HOME > TRAVEL INFO

Mexico Travel Info

	Mexico, especially its big cities, has a crime problem. Be savvy about where and when crime could occur and keep yourself out of harm's way.
	Be aware that bandits occasionally hold up buses and cars on intercity routes, especially at night. Deluxe and first-class buses use toll highways, which are less prone to hold-ups. Mexico City taxis are notorious for (sometimes violent) robberies. Don't take a cruising cab; phone a radio taxi service instead.
	Pick-pocketing and bag-snatching are risks in large cities and crowded areas frequented by large numbers of tourists - wear valuables underneath your clothing.
	Mugging is less common than bag-snatching but resistance may be met with violence, so give them what they want.
	Leave most of your valuables in a sealed, signed envelope in your hotel's safe. Stash money about your body and only carry a small amount of ready money in a pocket.
	Use ATMs only in secure locations and try to use them during working hours.
	Don't accept food or drinks from strangers as there have been cases of drugging followed by robbery and assault.
	Be wary of attempts at credit card fraud. One method is when the cashier swipes your card twice (once for the transaction and once for fraudulent purposes). Keep your card in sight at all times.
	In beach resorts be aware of ocean riptides and undertows. Like in any country, lone women should exercise caution in desolate places, including beaches.

Banditry Warning
You should be aware when driving in Mexico, especially in a foreign vehicle, of the danger of bandits . Robberies and even more serious assaults of motorists do occur, above all in the northwest and especially in the state of Sinaloa. Sometimes robbers pose as police, sometimes as hitchhikers or motorists in distress, so think twice about offering a lift or a helping hand. They may also try to make you stop by indicating there's something wrong with your vehicle. On the other hand, remember that there are plenty of legitimate police checkpoints along the main roads, where you must stop. Roads where there have been regular reports of problems, and where you should certainly try to avoid driving at night, include Hwy-15 (Los Mochis-Mazatlán) and express Hwy-1 in Sinaloa, Hwy-5 (Mexico City-Acapulco) in Guerrero, Hwy-75 (Oaxaca-Tuxtepec), Hwy-57 (San Luis Potosí-Matahuela), and near the border, in particular on Hwy-2 (Mexicali-Agua Prieta) and Hwy-40 (Matamoros-Monterrey). The US embassy in Mexico advises never driving after dark.

Local Health Conditions

Water
In a hot climate and at high altitudes, it's essential to increase water intake to prevent dehydration. Most travellers, and most Mexicans if they can, stay off the tap water, although a lot of the time it is in fact drinkable, and in practice impossible to avoid completely: ice made with it, unasked for, may appear in drinks, utensils are washed in it, and so on.

Most restaurants and licuaderías use purified water (agua purificada), but always check; most hotels have a supply and will often provide bottles of water in your room. Bottled water (generally purified with ozone or ultraviolet) is widely available, but stick with known brands, and always check that the seal on the bottle is intact since refilling empties with tap water for resale is not unknown (carbonated water is generally a safer bet in that respect).

Malaria
Malaria occurs in every country in Central America, including parts of Mexico. It's transmitted by mosquito bites, usually between dusk and dawn. The main symptom is high spiking fevers, which may be accompanied by chills, sweats, headache, body aches, weakness, vomiting or diarrhea. Severe cases may involve the central nervous system and lead to seizures, confusion, coma and death.

Taking malaria pills is strongly recommended when visiting rural areas in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Sinaloa, Michoacán, Nayarit, Guerrero, Tabasco, Quintana Roo and Campeche; for the mountainous northern areas in Jalisco; and for an area between 24° and 28° north latitude, and 106° and 110° west longitude, which includes parts of the states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango.

For Mexico, the first-choice malaria pill is chloroquine. It's safe, inexpensive and highly effective. Side effects are typically mild and may include nausea, abdominal discomfort, headache, dizziness, blurred vision or itching. Severe reactions are uncommon.

