suburbanbeat

I've had my sights set on touring across Mexico for some time. I have a lot of family and family friends there, I speak Spanish, and to fly there is relatively affordable. Moreover, a trip from Puerto Vallarta (on the Pacific coast) to the east coast is only about 750 miles or about two weeks of moderately-paced touring.

Obviously, the big factor working against this idea is personal safety. I've been in contact with friends and family in different regions of Mexico who have varying opinions on the current state of security. I wouldn't take this trip alone, and ideally would like to ride with a group of 3 or 4 for the sake of safety and fun. This would probably happen in winter of 2018.

Has anyone done a similar trip that can offer a first-hand perspective as to how safe or unsafe things seemed? Thanks in advance!

merlinextraligh

not that returned to report about it.

axolotl

Every time someone post in this forum about touring in Mexico, there are invariably clueless responses from folks who have never biked in Mexico. I toured in the Yucatan, and also between Morelia & Guadalajara. And I've gone on a bunch of day rides in Chiapas, Veracruz, & Oaxaca states (the latter this year). The Morelia trip was before Michoacan started to have serious problems with cartels. I would probably be reluctant to re-do that tour now because of the changed condition since that tour, but it was a great tour.

There are huge differences in security between the various Mexican states. Most of Mexico south of Mexico City remains pretty safe with the notable exception of Guerrero. Having said that, my impression is that most of the violence seems to be either between rival cartels, or between cartels and the military. Tourists aren't routinely targeted as they are in some countries, e.g. Peru.

One issue that I've found for touring in Mexico is the lack of a good secondary road network. The quality of the roads themselves is generally pretty good, but it can be hard to find quiet roads for touring. I found it easy to bring my bike on buses in Mexico.

There is some pretty mountainous terrain between Puerto Vallarta & Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. States such as Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Puebla, & Queretaro are generally considered quite safe. I was in Guanajuato & Queretaro states last year with a couple of friends, but we weren't biking. I was in the other 2 states the previous year. I personally have never had any problems on or off the bike in Mexico, and the people are some of the kindest I've encountered anywhere in the world.

merlinextraligh

Never biked in Mexico, but I can read a US State Department Advisory:

https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...l-warning.html

It would appear that there is enough risk to American tourists in a number of areas of Mexico that it would be difficult to do a cross country Mexican tour avoiding all the problem areas.

And as a small group of American tourists out in the countryside at night, you appear to be putting yourself at risk in a number of areas.

Everyone's risk tolerance is obviously different, Personally, I don't see the risk reward trade off as worth it, particularly when there are wonderful spots to tour in countries where the rule of law is still relatively intact.

It may be possible to map a route around some or all of the trouble spots identified above, but again for me its not worth the effort. YMMV.

axolotl

Of course, the OP wrote, You acknowledged that you haven't biked in Mexico.

Actually, what the OP described can be done relatively easily in terms of Mexican geography and the U.S. State Dept. Travel Advisory. The states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Queretaro, Puebla, & Veracruz have no State Dept. warnings. For Jalisco, the recommendation is to avoid areas near the borders of Zacatecas and Michoacan, which can also be done easily.

merlinextraligh

The Op can choose to read the State Department Advisory or not. I don't see the harm in posting the link

mrv 

You might contact the folks who wrote these articles to get advice:
Mexico Bikepacking Routes - BIKEPACKING.com

And if you haven't already scoured the journal here: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/
- it's probably a great place for advice - and make a donation if you find Neil's site useful.

Cheers!

mev

I cycled from Tecate on US/Baja border to Ciudad Cuauhtemoc on the Guatamala border this past November 2016 to February 2017 as part of my ride across the Americas (scc2ush.com). A total of 3940km in around 2.5 months. In the process, I crossed 11 States. I cycled the first parts to Oaxaca by myself and from Oaxaca to Guatamala with another rider.

I never felt unsafe. On average, I found the Mexican drivers to be more patient towards cyclists than I have experienced in US or Canada. The most challenging bit was in Baja with a short segment of very narrow roads where two trucks barely had room to pass each other. I would watch my mirror and get off if necessary.

Crazy Guy on a Bike has quite a few journals of people riding across Mexico, so this is also a good resource.

Perhaps I was just lucky. I had read the travel advisories and tried to be prudent and cautious. Overall, much easier experience than I anticipated.

Here are a few things I did based on the travel warnings. Not sure if these are strictly necessary or if they helped me or not:
- I didn't ever cycle at night, either early morning or after sunset.
- I mostly stayed in hotels. However, even when I camped (mostly in Baja), I made sure I had some sort of permission.
- Michoacan has an advisory that suggests the primary (toll road) is OK, but avoid small out of the way routes. So I mostly did that, cycling on the large busy roads but with good shoulders in that state.
- When entering/leaving big cities like Guadalajara, I read CGOAB journals to see others experiences and generally followed their routes if it seemed reasonable.

