Tulum

Is Tulum safe?

For most visitors, yes, but it is the riskiest of the big Mexican beach resorts we score. Tulum is a small town: the municipality, which takes in the town, the beach hotel strip, the Maya ruins and the surrounding jungle, had 46,721 residents at the 2020 census. Gang killings have given it a murder rate far higher than its size suggests.

SESNSP, the federal crime statistics office, counted 89 murder cases in Tulum in 2023, 65 in 2024 and 39 in 2025. In the first nine months of 2026 it recorded 9 victims, about 26 per 100,000 a year on the census population. That is a real fall, but it is recent and may be incomplete. In the same months, Quintana Roo filed 39 deaths in Tulum as negligent homicides of unspecified type and 5 as negligent homicides with a firearm, categories that Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta barely use. Officials cited by The Tulum Times also put the number of execution-style killings in 2025 at roughly 60, more than the federal count of 39.

These rates use the 2020 census. Tulum has grown fast since then, so the true rate per resident is lower, but even at twice the census population the 2025 rate would be above 40 per 100,000. We score Tulum 50, below Cancún (57) and well below Los Cabos (60).

Where the violence happens

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 says gangs have not targeted tourists, but violent incidents could affect anyone nearby, and some have happened where visitors go out. In October 2021, two foreign tourists were killed when gunmen opened fire at La Malquerida restaurant. On 8 January 2026, a man was shot on a dirt road just outside the perimeter of the Tehmplo venue while thousands attended a Solomun set; prosecutors are treating it as a targeted killing.

The UK Foreign Office says rival gangs have clashed in Cancún and the surrounding resorts, that several shootings since 2021 have affected tourists, and that visitors should be very cautious after dark in downtown Tulum, keeping to well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist zones. It also lists Tulum among resorts where British travellers have been physically and sexually assaulted, in some cases with hotel staff, taxi drivers or security guards involved. Its advice of 23 February 2026, during unrest that started in Jalisco, reported security incidents in tourist areas of Quintana Roo too.

The US State Department rates Mexico as a whole at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and its state map, shared by the US embassy in June 2026, puts Quintana Roo at the same level.

Ceremonies, drinks and theft

Ceremonies using ayahuasca, bufo and similar drugs are marketed to tourists in Mexico as "spiritual cleansing". 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 warns that these contain DMT or 5-MeO-DMT, that consumption is not regulated, and that intoxicated travellers have been robbed and sexually assaulted during ceremonies. Some people have suffered serious illness, mental breakdowns or death, and jungle retreats are often a long way from medical facilities.

Drink spiking happens in bars and clubs, and methanol in alcohol has caused deaths in Mexico. Buy sealed drinks and do not leave a glass unattended. Street robbery is less common than in Cancún: police opened 26 cases in 2025, about 56 per 100,000 people, against about 87 in Cancún. Fake police and ATM theft are the other scams the FCDO describes across Mexico.

Roads and medical care

Road deaths are high for a small town. SESNSP counted 14 road homicide cases in Tulum in 2025 and 26 in 2024, on a population of under 50,000. US government staff may not drive between cities after dark, a good rule on the highway to Playa del Carmen and Cancún.

Medical care is the other gap. 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 warns that medical and emergency services may be limited outside state capitals and larger urban areas, and its list of English-speaking providers in Mexico includes none in Tulum. Carry insurance that covers evacuation, and take extra care when diving in cenotes or swimming on beaches without lifeguards.

Hurricanes

Tulum sits on the Caribbean coast in the Atlantic hurricane belt, and it has been hit twice in recent years. According to the US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Grace made landfall just south of Tulum on 19 August 2021, and Hurricane Beryl came ashore just north-east of the town on 5 July 2024, with hurricane conditions along the coast to Playa del Carmen. Both were Category 1FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary at landfall. The season runs from June to November.

How to stay safe in Tulum

• After dark, stay in lit, busy streets and take a booked taxi or ride between the town and the beach.
• Leave any bar or party at the first sign of trouble, and arrive and leave events by booked transport.
• Avoid drug ceremonies; if you take part, choose one close to a hospital.
• Buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and hurricane disruption.
• Pay the Quintana Roo entry tax online before you fly; you must show proof when you leave.

Our Mexico page covers the rest of the country.

How we scored it

Health and environment (64) is the strongest factor despite limited hospital care, thanks to clean air. Violent crime and road safety (both 38) are the weakest: murder and traffic death rates are high for a town of Tulum's size, even after the 2026 fall. Natural hazards (50) reflect two hurricane landfalls in three years.