The announcement of a railway connection between Guatemala and Mexico, with Belize to be added, came after a busy day of talks among the heads of state of the three neighboring countries. (Cuartoscuro)
Mexico and Guatemala have confirmed their intention to extend the Maya Train to Guatemala following a series of talks between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her Guatemalan counterpart Bernardo Arévalo.
“If we, the three countries, manage to build a development hub for the well-being of our people, it will be a completely different vision for Guatemala and Mexico,” Sheinbaum said, adding that she hopes the rail connection into the Central American countries will be used for both passenger and cargo transportation.
Although Guatemala lacks an active rail network, Arévalo said in a press conference that a connection with Mexico would have “enormous potential” for the development of both nations and the region.
“Connecting the Maya Train with Guatemala and eventually Belize is a vision we share, and for this we agreed to promote the start of trinational negotiations, as well as the respective feasibility studies,” he said.
Much of northern Guatemala is protected forest, so the Maya Train would have to connect indirectly via Ciudad Hidalgo in Chiapas, Sheinbaum has said previously. (Pau de Valencia/Unsplash)
“We view the Maya Train as a development solution that not only does not contradict, but rather strengthens the search for a sustainable model that clearly protects the country’s biological, natural and cultural heritage,” Arévalo said, adding that “At all times, it has been very clear that the Maya Train will not cross any existing reserve areas.”
Meanwhile, Belize’s Prime Minister John Briceño said that the Maya Train would facilitate commerce between the three countries, with his country playing a key role.
“We need to continue to make the point that Belize is the link for Mexico and Guatemala,” he stressed.
Overall, the bilateral meeting between the leaders of Mexico and Guatemala addressed public investment in projects aimed at ensuring economic development in regions where northbound migration is prevalent.
“People, in general, don’t migrate for pleasure; they migrate out of necessity,” Sheinbaum noted. “They don’t leave their towns for adventure but rather due to economic necessity.”
INEGI reported that approximately 4.5 million people didn't have running water in their homes in 2024, down 51% compared to the 9.2 million people who didn't have piped water in their homes in 2022. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
Almost half the residents of Mexico’s three poorest states lack access to at least one basic service in their homes, according to the results of a national survey.
Basic services include running water, electricity, sewerage systems and chimneys in households where wood or charcoal is used for cooking.
In Chiapas — the Mexican state with the highest levels of poverty — 48.6% of residents didn’t have access to at least one basic service in their homes in 2024, according to the results of a survey on “multidimensional poverty” that was conducted by the national statistics agency INEGI.
In Guerrero, 47.4% of residents lacked access to at least one basic service in their homes, the survey found, while the figure in Oaxaca was 46.7%.
Guerrero and Oaxaca have the second and third highest levels of poverty in Mexico, according to the INEGI poverty report published last week. In Chiapas, 66% of residents were living in “multidimensional” poverty in 2024, while the rates in Guerrero and Oaxaca were 58.1% and 51.6%, respectively.
Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca are the only states in Mexico where more than 40% of residents lacked access to at least one basic service in their households.
The other 25 federal entities had rates below 20%, ranging from 18.8% in San Luis Potosí and Puebla to 1.9% in Nuevo León and Coahuila.
In Mexico City, only 2.4% of residents lacked access to at least one basic service in their homes in 2024, the INEGI survey found.
How many people lack basic services in their homes?
Running water
INEGI reported that approximately 4.5 million people didn’t have running water in their homes in 2024. While the figure is high, it declined around 51% compared to the 9.2 million people who didn’t have piped water in their homes in 2022.
In 2024, 3.5% of the Mexican population didn’t have running water in their homes, according to INEGI.
Sewerage
In 2024, some 6.4 million people lived in homes that were not connected to sewerage, according to the results of the most recent survey. That figure increased 0.5% compared to 2022.
In 2024, 4.9% of Mexicans lived in homes that weren’t connected to sewerage, according to INEGI.
Chimneys
The most common basic service that Mexicans lacked in 2024 was a chimney. Approximately 12.6 million who cook with wood or charcoal didn’t have a chimney in their homes, according to INEGI. That figure declined 13.4% compared to 2022.
