Itinerary: Basic Guide Service Package

Your trip with Cedros Outdoor Adventures is coming up soon!

Please carefully review the information below to ensure an easy & safe trip. Legal and safety regulations are in red.

Documents needed for travel:

Mexican fishing license. You will need to purchase a Mexican fishing license in advance of your trip. There are

a couple of ways to do this.

• You can purchase this from tackle stores around San Diego harbor such as Fisherman’s Landing.
• You can also buy your fishing license online from the Mexican government: https://www.sportfishingbcs.gob.mx
  • If you have an issue please contact: Customer Support: English +1 (805) 857-9349; email: fonmar@gmail.com

A valid passport. Passport must be good for 6 months from travel date. Passport cards are NOT valid for international flights.

Adults traveling with minors: Must have copies of both parents’ passports and a signed consent letter from any non-attending parent stating their permission for a minor child to travel into Mexico. The form: MENORES

Packing Tips

You CANNOT bring illegal drugs OR marijuana (or any products containing cannabis or THC) into or out of Mexico! 

Medical marijuana cards are NOT valid in Mexico, and it’s illegal to cross the border with any type of cannabis products. Also now illegal in Mexico: ALL vaping devices, including tobacco. You may be subject to search by military personnel, border patrol, and/or drug-sniffing dogs when you clear customs coming and going at Ensenada and at Cedros Island.

Pack and weigh your gear: 

• Here’s a general travel checklist: https://cedrosoutdooradventures.com/category/travel-checklist/.
• Our list of recommended gear to bring: https://cedrosoutdooradventures.com/category/fishing-gear/
• Please bring 2 lightweight cooler bags to bring your fish home.

Please use soft bags (backpacks or duffels), which can be accommodated easily in the hold. Small, lightweight, hard-sided tackle boxes are also fine.

• We strongly suggest you limit your gear and luggage to 30-40 lbs.
  • Aim for 5 lbs. clothes and personal items, 25 lbs. for fishing gear. If you choose wisely, this should be sufficient.
  • The first 25 kilos (about 50 lbs.) of gear and luggage (including fish) is included in your package (the airline allows 15 kilos, we pay for 10 kilos). Above that, the current cost is 25 pesos a kilo payable to ASG (subject to change).
  • The amount of fish you can bring back depends on the weight passengers and gear on your return flight. The pilot is legally in charge of making the decision how much weight is safe to carry, depending on flying conditions. Bottom line, the less gear you bring, the more fish you can take home.
  • Tips to reduce weight:
    • We will provide sinkers, so you don’t have to pack those.
    • We have Seeker rods that are free for you to use.
    • The lists of recommended Cedros gear on our website will help keep your weight down while ensuring you have what you need.
    • Recent fishing reports will tell you what species are biting and on what.

Suggested Tipping Model

Directions to Brown Field Airport: 

• From Interstate 5 South: Take the 905 East exit and proceed 5 miles. Take the Britannia Blvd Exit, turn left, and then left onto Otay Mesa Road. Proceed .5 mile, turn right at Cactus, and then an immediate right onto Continental Street
• From Interstate 805 South: Take the 905 East exit and proceed 5 miles. Take the Britannia Blvd Exit, turn left, and then left onto Otay Mesa Road. Proceed .5 mile, turn right at Cactus, and then an immediate right onto Continental Street.
• From Interstate 125 South (toll road): Turn right on 905 West and proceed 2 miles. Turn right at Cactus and an immediate right on Continental Street.

How to Pay: The security guard will leave an envelope on your window with the amount you owe. When you return, you can pay at the operations office. If no one is in the office you can leave your payment envelope in the drop box. If you are paying in person they take credit card, cash, or check. If the office is closed you can mail in your payment by check.

Tourist Visa/FMM/I94: The van driver will stop at the border for you to get your tourist visa. You can get a free one-week visa. (Please check to make sure the agent has clearly and correctly written the dates, as immigration in Ensenada will check this before you are allowed to board the plane.) Otherwise, a 6-month tourist visa costs about $28. You can pay in dollars or pesos.

Drive to Ensenada: Enjoy views of the Pacific. The drive takes about two hours. If you need to buy snacks or drinks before arriving at the airport, just ask the driver.

At Ensenada Airport you will board a Cessna Grand Caravan to Cedros. This is a commercially licensed aircraft operated by a regional airline called Aero Servicios Guerrero (A.S.G.), which operates out of Guerrero Negro in Baja California Sur. It has a 13-passenger/1000 lbs. Cargo capacity.

Luggage and Gear: The first 25 kilos (about 50 lbs.) of gear and luggage (including fish) is included. Above that, the current cost is 25 pesos a kilo payable to ASG  (subject to change).

Oversized luggage fee for the rods. Currently, the first two rods are free. Any additional rods are 100 pesos each (payable to ASG, fee subject to change).

Try to limit rod length to 8′ but if you have a favorite that is longer it is okay. Don’t bring rod cases, as they can’t be sent on the plane. The airline company requires that rods be bundled together in groups of 2 or 3. We recommend using pipe insulation foam or something similar to protect 1-2 feet of the fragile ends.

