Solo Female Yucatan Trip - Safety Concerns

[Guille G]

Hi! Echoing what everyone said - you should fine just taking normal traveling precautions. I am not a female so I hope I am not "downplaying" any real peril, but for reference, I live in Playa del Carmen with my wife and spent almost 4 years before this in Mexico City, traveling back and forth quite extensively. While we are from South America so Spanish is our native language, we are not Mexican and clearly look like outsiders - yet we never had any safety issues (not counting the ocasional attempt at simple tourist scams as a safety things, those are mostly just annoying).

With your traveling experience, it should be nothing you haven't dealt with before. As for driving, watch out for the actual road - the colectivos and taxi drivers can do some pretty insane stuff and cause frequent accidents. I deal with it by just driving slowly and making use of "beach time".

Since you are interested in more than diving, here are some comments you might want to check out:

• Valladolid is nice, but bottom of the chart as far as Mexican "Pueblos Mágicos" go. If you plan to go to Chichen Itzá, you can swing by on the way back. If you want to try out some really outstanding Mexican cooking and look at some great historic sites, I suggest driving a bit further and hitting Mérida. It is said to be the safest city in Mexico, and only a 3-4 hours drive from Tulum/Playa del Carmen. You can visit the Uxmal ruins, the Coloradas lagoon or some beaches in gulf there. The food really is outstanding (you will find only so-so Mexican food in Quintana Roo).
• Parking is metered in Playa del Carmen and many areas in Cancún. Carry coins (MXN 10 for ten minutes I think). Alternatively, you can use an app called "Mueve tu Ciudad", though not sure if it works on foreign credit cards. Tulum is not metered, but if you hit the hotel strip, watch out - traffic gets HEAVY and there's not much room for the amount of cars to go through. Parking tends to be around MXN 400 for a day, but some hotels/beach clubs may have free parking. Get there early, they fill up fast. The actual town is not so problematic, parking there is easy.
• There aren't many places where you can just swim up to the reef and snorkel, wherever you can do that (where the reef is actually cool) it is usually protected and you may be charged a fee - yes, even if the reef is just there. Puerto Morelos is a good place where the reef is super close to shore.
• Mahahual is another option where you often get to do SIs back at the beach and can just swim up to the reef and snorkel over it - though it is further south from Tulum and a bit more isolated. I LOVED it when we were there (will be back to do Chinchorro this month), but heads up that I never saw how it looks like when a cruise is docked. Hopefully it doesn't change too much. It is tiny and there are several small hotels right on the beach. You have Bacalar close by, as well as some less-visited Mayan historical sites.
• Cenotes are plentiful and offer snorkeling opportunities as well as diving all between Tulum and Cancún.

As you can probably tell, I love it here
Enjoy your stay!!!

 

[RyanT]

the roads have been known to open up random new cenotes or other things in the road.

cows

 

[The Chairman]

I can't wait to see the pics! FWIW, I had the pleasure to teach this mermaid how to dive a number of years ago. You could not get a better buddy.

 

[Catito]

Hello Everyone,

I booked a last minute trip to the Yucatan Peninsula. I will be there for about 10 days in October, renting a car from Easy Car Rental from CUN airport. I have traveled to Baja many times before and have traveled extensively through Asia including remote islands in the Philippines, Indonesia and Micronesia as a solo traveler. I speak fluent Spanish and am fully vaccinated.

I do not party, drink or go out late at night. I plant to drive between Cancun, Tulum, PDC, Valladolid and explore the area as well as do some cenote dives. At this time I am not interested in ocean diving or going to Cozumel. I have 250+ dives, AOW, very comfortable in caverns, swim-throughs, etc.

I am getting some negative feedback from some regarding driving/traveling alone in the Yucatan as a solo female. I have reviewed the US travel advisory for the Yucatan and it recommends exercising normal precautions with no crime/kidnapping advisories at this time.

