How safe is it to travel through Latin America and especially Mexico by vehicle?

‘You know, I opened this campsite to take away travellers’ fear of Mexico,’ Raúl tells us at his ranch in the north of the Baja California peninsula. The ranch is less than an hour away from the border between Mexico and the USA. Many people fear this border. There are travellers who believe that as soon as they drive across, they will be mugged, and a corrupt police officer will be waiting on every corner.

We are at the end of our journey through Mexico. Raúl’s ranch is our final stop before the border crossing. And to be completely honest: he doesn’t need to convince us anymore; Mexico enchanted us a long time ago. Staying with him is the unexpected, crowning final.

We spend Good Friday eating fish tacos around the campfire, together with his family and friends who have come here for Easter. The horse ranch is so idyllic that instead of staying for one night, we end up staying for another four – delaying our border crossing into the USA for as long as possible.

Is it really that dangerous to travel through Latin America?

Mexico is the final Latin American country on our journey to Alaska. Before entering the southernmost country in North America, we are warned constantly – far more than with any of the other countries. The last time we experienced this level of intensity was before Nicaragua and Venezuela.

We were told we would experience countless police checks. That the military would have a heavy presence. That we would encounter widespread corruption or indigenous communities demanding money to let us pass. That there would be many closed roads and, of course, cartel violence.

Notice a pattern? It’s essentially the same list as before. Definitely nothing we hadn’t already known or heard about.

Since we were approaching from the south, the negative reports didn’t put us off as quickly as they did many other travellers entering from the north. We had heard similar warnings about almost every country – and after more than 200 police checks in Venezuela, it takes a lot to ruffle our feathers.

Even so, just for fun, we decided to keep track of the checkpoints again. The result? In just under two months, we drove through 34 checkpoints. We were pulled over at 12 of them, and we had to open the boot at 7.

Was money demanded? Not by anyone. Not a single time. Not even remotely.

Between cartel violence and everyday routine

Mexico is not a safe haven – certainly not in certain tourist regions or in the immediate vicinity of the notorious drug cartels. All the same, the day-to-day life of most people is not characterised by violence.

The people we met have adapted to Mexico’s peculiarities. They have all been checked by the police at some point and asked for a small “donation”. There have been curfews due to escalating violence, and they too know countless stories about what the cartels are up to. Their lives are admittedly a little closer to these problems, but even for them, it is not an unremitting daily reality.

No one we interacted with told us about extortion or paying protection money – something we witnessed first-hand in other countries. That this exists in Mexico is indisputable. The fact that the drug trade and the illegal criminal underworld generate vast amounts of money, undermine politics and justice, sow violence and complicate matters is a reality. Especially in impoverished areas where young, unemployed people are promised fast cash. Furthermore, the cartel world is regularised and glamourised through narcocorrido songs, which even make it into the pop charts.

However, in a country inhabited by 134 million people, this is not the reality for the majority. It is the media’s attention that remains glued to it – and the cartels know exactly how to generate that media spotlight. A striking example was the death of El Mencho in February and the subsequent roadblocks across the entire country. If cartel members know one thing, it’s how to bring a state to a standstill in no time.

Even in the state of Jalisco, the main headquarters of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, there is a life that happens entirely outside of the drug trade. The majority of people live completely normal lives – just always a tiny bit closer to the dark side than is the case in Europe.

Are rural roads really that dangerous?

Before we entered the country, we were often advised to stick strictly to the toll roads (cuotas) in Mexico, as they were safer. Hmm. If they mean safer from the countless speed bumps (topes), then it’s true – and you save a lot of time, though they are also horrendously expensive. If they mean safer from police checks, we actually encountered most of them on the toll roads rather than in the small villages. We did, however, avoid driving across the mountains where cartels are known to fight over territory.

Just like in South America, we constantly kept ourselves actively informed: by asking the police, the locals, other travellers or via travel apps. This gives you a good picture of the current situation. If you ever have a bad gut feeling, it is always best to find an alternative route.

We leave Mexico with tears in our eyes. Because here, too, we experienced the hospitality of Latin America in its absolute abundance. The long Easter weekend at Rancho La Bellota was a worthy finale. There is no better description for the people of Latin America: good food, deep conversations, plenty of laughter and an incredible warmth.

If we take a single insight home from this journey, it is this: the vast majority of people are, at their core, simply good.

‘They check everything,’ other travellers told us, so we braced ourselves for a tough, lengthy border crossing. We continued our way north: from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.

But our experience was the exact opposite: it had been a long time since crossing a border had been so quick. It took a whole 15 minutes in Costa Rica and an hour in Nicaragua, and in the end, no one wanted to search the car. We were apparently really lucky with the official – or perhaps hunger drove her to take her lunch break on time.

