Showing posts with label safe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label safe. Show all posts

Is It Safe for Americans to Visit La Paz Mexico?


We’ve been getting our fair share of scary news stories in the US about violence and crime in Mexico. The ongoing issues with drug cartels in some parts of the country are generating quite a bit of concern, and the US State Department has travel advisories in effect for many areas of Mexico. What does this mean if you’re thinking about a trip to La Paz, in Baja California Sur?
Travel advisory for La Paz, in perspective
The unfortunate and unavoidable reality of government travel advisories is that there is always a significant delay between the unfolding of events and the publication of the warning. A current (as of this writing) warning advises US citizens to use caution when traveling to La Paz, which is the capital of the state of Baja California Sur. This is due to a higher than usual homicide rate, mostly stemming from organized crime and cartels.
However, if you look at the actual crime statistics for La Paz, you’ll see that there was a “blip” of increased violence that ended in October of 2015 – from October 2015 to April 2016, there have only been a handful of homicides in the city. Considering that La Paz, Mexico is a city of more than a quarter million people, the actual rate of violent crime has been on par with some of the safest US cities for six months, going strong.
A tradition of safety and peace in La Paz, Mexico
It’s also important to remember that La Paz has historically been one of, if not the safest city in the entire county. Before the violent “blip” came on the radar, Forbes had rated La Paz #3 on their list of Safest International Cities to Visit, and the New York Times rated it one of the Top 10 Places for American to Retire. Which really means that the elevated violence seen in late 2014-2015 was the exception, not the rule.

Of course, it’s always important to be aware of your surroundings and not make yourself a target – this is true whether you’re traveling to La Paz or Tokyo or Washington D.C. As long as you keep your wits about you, there’s no reason to call off your vacation to La Paz because of safety concerns.