Quick Answer
Yes. Cabo San Lucas is in Baja California Sur, which the US State Department rates Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution — the same rating as Cancun and Mexico City, and one level below Puerto Vallarta. There are no travel restrictions on US government employees here. Around four million people visit Los Cabos each year; violent crime against tourists is rare, and the realistic risks are petty theft, drink-spiking in the bar district, and commission scams.
What the Travel Advisory Actually Says
Most of the fear around Cabo comes from applying headlines about Mexico as a whole to a specific place. The State Department doesn't rate "Mexico" — it rates 32 states separately, and they are wildly different from each other.
Baja California Sur — the state containing Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, and La Paz — is Level 2, reaffirmed with no change in the advisory refresh of May 29, 2026. Level 2 is the most common rating for major international destinations worldwide. It means stay alert; it does not mean reconsider your trip.
Note the distinction that trips people up: Baja California Sur (Cabo) is Level 2. Baja California (Tijuana, Ensenada) is Level 3. They are different states 1,000 miles apart.
| Level | Meaning | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Exercise normal precautions | Yucatan (Merida) |
| Level 2Cabo is here | Exercise increased caution | Baja California Sur (Los Cabos), Quintana Roo (Cancun), Mexico City |
| Level 3 | Reconsider travel | Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta), Baja California (Tijuana), Sinaloa |
| Level 4 | Do not travel | Colima was removed from this list in May 2026 |
Advisory levels change. For the current status, see our Is Cabo safe right now? page, which we review monthly.
Safety Area by Area
"Is Cabo safe" is the wrong question. Every destination has safe blocks and blocks with no reason to visit. Here's the honest breakdown.
Medano Beach
The busiest stretch in Cabo and the only genuinely swimmable beach in town. Constant foot traffic, beach clubs, and security. Expect persistent vendors — a firm 'no gracias' ends it.
The Marina
Well-lit, patrolled, and busy until late. This is also the epicenter of timeshare and boat-tour pitches, so the annoyance level is high and the danger level is low.
Downtown Cabo San Lucas
The bar district around El Squid Roe and Cabo Wabo is safe but gets rowdy. The risk here is over-drinking, not crime. Walk back along lit main streets, not through side alleys.
The Tourist Corridor
The 20-mile resort stretch between the two towns. Gated properties, private security, almost no pedestrian traffic. You'll need a car or taxi for everything.
San Jose del Cabo
Quieter, more residential, and the most relaxed part of Los Cabos. The historic art district is comfortable to wander alone at night, including for solo travelers.
Outlying colonias
Working residential neighborhoods inland from the highway. Not tourist areas, not signposted, and where the area's actual crime statistics come from. There is nothing there for visitors.
What Actually Goes Wrong Here
Rarely happens to tourists
- Violent crime in the resort corridor
- Cartel activity affecting visitors
- Kidnapping of tourists
- Police shakedowns of pedestrians
Actually happens, weekly
- Drownings at non-swimmable beaches
- Card skimming at street ATMs
- Drink-spiking in the downtown bar district
- Aggressive timeshare and taxi overcharging
- Heat exhaustion and severe sunburn
The pattern is consistent: the water and the alcohol hurt far more visitors in Los Cabos than crime does.
Practical Safety Tips
- Use ATMs inside bank branches or hotel lobbies — never standalone street machines
- Pay in pesos and decline the card terminal's offer to charge you in dollars
- Watch your drink get poured, and never leave it unattended
- Use Uber at night instead of negotiating with street taxis
- Photograph your passport and keep the original in the room safe
- Buy travel insurance — Mexican hospitals require payment up front
- Don't flash jewelry, cash, or a new phone after dark
- Save 911 and your consulate's number in your phone before you land
The Six Scams You'll Actually Encounter
Ranked by how often visitors report them to us. None of these are dangerous — they're just expensive.
1. Timeshare Pitches
Where: Airport arrivals hall, marina, hotel lobbies
What happens: The single most common tourist complaint in Cabo. 'Free' tours, dinners, or transfers in exchange for a 90-minute presentation that runs three hours. Airport staff in official-looking uniforms are often salespeople.
What to do: Walk past everyone in the arrivals hall until you're outside. Don't answer 'where are you staying?' — that's the opening question.
2. The Dynamic Currency Conversion Charge
Where: Restaurants, shops, ATMs
What happens: The card terminal asks whether you want to pay in USD instead of pesos. Saying yes accepts an invented exchange rate, typically 8–12% worse than your bank's.
What to do: Always choose pesos. Always.
3. Taxi Overcharging
Where: Airport, marina, outside bars at closing
What happens: Cabo taxis are unmetered. Quotes to tourists routinely run two to three times the local rate, and 'the price is per person' appears at the destination.
What to do: Agree the total price, in pesos, for the whole car, before you get in. Or just use Uber.
4. The Broken Rental Car
Where: Airport car rental counters
What happens: A $5/day online rate becomes $60/day once mandatory Mexican liability insurance is added, plus damage claims for scratches that were already there.
What to do: Book with insurance included, and video the entire car — including the roof and windshield — before leaving the lot.
5. Restaurant Steering
Where: Downtown, marina
What happens: A helpful stranger tells you the place you're heading to is closed today and walks you to a restaurant where he collects commission.
What to do: Check for yourself. Look up hours before you leave.
6. Unlicensed Tour Operators
Where: Beaches, marina, street corners
What happens: Cash-only snorkel, jet ski, and boat trips with no insurance, no safety briefing, and no life jackets that fit. This is the scam that actually gets people hurt.
What to do: Book through your hotel, a reviewed operator, or a platform with a refund policy. Never hand cash to someone on a beach.
Beach Safety — the Real Risk in Cabo
More visitors are hurt by the Pacific than by anything else in Los Cabos. Most Cabo beaches are not swimmable, and the danger is not obvious from the sand.
- Never enter the water at Divorce Beach or Solmar — permanent shore-break and undertow, no lifeguards, deaths most years
- Reliably swimmable: Medano, Chileno, Santa Maria, Palmilla
- Obey the flag system — red or black means out of the water, no exceptions
- An empty beautiful beach in Cabo is empty for a reason
- Full breakdown in our swimmable beaches guide
Health & Medical
- Tap water: don't drink it. Ice at established venues is purified and fine.
- Food: busy places with high turnover are the safest bet, street stands included.
- Hospitals: H+ Los Cabos and Blue Medical Net are private, English-speaking, and good.
- Insurance: essential. Private hospitals require payment or a card up front before treatment.
Emergency Contacts
- All emergencies: 911 (English operators available)
- Tourist Police: 624-143-3977
- US Consular Agency, Cabo: 624-143-3566
- Canadian Consulate, Cabo: 624-142-4333
Save these before you land — you won't want to search for them on hotel wifi.
The Bottom Line
Cabo is about as safe as a major Mexican resort destination gets, and safer than a lot of large US cities on a per-visit basis. Stay in the tourist areas, respect the ocean, pay in pesos, use Uber after dark, and the trip will be uneventful in the best way. The people who get into trouble in Cabo are almost always people who got very drunk, got into an unlicensed boat, or got into water they were warned about.