I understand that there is greater risk for a solo female traveling alone most anywhere in the world. I am hopeful anyone with recent local knowledge of the area can weigh in. I have researched the gas station scams, Akumal beach access scam, and general advice for getting pulled over by the local police. Parking tips welcome!

I do not have a set itinerary. I do not plan to drive at night. I would like to stay in more local areas, not large resorts. Interested in safe, accessible beach access for snorkeling and any tips on must visit cenotes for snorkeling/diving and any other cultural/nature sites. Any advice and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly, muchas gracias a todos!

I recommend that you dive with CenotExperience, stay off the roads at night, and go with your gut feeling.

 

[horn34]

Get Wet is another fantastic dive op (all female) if you want an alternative for ocean/cenote/tec diving. Karini is awesome. There's a girl in Mahahual named Liv who is great too.

The Team | Women scuba diving | Get wet Dive shop

What makes us unique? A dedicated team of Mexican women offering the best diving that the country has to offer. Meet the girls you are going to dive with.

www.getwetmexico.com

 

[Roadee]

Stacy, I reactivated my account to reply to this, so this may come too late, but wanted to share my thoughts, as I went to this area as a solo female traveler recently. We both have travelled a lot, alone, so I think we're on the same page on standard precautions and trusting your gut. I don't discourage your trip, but please take caution in how you do it. I really recommend against "winging it" where no one knows where you are supposed to be, and against AirBnB, and frankly against driving alone. What alarmed me is that I learned after two recent trips about deadly violence in the area, sometimes mafia-related and sometimes random monsters. It's true this can happen in your hometown, but the common theme is the lack of care from local LE and the cover-up of the incidents. I had no problems in Yucatan and can't wait to go back, but I took commercial shuttles and stayed in a small resort where the staff would expect me - not my typical travel MO - and I will do the same next time if solo.

 

[scrane]

Any time you travel alone away from a support system you are playing the odds. Chances are you will have no problems and have a great time. But sh does sometimes happen. Although the Yucatan is a relatively safe part of Mexico, there are still opportunities to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think you would be better off traveling by ADO and Turistar.

 

[Stoo]

I'll try not to Dadsplain, but as the father of a daughter who travelled alone for six years, I feel somewhat qualified to offer an utterly paranoid response. My girl, all 98 pounds of her lived in (in order) Hawaii, Utila, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Nepal and India with three trips home during that time, for about two months each time, to work at a pub in Tobermory to replenish the bank account. I basically didn't sleep for six years, I had to stop watching Criminal Minds and I checked my phone every 30 minutes, all night, every night. Whenever she left, I was convinced I'd never see her again.

Having said that, she had an amazing adventure, which literally changed her in many positive ways. She is wise beyond her years and very street smart. To my knowledge, she never had a negative incident in spite of living in some pretty sketchy hunks of the world.

It sounds like you're well aware of the potential risks and my guess is that if you follow your plan, you'll be at no more risk in Yucatan that would be at home. Everyone needs to be aware when they travel, and sadly, women even more so.

Have a great trip!

 

[scubadada]

I'll try not to Dadsplain, but as the father of a daughter who travelled alone for six years, I feel somewhat qualified to offer an utterly paranoid response. My girl, all 98 pounds of her lived in (in order) Hawaii, Utila, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Nepal and India with three trips home during that time, for about two months each time, to work at a pub in Tobermory to replenish the bank account. I basically didn't sleep for six years, I had to stop watching Criminal Minds and I checked my phone every 30 minutes, all night, every night. Whenever she left, I was convinced I'd never see her again.

Having said that, she had an amazing adventure, which literally changed her in many positive ways. She is wise beyond her years and very street smart. To my knowledge, she never had a negative incident in spite of living in some pretty sketchy hunks of the world.

It sounds like you're well aware of the potential risks and my guess is that if you follow your plan, you'll be at no more risk in Yucatan that would be at home. Everyone needs to be aware when they travel, and sadly, women even more so.

Have a great trip!

When was your daughter's trip?

 

[Stoo]

When was your daughter's trip?

She's been back for 5 years now, so a while ago!