ETN to Nogales

Will be taking ETN from Guad to the border at Nogales, anybody done that? It's 23 a hour overnight. Couple of questions: What was it like in Nogales, crowded, hassles? How far is the Nogales bus station from the border, is it walkable? How was customs and US border station on the other side?
TIA guys!

I have not gone through that border but I have done 23 hour trips on ETN and others, you may want to cut the trip in half. 23 h trip is really hard on the old bones already 12 hours is bad enough....

Nogales is almost a ghost town these days as far as commerce. They had narco gunfights in the streets a few years ago and the tourists stopped going down from Phoenix and Tucson. It is safe now (but often deserted), but has a bad reputation from the aformentioned troubles a few years ago. Much of the downtown shopping area is boarded up. I have not taken a bus there so do not know where the bus stations are situated.

Have you priced flights there; you may find a relative bargain compared to the arduous bus ride.

I have crossed by car not by bus and the border/customs is usually a breeze.

I have heard that buses on North 15 get stopped at all military stops and a very scrutinized, all luggage searched, all passengers off the bus and sometimes pat-downs of riders.

My husband and I took the ETN/Turistar Lugo from Guadalajara to Nogales the end of January. The bus stopped in Tepic, Matzatlan, Culiacan, Hermosillo and finally Nogales on the way up. We were able to get off the bus at each stop and stretch our legs for a few minutes. Wifi worked sometimes, movies, music, etc to watch on the way or bring your own book, iPod, etc. We brought snacks as well. Busline provided sandwich and drink when we boarded in Guadalajara. The bus station is too far to walk to the border so take a cab. No problems crossing the pedestrian walkway to the U.S. Two lines, one for older...I think over 60 and one for the rest of the folks to cross. We had to stop at the INM to get our travel letter stamped. Our son picked us up on the other side..and we would do it again as we enjoy bus travel and very comfortable...slept just fine on the bus.

Cool!
Thanks everyone, especially Elehne1 for the first hand experience. I will follow in your footsteps and play it the same way.
True dat, about the old bones but I think I can make it, I like road trips. The airfares I found were 500 to 700US and the bus is a little less than 4000MN RT.
I will bring a food bag and hope for leg stretches as well.

Elehne1, how far in advance did you buy your tickets? thx

Buy your trip early you can get reimbursed without any problems if you change your mind want to make changes or cancel. You can get the tickets on the internet and pay at the bank or at OXXO.
It is easier to pay at the bank as the OXXO scanners do not always work .
You can also buy at Walmart.
What a bummer you do not have your INAPAM card you would get a 50% discount.

We bought our tickets online and roundtrip, too, as there was discounts for purchasing online and roundtrip. Printed the tickets, too. We picked the seats we wanted and bought a 2 weeks or so ahead of time. Bring ear plugs if you have trouble sleeping with noise as we had a couple gals chatting until about midnight or so. The Turistar Lugo is a nice bus for traveling such a long trip. Enjoy!

Thanks again! I will do what you did.

Si, Brigitte, bummer about the INAPAM card, but there is a possibility of getting it early next month. Good to know they allow changes!

Thanks, guys, muy amable.

The problem can be that they have so many seats with discouts and the longer you wait the harder it is to find a discount but you may be able to get it on the return trip if you cannot get it going. Good luck with the card, keep checking with them.

My wife and I are considering the same trip next January.

Would love to hear how your trip turns out Trailrunner.

We enjoyed our trip to Nogales on the bus...no big issues. Buying online round trip was the easiest and best price for us and yes with INAPAM discount for my husband. Great trip and good price!

I second the taxi ride to border, another alternative is to fly Volaris to Mexicali, then take bus to Phoenix from Calexico, Volaris is about half of what US Airways charges. just take AM flight to Mexicali

Why take a bus when there are so many people who will probably pay your way to drive their cars back to the border?

Probably a roll of the dice with possibility of mechanical problems! Besides, you can't drive for the cost of a bus ticket. Tolls run approx. 1750 pesos one way.

But so many people need cars taken up north and they should pay all costs and then a little something, lots of people have cars that need to be out of Mexico soon and many cannot make the drive for health reasons.

I wonder where they will dump/unload em. Tucson is an hour NOB. Is there a location @ Nogales border to Nationalize vs Laredo?

There is nationalizing at Nogales but better to dump and buy a non nationalized car.

Interesting proposition, Intercasa, where would one "dump" those cars tho. How can someone cross the border in a car that doesn't belong to them??? Sounds like a go directly to jail do not pass go and do not collect 200 pesos to me.

I have one of those cars that need to be dumped myself!!! aiiii

Si, I will report back.