How Safe Is Culiacan for Travel? (2019 Updated) ⋆ Travel Safe

Safety Index:

Culiacán is a big city located near the geographic center of the state of Sinaloa.

Culiacán weather is dry for most of the year, except for the wet season which lasts from July to September.

The city is known for its musical groups, which are quite popular in Mexico.
This place is rarely visited by foreign tourists.

Guide books on Mexico do not cover Culiacán and have very brief descriptions of the city.

However, Culiacán is very well-known by Mexicans for its distinct sinaloense culture.

Tourists come to visit beautiful botanical gardens in the city, zoo park, Catedral Basilica De Nuestra Senora Del Rosario – the city’s main cathedral.

Warnings & Dangers in Culiacan

OVERALL RISK : MEDIUM

The level of crime in Culiacan remains high. Problems with violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery occur often. Corruption and bribery in the city is the biggest issue. However mostly it affects only local citizens.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK : LOW

Taxis are a convenient way to get to the city center and other landmarks. Often they don't have fixed rates and taximeters. Travelers can get around Culiacan using city buses. To see all routes available better use app called "Enrutate".

PICKPOCKETS RISK : LOW

Since there are not many tourists in the city pickpockets crimes not happens too often here. But the small risk always exists.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK : MEDIUM

Culiacan located in seismologically active regions. The risk of earthquakes and floods is high enough. Before planning a trip to here travelers should get information about the situation with natural hazard risks.

MUGGING RISK : HIGH

In Mexico, it is easy enough to become a victim of a robbery. In the Culiacan area risk of being mugged is high. Travelers should have their belongings in a safe place.

TERRORISM RISK : HIGH

Terrorism risk is high here because of the city's reputation. Showdowns of drug dealers happen quite often, as well as clashes with the police.

SCAMS RISK : LOW

Scam risk is low here cause the place hasn't many tourists. But travelers should be aware anyway and buy things at verified places to avoid cheating.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK : MEDIUM

In Culiacan, women are not recommended to travel alone. Wearing modest clothes and not show up in night bars will be a way to avoid unwanted attention.

So... How Safe Is Culiacan Really?

As far as Culiacan not in the list of safe places in Mexico, travelers should be cautioned while visiting this city.

The level of crime in Culiacan is high enough.

The city center is safe to walk around during the daytime, but it’s better not to show up on the night streets.

Traffic in Culiacán can be extremely aggressive.

Locals explain this to the “sinaloense” attitude, which is stereotypically aggressive, proud, and boisterous.

So tourists must be careful if they travel by car or motorbike.

Culiacan is known for being the birthplaces and residences of many drug lords and drug dealers.

Mexicans from other states will often point out that Culiacán is very dangerous to visit.

But most conflicts occur only among drug cartels and federal armed forces.

Organized crime has a deeply-rooted culture there but tourists will almost surely not get any experiences with it.

Residents of the city have day-jobs, they take their kids to kindergarten, go to church on Sundays.

People here can always help if you turn to them.

Travelers are recommended don’t show off that you have a lot of money, don’t wear a lot of jewelry and don’t visit dangerous places at night, and they should be just fine.

Useful Information

Visas - No visas required for tourist proposals to enter Mexico for many countries of Europe, US citizens and so on. You should have a valid passport and a tourist permit. The maximum possible of stay is 180 days. For a longer stay of other options, you should visit the Mexican embassy.
Currency - The Mexican peso - is the official currency in Mexico. There are one hundred Mexican centavos to every peso. The symbol for the Mexican Peso is $, so you can see MX$ or MN$ in banks and exchange points.
Weather - The average temperature in Culiacan varies a bit. With humidity, temperatures feel hot for most of the year. The chance of rain is very low. Based on average temperature and humidity, the best time to visit Culiacán is from the end of November 19th to the end of March.
Airports - Bachigualato Federal International Airport is an international airport located in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. It cares about the national and international air traffic of the city of Culiacán. This airport is one of the Top 10 busiest airports in Mexico.
Travel Insurance - The medical insurance for travelers should be prepared before starting your trip to Mexico. As well as in other countries, the customs officer can ask you to show travel insurance.

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