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If you're planning on jetting off to Mexico this winter and being safe when traveling abroad is important to you, we might have just the perfect destination for you.
Forget about increasing scamming in Cancun, the jungle parties in Tulum, and Acapulco's never-ending combat against local gangs: this beach destination will be the safest to visit in Mexico in the high season, and it's where you should be headed.
Los Cabos Is Extremely Safe To Visit This Fall
As the U.S. State Department states, there are currently 17 Mexican states that are ‘moderately safe', and where Americans should simply exercise greater caution when visiting, and two that are perfectly safe for tourists.
One of those on the ‘moderately safe' list is Baja California Sur, home to the trendy dual destination of Los Cabos.
Comprising the sister cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, it is Mexico's fastest-growing coastal resort right now, with a growth rate that has surpassed that of Cancun's numerous times since 2021 and a high concentration of award-winning luxurious listings.
Cabo is distinguished for boasting the best-ranked hotel anywhere in Mexico, and the second-best in the entire world, as viewed on La Liste, a ranking of the world's 1000 best accommodation providers, and the greatest number of wellness centers in Latin America.
It is somewhere you go for completely relaxing and enjoying nature, as it straddles the Mexican Pacific; Cabo offers visitors a plethora of unspoiled swimming spots and sandy beaches, and you can enjoy getting pampered with an all-inclusive stay.
Additionally, Cabo is arguably the safest tourist area in Mexico.
Los Cabos Remains At Level 2, But What Does This Mean?
Though the State Department considers it ‘Level 2', meaning Americans must exercise greater caution when visiting, America has been known to be exceedingly conservative when it comes to travel advisories.
Even traditionally ‘safe' destinations like England and France feature at Level 2, meaning Cabo is as safe as can be considering the size of its urban zone and how popular it is among tourists, but there is more:
Very few states in Mexico have invested as heavily in public security as Baja California Sur has.
Unlike its neighbor Baja California – and some news outlets often fail to differentiate them – it has gone above and beyond to ensure tourists are safe when sojourning in coastal areas.
This includes the Capes, where a strong National Guard presence is expected this winter.
According to the Cabo Sun, the Federal Government of Mexico has approved the deployment of more National Guard officers to the region in order to reinforce safety.
New Security Efforts
While the municipal police will continue surveilling beaches and downtown districts to stem crime, the National Guard will instead patrol the Transpeninsular Highway, as well as the Cabo San Lucas-San Jose del Cabo and Los Cabos-La Paz highways, with more than 100 law enforcement vehicles expected.
This is particularly important, as the highway links some of the most popular beach towns and resort strips in Baja California Sur, and if you're going to Cabo, you are likely to travel along this route.
The reason why the National Guard is being called in is a lack of patrol in certain ‘blind spots' on the Los Cabos Tourist Corridor, as defined by State Governor Victor Castro Cosío.
As he stated, there is a perception that patrolling is low there, and ‘more can be done' to help tourists feel safer.
This involves not only freeing the roads of crime but also reducing traffic accidents resulting from drunk driving or other unsafe driving behavior.
Crime in Cabo is already very low, and the roads are deemed safe compared to much riskier destinations in Mexico, such as border zones, where tourists have fallen victim to crime in the past, but the measure is set to tighten controls even further.
What To Expect If You're Visiting Cabo This Winter
If you're visiting Los Cabos this winter, you may notice more officers on the street and stricter checks when coming into resort zones, but worry not: they may seem menacing at first, but more police equals, in theory, more safety, and as long as you're a tourist with no ill intent, you have nothing to worry about.
Perhaps the main concern Americans have when traveling abroad — safety plays a huge part in the decision-making process, especially when it comes to deciding their destination.
Despite the bad publicity it gets in America and the misinformation campaign that aims to discredit Mexico's reputation as a safe destination, it remains a low-risk destination by any standards, and this includes all of the aforementioned hotspots, such as Cancun and Tulum.
While they do face a crime issue, gun-related incidents and assaults mostly take place in suburban areas, away from the resorts, and authorities have shown zero tolerance towards criminals and scammers operating in tourist zones.
Any coastal destination in Mexico is generally safe: they are simply plagued by ghettoization and a drug sub-culture like any other major urban center, including those in the States, such as New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
However, there are areas that are safer than others, and Los Cabos falls under the ‘safer' category.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Lisa
Friday 15th of September 2023
I've been living in Los Cabos for 3 years now. Originally from Colorado. I feel safer here than I ever did living in the states. Mexico is safer than USA. I wish people would stop believing the lies usa government throws at you. The higher presence of policia is to crack down on speeding on corridor and the drive between San Lucas and Todos Santos.
Hanna
Thursday 14th of September 2023
Just beware of the waiters in most restaurants that will steal you blind if you’re not paying attention!
Arr
Saturday 16th of September 2023
@Hanna, That’s a pretty vague and isolated statement backed up by no details. This is exactly how misinformation is spread about how “dangerous” Mexico is perceived.
Lisa
Friday 15th of September 2023
@Hanna,
I've been here for 3 years that has never happened to me or anyone I know that has visited. So did this bad experience happen to you personally or someone you know well? Steal you blind? What does that mean exactly? So did they take your purse, overcharge you, or was the bill inaccurate? I mean these are all things everyone should be aware of no matter what country they are in. And most restaurants? Which restaurants exactly, so people can be aware.