Again, I am cautious by nature, so was perhaps extra careful. There is nothing from my time in Mexico that led me to ever feel unsafe from either traffic or "bad guys" type perspective.

roseml

Where did you get this about Peru? I traveled extensively in that country and I never noticed this. There is the occasional robbery of buses (they don't target tourist buses as much, but intercity buses that tend to have a lot of Peruvians on them too) between cities and taxi robberies, but that type of stuff happens in most latin american countries, save for a few of the safest ones.

As for Mexico I haven't been there (yet), will probably tour it next year too, but I have traveled in plenty of countries and safety concerns are usually greatly exaggerated and government travel advice is nearly useless. They are way too paranoid and it tends to be based partially on politics.

axolotl

I've read quite a few first-hand accounts of robberies of touring cyclists in Peru. The worst area appears to be the north coastal route between Lima & Ecuador, but I've read of robberies in the south, as well. The panam-riders google group is a good source of information. I've read Peruvian robbery accounts in French cycling forums, too.

djb

that type of response is neither founded on your personal experience, nor does it reflect my experience touring there, nor that of others who have responded with personal touring experience in Mexico.

Yes, one should always get pertinent info about any area one is travelling to, re the govt warnings, but I have also found these warnings to be very heavy handed and overly worrying. Yes, there are dangerous areas, and yes one needs to use common sense in day to day situations, as well as getting info about a given area, but to reiterate, the warnings or views such as yours do not reflect the time I was in southern Mexico.

djb

this underlined comment was my experience also.

As noted, it is in your best interest to get up to date info on specific areas and to read up as much as you can on other cyclists touring experiences and take on specific areas and routes.

djb

suburbanbeat--again, I agree with these comments.

I would say that overall, using common sense and getting as much info as you can is the best way to go. My spanish is reasonably good, but if you are fluent, then its even more to your advantage to get all kinds of info from regular people as you travel. I was able nearly all the time to get good info about motels, comedores , eateries, and stuff like that simply by asking people--and of course, following common sense instincts about judging people re talking to them in the first place, believing them, and or how the vibe is about a given area.

I would add that getting away from "touristy" areas is always going to be a plus, for many reasons. My fondest memories of Mexico and other Central American countries were being in small towns that tourists tend not to go to, and generally how friendly people were.

bottom line, get up to date info (especially from actual bike tourers like here, or CGOAB) and use common sense when travelling.
I would not hesitate to return and cycle in Mexico again.

DanBell

I'm in Guatemala now having just spent a couple months in Mexico on my bike.

I rode down Baja, took the ferry to Mazatlan, rode to Durango, then Zacatecas, Guadalajara, Tequila, Leon, San Miguel de Allende, Queretaro, big detour up through the states of Hidalgo and San Luis Potosi in order to visit Las Pozas, then down to Teotihuacan and into Mexico City. I took a bus from Mexico city to Oaxaca (because I ran out of time), then cycled from Oaxaca through Chiapas and Tuxtla Gutiérrez before hitting the Guatemalan border at La Mesilla.

I was alone except for about two weeks on Baja when I cycled with a Dutch guy.

I felt completely safe the whole time. Drivers were as courteous and safe as those in the US, if not more so. I never really felt that I was in a sketchy area or in any danger in any of the cities or small towns I went though.

Drunk driving is a real problem though, so I never cycled after dark if I could avoid it. Also, the exchange rate was such when I was there that I could afford cheap hotels every night, so I did not camp much at all.

I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

axolotl

Thanks for your first-hand report. I'm glad to hear you took a detour to visit Las Pozas. I was there with some friends last year and it's one of the coolest places I've ever visited.

I'd love to hear your impressions of Guatemala.

DanBell

I went to Las Pozas on a whim. Met some people in a bar in Queretaro and they told me about it. The next day I started up there. Xilitla is an incredible town, Las Pozas is one of the highlights of the trip so far, and the riding in Hidalgo was the most beautiful in my experience in Mexico.

People in Guatemala are even friendlier than Mexicans. I didn't think it was possible but they are. I needed to meet some people, so I basically just rode from the border at La Mesilla to Antigua. I got off the main highway though. Too many high-speed chicken bus encounters. I went from Huehuetenango across to Pachalum and then south from there through San Juan Sacatepequez to get to Antigua.

Guatemala is incredibly mountainous, and they have not heard about switchbacks or other methods to gain some altitude less painfully. You are just constantly going up and down on these 15%+ grades. No fun to go up or down. You're also going to lose the pavement if you get off the major highways. I don't know if conditions are better on the main highway, CA1. I imagine it's all paved, but the traffic might make it not worth it.

djb

Re Mexican drivers, I commute ask the time in Montreal and have ridden on other parts of Canada and new England States, and overall in the relatively short time I rode in Mexico, I was very pleasantly surprised by how patient drivers were. I would hazard to say that the Canadian/American attitude of "get off my road" , close passing for no reason, and outright occasional aggression is much more prevalent in my riding experience here, and fairly rare in Mexico (and the rest of Central American countries). Yes you see some wackjob blind corner passing sometimes, but generally pretty patient drivers.