In 2024, the number of Mexicans who cooked with wood or charcoal but didn’t have chimneys in their homes represented 9.7% of the population.
Electricity
Approximately 300,000 Mexicans didn’t have electricity in their homes in 2024. That figure fell 26% compared to 2022.
In 2024, around 0.2% of the Mexican population didn’t have electricity in their homes, INEGI reported.
As the news made headlines over the weekend, some Mexican newspapers reported that Beatriz Gutiérrez had already moved to Madrid. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, the wife of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has accused a Spanish newspaper of libel after it reported that she would soon move to Madrid with her son and live in an exclusive neighborhood of the Spanish capital.
The ABC newspaper reported on Saturday that Gutiérrez would “soon” settle in Madrid with her 18-year-old son Jesús Ernesto López Gutiérrez.
“ABC has been able to confirm through diplomatic sources that the wife of the ex-president of Mexico requested in March a residence permit in order to settle in Madrid,” the newspaper said.
ABC said that the same unnamed sources confirmed that Gutiérrez would move to Madrid, “without her husband” but with Jesús Ernesto, who “will start studies at a public university in Madrid, probably the Complutense.”
The newspaper also said that “the influential wife” of López Obrador “has chosen” to “establish her residence” in the “exclusive La Moraleja housing development,” located north of central Madrid.
Later in the report, ABC said it appeared “certain” that Gutiérrez would move into the neighborhood. The newspaper said it wasn’t known whether the move would be permanent or temporary.
La Moraleja, outside of Madrid, where Spanish media have reported that AMLO’s wife is planning to live. (Shutterstock)
Incorrectly citing the ABC report, some Mexican newspapers reported that Gutiérrez had already moved to Madrid. SDP Noticias reported more than two weeks ago that she had already moved to La Moraleja.
Gutiérrez — an academic, writer and, according to ABC, the “gray eminence” behind López Obrador’s 2019 letter asking the king of Spain to apologize for the conquest of Mexico — hit back at the ABC report in a statement posted to social media on Monday morning.
She began by asserting that ABC is the “equivalent” of Mexican newspapers such as Reforma and El Universal — “professional libelers of the most rancid and corrupt right [wing of politics].”
Such publications “want to take revenge on you-know-who,” Gutiérrez wrote, referring to López Obrador, best known as AMLO.
Gutiérrez said that neither she nor Jesús Ernesto has moved to Spain or anywhere else. However, she didn’t directly respond to the assertion that she will — future tense — move to Madrid with her son.
Among the other remarks she made in her statement were that:
She is “independent” of politics.
She has worked in “teaching and research” at a public university in Mexico — the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla — for decades and continues to do so.
She is “in love” with AMLO and her son.
They are a “very close family” that has been “vilified” because of the “ideals of that beautiful crazy man called AMLO.”
She visited AMLO in Palenque, Chiapas, on the weekend. (Gutiérrez presumably lives in Mexico City.)
Gutiérrez also wrote that López Obrador “achieved at least two historic feats during his presidency: “notably reducing poverty and inequality” in Mexico and returning “to the people of Mexico … the power they have.”
Former president of Mexico AMLO alongside his wife Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, who is a doctor of Literary Theory and a respected author. (Gob MX)
“Now these non-imaginary citizens have become a very powerful force; in our beloved Mexico, those who considered themselves owners and lords of the nation no longer steal or rule,” she added.
“… Do you want more clarification? Are you going to continue libeling?” Gutiérrez wrote at the end of her statement.
The publication of the ABC report came after Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, one of AMLO’s sons from his first marriage and a high-ranking official with the ruling Morena party, was criticized by opposition politicians and others for vacationing at a luxury hotel in Tokyo.
Extravagant international travel — and a supposed plan to move to an exclusive neighborhood in Madrid — are seen by many Mexicans as incompatible with the public and personal austerity promoted by AMLO, founder of Morena.
