1. FROM PHOENIX AREA AND EAST VALLEY , head east on Interstate 10, take the Maricopa Road (Highway 347) Exit just south of Chandler, Arizona.  Continue south to the junction of Maricopa County Road 238, turn right and drive west past Mobile to Gila Bend.   (An alternate route is to continue south on Highway 347 to State Highway 84, turn right, continue 5 miles to the junction of Interstate 8, head west to Gila Bend. Turn left at the second Gila Bend exit to State Highway 85.   Drive south through Ajo to the border.)

2. FROM WEST PHOENIX take Interstate 10 West.  Turn south on State Highway 85 near Buckeye. Continue south to Gila Bend. 

3. FROM GILA BEND: At the west end of Gila Bend turn south onto State Highway 85.  Drive south through Ajo to the border (Lukeville/Sonoyta).

4. FROM SONOYTA: Take Mexican Federal Highway 8 about 60 miles to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point).  To bypass Puerto Peñasco turn left at the Caborca/Laguna del Mar turnoff a few miles before you get to Puerto Peñasco.  Or...

5. FROM PUERTO PENASCO (ROCKY POINT): Take Fremont Boulevard south at the Puerto Peñasco City Hall, continue southeast. Follow the signs to Santo Tomás. The Mexican Customs checkpoint is approximately 28 miles southeast of Puerto Peñasco on the Caborca Highway. After successfully negotiating the checkpoint continue on for another 28 miles to the village of the "15th of Septembre". The highway takes a long sweeping left turn here and heads east toward Caborca. Continue on the Highway another 8 miles to a large Santo Tomas sign, turn right onto a paved road. Drive about 4 or 5 miles to intersection with another paved road, follow the signs and turn right. Follow the signs through the village of Alvaro Obregon to Santo Tomas.

An alternate route from the Tucson area is to take U.S. Interstate Highway 19 south from Tucson to Nogales. Take the Nogales bypass and continue south on Mexican Highway 15 to the town of Santa Ana. Take a right turn and head west toward the City of Caborca. Continue west through Caborca about 40 miles. Take a left turn at the Santo Tomás sign onto a paved road. Drive about 4 or 5 miles to intersection with another paved road, follow the signs and turn right. Follow the signs through the village of Alvaro Obregon to Santo Tomas. This route may longer but there is some good scenery along the way.

Santo Tomás is within the Free Trade Zone, and even though the checkpoint south of Rocky Point has not yet been moved, the requirements for Tourist Visas and auto permits is no longer necessary. At the checkpoint, merely notify the customs officers that you are traveling to Santo Tomas and they will allow you to pass.

The limits of the Free Zone have been expanded to include more of the interior of Sonora. Now visitors are able to drive directly to such cities as Guaymas, San Carlos, Hermosillo, Bahia de Kino, Caborca, Magdalena and Santa Ana without the time-consuming process of obtaining a car permit.

The southern limit of the Free Zone has been moved from kilometer 21 south of Nogales on Mexico Highway 15 to kilometer 98 south of Empalme. Visitors to the state will no longer have to obtain a car permit in order to travel into many parts of Sonora.

To see a map of the new Free Zone area go to www.gotosonora.com/free-zone.htm

The “Only Sonora” Program
Paperwork to obtain the Only Sonora decal for visiting the interior of the state of Sonora, beyond the Free Zone, will be done at a new checkpoint located at kilometer 98 on Highway 15, just south of the Guaymas-bypass on the road between Ciudad Obregon and Empalme.