Is Mexico Safe to Visit Right Now? What Tourists Need to Know About the Situation in Puerto Vallarta & Beyond

Is Mexico safe to visit right now? It’s the question I’m getting texts about constantly, and I get it completely (and I appreciate it!). What happened in Puerto Vallarta over the last few days is real, it’s serious, and if you have a trip coming up, it’s understandable to be worried about the situation.

I spend about five months a year in Mexico and I’m here right now (Feb, 2026). It is genuinely one of my favorite places on the planet, and I’ve been watching this situation closely since Sunday, for my safety and my friends’.

I wanted to write this post because I keep seeing two kinds of reactions online: people saying Mexico is the most dangerous place in the world and people dismissing the whole thing. Neither of those feels right to me.

Mexico is a wonderful, beautiful, and complicated country, like every other. It’s also giant. Here’s what you need to know about what’s actually happening, where’s dangerous and where’s not, and what you should do if you have upcoming travel plans.

On Sunday, February 22, the Mexican military killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The operation took place in Tapalpa, a small town about 180 miles east of Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco. El Mencho had a $15 million reward on his head and was considered one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world.

Since then, cartel members have retaliated across Jalisco and a few other Mexican states. This includes burning buses to block roads and standoffs with police. For tourists, this obviously led to shelter-in-place orders and canceled flights.

This is unbelievably unusual for a tourist zone like Puerto Vallarta and a major part of why this is hitting the news so hard.

This is the most significant elimination of a Mexican cartel leader since El Chapo was captured in 2016. That capture didn’t trigger the same kind of immediate single-day explosion, but it did create a similar power vacuum and standoff between the cartel and the Mexican police. 

More than 70 people have been reported dead, but no tourists are among them. The violence was cartel retaliation against the government, not an attack on visitors. That doesn’t make it less frightening if you were there, but it is an important distinction.

So, is Mexico safe to visit? As of February 24, the situation is stabilizing. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that roadblocks have been cleared across most of the country and flights are beginning to resume. Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, remains the most affected area and is still in an elevated state of alert.

First: I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m sorry your trip to Mexico has looked like this.

The most important thing you can do right now is follow the guidance coming directly from your hotel and the DHS. They are in contact with local authorities and will have the most current, location-specific information. Do not rely solely on news headlines, which tend to lag behind what’s actually happening on the ground.

A few practical things worth knowing if you’re currently there:

• Follow official shelter-in-place guidance. If your hotel is telling you to stay put, stay put. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has been issuing regular security updates at mx.usembassy.gov and this is the most reliable source for Americans trying to understand what’s happening and when it’s safe to move.
  
  
• Check your airline directly. Delta, United, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines have all confirmed they are allowing affected passengers to rebook without change fees. Call your airline or check their app for the most current waiver policy rather than waiting for them to contact you.
  
  
• If you booked through Airbnb, their Major Disruptive Events policy is currently in effect for the affected area, which means hosts and guests can cancel without penalties. Check the Airbnb app or contact their support team directly to see how they can extend or cancel your trip.
  
  
• Enroll in STEP if you haven’t already. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at step.state.gov allows the U.S. State Department to contact you directly in an emergency and makes it easier for the embassy to locate you if needed. It takes five minutes and is genuinely useful in situations like this.

The consensus from security experts right now is that the most acute phase has passed. That said, Jalisco remains fluid and this is not the moment to venture out to explore. Stay put, keep your phone charged, and monitor updates from the embassy.

This is the part I really want people to understand.

Mexico is roughly the size of Western Europe. The idea that violence in one state makes the entire country dangerous is a little like saying you shouldn’t visit France because something happened in Poland.

It doesn’t work that way, and the headlines or social media don’t always make that clear.

Here is where things actually stand right now across the country, as of February 24.

• Mexico City is completely normal and safe to visit. I was there a few days ago and have friends there right now going about their daily lives. There was a visible security presence in the days following the news, but the city itself was not affected by the violence. If you have a trip to CDMX coming up, I’ve written a full guide to safety in Mexico City that covers everything you need to know.
  
  
• Cancún, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya were briefly included in the initial U.S. Embassy shelter-in-place advisory on February 22, which understandably alarmed a lot of people. The State Department has since confirmed that the situation in Quintana Roo returned to normal quickly and that these destinations are not experiencing active disruption. Flights in and out of Cancún airport are operating normally.
  
  
• Oaxaca, Los Cabos, and San Miguel de Allende were not meaningfully affected and are operating normally.
  
  
• The states that remain most affected are Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara) and some surrounding areas. That is where you should be exercising serious caution right now. Everywhere else, the advice is what it always is: be a smart traveler, stay aware, and check official advisories before you go.

Mexico travel safety is never a simple yes or no because it’s never a simple, singular place. The nuance matters.

The honest answer depends entirely on where you’re going. If you do decide to take your trip, I have tons of guides to planning amazing, safe, delicious vacations in Mexico here.

• If your trip is to Puerto Vallarta or anywhere in Jalisco, I would cancel or delay for now. Not forever, but for now. Security experts are advising against non-essential travel to the region while the situation continues to stabilize, and the potential for ongoing instability following El Mencho’s death is real. Check your airline’s current waiver policy and your travel insurance coverage. Most airlines are already accommodating changes without fees.
  
  
• If your trip is to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Cancún, Los Cabos, or the Riviera Maya, do not cancel based on the headlines alone. Check the current U.S. State Department advisory for your specific state, confirm your flights are operating normally, and make an informed decision based on actual conditions in your destination, not the broader news cycle.
  
  
• If you’re not traveling for a few weeks, keep monitoring. History tells us these situations often stabilize within days to weeks after the initial flash point. The longer-term concern is the power vacuum left by El Mencho’s death and whether rival factions within the CJNG will compete violently for control. That’s worth watching but it’s not a reason to cancel a trip to Mexico City in April.

One thing I’d add – trust your gut. If you have a trip coming up and you genuinely don’t feel comfortable going, that is a completely valid reason not to go! No vacation is worth the mental weight of being somewhere you don’t feel safe. Travel insurance and airline waivers exist for exactly this reason.

These are the reliable resources you actually check for news and safety updates, instead of social media or the news:

• U.S. Embassy Mexico Security Alerts: mx.usembassy.gov — this is where the most current, location-specific updates are being posted. They have been updating multiple times per day during this situation.
  
  
• U.S. State Department Travel Advisory: travel.state.gov — this gives you the official advisory level for each Mexican state, which is more useful than a blanket country rating.
  
  
• Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP): step.state.gov — if you’re currently in Mexico or planning to travel, register here so the embassy can reach you in an emergency.
  
  
• Canadian travelers: Global Affairs Canada has been issuing regular updates at travel.gc.ca and has an emergency line at 613-996-8885.
  
  
• Your airline’s travel waiver page: Delta, United, Southwest, and Alaska have all confirmed waivers for Puerto Vallarta flights. Check your airline’s website directly for the most current rebooking policy.
  
  
• Airbnb’s Major Disruptive Events policy is currently active for the affected area. If you have an Airbnb booking in Jalisco, contact their support team to understand your options.