Austerity is — or is supposed to be — a hallmark of Morena and its politicians, leading to various Morena officials in addition to López Beltrán, including Deputy Ricardo Monreal and Education Minister Mario Delgado, to come under fire for their recent international travel.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
Mexico City lawmakers have responded to the soaring popularity of scooters and other small electric vehicles by imposing rules similar to those of automobiles. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
If you ride an electric scooter or battery-powered motorcycle through the streets of Mexico City, you’re going to have to get your papers in order. Vehicle licenses will soon be required.
Lawmakers last week amended the capital city’s Mobility Law which regulates transportation in Mexico City. Now, if you operate a Personal Electric Motorized Vehicle (VEMEPE) — scooters, motorcycles and electric bikes of a specified size — you will have to get a license plate as well as a driver’s license and you must comply with traffic laws.
El @Congreso_CdMex aprobó una reforma que exigirá licencia y documentos a quienes conduzcan vehículos eléctricos personales (Vemepe) como scooters, bicis eléctricas y bicimotos que superen 25 km/h.
The new law will take effect in one year’s time so VEMEPE operators have plenty of time to apply for a license, acquire a license plate and brush up on traffic rules and regulations.
It didn’t take long for protesters to organize, however. Days after the proposal was passed out of committee on Aug. 7, people on scooters and electric motorcycles demonstrated in front of the Congress building, urging lawmakers to reject the bill.
Opponents of the measure defended VEMEPEs as practical, cheap and ecological means of transportation, decrying the reform as a new tax that will squeeze them off of roads.
Congress unanimously passed the reform on Aug. 15.
When presenting the bill to the floor for consideration, Congressman Miguel Ángel Macedo, president of the Sustainable Mobility and Road Safety Committee, said the inclusion of these vehicles in the Mobility Law “is the first step toward strengthening a regulatory framework that governs their use.”
The new law “will also establish the conditions necessary to safely guarantee the right to mobility for those of us who travel the city’s streets,” he said.
The decision to address the VEMEPEs came about because these vehicles have become increasingly popular, adding to the chaos of city streets. During committee debate, lawmakers cited a statistic that more than a million such vehicles operate within city limits.
Supporters of the amendment argued that many VEMEPE operators ignore traffic rules which prohibit riding on sidewalks, passing between cars and occupying bicycle lanes. These traffic violations endanger pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and VEMEPE riders themselves.
Lawmakers also expressed concern that many VEMEPE riders don’t wear helmets and often ignore traffic lights.
The new law requires those who operate vehicles that are capable of exceeding 25 km/h and are equipped with an electric or internal combustion engine to acquire a driver’s license. Additionally, those operating VEMEPEs that weigh up to 350 kg will require a license.
The Congress authorized two types of licenses specifically for VEMEPEs:
Type A: for vehicles weighing less than 35 kg
Type B: for vehicles weighing between 35 and 350 kg
Vehicles not covered by the new law are those with pedal assistance or human traction (such as a classic motorized bicycle that doesn’t exceed 25 km/h).
Yessi, a refugee from Haiti living in Mexico, celebrates his native country's independence day in Tijuana. He is an example of many refugees and migrants from Latin America who've settled here rather than in the U.S. (Jose Vargas/Cuartoscuro)
As a U.S. citizen who lives in Mexico part of the year, I pay close attention to the presidents of both countries and their perspectives on immigration issues and border policy. And I’m particularly interested in immigration because I grew up abroad, in a diplomatic family, surrounded by people different from myself.
After President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, he declared a border emergency in order to prevent anyone from entering the United States illegally. There is no way of knowing exactly how many people would have crossed the border if it had remained open, but according to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), U.S. Border Patrol previously encountered unauthorized migrants attempting to cross it thousands of times a day.
Migrants hitching a ride on a cargo train famously nicknamed “La Bestia.” Its route through Mexico to the U.S. makes it a frequent target for refugees coming from south of Mexico. (Keith Dannemiller/IOM)
I know plenty of people in the U.S. who are fiercely anti-immigration and want a strong U.S. border policy. As an acquaintance said on Facebook in February 2024, “We need a border to keep out all those terrorists from Mexico.”