We were all the more surprised when we left the bumpy roads of Costa Rica behind us and suddenly found ourselves on a perfectly paved motorway. A sign at the side indicated 80 km/h. That made us wonder: hadn’t the customs officer just explained that there was a strict 50 km/h speed limit throughout the country?

We dared to drive faster anyway, after all, there is a sign. At some point, on the beautiful, fast road, an oncoming car warns us by flashing its headlights. A typical sign that there is some kind of obstacle ahead.

The aim of the new regulations is to reduce the number of road deaths, which at first glance seems to be working, given the figures for 2025 – around 900 compared to over 1000 in 2023. However, as in the rest of Latin America, fatal road accidents continue to be an everyday occurrence. This is because the cause of many accidents is not necessarily speed, but failure to maintain a safe distance, dangerous overtaking manoeuvres, motorcyclists not wearing helmets, poorly maintained vehicles and therefore poor brakes, and, of course, ignorance – or lack of knowledge – of traffic rules. It’s actually a miracle that no one has rear-ended us yet. So drivers are not driving more slowly, but they are now warning each other.

The speed limit may be well-intentioned, but its implementation clearly shows how Nicaragua works: a system perfectly designed for corruption.

The fact that the country ranked 172nd on the Corruption Perception Index in 2024 is evident at every turn. Since Daniel Ortega returned to power in 2006, corruption has risen steadily, and the new rules give the police another tool at their disposal. Most of the people we spoke to opt for a direct ‘deal’ during checks to avoid bureaucratic hassle – or even going straight to prison.

That’s what the roads in South America are like. There are huge differences and conditions often change with the seasons. But on the whole, the countries are passable with any type of vehicle. You just have to choose your routes accordingly.

Motorways and toll roads

The main roads are paved and there are usually good motorways. You will make good progress, especially around the big cities. You usually pay a toll, depending on the country, a few cents as in Bolivia (although their tariffs were very opaque) or always a dollar as in Ecuador.

Tolls are usually charged on the motorways, but they’re in good condition. Only the speed bumps used to limit speed are a major hazard. Most local drivers, even those with the best off-road vehicles, brake very hard just before them, so you run the risk of hitting them from behind – it pays to keep your distance. And don’t forget that you have to expect everything on a motorway: walkers, cyclists, horse riders, cows, llamas, simply everything.

Mud and potholes

Country roads are different, they may have just been resurfaced or they may be full of potholes. The mountain roads are always a surprise – even if they’re supposed to be national roads, don’t expect to drive faster than 50km/h.

The smaller roads can have potholes and you have to be prepared for anything. But this is true everywhere. That’s where a high-riding car comes in handy. It doesn’t have to be a 4×4, but a two-wheel drive without a lift is definitely limited. And above all, every pothole (and there are many) becomes a major bump in the road.

Then there are the unsealed roads: some are brilliant, others almost impassable. This mainly depends on when they were last maintained and whether it is the rainy season. This means that conditions can change within months or from one day to the next.

The mountains slide, and there are places that are known for this. After a slide there is not much left of the original road and you can forget about getting through. However, the local bus drivers usually know what the situation is like. It helps to ask or just turn around when the road ends.

Is 4×4 compulsory?

Most routes can be done without 4×4; though if it’s very muddy or steep we’re happy to have it, but there are often alternative routes that are easier.

In our experience, your own driving ability is more important than whether you have 2WD or 4WD. Some drivers get further with their 2WD than any other driver of an off-road vehicle. So it’s worth investing in a good off-road driving course before you start your travels, as you’ll also get to know the car better.

We got stuck three times

We only got stuck three times: once because it had rained so much overnight that we couldn’t drive on the muddy country roads. We had to wait a day for it to dry. The other time it was also raining and we were going up a stretch where there wasn’t really a road – but we wanted to get to that bridge. Once we had deflated the tyres and put our recovery boards in place, we got out. Another time the road was completely washed away and we had to wait until another road was built. Luckily we were never in danger.

In Bolivia, we were stuck for a while because of protests and road closures, but we got to meet a lot of the locals in the town. In Argentina we had to turn back 200 km because we couldn’t cross the river – too much water.

So actually RAIN is the deciding factor. When it rains, you often have to wait for it to stop and the road to dry out a bit or find another route.

Road works and schedules

Roadworks are an often forgotten detail. Here, unlike in Europe, they like to close the road completely, without providing a diversion and without being able to keep traffic flowing in one lane. Then the road is closed either for the whole day – as happened in Ecuador from 9am to 6pm. Or by the hour, like in Peru when we went to Machu Picchu. That means they work for 2 hours and then take an hour break to let the cars through.

The many signs with the schedule would be great – if they kept to the time on them. Sometimes they work an extra hour – or two – or they don’t work at all, in which case ‘lucky you’. As a reminder, schedules in South America are only a guide and are never binding.