Protecting yourself against mosquito bites is just as important as taking malaria pills, since no pills are 100% effective. If it's possible that you may not have access to medical care while traveling, bring along additional pills for emergency self-treatment, which you should take if you can't reach a doctor and develop symptoms that suggest malaria, such as high spiking fevers. Of course, you should try to see a doctor at the earliest possible opportunity. If you develop a fever after returning home, see a physician, as malaria symptoms may not occur for months.  Malaria pills are not recommended for the major resorts along the Pacific and Gulf Coasts.

Chagas' Disease
Chagas' disease is a parasitic infection transmitted by triatomine insects (reduvid bugs), which inhabit crevices in the walls and roofs of substandard housing in South and Central America. In Mexico, most cases occur in southern and coastal areas. The triatomine insect lays its feces on human skin as it bites, usually at night. A person becomes infected when he or she unknowingly rubs the feces into the bite wound or any other open sore. Chagas' disease is extremely rare in travelers. However, if you sleep in a poorly constructed house, especially one made of mud, adobe or thatch, you should be sure to protect yourself with a bed net and good insecticide.

Cholera
Cholera is an intestinal infection acquired through ingestion of contaminated food or water. The main symptom is profuse, watery diarrhea, which may be so severe that it causes life-threatening dehydration. The key treatment is drinking oral rehydration solution. Antibiotics are also given, usually tetracycline or doxycycline, though quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin are also effective. Only a handful of cases have been reported in Mexico over the last few years. Cholera vaccine is no longer recommended.

Dengue Fever
A viral infection found throughout Central America, Dengue is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite preferentially during the day and are usually found close to human habitations, often indoors. They breed primarily in water containers such as barrels, cans, plastic containers and discarded tyres. As a result, Dengue is especially common in densely populated, urban environments. In Mexico, the risk is greatest along the Gulf Coast, especially from July to September. Dengue usually causes flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, joint pains, headaches, nausea and vomiting, often followed by a rash. The body aches may be quite uncomfortable, but most cases resolve uneventfully in a few days.

Hepatitis
Several different viruses cause hepatitis; they differ in the way that they are transmitted. The symptoms in all forms of the illness include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, feelings of weakness and aches and pains, followed by loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored feces, jaundiced (yellow) skin and yellowing of the whites of the eyes.

Rabies
This is a fatal viral infection. Many animals can be infected (such as dogs, cats, bats and monkeys) and it's their saliva that is infectious. Any bite, scratch or even lick from a warm-blooded, furry animal should be cleaned immediately and thoroughly. Scrub with soap and running water, and then apply alcohol or iodine solution. Medical help should be sought promptly to receive a course of injections to prevent the onset of symptoms and death.

Typhoid
Also known as enteric fever, typhoid is transmitted via food and water, and symptomless carriers, especially when they're working as food handlers, are an important source of infection. Typhoid is caused by a type of salmonella bacteria, Salmonella typhi. Paratyphoid is a similar but milder disease.

The symptoms are variable, but you almost always get a fever and headache to start with, which initially feels very similar to flu, with aches and pains, loss of appetite and general malaise. Typhoid may be confused with malaria. The fever gradually rises during a week. Characteristically your pulse is relatively slow for someone with a fever. Other symptoms you may have are constipation or diarrhea and stomach pains.  You may feel worse in the second week, with a constant fever and sometimes a red skin rash. Other symptoms you may have are severe headache, sore throat and jaundice. Serious complications occur in about one in 10 cases, including, most commonly, damage to the gut wall with subsequent leakage of the gut contents into the abdominal cavity.

Seek medical help for any fever (38°C/100°F and higher) that does not improve after 48 hours. Typhoid is a serious disease and is not something you should consider self-treating.  Re-hydration therapy is important if diarrhea has been a feature of the illness, but antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment.

Yellow Fever
Yellow fever no longer occurs in Central America, but many Central American countries, including Mexico, require yellow fever vaccine before entry if you're arriving from a country in Africa or South America where yellow fever occurs. If you're not arriving from a country with yellow fever, the vaccine is neither required nor recommended. Yellow fever vaccine is given only in approved yellow fever vaccination centers, which provide validated International Certificates of Vaccination ('yellow booklets'). The vaccine should be given at least 10 days before departure and remains effective for approximately 10 years. Reactions to the vaccine are generally mild and may include headaches, muscle aches, low-grade fevers or discomfort at the injection site. Severe, life-threatening reactions have been described but are extremely rare.

