Mexicali sits on the U.S.–Mexico border across from Calexico, California, and is one of the busier crossings on the western half of the line. Two ports of entry operate 24 hours a day — Calexico West for pedestrians and passenger vehicles and Calexico East for commercial traffic and longer-haul vehicles. Pedestrian crossings can be done in 15 minutes northbound during off-peak hours; weekend afternoons regularly stretch the wait to two hours.
The General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport (MXL) sits about 20 km east of downtown and has regular flights to Mexico City, Guadalajara, and a few other major Mexican cities, plus seasonal U.S. routes. Buses run frequently to Tijuana (about three hours west), Ensenada (four hours), and longer routes to Hermosillo and on to mainland Mexico. The drive south to San Felipe on the Gulf of California takes about two hours through largely uninhabited desert.