I suppose we need a border policy, though it’s hard for me to see exactly why. Who crosses our borders? On the northern border, Canadians like their country and have no desire to relocate to the U.S., except those who move to the Sunbelt as part-time snowbirds.
As for the southern border, many of the people who want to cross it are hardworking Latinos willing to do low-paid, backbreaking labor, sometimes in over 100-degree temperatures. They’re well-known culturally for loving their families, being deeply religious, and respecting authority. They want to become legal.
But there’s no way they can complete the laborious paperwork necessary to get even a temporary visa while in their own countries before either starving — due to food shortages and hunger in Venezuela — or being shot or kidnapped by gangs — in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
I’d love those Americans who rage at the idea of foreigners “stealing” our jobs to feel what it’s like to pick strawberries for a season. I know I don’t want to do that, and I bet they don’t either. But picking strawberries for a couple of months just might change their vote.
Research from the nonprofit organization Women for Women International shows that most people forced to flee their country for political or economic reasons would much prefer to stay in their own country if it were safe and economically viable. The common U.S. fantasy that immigrants want what we have is not only misguided but arrogant.
Makendy, a Haitian refugee who participated in the Local Integration Program, at work in an Aguascalientes auto parts factory. (Jeoffrey Guillemard/UNHCR)
Sure, people want the freedoms and the salaries available to Americans, but they don’t want the mass shootings, homelessness, fentanyl addiction, racism or any of the other ills that afflict American society. Like most U.S. citizens do — but, tragically, not enough of our legislators — they simply want the chance to earn a living and enjoy a peaceful life.
Ironically, six months after Trump closed the border, a Gallup poll showed that Americans’ views of immigration have swung dramatically upward in the last year. Seventy-nine percent of American adults now think immigration is good for the country, and the number of Americans who want immigration reduced dropped from 55 to 30 percent since 2024. These shifts reverse a four-year trend of growing concern that the U.S. was admitting far too many migrants.
Meanwhile, Mexico — a Catholic country famous for its machismo — recently elected a Jewish woman as its president, something the U.S. has yet to achieve on either count. But more importantly, she is everything Trump is not: measured, rational, and analytic. A former climate scientist, Sheinbaum’s statesmanship and calm rhetoric remind me of Germany’s former chancellor, Angela Merkel.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), if refugees in Mexico are afraid of returning to their country, they can apply for protection. The process is free and confidential. Mexico also provides options for those seeking asylum or facing humanitarian crises, with permits granted for victims of crime, unaccompanied minors, or those with pending asylum claims.
The U.S. also has a tradition of providing refuge to those fleeing persecution, war and violence. The U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 created a process for admitting and resettling refugees, including setting annual ceilings and providing pathways for resettlement both from abroad and asylum claims within the U.S. However, the law doesn’t guarantee a specific number of refugees that will be admitted, and the Trump administration has drastically reduced admissions.
Clearly, Mexico cares about refugees. Its policies aren’t perfect. How could they be, with the country wedged tightly between certain dangerous Central American countries and the aggressive U.S.? But Mexico’s current policies are a lot more humanitarian than ours.
Without the agricultural labor that refugees provide in the U.S., Americans will have less selection in foods and will experience higher prices. As citizen frustration intensifies, my hope is that enough of us in the U.S. will wake up in time to change our national direction. ¡Ojala! Maybe then we’ll allow more refugees in, grateful that they are willing to do the hard, sweaty work that no one else wants to do.
For me, that time can’t come soon enough.
Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are available on her website, authory.com/LouisaRogers
Last week, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Belizean Prime Minister Johnny Briceño agreed to designate a 5.7 million-hectare trinational region as the Great Maya Forest Biocultural Corridor. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have created an international area called the Great Maya Forest Biocultural Corridor, dedicated to protecting and preserving the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the region.
The corridor is the result of a historic agreement between the two Central American countries and Mexico, signed at the Gran Mundo Maya Calakmul hotel in Campeche, the capital of the southeastern Mexican state of the same name.