Daylight Saving
Start: first Sunday in April
End: last Sunday in October
The state of Sonora does not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Weights & Measures System
Metric

Geography
Covering almost two million sq km (800,000 sq mi), Mexico follows a northwest to southeast curve, narrowing to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec then continuing to the Yucatán Peninsula. On the west and south the country is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, with the Gulf of California lying between the Baja California peninsula and the mainland. Mexico's east coast is washed by the Gulf of Mexico, while the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula meets the Caribbean Sea. Mexico shares borders with the USA (to the north), and Guatemala and Belize (to the southeast).

Bridging temperate and tropical regions, and lying in latitudes that contain most of the world's deserts, Mexico has an enormous range of natural environments and vegetation zones. Its rugged, mountainous topography adds to the variety by creating countless microclimates. Mexico's potential for great ecological diversity, however, has been seriously tempered by human impact. Before the Spanish conquest, about two-thirds of the country was forested. Today, only one-fifth of the country remains verdant, mainly in the south and east.

What every visitor does need is a valid passport and a tourist card (or FMT - folleto de migración turística). Tourist cards are free, and if you're flying direct, you should get one on the plane, or from the airline before leaving. A good travel agent should be able to arrange one for you, too. Otherwise they're issued by Mexican consulates, in person or by post. Every major US city and most border towns have a Mexican consulate; tourist cards and vehicle import forms are also available from all AAA offices in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Finally, failing all these, you should be able to get tourist cards at airports or border crossings on arrival. However, if they've run out, you'll have to twiddle your thumbs until the next batch comes in, and if your passport is not issued by a rich Western country, you may encounter difficulty in persuading border officials to give you a card at all; it's therefore preferable to get one in advance.

Customs Overview
When entering Mexico, you are required to complete a customs declaration form (which lists duty-free allowances). If you wrote 'nothing to declare,' you'll have to step up to a machine and push a button. If the machine shows a green light, you pass without inspection. If a red light shows, your baggage will be searched.

Duty Free
Visitors are allowed to bring the following into Mexico, duty-free: personal use items (eg clothing); a camera and video camera; up to 12 rolls of film or videocassettes; a mobile phone; a laptop; a CD or cassette player; medicine for personal use (with prescription in the case of psychotropic drugs); 3L of wine, beer or liquor; 400 cigarettes; and $300 worth of other goods ($50 if arriving by land).

Tipping
Service is hardly ever added to bills, and the amount you tip is entirely up to you - in cheap places, it's just the loose change, while expensive venues tend to expect a full fifteen percent. It's not standard practice to tip taxi drivers .

Currency
The "new Mexican Peso", or Nuevo Peso , usually written $ (sometimes N$), was introduced in 1993 and is made up of 100 centavos (¢, like a US cent) - it's the equivalent of 1000 old pesos. Bills come in denominations of $20, $50, $100, $200 and $500, with coins of 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20. The use of the dollar symbol for the peso is occasionally confusing; the initials MN (moneda nacional) are occasionally used to indicate that it's Mexican, not American money that is being referred to.

Cash
In touristy places, such as Acapulco and Tijuana, US dollar bills are almost as easy to spend as pesos. Of course the big disadvantage with cash is that once stolen or lost, it's gone forever. For that reason, most travellers prefer to bring plastic and/or travellers' cheques (personal cheques are virtually worthless in Mexico). But do bring some dollars cash - sometimes you won't be able to change anything else. It's also a good idea to have a mixture of denominations, including a wad of single dollar bills, and to try to bring some pesos (US$50/£30-worth, say), just in case you're unable to change money on arrival, or would rather not wait in a long line to do so. Although few US banks keep foreign currency on hand, and banks in Britain, Australia and New Zealand are unlikely to stock Mexican pesos, you should be able to order them from your bank's foreign desk if you give them a few days' notice; or you may find them at specialist exchange desks at the airport.

