Hi! I am flying to Mexico with two friends in February. We are three girls in their mid twenties eager to get to know Mexico´s culture. We want to visit the most famous spots as well as having fun and relaxing at the beach.
We plan to start our trip in Mexico City, stay two nights there and then head to the pacific coast and Oaxaca. After a day or two we will cross the country via San Cristobal, visit Palenque and Merida. After that, we plan to spend a whole week in Yucatan, staying in Playa del Carmen while visiting Tulum, Cozumel, X Caret and Cancun...
All in all the trip will last two weeks. We plan to sleep in hostels and travel by bus.
Here are my questions...what are the must see places in Mexico DF? Is Acapulco worth the visit or is Puerto Escondido a better choice? Is a day in Oaxaca enough?? Should we stay in the mid land cities or should we go straight to Merida??
Is Cancun worth the trip? My friends say that the beaches around PdC are way better that those in Cancun and that we should not waste more than an afternoon in Cancun....
As you can see, our trip is a bit ambicious and i am afraid two weeks wont be enough to go to all the places we want to visit!! What should we do?
IMHO, if you are serious about Mayan ruins, do not skip Chichen Itza - you can do it in a day trip from Playa del Carmen. Personally, I was not impressed that much with Tulum as a ruin - the sight and the beach is more impressive than the ruins themselves.
IMHO, you can skip Cancun, there is nothing there that is not available and probably better in Playa del Carmen.
Also, I think that you are doing too much. IMHO, Pacific Mexico is one trip, and Yucatan is one trip if all you have is 2 weeks.
We have visited Mexico 7 or 8 times in the past 15 years and enjoyed it very much. However we are now boycotting Mexico until their internal security situation improves.
I think you are insane to travel there as a group of three women.
While it is unlikely that you will be a statistic among the dozens of people murdered every day in Mexico's drug wars, you will make an appealing target for kidnappers. In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, Mexico is in the midst of an orgy of violence including kidnapping and murders. Much of the violence is perpetrated by police or other security forces seeking to augment their paycheques by kidnapping for ransom. Nothing is done about the situation because the entire establishment of the country, including legislature, judiciary, police and army, are deeply entwined in the criminal culture.
I would completely avoid Mexico until their current civil war is over.
I'd suggest some further research..... but I wouldn't panic....
Mexico doesn't even make it on to the "reconsider your travel" list that our government maintains (much less the "Don't Go!" one)... and they don't have a high threshold for putting countries on that reconsider list!
I'm a woman who has traveled to Mexico safely, including things like taking the buses and the metro.
I don't think the original poster and her friends have any intention of going to drug cartel areas. They should, of course, take reasonable care for their safety, and read up on common scams and dangers, like not taking green Volkswagen taxis in Mexico City, if they were going there. Anyway, I'd suggest you take a look at the Lonely Planet Mexico forum for more specific hints on your destinations.
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I just returned Tuesday from 12 days in Mexico with 4 other women. We spent our time time in Puebla and Oaxaca. We flew into MEX and traveled via an excellent bus system very safely to Puebla and Oaxaca.
I've been to all parts of Mexico, often only with other women, and have never felt unsafe. I agree that parts of Mexico may be unsafe, but so are parts of the US!
I think that you have to decide which part of Mexico you want to focus on. There are lots of wonderful beaches and great Mayan ruins in the Yucatan penninsula. And Merida is a facinating city. You could EASILY spend 2 weeks visiting this area. If you are interested in other Indian cultures and ruins (Zapotec/Toltec) southern Mexico is very interesting. The area around Puebla and Oaxaca is very scenic and has many craftmaking villages. The beaches on the west coast are beautiful and many are much more rustic than those southeast of Cancun.
I would suggest that you spend less time in a bus and focus on a particular part of Mexico you want to explore THIS TIME. Next time explore another part of Mexico.
+1 to those who say your planned itinerary includes too much bus time, not enough Mexico time. Cut back.
Personally, I'd do the Yucatan and the Oaxaca area (home of perhaps the greatest molés anywhere, as well as fantastic chocolate - you may have to bring some clothes two sizes larger if you spend too much time there). However, that depends on what you're most interested in doing. No beaches near Oaxaca, but plenty in the Yucatan. I find Cancun too touristy, Playa much nicer that way. Tulum is more laid-back, almost hippie, great if that's what you want but not for everyone.
Regarding safety: on my last trip I traveled a bit with two women. One was with me. The other was about your age and had spent most of the previous year in Mexico by herself. Two years in the Israeli army had trained her to take care of herself quite well, and after a year in Mexico she could tell anyone off in fluent colloquial Spanish, but she didn't look Mexican. She never needed her IDF combat skills, never felt really threatened, but the Spanish insults came in handy from time to time. (She also knew enough to avoid the major drug-trafficking areas.)
BTW, does at least one of you speak some Spanish? Very useful outside the major tourist centers. Bus ticket sales staff in smaller towns are unlikely to know any English.
Actually, we are from Buenos Aires, Argentina, so our native language is naturally Spanish. We had not considered security as an issue, but obviously when you travel by yourself you need to take the basic precautions...
Thank you all for the advice...I personally think that we are aiming at too many cities but at the same time I want to spend a day or two in the Pacific Coast...Perhaps we should avoid staying in the towns located in the centre and head straight to Merida. Staying there could be a good base point to visit Chichen Itzá...
So, up to this point, my cities would be the following: Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Merida, Playa del Carmen....We will depart from Cancun so there is no point in spending a night there...
Sounds ok?
Advice: 3 girls travelling to Mex in February
)... and they don't have a high threshold for putting countries on that reconsider list!
