This Is The Safest Destination To Visit On The Pacific Coast Of Mexico This Fall

The laid-back atmosphere, golden sands running along azure seas for miles on end, and of course, smaller crowds: there are many a reason why you’d scrap the Caribbean and opt for a Mexican Pacific getaway in the fall.

Regrettably, not all destinations on this side of Mexico are known for being safe havens. The list of hotspots the U.S. Department of State urges Americans to reconsider traveling to is extensive.

Fortunately, the same advice does not apply to the leading destination on the Pacific Coast, which just happens to be the region’s safest for tourists:

Los Cabos Is The Safest Resort Zone In The Mexican Pacific

Located at the very tip of the Baja California Sur state, Los Cabos is a duo of coastal towns—Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo—that form a single resort zone.

The long, 20-mile beach strip between them is dotted with hotels, and the municipalities themselves feature lively downtown areas, packed full of restaurants, shops, and other tourist amenities. Better even, they’re incredibly safe for American travelers.

Baja California Sur is one of a handful of Mexican Pacific states to have been assigned the Level 2 status by the U.S. Department of State. In non-technical terms, this means U.S. citizens are not advised to avoid traveling there.

At Level 2, they must simply exercise ‘increased caution’:

You can always refer to our Travel Advisory Checker for the latest safety advice, but in Cabo’s case, this means leaving valuables locked away in a hotel safe, keeping a high level of situational awareness in public settings, and restricting your movements to well-patrolled, tourist-friendly zones.

Violent Crime Is Rare In Los Cabos

Safety is the last thing on your mind if you’re vacationing in an all-inclusive Cabo resort right on the shoreline. When it comes to accessing the resorts, security is tight, and every road leading into and out of the Capes is meticulously surveilled by authorities.

This means that the gang issues, car-jacking, and petty crime you get in the north of the Baja California peninsula do not find their way here:

Cabo officials are aware that the main reason they’ve been able to thrive as a destination, other than their long-standing reputation as a luxury hub offering world-class services, is the low risk posed to travelers, and they sure intend to keep it that way.

But what exactly are they doing to boost safety levels further and ensure tourists continue feeling confident about vacationing there?

300 More Security Personnel Being Brought In

As we reported here at Travel Off Path back in May, Cabo authorities have sent an additional 300 security forces to patrol Baja California Sur, ahead of a security update on the U.S. Government’s part.

On April 25, an alert was issued by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, noting an ’emerging security situation’ in the Capes, following reports of a shootout in Cabo San Lucas, as well as bus fires, and public threats by criminal organizations.

The U.S. State of Department routinely revises its Travel Advisory lists, usually every 6 months, and Cabo leaders reacted promptly to the prospect of losing their Level 2 status. Though they admitted the April events were ‘serious’, they insist these were ‘isolated occurrences’.

Since then, the Army (SEDENA) has deployed an additional battalion, and the Navy also increased its personnel across Baja California Sur, and Cabo’s reputation as a peaceful destination was upheld.

The Marina Is Also Getting An Upgrade

Though we haven’t seen a new spike in troubles as we did back in April, just this month, our partners at The Cabo Sun reported a brand new, private security force will now provide backup to Cabo-based police officers.

This is particularly true for Cabo San Lucas’ marina, where most pickpocketing incidents take place, especially during peak cruise hours when the crowds intensify.

This fall, there will be 20 trained guards stationed by the marina, working alongside the tourist police to keep an eye on troublemakers. That’s why if you’re out and about in Cabo San Lucas at night, hopping from bar to bar, you might encounter more intimidating armed men in uniform.

It can be an unsettling sight at first, but don’t worry, they’re there to protect you—not only against thugs, who are dwindling across Cabo anyway, but also against scammers who set up information stalls to sell boat tours that will never take place.

Better Surveillance

Some of the old cameras distributed around the marina in fact did not work, and several spots along the marina’s famous boardwalk could get rather dark at night. Soon enough, we will be able to put these concerns to rest.

The third and last upgrade is the complete modernization of the security infrastructure: we’re talking a better camera network, the addition of high-definition units to cover blind spots, and the restoration of public lighting in pedestrian walkways.

On top of that, all surveillance equipment will be connected to the Los Cabos C-2 Security Center. They’re the ones who monitor the resort zone’s most-frequented areas, and dispatch help in the rare instances it’s required.

In short, if we ever do get shootouts again—unlikely, but you never know—officers will be able to respond a lot quicker, and either way, there’s just no way criminals will want to set up base there now.

To sum it up, Cabo has great beaches, an impressive selection of five-star hotels, big choice of restaurants and entertainment centers, and it’s safer than ever.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.