Travelers Cheques
Travelers' cheques have the obvious advantage over cash that if they are lost or stolen, the issuing company will refund them on production of the purchase receipt. For that reason, keep the receipt safe and separate from the cheques themselves, along with a record of the serial numbers and a note of those ones you have already cashed. If your cheques do get lost or stolen, the issuing company will expect you to report the loss to their local office immediately. You pay one to two percent commission to buy the cheques, and usually get a lower rate of exchange for them, but it's worth it for the extra peace of mind.

When buying travellers' cheques, get a sensible mix of denominations, and stick to the established names - Thomas Cook, American Express, Visa or one of the major American banks - not only because these will be more recognized, but also because there will be better customer service should they be lost or stolen

Credit Cards and ATMs
Major credit cards are widely accepted and handy for emergencies. Visa and MasterCard are the best; American Express and other charge cards are usually only accepted by expensive places, but an Amex card is worth it for the other services it offers, such as mail pick-up points and dollar travellers' cheque purchase. Credit cards are not accepted in the cheapest hotels or restaurants, nor for most bus tickets, but you can use them to get cash advances from banks. Usually there's a minimum withdrawal of around US$75-100.

In addition, you can get cash 24 hours a day from ATMs in most sizeable towns in Mexico, using credit cards or ATM cash cards from home. Banamex and Bancomer machines accept Visa and MasterCard plus debit cards from the Cirrus and PLUS systems, which allow account holders to withdraw money directly from their current/checking accounts back home. In some border towns you can find cash machines pay out in US dollars.

Make sure before you leave home that you have a personal identification number ( PIN ) designed to work overseas. Remember, too, that all cash advances on credit cards are treated as loans, with interest accruing daily from the date of withdrawal; there may be a transaction fee on top of this. Finally, be aware that technical hitches are not uncommon - though rare, it has been known for machines not to dispense cash but to debit your account anyway.

Buses
Within Mexico, buses (long-distance buses are called camiones, rather than autobuses, in Mexican Spanish) are by far the most common and efficient form of public transport. There are an unbelievable number of them, run by a multitude of companies, and connecting even the smallest of villages. Long-distance services generally rely on very comfortable and dependable vehicles; remote villages are more commonly connected by what look like (and often are) recycled school buses from north of the border.  Go to www.ticketbus.com.mx for bus schedules and to buy bus tickets online.

Trains
Rail travel is generally less than half the price of the bus in Mexico, but it's also far less common, much slower and rarely on time - that's hours late, not minutes. The few services which do exist are infrequent, with only one a day or three a week on most lines. Most services have been cut since privatization in 1995. In general, train travel is only recommended in northern and central Mexico. The most popular journeys include those from the border to Mexico City (where sleeper services represent great value), Mexico City to Oaxaca, and the amazing Copper Canyon Railway. Train schedules are hard to come by in Mexico, but are published each month internationally in Thomas Cook's Overseas Timetable (the blue volume), which can be consulted in most public reference libraries in North America, the British Isles, Australia and New Zealand.

Flights
There are more than fifty airports in Mexico with regular passenger flights run by local airlines, plus several smaller airports with feeder services. The two big companies, both formerly state-owned and with international as well as domestic flights, are Aeroméxico and Mexicana, which between them connect most places to Mexico City, usually several times a day.

Ferries
Ferries connect Baja California with a trio of ports on the Pacific mainland: Santa Rosalía to Guaymas, and La Paz to Mazatlán and Topolobampo (for Los Mochis). There are also smaller boats to islands off the Caribbean coast: from Chetumal to Xcalak, from Cancún to Isla Mujeres and from Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos to Cozumel (the ferry from Puerto Morelos is cars only and doesn't carry foot passengers). Though not as cheap as they once were, all these services are still pretty reasonable.

Driving and Rental Cars
Renting a car in Mexico - especially if done with a specific itinerary in mind, just for a day or two - avoids many of the problems and is often an extremely good way of seeing quickly a small area that would take days to explore using public transport. In all the tourist resorts and major cities there are any number of competing agencies, with local operations usually charging less than the well-known chains. You should check rates carefully, though - the basic cost of renting a VW Beetle for the day may be as little as US$15/£10, but by the time you have added insurance, tax and mileage it can easily end up being three or four times that. Daily rates that include unlimited mileage start at around US$55/£35; weekly rates can be better, from about US$250/£160. For shorter distances, mopeds and motorbikes are also available in some resorts but most of the large, international companies don't deal with them because of the high frequency of accidents.

