# Traveling from Mazatlán to La Paz: A Detailed Guide to the Baja Ferry Experience
Are you planning to travel from the Mexican mainland to the Baja Peninsula? The two largest cities linked by transportation in the region are Mazatlán on the mainland and La Paz on the peninsula. Whether you’re traveling on foot, by motorcycle, car, or RV, you can do what I did: take the ferry from Mazatlán to La Paz overnight and wake up at your destination.
I visited Mazatlán for the total eclipse in April with some friends, and we stayed on for a week in a home exchange apartment a block from the beach in the Golden Zone. Our days alternated between working and taking sunset walks. My wife then returned home to Guanajuato, and I needed to get to La Paz and Los Cabos for some travel writing work. She flew home, while I crossed the Sea of Cortez.
If I had planned well in advance, I could have opted for the single available flight that runs three days a week. More on that later. However, I wanted to take the slow boat to La Paz—a plan I had long been considering—to experience how it works and to sleep on a ship.
It’s crucial to approach this as basic transportation rather than a luxurious experience, unlike some ferries in Europe or British Columbia in Canada. As noted in other articles, you are considered cargo, not a VIP guest for Baja Ferries to pamper, even if you rent the best cabin. But they do offer a meal, a lounge, and a bar, and they get you to your destination.
Here’s what you need to know to take the ferry from Mazatlán to La Paz, or in the other direction.
## Times and Logistics for the Mazatlán to La Paz Ferry
I made a few mistakes on my trip, and since Google isn’t providing much useful information these days, I was unprepared for what to expect. Most search results are booking sites or articles and forum discussions that are five or ten years old. So here’s the current scoop from 2024, with observations and lessons learned.
The ferry operates between Mazatlán and La Paz three times a week, on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. It is listed as a 12-hour journey but usually takes around 13 hours, departing between 4 and 5:00 p.m. and getting you to La Paz just as the sun comes up. The trip can take longer if the seas are rough or weather conditions are bad. The Sea of Cortez is relatively sheltered, with the Baja Peninsula on one side and mainland Mexico on the other past the halfway point, so it’s broad but not too tumultuous. Our ride featured gentle rocking with nobody needing a barf bag or throwing up over the side.
In the opposite direction, the ferry leaves La Paz on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. In this case, you might actually find an open coffee shop when you disembark at around 8 a.m.
Officially, the ferry departs Mazatlán at 4:00 p.m. (Port of Pichilingue), and here was my biggest misstep. I thought 4:00 p.m. was just the boarding time because I had read online (including on booking sites) that it leaves at 5:00 or 7:00 p.m. So I figured we’d be waiting around for a while and didn’t want to get there too early. I arrived at 3:30 p.m. and nearly missed the boat—literally.
### Lesson #1: Arrive at least an hour before the time on your ticket, ideally an hour and a half or more to be safe.
Naturally, if you’re bringing a vehicle, give yourself even more time because loading involves meticulously arranging all the vehicles in the parking lot, including big 18-wheeler trucks. This process is complex and lengthy due to the variety of vehicles.
I was the last person to board the ship, and by that time all the passenger luggage had already been loaded. The person who checked me in after I crossed the walkway onto the ferry was confused that I had a bag and told me in Spanish that I couldn’t bring my suitcase onto the ship, even though I had a cabin. He indicated a place to leave it by the cars. Fast-forward to the next day, and my bag was still there, unattended and ready for anyone to take. Fortunately, Mexicans are generally trustworthy, and it hadn’t been moved.
### Lesson #2: You must check in your luggage, and you won’t see it again until you pick it up from a designated delivery point in La Paz.