per foot per night, at the nightly rate. That’s pretty expensive, even by US standards. But their monthly rate is $11 per foot for the month, so we opted to take the hit and pay the $440 USD and just be paid up for a month and not rushed out.
Yes, you read that right. We paid:
– $320 USD for 3 nights at Cruiseport Village, then
– $440 USD for the next 30 nights (no obligation to stay that whole length of time, of course)
Unfortunately, the marina would not credit the first 3 nights’ worth of payment toward the month. Wish we had just paid for a whole month from the start. But we just didn’t know.
Cell Phones in Mexico – TELCEL SIM Cards, and groceries!
Thankfully, on Sunday, after talking to some other cruisers in our marina, we found out that the first SIM card we’d bought the day before likely just wasn’t actually activated.
We went to another OXXO and Brenden bought another SIM and made sure to request “activar” to have the lady activate the card. He came out saying, “she definitely did more things.”
After that, we walked up to a Mayorista Market and enjoyed our first experience getting groceries in Mexico. We didn’t need much but just mostly wanted to see what was available. We fully recognize that that store was fairly Americanized, but we still were happy with what we found and came back to the boat with some new foods to try.
Back at the boat, Brenden was able to get it the SIM card sorted out and working in his phone. It felt like a successful day!
Working While Cruising: Using Telcel Data for Internet
The functioning cell phone SIM card allowed me to get online and work some on Monday, which was great. If we’re going to be staying in Ensenada a little longer, I need to be able to work because we already know that we won’t have internet or cell service for much of the outside down the Baja peninsula, and I didn’t have enough PTO to cover more than a week, so to be able to work while we waited there and got stuff figured out was a big relief.
After working for several hours on Monday, we decided to go into town again but wanted to go explore to the south a little to check out the nearby beach. We ventured into a small beachfront restaurant shack and ordered tacos all around, sodas, and Brenden had a beer. The tacos were good and we enjoyed the experience. Every encounter that we had with a Spanish speaker helped us get a little more comfortable speaking the language. We practiced and studied a lot those first few days out of pure necessity.
After our taco lunch, Brenden found a small Italian ice cream stand and we all had small scoops of the deliciously creamy treat. Lunch and the ice cream totaled about $23 USD.
We also found another convenience store and Brenden bought a SIM card to get my phone set up and then we walked back toward the marina along the beach. There was a man selling horse rides on the beach, but we said, “no gracias” and he smiled and moved on.
Settling into a new routine: Cruising in Mexico
Tuesday, I worked for a good chunk of the day, and it was the first day that we allowed ourselves to just stay on the boat and not go into town. We did Spanish lessons, of course, and watched the tracks of our friends’ boats as they moved south without us. Feeling a little left behind, but also at peace with our decision not to rush, we watched the weather forecasts and considered our next move.
Each day got a little bit easier, and we just keep reminding ourselves, especially when something was really hard or we were frustrated by one thing or another, that this is what we had signed up for. We knew that we would struggle. We knew this would be hard at times, especially as we were first adjusting to an entirely new culture.
We got through it, obviously, giving each other grace and support, and accepting shelter in our home when we need some normalcy.
Ultimately, we ended up staying another 7 or 10 days in Ensenada (I can’t remember for sure) before we took a nice weather window to sail south to Turtle Bay and then continue onward down Baja. Check out what was in store for us next HERE.