As I’m writing this, I’m waiting in line again. They need to fix a pipe and everything has stopped. All day long, from 9am to 6pm. Even though only one excavator is working. But they had already announced it at the crossroads. Two women stood there with a handwritten cardboard sign – just like the ones you draw in primary school. They told us that the roadworks had been announced on the Ministry’s website a week ago, but no one had thought to put up a sign.

We just laughed and knew that we’d be waiting for 4 hours (until 6pm) or 6 hours anyway. The detour takes twelve hours and is 300 kilometres longer.

Once again we have to turn around because the road doesn’t continue. We should have stayed on the main road, then we would have reached our destination in ten minutes instead of an hour later. And, of course, in the cities we always end up on a one-way-street where it wants us to turn in the wrong direction.

These are just a few examples of what our dear friend navigates us through. It seems that our friend Google Maps loves adventure and danger.

What have we learnt?

Don’t trust the GPS.

At home we use the navigation app to find everything, here in South America too. But we have changed the way we use it because Maps is less accurate here than in other parts of the world. Well, Africa could be worse.

Prioritising distance over road conditions

One of the most common mistakes Maps makes is prioritising distance over road conditions. Maps always show the shortest route… in kilometres. The problem is that not all roads are paved (even a national road is no guarantee) and conditions vary greatly, especially during the rainy season. Even a tarmac road is no guarantee that it is in good condition; nobody knows when the last maintenance was carried out.

Because it prioritises distance, we often end up on a short cut prolonging the journey. The app often sends us on a detour when the main road has lots of traffic lights, but the road ends up being an impassable market.

Incomplete or inaccurate mapping

This is where we most notice that the Internet does not know everything. Google creates its maps from satellite images and Street View. This allows them to ‘see’ roads, but also details such as traffic signs. They also add official data, such as from the United States Geological Survey or local authorities. But that’s not all, the final touch is always human. On the one hand, Google employs a global team to correct the data; on the other hand, users also contribute by using the app and sending in contributions and feedback. Of course, in the age of AI, Google is also using machine learning to improve maps more quickly.

In the remote areas we usually visit, the task of updating maps is much more difficult. The maps may even be incomplete, as the company has less data to analyse. That’s why one of the most common mistakes Maps makes is interpreting bad field paths or footpaths as roads, and then showing us a route that’s completely impassable by car. The locals might be able to get through on their bikes, but not us.

Wrong interpretation of topography

Since distance is the most important thing to Google, we often end up on a very steep road. Too steep for a car, and usually at 3000 metres above sea level, where the engine has less power anyway because of the lack of oxygen. And it is precisely then, in the middle of the steep road, that the app wants us to make a very tight turn. Sometimes it’s mission impossible, and then there’s no choice but to go back down – backwards. This usually happens in cities with a lot of traffic, such as La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, or Cuzco in Peru.

The tech giant insists that topography plays a role in its mapping, but we’ve had more than our fair share of problems, and we’ve ended up doubting the technology

Restaurants that are garages

This topic is mostly related to the users of the app. Contrary to more frequented places, it’s better not to trust the descriptions or reviews (especially if there are only a few) in more remote villages. It’s better to look at the photos and think about what the owner wanted to convey by adding the place. This will give you a general idea of what the food looks like and therefore the quality (if the photos are theirs and not example images). Or you can see for yourself if there really should be a road, or if it really is a campsite or hotel.

We’ve gone to restaurants that turned out to be garages. Probably because the information hadn’t been updated. Or we’ve been to a Toyota garage that ended up being a ruin with plumbing problems and hundreds of litres of water leaking out. Nobody ever bothered to mark the place as closed. Not to mention repairing the leak.

Another challenge is opening hours. In general, opening hours in South America are indicative and not mandatory; the ones on Google are usually just wrong. The only solution is experience; over time you’ll know what makes sense and what definitely doesn’t.

The problems that arise with this kind of data are not the fault of the app. It’s the users who enter the wrong information or simply don’t update it. Over time, there’s a lot of unupdated information on the platform.

Solution: experience and satellites

Although there are many drawbacks and we’ve “lost” a lot of money in fuel consumption, Maps is still one of the best tools we have. We use it a lot when we have an internet connection – always use the satellite map. There are other apps like MapsMe that work quite well offline, or local apps like Waze (owned by Google). In the end, it doesn’t matter which app you use, they all have the same problems, so our solutions apply to all of them.

We’ve learnt to look at the whole route and zoom out, especially when driving through urban areas. This allows us to see unnecessary detours that take you off the main road through narrow streets. Traffic signs are important, but if there are none, especially one-way signs that seem to be missing in some countries, look at the parked cars or dare to break the law (watch out for the police).

We’ve also learned to trust our knowledge of the area and compare it with what people tell us. More importantly, sometimes the best solution is to ask the locals and to just turn around.