Now the chicken buses in Guatemala, different story..... But you just have to learn the rules and language of horn signals!

Danbell, I found Oaxaca and Chiapas to be very beautiful to ride through, although unlike the others here, that's the only part I've been to.

djb

Re high speed chicken buses, I got used to them, but it's crucial to figure out the "horn blast language" , and to keep the hell out of their way.

Ca1 was ok, we were on it a lot and it was pretty unpleasant approaching guat city, traffic was a lot more and shoulder got pretty sketchy.

Are you doing a trip journal, I'd be interested in reading it.

I'll try to attach my favorite Guatemala photo that sums up the mountainous comment.

djb

Didn't work, photo file may be too big., so here is my trip journal,

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=19027&v=Vy

Jarrett2

Happy to see experience trump fearful ignorance in this thread.

merlinextraligh

Lighten up. It was obviously sarcasm.

BlarneyHammer

I've toured in Mexico. Crossed the Rio Grande at McAllen/Matamoros, then stuck mostly to the gulf coast, until switching to the Pacific in Veracruz/Oaxaca.

According to the locals, both in Texas and Mexico, the border is the most dangerous area, because that's where the most drug trafficking activity happens. Having been there, can confirm. My first day across the border, I saw a truck with armed-to-the-teeth federal soldiers on it every 10 minutes. After a couple days, I stopped seeing them at all.
But even in those regions, you're mostly safe, because the drug cartels aren't interested in some guy on a bike. Most of the violence happens between members of the cartels and people that are in their way. So stay out of the way! A little common sense goes a long way:

Don't walk around alone at night.
Don't attract attention.
Don't look like maybe you have a lot of money, or anything valuable.
Find safe places to stay. Ask around and you'll be helped.
If you're near the border, shell out the $22 for a hotel.
Speak at least a little Spanish.
Body language is a big factor. Confidence and a big smile!

Once I got a few days south of the border, a big change was noticeable, and Mexico was a nice place! By the time I got to Guatemala, I was sad to leave.

djb

You should realize that it was not apparent at all that you were not serious, and that the view that Mexico is a place where you will be murdered is very much an attitude that a lot of people have, even here in Canada.

but thats cool, I am not naive enough not to realize that Mexico has all kinds of social and political problems/issues and you've got to be careful.

safe riding

300ps

I rode through Mexico from south to north, entering in Chiapas and exiting via Tijuana. I also lived in Guadalajara for a couple of years. I would say that it is dangerous in the sense that there is increased risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This can mitigated by doing things that others have already mentioned like not riding at night, being very careful about where and if you camp, avoiding big cities or at least carefully planning your entry/exit if you must go to one, etcetera... Riding in a group as you say will also be much safer. Just having someone to watch the bikes while the others shop or eat will eliminate one of the biggest stressers. The two situations where I have known people to get in trouble are 1) going out partying at night or looking for drugs; and 2) having unattended bikes/stuff stolen.

As far as road safety I would recommend avoiding the well-traveled "libres". They often have no shoulders and are full of trucks. I had a number of close calls on those roads. When the choice was big "libre" or "cuota" I took the cuota because they have large shoulders, although I did get kicked off a few times because in some places it is forbidden. Drinking and driving is common so be especially careful on Sundays and holidays. Use lots of lights and reflective clothing even during the day.

All of that aside, Mexico has unbeatable food, friendly people with a great sense of humour, and some amazing things to see. I highly recommend it if you are comfortable with taking on some additional risk.

suburbanbeat

Wow, so many responses! Thank you all for your (mostly) thoughtful insight. It's nice to know that this at least isn't unprecedented. The trick, it seems, will be finding a safe route that follows secondary and tertiary roads.

Gah! This is a great resource. That Oaxaca route looks dreamy. Shoot, maybe I'll consider crossing using this route and making it a very short crossing. I love these countries that taper and offer riders the option of a short or long crossing.

Thank you for this practical advice. I'll absolutely check out your website and reach out if I have any more questions about your trip. Sounds like it was amazing.

And thank you for your perspective. I've only ever known non-tourist Mexico and that's absolutely where I would like to spend as much time as possible, although treating myself to a plush, corny spa at the end of the trip sounds pretty magical.

Interesting point. Thank you so much for your comments and I will almost definitely be in touch as I plan my route. Best of luck on the rest of your tour.

And a poor taste comment right off the bat. Can't be surprised that it bummed people out.

And CRAP I am out of time to reply to these individually, but I am reading all of these and really appreciate the helpful advise.