Los Cabos

Is Los Cabos safe?

Yes for most visitors, and safer than Mexico's headlines suggest. Los Cabos is the municipality at the tip of the Baja California peninsula that takes in Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo and the coast of resort hotels between them. SESNSP, the federal crime statistics office, recorded 20 victims of intentional homicideHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary and femicide there from January to September 2026. On the 2020 census population of 351,111, that is about 7.6 per 100,000 a year, against 23 murder cases in all of 2025.

On the same SESNSP basis, Cancún's Benito Juárez municipality recorded about 9 per 100,000 in 2026 and 14 in 2025, against 7.6 and 6.6 for Los Cabos. That puts Los Cabos below Cancún and close to Mexico City. We score it 60, above Cancún (55) and Mexico City (58). The roads, the Pacific surf and hurricanes are where visitors are more likely to get hurt.

What the travel warnings say

The UK Foreign Office lists Los Cabos with Cancún, Tulum and Puerto Vallarta as resorts that the Mexican government works to protect, and also as places where British travellers have been physically and sexually assaulted, in some cases with hotel staff, taxi drivers or security guards involved. It notes drug-related crime in Baja California Sur, including Los Cabos. Unlike Cancún and Tulum, it does not tell visitors to be very cautious downtown after dark.

The US State Department rates Mexico as a whole at Level 2, exercise increased caution. Its state map, shared by the US embassy in June 2026, puts Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo at Level 2 too. Its rules for US government staff apply everywhere in the country: no driving between cities after dark and no taxis hailed in the street.

One number stands out in the SESNSP data. Los Cabos recorded 75 extortion victims from January to September 2026, plus 11 attempts, more than Cancún's Benito Juárez municipality (65) with two and a half times the population. Extortion mostly targets local businesses rather than tourists, but it is a sign that organised crime is present.

Scams and theft

Street robbery is less common than in Cancún. Police opened 69 cases of robbery from pedestrians in 2025, about 20 per 100,000 people, against about 87 in Cancún. The everyday problems are the ones the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary describes for all of Mexico:

• Fake police. Criminals posing as officers have targeted travellers in rental cars. Do not hand over money or your passport; ask for a written fine, which is paid later.
• Cash machines. Use ATMs inside shops, malls or your hotel in daylight, and take out modest amounts.
• Drinks. Drink spiking happens, and methanol in alcohol has caused deaths in Mexico. Buy sealed drinks or drink in established bars.

Roads and the sea

Road deaths are the weak point. SESNSP counted 40 people killed in traffic in Los Cabos from January to September 2026, about 15 per 100,000 a year and roughly the rate in Cancún. If you hire a car, drive only in daylight, as US government staff must between cities.

The ocean is the other risk most visitors underestimate. Playa del Divorcio, on the Pacific side of Land's End, faces open ocean swells and powerful currents. Civil protection has banned swimming around the arch, and in August 2026 the navy rescued two American tourists who could not get out of the water there. It is not on the tourism board's list of swimmable beaches. Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas and the sheltered bays of Chileno and Santa María on the corridor are. Los Cabos has 25 Blue Flag beaches with lifeguards and facilities. Swim there, and respect red flags.

Hurricanes and heat

Hurricane season on Mexico's Pacific coast runs from June to November. On 15 September 2014, Hurricane Odile made landfall just east of Cabo San Lucas as a Category 3 storm, tied for the strongest on record to hit the peninsula. The US National Hurricane Center reports that windows were blown out of many high-rise hotels, the airport closed to normal flights for about a month, and San José del Cabo was left without drinking water. Eight people died in Baja California Sur.

Forecasts give days of warning. Follow the US National Hurricane Center and your hotel's instructions, and keep your passport and medicines with you.

How to stay safe in Los Cabos

• Swim only at beaches on the swimmable list, ideally Blue Flag beaches with lifeguards.
• Use hotel taxis, pre-booked transfers or app rides, and agree street fares first.
• Avoid driving between towns after dark.
• Drink bottled water and keep an eye on your glass in bars.
• Travelling between June and November, buy insurance that covers hurricane disruption.

For the rest of Mexico, see our Mexico page.

How we scored it

Health and environment (70) and violent crime (65) are the strongest factors: clean air, private hospitals and a murder rate of about 8 per 100,000. Road safety (41) is the weakest, with about 15 traffic deaths per 100,000 a year. Natural hazards (55) reflect real hurricane exposure, with Odile as the reminder.