Is Rocky Point Safe? Warnings & Advice for a Drive to Puerto Peñasco

IMPORTANT 2024 UPDATE:

THE LUKEVILLE BORDER CROSSING REOPENS

On Monday, December 4, 2023, the Lukeville Port of Entry closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. This is the crossing most people traveling from the Phoenix metro area use to get to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco).

US Customs and Border Protection diverted the officers and staff who normally handle crossings at the port, to go help the Border Patrol process an influx of migrants along the southern border.

One month later, on January 4, 2024, Lukeville reopened.

The temporary border closure had major impacts on Rocky Point, which nearly became a ghost town.

• People driving to Rocky Point had to detour through Nogales or San Luis.
• From Phoenix, the drive to Rocky Point through San Luis (Yuma area) is 6 hours.
• From Phoenix, the drive through Nogales is 7+ hours.

It’s important to note: the border crossing on the road to Rocky Point was closed not due to violence, but due to a record number of migrants crossing the border in late 2023. These are predominantly people fleeing oppression and poverty in Central and South America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, who are seeking asylum in the United States.

Warning: Do not use the small, rural crossing at Sasabe, AZ to get down to Rocky Point. On the Mexico side, Sasabe has been the center of a war between smuggling gangs. The town essentially evacuated in late 2023. Even though the violence has subsided, it’s still not a safe crossing to use to get to Rocky Point.

TRAVEL ADVICE: IS ROCKY POINT SAFE?

Asking, ‘Is Rocky Point Safe?’ is a legitimate question, since the US State Department routinely issues travel advisories, asking Americans to “reconsider travel” to the State of Sonora, Mexico.

Still, if you use common sense, you should feel safe driving the hour south of the US-Mexico border to the beaches of Puerto Peñasco.

Is it Safe to Travel to Mexico?

Each year, something triggers fears of visiting Mexico in the minds of Americans.

In 2023, it was the kidnapping of four friends from the Carolinas. Two of them were killed. It happened south of the border near Brownsville, Texas. One of them was traveling for cosmetic surgery, which is common.

In the days that followed, we learned: they were accidentally killed by a drug cartel in a case of mistaken identity. The cartel even turned on its members who made the mistake, and delivered them to authorities.

Nothing Has Changed

The wave of conversation about the US State Department’s travel advisories for Mexico was largely overblown and misinterpreted.

Nothing really changed, as a result of the tragedy involving those friends, and (as always) Americans are urged to use caution when traveling into Mexico (or most any foreign country).

In their map, the State Department color codes countries of the world (and individual states in Mexico):

• RED: Do Not Travel
• ORANGE: Reconsider Travel
• YELLOW: Exercise Increased Caution
• NO COLOR: Normal Caution

Mexico is made of 32 states.

In addition to the six states listed as “Do Not Travel” by the State Department, seven states are categorized as “Reconsider Travel.”

The US State Department maintains its “Do Not Travel” advisory for six states in Mexico.  They include the state of Sinaloa, which is home to Mazatlan, and the state of Tamaulipas, which is where the kidnappings of four Americans occurred in March of 2023.  

The Mexican state of Sonora, which is south of Arizona and home to Rocky Point, is ORANGE, which means Americans should “Reconsider Travel,” according to the State Department.

BUT… let’s dive into the fine print on that warning, because it applies to the state as a whole, and *not* the drive to Rocky Point.

At the same time, their advisory also indicates: the crime happens away from the beachy touristy areas.

Americans are simply advised to drive the highway between Sonoyta and Rocky Point during daylight hours. An hour south of the border checkpoint, you’ll be on the beach!

I still think Rocky Point is a great destination for families in Arizona.

It’s an easy 3.5 hours south from Phoenix to the sandy shores of the Sea of Cortez, which is home to a growing number of resorts.

Select dates to see prices for rentals in Rocky Point.

Keep in mind: Many condos in the resorts on the beach rent as VRBOs:

On this drive, you’ll see: we sailed through easily in about 10 minutes.

Personally, I’m more concerned about being pulled over by a bad-apple Mexican officer than I am concerned about being the victim of a cartel-related crime. I’ll go more into that later.

As for driving across the border into Mexico, it’s easier than you may imagine, if you’ve never done it before. I completely understand: it can be kind of daunting on your first drive!

The border crossing at Lukeville, Arizona (into Sonoyta, Mexico) isn’t usually too busy. You’re likely to find just a few cars and trucks in line, waiting to get through.

On your drive into Mexico, chances are: you won’t even have to show your ID or passport. That said, I would never travel anywhere outside the USA without my passport.