Drivers from the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand will find that their licences are valid in Mexico, though an international can be useful, especially if yours has no photo on it. It's important to remember you are required to have all your documents with you when driving. Insurance is not compulsory, but you'd be foolhardy not to take some out.

The government oil company, Pemex, has a monopoly and sells two types of fuel : Premio (leaded) and Magna Sin (unleaded), both of which cost slightly more than regular unleaded north of the border, at about US$2 per US gallon. Magna Sin is increasingly available, in response to howls of outrage from US motorists who have ruined their engines using Premio.

Mexican roads and traffic , however, are your chief worry. Traffic circulates on the right, and the normal speed limit is 40kph (25mph) in built-up areas, 70kph (43mph) in open country, and 110kph (68mph) on the freeway. Some of the new highways are excellent, and the toll (cuota) superhighways are better still, though extremely expensive to drive on. Away from the major population centres, however, roads are often narrow, winding and potholed, with livestock wandering across at unexpected moments. Get out of the way of Mexican bus and truck drivers (and remember that if you signal left to them on a stretch of open road, it means it's clear to overtake). Every town and village on the road, however tiny, limits the speed of through-traffic with a series of topes (concrete or metal speed bumps) across the road. Look out for the warning signs and take them seriously; the bumps are often huge. Most people suggest, too, that you should never drive at night (and not just for road safety reasons) - sound advice even if not always practical. Any good road map should provide details of the more common symbols used on Mexican road signs , and SECTUR have a pamphlet on driving in Mexico in which they're also featured. One convention to be aware of is that the first driver to flash their lights at a junction, or where only one vehicle can pass, has right of way: they're not inviting you to go first.

In most large towns you'll find extensive one-way systems . Traffic direction is often poorly marked (look for small arrows affixed to lampposts), though this is less of a problem than it sounds: simply note the directions in which the parked cars are facing.

Parking in cities is always going to be a hassle, too - the restrictions are complicated and foreigners are easy pickings for traffic police, who usually remove one or both plates in lieu of a ticket (retrieving them can be an expensive and time-consuming business). Since theft is also a real threat, you'll usually have to pay extra for a hotel with secure parking. You may well also have to fork over on-the-spot "fines" for traffic offences (real or imaginary). In the capital, residents' cars are banned from driving on one day of every week, determined by their licence number.

Unless your car is a basic model VW, Ford or Dodge (all of which are manufactured in Mexico), spare parts are expensive and hard to come by - bring a basic spares kit. Tires suffer particularly badly on burning-hot Mexican roads, and you should carry at least one good spare. Roadside vulcanizadoras and llanteros can do temporary repairs; new tires are expensive, but remoulds aren't a good idea on hot roads at high speed. If you have a breakdown, there is a free highway mechanic service known as the Ángeles Verdes (Green Angels). As well as patrolling all major routes looking for beleaguered motorists, they can be reached by phone via Mexico City on 5/250-0123 or 250-8221 (although they don't actually operate inside the capital, where you should call the Radar Service on 532-3700). The Ángeles Verdes speak English.

Should you have a minor accident , try to come to some arrangement with the other party - involving the police will only make matters worse, and Mexican drivers will be as anxious to avoid doing so as you will. Also, if you witness an accident, don't get involved - witnesses can be locked up along with those directly implicated to prevent them from leaving before the case comes up. In any more serious incident, contact your consulate and your Mexican insurance company as soon as possible.

Local Transportation
Public transport within Mexican towns and cities is always plentiful and inexpensive, though also crowded and not very user-friendly. Mexico City has an extensive, excellent Metro system, and there are smaller metros in Guadalajara and Monterrey, but elsewhere you'll be reliant on buses , which pour out clouds of choking diesel fumes; often there's a flat-fare system, but this varies from place to place. Wherever possible we've indicated which bus to take and where to catch it, but often only a local will fully understand the intricacies of the system and you may well have to ask: the main destinations of the bus are usually marked on the windscreen, which helps.

