If you are a camper and you enjoy a challenge, camping in Mexico could be just the challenge you are looking for. It is a country of mystery and intrigue, but is you have never camped before, leave visiting Mexico until you have a little experience. The last thing you need when on a camping vacation, is to find yourself in the Chihuahuan Desert, believing you can stop at the next Chevron for bottled water, it aint going to happen. The only thing you may find is a muddy puddle, or a Gila Monster if you are lucky.
You have to plan carefully for camping in Mexico, and this is part of the excitement of making a trip like this. You need to keep things to the minimum, yet make sure you have everything you need. Because regardless of how careful your planning you have to be adventurous, because and incident free trip is rare.
The most fantastic camping opportunities are likely to appear out of nowhere, and this is the beauty of camping. If you camp in Mexico you will come home with incredible lasting memories, but to remind you again, this is not for the faint hearted.
You have to be prepared to camp and dress for any conditions, and one night you could be in the searing dessert and the next in snowy, pine forested mountains. One good thing is that dessert night conditions are cold, so you will have clothing for both these eventualities. You may even experience tropical storms!
Flexibility is key to your enjoyment of this experience, unpredictability has to embraced, and carefully laid plans, change at the very last minute!
Making use of a camping checklist is a good idea, as this helps you to take what you need without overdoing it. These are available online, so make use of one. Shop for your luxuries in the US, while shopping in unfamiliar stores in unfamiliar Mexican towns is fun, if you are a woman and you want a Hershey bar now, you will be in for a long wait. Nachos can never replace your favorite chocolate bar.
Never drink Mexican tap or river water, in fact no-matter where you camp, don’t drink the tap water, you know nothing about it. Camping with dysentery is no fun; take it from me, the idiot who ate fresh oysters from Brazilian waters. Bottled water is a must for drinking and you may have to bathe in a puddle or river water, so take biodegradable toiletries. We all have to do our bit to protect the environment. Make sure you take toilet paper. Remember the Baz Lerman song “sunscreen”, take that too.
A medical kit is vital, and if you don’t know what to put in yours, then perhaps you are not practical enough to be camping in Mexico. My mother suggests, anti-diarrhea and nausea medication, elastoplasts of various sizes, asprin and brandy (her cure all).