There is a luggage cost chart at the bottom of this email. We recommend that you weigh your gear and calculate approx. How much (if any) you will need to pay before traveling. It will make things easier at the airport.

Flight Time: The flight from Ensenada is about 1 hour 50 minutes.

Arrival on Cedros: 

• You will be met at the airport by our staff and taken to Baja Magic Lodge, our private oceanfront lodge.
• At the lodge, you will drop off your luggage and get ready to fish. The cooks will have a lunch of quesadillas and guacamole ready for you. If you would like something different, let us know ahead of time, and we’ll have it ready.
• As soon as you eat and get your gear ready, you can go out to fish. If the plane runs late and you can’t go out on the first day, we will try to compensate for your fishing time by arranging extra hours on the regular days and/or the morning of the last day of the trip if possible.

BE SURE TO CARRY YOUR FISHING LICENSE ON THE BOATS WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. 

Your Stay at Baja Magic Lodge:

Melanie and Jose are the owners, and one of them will usually be at the lodge during the summer months. Mike, our guest services manager, will be available to help with anything you need. If you have any questions or concerns, please let one of us know immediately. We want your stay to be enjoyable.

Breakfast and dinner are served family-style, and our cooks are great. If you have any dietary restrictions, please make sure to let us know in advance, since much of our food is flown in. For any last-minute requests, let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. All produce is washed in drinking water and an iodine solution. The drinking water is purified by reverse osmosis. However, if you are still concerned about your stomach, many people recommend taking probiotic supplements before and during travel to foreign countries.

For breakfast, the cooks prepare big, hot meals. Cereal and fruit are also available. Breakfast is normally at 5:30, and you leave for fishing at 6:00 am. If you would rather have your breakfast prepared at a different time or go out fishing later, just let us know.

Lunch: we prepare lunches to go for the boats. You also have the option of coming back to the lodge if you are fishing nearby. Lunch options include burritos, sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, chips, etc. You should fill out the lunch order form each night at dinner to let us know what you want for lunch the next day.

Dinners: The menu for each night is posted in the kitchen in the morning. If you want more details or prefer something else, let us know. Dinner is at about 6:30, after fishing, and usually includes soup, an entree, veggies or a salad, and dessert. If you would like the cooks to prepare any of your fish, just ask! Yellowtail or calico sashimi style with soy and wasabi is a popular option. We also have a barbeque grill.

Days 2-5: You can fish up to 12 hours (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) each full day you’re on the island. If you want to fish less than that, just ask your driver to bring you in when you’re ready. You can take a siesta and go back out again. It’s up to you and the others in your panga boat. The pangeros are local, and most do not speak English. They are very experienced and know what to do, but if you have trouble communicating, let us know, and we will help!

Tipping: Tips are shared among several groups:

• Lodge staff: the people who cook and clean and perform maintenance.
• Dock staff: the guys who clean and package fish and drive you back and forth to the dock and airport.
• Pangero: the captain of your boat
• Link to our tipping model

The suggested tip total is about 10-15% of your total package cost. For example: for a $2000 package, that would be $200-$300 in tips divided among the groups as you see fit. Of course, you can always leave more if you appreciate the service. Our hardworking staff thanks you!

Give Away

Did you know that every year we give away a 50% discount on a future trip? To enter, submit pictures or short videos of the fish you caught on a COA trip this season, with the following details:

• Dates of your trip
• What fish you caught
• What bait and gear you used

Send details to melanie@cedrosoutdooradventures.com.

We will use this info in reports on our blog and Facebook page. At the end of this season, we will put the names of everyone who submitted a report in a hat and do a drawing. The winner will be announced at the end of the year.

Our Phone Numbers:

• Cedros Outdoor Adventures: (619) 793.5419 (U.S.): This rings into the main office.
• Rowan’s Mexican Cell: (dialing from U.S. 011.52) 646.127.2618
• Baja Magic Lodge in Cedros (from U.S.):  011.52.616.158.5450.

Call us if you have any questions or concerns; otherwise, have a great trip!

Airline cost chart for reference at the airport:

• Weigh your luggage before traveling so you have an idea of how much weight you’re carrying and calculate how much you will owe using the chart below. If you’re traveling with friends, you can ask to be weighed as a group, if that works better for you.
• The airline representative should weigh your luggage and ask you how many rods (canas, pronounced canyas, in Spanish) you have.
• He/she will then charge you accordingly. If there is any confusion, ask your van transportation guide for assistance.

Calculating Weight and Rod Charges with A.S.G (Aero Servicios Guerro)/Como calcular cuanto cuesta pesa y canas con A.S.G.

*Travel Disclaimer: Cedros Outdoor Adventures is not an airline, nor are we associated with any airline, nor do we sell any type of travel by air, land or sea. COA arranges transportation to Cedros Island, Mexico, as an incidental part of our fishing and eco-tour packages, solely for the convenience of our clients.