In bigger places combis or colectivos offer a faster and perhaps less crowded alternative for only a little more money. These are minibuses, vans or large saloons that run along a fixed route to set destinations; they'll pick you up and drop you off wherever you like along the way, and you simply pay the driver for the distance travelled. In Mexico City, combis are known as peseros .

Regular taxis can also be good value, but be aware of rip-offs - unless you're confident that the meter is working, fix a price before you get in. In the big cities, there may be tables of fixed prices posted at prominent spots. At almost every airport and at some of the biggest bus stations you'll find a booth selling vouchers for taxis into town at a fixed price depending on the part of town you want to go to - sometimes there's a choice of paying more for a private car or less to share. This will invariably cost less than just hailing a cab outside the terminal, and will certainly offer extra security. In every case you should know the name of a hotel to head for, or they'll take you to the one that pays the biggest commission (they may try to do this anyway, saying that yours is full). Never accept a ride in any kind of unofficial or unmarked taxi.

Sending packages out of the country is drowned in bureaucracy. Regulations about the thickness of brown paper wrapping and the amount of string used vary from state to state, but most importantly, any package must be checked by customs and have its paperwork stamped by at least three other departments, which may take a while. Take your package (unsealed) to any post office and they'll set you on your way. Many stores will send your purchases home for you, which is a great deal easier. Within the country, you can send a package by bus if there is someone to collect it at the other end.

Phones
Local phone calls in Mexico are cheap, and some hotels will let you call locally for free. Coin-operated public phones, rapidly disappearing, also charge very little for local calls. Internal long-distance calls are best made with a phonecard. These are available from telephone offices and stores near phones that use them (especially in bus and train stations, airports and major resorts). Many newer public phones say they accept credit cards; in practice, however, they often don't.

Slightly more expensive are casetas de teléfono , phone offices where someone will make the connection for you. There are lots of them, as many Mexicans don't have phones of their own: they can be simply shops or bars with public phones, indicated by a phone sign outside, in which case you may only be allowed to make local calls, but many are specialist phone and fax places displaying a blue-and-white Larga Distancia (long-distance) sign. You're connected by an operator who presents you with a bill afterwards - once connected, the cost can usually be seen clicking up on a meter. There are scores of competing companies, and the new ones, like Computel, tend to be better; many take credit cards. Prices vary, so if you're making lots of calls it may be worth checking a few out. There are casetas at just about every bus station and airport.

Wherever you make them from, international calls are fabulously expensive - using a phonecard is probably the cheapest option, though even the highest denomination ones won't last long; next best rates are from a caseta (though costs vary more than you'd expect, so shop around); calling from a hotel is very extravagant indeed. Charges vary a great deal, but typical caseta prices are US$3 a minute to call the US, £4 a minute to the UK. If you plan to make international calls, by far the best plan is to arm yourself in advance with a charge card or calling card that can be used in Mexico; you'll be connected to an English-speaking operator and will be billed at home at a rate that is predictable (if still high). You should be able to get through to the toll-free numbers from any working public phone.

Next best is to call collect ( por cobrar ). In theory you should be able to make an international collect call from any public phone, by dialling the international operator (tel 09) or getting in touch with the person-to-person direct dial numbers we've listed, though it can be hard to get through. At a caseta there may be a charge for making the connection, even if you don't get through, and a hotel is liable to make an even bigger charge.

Some international cell phones work in certain regions of Mexico. Check with your cellular phone company for roaming coverage and rates.

Internet
The Internet is booming in Mexico - most urban school children are computer-literate and public access facilities are springing up all over the place. Internet cafés are easy to find in all the larger cities and the level of service is usually excellent, although servers tend to crash with greater frequency than they do at home. In smaller towns and villages, such facilities are still rare. Prices start at around US$1 per hour and can be inflated to five times that amount in touristy areas. If you are in such an area, look for cheaper Internet cafés around the town centre that are frequented by the locals and avoid those in the luxury hotel zones. Internet facilities in large cities are usually open from early morning until late at night, but in smaller towns they have shorter opening hours and close altogether at weekends.