Safety Considerations in Yucatan Penninsula and Quintana Roo
All of these experiences and advices are my own assessment. Please make sure you read governmental travel instructions of the country you are from.
Driving around:
Generally, I didn't consider that safety was an issue while driving.
Some factors to consider are:
- Definitely we heard that car rental scams were kind of regular with unreputable companies. Hence, we went for one of the big ones. They know that many tourists are unsure - so be aware that the famous companies will charge a lot for a car.
- It is true that toll (and main) roads are safer: just because the roads are better maintained. We turned the car around once in the rural area visiting cenotes, as we felt that we shouldn't risk having a car breakdown in the middle of nowhere. Some of the country roads are in really bad shape indeed - when we went to the cenotes, we went there with experienced drivers (our dive masters and the moto taxi in Homun).
- In Yucatan, Police is treating tourists well (hence no bribing or anything) - in Quintana Roo there have been some issues. So we made sure we always were below speed limits (Highway 110 km/h, cities and urban areas 40 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h). But I guess, if you are stopped, make sure to follow the police directions and don't fight it.
- You can drive after dark, but first lock your doors for additional safety and drive on the toll roads. Be careful that certain areas may have limited lighting.
Safety in Mérida:
First - Mérida is definitely statistically safe (actually in the Americas it's the top fifths safest city (2023) - only 3 cities in Canada and Irvine in the US are safer). That is also how it feels being there. At the end trust your instincts. I would make sure to take precautions against pickpocketing by keeping your valuables secure and out of sight (which you should do anywhere) and as a woman, I advise not to be alone at night (which is maybe a bit more the case in México than elsewhere).
Safety in Valladolid:
No differentiation between Mérida and Valladolid. We felt safe and followed general precautions.
Safety in Cancun and Playa del Carmen:
Playa del Carmen is a popular tourist destination, and while it generally offers a safe environment, it's advisable to take some more precautions. Again statistically about 2 Mio people visit Quintana Roo Beach (Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen being some of the most famous) locations every year - and there is little heavy crime (shootings, rapes) that tourists fall victims too.
However - It is true that since COVID there has been a rise of Cartel Crime (shootings), that have unfortunately involved tourists. Also taxis have been scamming tourists or even forcing tourists to ATMs to withdraw massive sums of money. Police have been stopping tourists driving by car and asked them to handover the money they carry. And on the beaches at night 2 rapes occurred recently. This is why, the US has increased the safety risk assessment of Quintana Roo to Level 2. Again: Statistically all those cases augments to below 1% of the total tourist population.
Vacation is vacation SO: If you don't want to stress about safety then you can follow our super-safe guideline (which is what we did) - and you be most likely ok:
- Book a mid to high price resort and not a low budget offer in the city center or beach side
- Have your resort order taxis for you and go to the official taxi stand at the main road of Quinta Avenida to go back to your hotel
- Stay on touristy roads where many people are
- Don't drive around in Quintana Roo, but take taxis or buses for tours
- Only book reputable tourism agencies (google will help)
- Do not buy or sell drugs (you should never anyways :)- but just to make sure)
- Don't get intoxicated to the point you don't know what is going on
- Don't walk home at night (particularly alone) in streets that are less busy
For women
Many women travel alone in the regions we visited. Yet, the society is surely male dominated and women are not particularly safe. Other than in many European countries your less likely supported by the police or governmental agencies if something happens - so I advise: Don't be alone after nightfall, travel with people you trust.