Is Zihuatanejo safe? Mexico travel risk
Is Zihuatanejo safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Zihuatanejo scores 70/100 on our travel risk index (Extreme). The US State Department rates Mexico Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 29 May 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 13 Oct 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). The US State Department rates Guerrero, where Zihuatanejo is, Level 4: Do Not Travel, higher than Mexico overall (Level 2). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. CDC travel health notice: Level 1, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Mexico (23 Dec 2025). No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Zihuatanejo scores 70/100 (Extreme). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Mexico (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Zihuatanejo: nearest emergency and transport facilities, local climate normals, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (79/100) and crime and scams (79/100).
A score of 70 is higher than 90% of the cities we score.
Consult the Mexico travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Geographic & Regional Coordinates
Situated in Guerrero at 17.6444° N, 101.5511° W, Zihuatanejo lies 323.3 km NE of Mexico City. Time zone: UTC.
Guerrero
17.6444° N, 101.5511° W
Lowland
UTC
67,408
Emergency & Aviation Access
Nearby Towns & Settlements in Mexico
Climate by Month
Hottest: May (30 °C avg high); Wettest: September (350 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 29° | 28° | 29° | 30° | 30° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 29° |
| Low °C | 21° | 21° | 21° | 22° | 24° | 25° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 23° | 21° |
| Rain mm | 15 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 45 | 179 | 235 | 258 | 350 | 186 | 47 | 7 |
Normals: Zihuatanejo (0 km away).
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | — | 1 | 10 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tropical Cyclones | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Most wildfire events within 100 km of Zihuatanejo happened in April (10 of 19 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
1 major seismic event recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.0 on 11 Dec 2022 (120 km away) — USGS details
CDC Traveler Health Notices for Mexico
- Level 1 - Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Mexico (Level 1, 23 Dec 2025)
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Public Domain).
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Mexico travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Mexico entry requirements.
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