LaPaz Blog

Paradise in La Paz

Shuttle To La Paz From Cabo

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Shuttle To Lapaz

A great new transportation option is making the journey to and from La Paz and the San Jose del Cabo airport much more pleasant.

Several resorts and businesses in La Paz (including Paraiso del Mar, Turismo, La Paz Emprohotur, Bahia de los Suenos, Costa Baja, Ntremares, Azul de Cortez and Ecobaja Tours) have banded together to sponsor a “luxury” express shuttle bus. Here’s the link:

Shuttle To La Paz

Route Between La Paz & Cabo

Upon arrival, Shuttle To La Paz leaves directly from the SJC airport, so you don’t have to go to the bus terminal in San Jose and transfer to the regular bus that makes every stop along the way through Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos.

Shuttle To La Paz takes the more direct east cape route. Making no other stops, the trip lasts about three hours each way. The bus is comfortable, the drivers are very cautious and the scenery … as you well know … is GORGEOUS!

Schedule & Price

The fare is $325 pesos per person, each way.

You can reserve seats.

The shuttle leaves from Terminal 1 at SJC at approximately 2:30 PM and 5 PM.

The shuttle leaves from the bus terminal on the Malecon in La Paz at approximately 7 AM and 9 AM.

Contact Shuttle To La Paz

You can make reservations online and pay with your credit card at Shuttle To La Paz. Phone numbers:

01-800-026-8331 Mexico
1-888-822-9925 U.S.

I wouldn’t count on reaching someone who can speak English, however.

I have taken this shuttle on three separate occasions now, and each time found it a pleasant and efficient way to get to and from La Paz and the San Jose del Cabo airport.

Baggage Carry-on At La Paz, Mexico Airport

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WARNING!  Pack your carry-on bags prudently the next time you depart from Mexico!

If anyone knows specifics of a new carry-on policy in Mexico, I’d love to hear them. For now I can only share my experience departing from the La Paz International airport two weeks ago. It happened quickly and airport staff was not long on details.

The usual bag inspection procedure in Mexico involves hand-inspecting all checked luggage prior to checking in.  Carry-ons are X-rayed at the security checkpoint, then hand inspected prior to boarding.

On this trip I had no checked luggage – only a camera bag as my “personal item” and a 10 x 18 inch carry-on with wheels that easily fits in the overhead of the small jets flying out of La Paz. When the inspector grabbed my roller prior to checking in, I informed him it was carry-on but he insisted on hand inspecting.  

When he finished inspecting the bag,  I tried to retrieve it but he would not let me touch it. He carried it over to the counter, just as though it were checked luggage. The inspector pointed to a sign that said something about new carryon policies.  He said it would be gate checked, and available immediately upon arrival in Los Angeles. “Period. End of conversation. Next…”

There was little I could do without creating a scene. You can imagine my relief to find the large sum of cash and prescription medication were still in the bag when I picked it up at LAX.

Mexican authorities may be trying to cut down on the hand inspections conducted at the gate on all carry-on bags. What I don’t know is…

… whether this policy is only for Alaska Airline flights because  people try to take everything in carry-ons after Alaska’s new policy to charge for checked bags, or

… whether they were only confiscating carry-ons with wheels, or

… whether this policy is only in La Paz or all of Mexico, or

… whether it is permanent or one of Mexico’s temporary security checks.

Until we know more, be very careful to keep cash, valuables, medication, cameras, the book you plan to read, etc. in your clothing or a very small bag that you can be sure of carrying on the plane as your “personal item.”

La Paz Airport Security Screening

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Most first time visitors leaving through the airport in La Paz, Baja California Sur,  are caught by surprise when their beverages are confiscated prior to boarding.

This airport has a unique security screening process.

At every airport I have visited in Mexico, all bags are inspected by hand. The checked luggage is inspected  prior to check-in, but not the carry-ons. 

Then, even though you put them through the X-ray system, your carryons will be hand inspected prior to boarding.

The beverage policy, however, is unique at the La Paz International Airport. Perhaps this policy exists at other Mexican airports, but I have not experienced it.

Due to the heat, many visitors bring bottles of water and other beverages to the airport. They dutifully drink as much as possible, then dump the remainder prior to going through security. Then they buy new drinks inside the waiting area, expecting to take them on board.

Think again!

You are not allowed to board a plane in La Paz with any beverages, even those purchased inside the security check point. When your carryons are hand inspected prior to boarding, all beverages will be confiscated.

The good news is … you ARE allowed to bring your beverages through the security checkpoint, so there is no need to dump them. Bring them on in, just finish them up before your plane arrives.

Bus To Cabo, La Paz & Baja

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It is difficult to locate the website for the aforementioned Aguila bus line that can transport you between Los Cabos, Todos Santos, La Paz, or most of the Baja peninsula for that matter. In fact, many posts on Answers.com and other blogs say they have no website and you must call for the schedule. This is not true but you’ll be hard pressed to reach the website even through a lengthy Google search.

We present the link for you here, and suggest you bookmark the website or save the link so you won’t have to search for it when you need it.

 www.peninsulaejecutivo.com

The website is in Spanish, but even if you don’t read the language, the schedule and fare sections are pretty straight-forward.

If you speak enough Spanish, you can also call the Aguila bus station in San Jose at 011-52 (624) 142-1100- for schedules, routes and prices. You probably won’t reach someone who speaks much English.

From La Paz, you will catch the Aguila bus from the station conveniently located right on the Malecon. You can also catch it in Todos Santos,  Cabos San Lucas, or near downtown San Jose del Cabo.

From the airport in San Jose, you’ll have to take the shuttle ($13 U.S. in February 2009) to the Aguila bus station.  You can pay the fare to San Lucas, Todos Santos or La Paz right on the bus, in pesos.

If money is no object, you can take one of the many cabs from the airport to the Aguila bus station on Valerio Gonzalez Boulevard in San Jose del Cabo. We were hustled by a driver who said he WAS the shuttle, which we believed until he quoted $50 U.S. for the 8 mile ride to the bus station.  The shuttle is a large bus which will park right outside the exit from Customs once it arrives.

The first stop may be the liquor store, where you can load up on cold beer or other refreshments at a better price than your hotel. Undoubtedly the driver gets a kickback, so it works for everybody.

Note that almost everything is quoted and demanded in U.S. dollars at the airport, but in town, either pesos or dollars are often accepted. You will often get a better rate if you pay in pesos. Some places, such as the bus system, accept only pesos.

Change a little U.S. into pesos at the airport if you need to, but save the bulk for a better exchange rate. The last time we changed money at the San Jose airport, we lost about 2 pesos per dollar.

Your trip will take between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 hours, depending upon the route taken. Buses travel north from San Jose to La Paz, or south to Cabo San Lucas, around the tip of the peninsula, then north to La Paz.

Three years ago we rented a car in San Jose del Cabo and drove the east cape north to La Paz. Along the way we asked a lady waiting at a remote bus stop if she wanted a ride. She accepted and between her few words of English and our small selection of Spanish, we had a delightful drive to La Paz.

There are all kinds of ways to make the trip interesting :=)