Mexico Safety - Areas to Avoid?

The state department recently issued a revised travel alert for Mexico. Does anyone who has recently travelled/lived in Mexico have information on what particular areas to avoid (other than the northwestern boarder region and Baja? Thank you for any help!

Mainly avoid the southeastern most state of Chiapas. There have been skirmishes between federal troops and independent militias there in recent years.

Other than that and Baja and just very recently in Oaxaca, I know of no other areas with problems.

HI,

When I visit the USA later this year, i was thinking of visiting Ensenada‏ in northern mexico. Is this a safe place to visit? Or is this included in the places to advoid?

Hey guys!! so i just want to say not to make a mistake and miss out on great mexico because of this... if you take normal precautions everywhere is safe! Tourist sites are pretty well protected... up north you can maybe find tijuana a bit rough but deffenetly fine to go too, and with ensenada there is no problem at all! And please dont miss out on chiapas, its argubly the most beautiful state in all mexico! yes there are problems but mainly stick to common sense and you'll have nothing but a good time! The warning thing there makes everything sound so dangerous, but it really isn't like that! hey if it were would there be so many tourist going to mexico?
In my opinion you shouldn't stop on going, you'll miss out on some amazing things if you do.
If you have any questions or concerns, please just ask. I'll be glad to help!
Safe trips
Cheers!

Haven't been for a couple of years, but don't imagine it having changed all that much. Going out after dark by yourself in Mexico City was not safe at all (even the hostel had lockers under a stairwell that were enclosed with a double padlocked prison like gate to avoid robbery). The bus from Mexico City - Palenque (gateway town for tours to Flores/Guatemala) was a bit dodgy. I found myself sitting next to a guy who when I looked at what he was reading I noticed it was an AK47 Assault rifle manual (and he did look like a person in a gang). Lucky for me and everyone else on the bus he didn't involve us in a busjacking and murder us all, but it was pretty worrying until he got off a few hours in to the journey. That bus trip is meant to be one that has had regular busjackings (at least this was the story when I went there) so is probably best to avoid for safety purposes.

[ Edit: Edited on Apr 29, 2008, at 4:13 AM by aharrold45 ]

That's the Chiapas area I was talking about. Also, just last week there was a gang war between two drug gangs in Tijuana that involved over 1500 shots being fired. However, this is--to say the least--very unusual. Something about Tijuana I guess. Two years ago, the leading contender in Mexico's presidential election was assasinated there.

But that's very unusual--and the normal thing is just people going about their business as usual.

Still, I would avoid these two areas (Tijuana and mid-baja in the north and Chiapas in the south).

Ensenada is safe and I have heard of no problems there at all.

Enjoy

I'm thinking of including Mexico in my trip later this year, so its good to get informed As a solo female traveller safety is definitely important to me!! I was wondering whether it would be better for me to explore Mexico as part of a group tour actually.....Intrepid or Trek America or something. *shrugs* something to weigh up nearer the time I guess!

Hahahaha, funny story the one of the AKA manual, it reminded me of my first of many trips in the past year from Cancun to Mexico City (for 7 months every weekend...), I took my place at the airplane, (a cheap air line) and I was anxiously waiting to sleep during all the flight, I was just hoping to get a quiet seat neighbour or anything except for noisy kids and I just realized right next to me there was an awful looking guy, it had been years I did not go on regular basis and I was even skeptical in taking all those many trips so it was going to be like my test trip and see how I behavef in my hometown which I just love... the guy was young, with strange dyed hair, tatooes and all that, with such a face... the man next to him was worse!! the first thing I thought of was wow! If I fall asleep, which I badly needed after an all night work journey, they will just empty my bag, or they will take the bag, or they will just stab me if I play difficult, they will kidnap me when we get to Mexico City!, I better dont sleep, what would be a good way to be cool and not seem to be scared, or anxious? I was thinking of nice cordial conversation, to feel ok, to be in good terms at least during the first minutes, and all I could figure out as a nice chit chat was 'nice weather no? how's work, how many kidnappings did you have today?, did you slash anyone? how many did you kill today?' but just to realize that we did not even cross a word, for the entire trip, they were part of a crew of some plumbers or electricians, coming from some big project in Cancun, and they were the most polite men when we finally landed in Mexico City. They even warned me I was forgetting something on my seat, they carried my suitcase from the band, they picked their big tool boxes, nice nice, and quite a mistake on my side!!

But itsfunny, you never know.

Well as for the safety, whats safe for you? whats dangerous?

Just apply your common sense and it will be ok.

Yes, dont miss Chiapas or Oaxaca, things are ok now, and yes there are shootings, but thats in the north and in some parts only and in the Capos environment, in dangerous areas, if you are not dealing with drugs, or forbidden activities, prostitution, pedophile, the like and you are a traveller you can be in Mexico City dark at night and stll be ok.

Good luck!

[ Edit: Edited on May 4, 2008, at 3:56 AM by taki ]

Mexico is safe if you stick to your tourist itinerary, thats all there is to it, you only live once, if you listen to people telling you to avoid certain areas, then you missed out on that location, simple as that, and your reason, "well they said it was not good to go" Boo whoooo.. If you look for trouble, you'll get it served on a silver platter.

I found Mexico city to be relatively safe, even at night. Everyone I ran into was very friendly and helpful.

Im planning a trip to Baja, but Ive never heard it was a place to be avoided; what problems would I expect to run into there?