Driving to and around Colima, Mexico?

Question

Hi, I would like to know if it is advisable to drive from California to Colima, Mexico. If not, can I rent a car there? What is driving like in and around Colima? Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

Watch out for the tarantulas crossing the road.

Answer 2

We took a road trip from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta with our (then) 9 month son about a year ago - and it was awesome!  I would definitely do it again.  We broke the trip up into several days and went from southern California to Tucson, then from Tucson through Nogales and down all the way to San Carlos/Guaymas - then to Mazatlan, and finally down to PV.  Your trip would take maybe one more day - Colima is southeast, I think.  We drove about 7 hours at a time, sometimes more.  The whole trip took about 24 hours driving time.  It was fantastic - the further south you go, the more beautiful and green everything is.  Rolling fields, tropical forests - really pretty.  The roads are a little windy between Mazatlan and PV but you might not experience that if you take the turnoff to Colima instead of PV.  

I don't know anything about the tarantulas they are talking about (yikes!) but I can tell you that if you decide to drive, you should bring a camera because you will be amazed by how beautiful Mexico is.  I had no idea!  Driving is really the best way to see and appreciate it too - cuz you can stop and get food and chat with the locals, and stay anywhere you like!  We loved the freedom of being able to plan our trip day by day.

Last thing is - especially on a long driving trip (even though the highway is wide, smooth, new and recently paved) it makes sense to get the Mexican car insurance - especially because it is required by Mexican law.  As with any long freeway road trip, we saw a few accidents pulled over on the side of the road getting help from the Mexican authorities.   There are a lot of websites where you can buy insurance - we use Baja Bound.Com and have been happy with it.

Answer 3

It certainly can be done.  My friend's grandparents drive from New Mexico to Manzanillo every year and they haven't had major problems.  

Suggestions would be to take toll roads and write down some common car phrases in Spanish, if you're not fluent in the language.  If you need to stop at a mechanic's, it can be very useful.

Once you're in Colima, it's pretty easy to get to places via the highway.

Also, I second watching out for tarantulas and other creatures crossing the roads.