You may be asked a question or two, and you may be asked to pull off to the side for a brief inspection.

Otherwise, you’ll follow the stop signs, prompts, and red/green lights as you progress slowly through the checkpoint. On our last trip, it was under 10 minutes.

After getting through Sonoyta, it’s an easy one hour drive to Rocky Point.

The famous Wrecked at the Reef bar plants the seed right away that it’s time for a visit!

Is it Safe to Drive in Mexico in 2024?

In general, if you’re driving in a touristy area and in daylight, it’s safe for Americans to drive in Mexico.

The Yucatán Peninsula is the safest place for Americans to drive in 2024, according to the US State Department. In addition to Cancun and Tulum, the Yucatán is also home to the beautiful cities of Merida and Valladolid.

It is not safe, according to the US State Department, to drive in *other parts of Mexico. For instance, I wouldn’t take a road trip down the coast from Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta right now. On the other hand, I’d definitely fly down to PVR for a few days on the beach!

If you rent a car in Mexico, follow this advice:

• Have someone with you who speaks Spanish.
• Take cash, but don’t store it all in one spot.
• Never drive with any kind of drugs, including marijuana.
• Never drive with a gun.
• Never drive with any kind of ammunition.
• Drive slowly, and obey speed limits.
• Try to travel during daylight hours.
• Expect to have to drive through police checkpoints.

Is Cancun Safe?

Cancun is on the Yucatán Peninsula, which again, is the safest region in Mexico for Americans to visit in 2024, according to the US State Department.

According to the US State Department, Americans should “Exercise Increased Caution” in the state of Quintana Roo (home to Cancun), which is good advice for any destination.

The State Department also indicates: the Yucatán is a safe area for Americans to drive across, especially during daylight hours, as long as we take reasonable precautions.

That gives us the “green light” to leave the resorts on the beaches to explore the area’s other natural wonders, like the sinkhole swimming holes known as cenotes:

I’m always interested to read the government’s warnings, and they’re really designed with safety in mind. Still, I find them overly broad.

For many areas in Mexico, the advisories come with a warning, reminding us that crime and violence can occur anywhere, at any time, even in the resort areas. But the idea applies if you were going to New York City.

The bottom line for travelers: read the advisories, learn the facts, and make a personal decision that’s right for you and your comfort level. If you only feel safe at an all-inclusive resort, that’s great! There are plenty to choose from 😀

As for the official (yet broad) advice offered by the US State Department for Cancun:

“Exercise increased caution, especially after dark” and “remain in well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist zones.”

My Worst Drive in Mexico

I get nervous, personally, driving in Mexico because of one incident two years ago where a couple of bad-apple Mexican federal police officers pulled me over, made up a series of allegations, and took all my cash.

Setting aside the fact that officers shouldn’t be corrupt, part of it was indeed my fault. I chose to drive out of the Tulum area after dark.

I was there for an obligatory event, but eager to go explore the rest of the Yucatán Peninsula in my rental car. So I wrapped things up at the event, and drove off after sunset. As I said earlier, it’s really best to drive in daylight in Mexico.

Just outside the city, on my way to Valladolid, I drove up upon an unlit Mexican Police checkpoint.

The group of armed officers surrounded my car and accused me of driving a suspicious vehicle. It was a standard, small white SUV you get when you rent in Cancun. I had the rental papers, etc., but they (of course) weren’t interested.

By the way, this is the suspicious SUV:

They were nervous about a surveillance camera watching them from above, so almost an hour into the ordeal they basically told me to put all of my cash on the backseat, away from the camera’s lens. One of them casually walked around the SUV, slyly opened the back door (out of view from the camera), and took the money.

I still don’t know why it took them an hour to hatch this plan.

They stole about $200. I was honestly just glad that I didn’t get hauled into the police department overnight. First, because it would have wasted my precious adventure time. Second, because I’m fairly certain they would’ve stolen my camera equipment.

Anyway, it was a nerve-wracking experience I’m sharing as a reminder that it’s really safest to drive slower than the speed limit, and during daylight hours.

Wrap: Is it Safe to Travel to Rocky Point, Mexico, in 2024?

The bottom line is: there’s always a risk in any kind of travel.  All we can do is arm ourselves with up-to-date information on anything from violence to Covid, and make well-informed decisions for our own individual travel plans.

Based on the tourist loads in Cancun right now, Americans are not scared off by cartel violence: International tourist numbers in Mexico are up more than 10% over 2019’s numbers!