Rv'ing to Central America With Dogs
Hi! We are newbies and are looking at spending the winter cruising around Central America and want to bring our dogs. Can you give us any advice please?
Forum Discussion
We spent 5 months last year in Mexico and Central America. We drove our RV (truck with a truck camper) through all the countries (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and then back up to the U.S.) and had our dog with us. No problem whatsoever. Every border crossing consists of getting your passport stamped, then 'importing' your RV and (usually but not always) a third stop to show your dog's paperwork.
What did we bring for our dog? Before we left the U.S. and crossed into Mexico, we went to a vet in Texas to get a health certificate which shows the dog is healthy and current on the rabies shot. We then spent about 6 weeks making our way through Mexico and before we entered Belize, we went to a vet in Chetumal (Mexico) to get an updated health certificate; this time in Spanish. This is the one that we used to enter all other Central American countries on the trip.
We met many travelers who brought their dog(s) and no one had any issues while crossing borders. The very strict rules are definitely applied more rigorously when arriving by plane, but not when you show up at the border. Most borders in Central America are nothing like a border that you might be used to seeing, for example, in Europe or between the U.S. and Canada. The borders down there are pretty much chaos.
What RV to use? Whatever makes you comfortable, but don't take anything longer than 25 ft. I would recommend. The smaller, the better.
Where to camp? Definitely download and use iOverlander. You'll also find our campsites on there. We actually met Sam (who wrote it, from songoftheroad.com) on the trip at a campsite in San Miguel de Allende and Teotihuacan. They just returned to the U.S. a few weeks ago after going all the way to Argentina.
If you're interested, our travel blog (Roadtrippin' the Americas) is at www.vango.be
I wrote a book about our 5 month trip, with general tips as well as our route, which is at www.vangophotos.com/books
Have a great trip, and by all means, take your dog with you! Just make sure he doesn't kill any chickens while running off leash ... :)
What did we bring for our dog? Before we left the U.S. and crossed into Mexico, we went to a vet in Texas to get a health certificate which shows the dog is healthy and current on the rabies shot. We then spent about 6 weeks making our way through Mexico and before we entered Belize, we went to a vet in Chetumal (Mexico) to get an updated health certificate; this time in Spanish. This is the one that we used to enter all other Central American countries on the trip.
We met many travelers who brought their dog(s) and no one had any issues while crossing borders. The very strict rules are definitely applied more rigorously when arriving by plane, but not when you show up at the border. Most borders in Central America are nothing like a border that you might be used to seeing, for example, in Europe or between the U.S. and Canada. The borders down there are pretty much chaos.
What RV to use? Whatever makes you comfortable, but don't take anything longer than 25 ft. I would recommend. The smaller, the better.
Where to camp? Definitely download and use iOverlander. You'll also find our campsites on there. We actually met Sam (who wrote it, from songoftheroad.com) on the trip at a campsite in San Miguel de Allende and Teotihuacan. They just returned to the U.S. a few weeks ago after going all the way to Argentina.
If you're interested, our travel blog (Roadtrippin' the Americas) is at www.vango.be
I wrote a book about our 5 month trip, with general tips as well as our route, which is at www.vangophotos.com/books
Have a great trip, and by all means, take your dog with you! Just make sure he doesn't kill any chickens while running off leash ... :)