The three neighbors vowed to cooperate in protecting the Maya legacy that they share. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
“We should be proud to be able to tell the world [that] we have united our will to preserve and restore the legacy of this extraordinary biological and cultural wealth,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a statement. “Today’s agreement is historic and beautiful. Thank you, President Arévalo, and thank you, Prime Minister Briceño.”
The corridor spans approximately 5.7 million hectares of tropical rainforest that is part of the legacy of the Maya civilization. It covers 600,000 hectares in Belize, 2.7 million in Guatemala, and 2.4 million in Mexico. An estimated 2 million people live across this area.
Because this region still has a large population of Maya descendants, the leaders of the three countries emphasized the importance of preserving not only the region’s biological wealth but also its living cultural heritage, presenting it as a global example of environmental and social cooperation.
“We are not only protecting an ecosystem, but also honoring the legacy of the civilization that once flourished in these territories,” Sheinbaum said.
The corridor aims to protect regional species such as the jaguar, tapir, spider monkey, and quetzal. As the second largest tropical rainforest in the Americas (after the Amazon) its preservation is key to addressing the climate crisis, regulating the water cycle, and protecting regional biodiversity.
Belizean Prime Minister Johnny Briceño said that this project is not only a commitment to biodiversity, but also “a bridge to a future where sustainable development, regenerative tourism, and ancestral wisdom guide our path.”
Meanwhile, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo stressed that the three countries are working “to respond together to common threats.”
To address such threats to the environment as illegal logging, pollution and fires, the three countries have agreed to take cooperative actions like sharing information, technology, and training. They have also agreed to manage the use of timber and non-timber forest resources in an inclusive manner that benefits the communities in the areas.
Scientists discovered the tiny creature via a sediment collection between late 2024 and January 2025. (X)
Mexican scientists have discovered the world’s smallest freshwater snail, a transparent mollusk measuring just 0.7 millimeters — about the width of a pinhead — in an underground spring in the northern state of Coahuila.
The new species, named Microphreatus saltillensis, represents not only an entirely new species but also a new genus, according to researchers at the Juárez University of the State of Durango (UJED). Their findings were published in July in the international scientific journal Zootaxa.
#Ciencias | El #caracol más pequeño del mundo fue descubierto en #Coahuila, dentro de una cueva ubicada a 10 kilómetros de Saltillo. Se trata de “Microphreatus saltillensis”, una nueva especie —y también nuevo género— hallada en el manantial de #LosChorros, cuya concha mide… pic.twitter.com/jq2ni0tmsW
The species was named “micro” for its tiny size, “phreatus” for the water tables in which it lives and “santillensis” in homage to the nearby city of Saltillo — which, unrelated to the discovery, happens to be one of Mexico’s best places to live and work.
“When we observed these shells in the samples, we noticed they were even smaller than those of the subterranean snails we commonly study,” said Alexander Czaja, a UJED professor who specializes in malacology, the branch of biology dedicated to the study of mollusks.
Czaja led the team that discovered the tiny creature via a sediment collection between late 2024 and January 2025.
“After a thorough review of the international literature lasting several weeks, we confirmed that this is the smallest freshwater snail described in the world to date,” Czaja added in a recent UJED press release.
The discovery was made in El Chorro, a groundwater-fed spring about 17 kilometers from Saltillo. The snail is considered endemic to this area, though scientists believe more undiscovered species may be living in similar subterranean waters.
More than 80 specimens were collected, revealing striking evolutionary adaptations that allow the snails to live underground in total darkness, among grains of water-saturated sand and sediment.
“These snails have evolved to survive in very specific and hostile conditions,” Czaja said. “Their small size is a necessary adaptation for living among sand particles. They are incredibly specialized organisms for surviving under these conditions.”
The snail’s size is about equal to the thickness of a credit card. The team stressed that underground invertebrates, though often overlooked, serve key roles in nature.
“Every organism plays a role in its ecosystem, even a snail less than a millimeter in size,” Czaja said, adding, “but we’re still in our infancy when it comes to studying them. We still need to understand how they interact, how they survive and what role they play in ecological balance.”
This recent tiny discovery in Coahuila isn’t the first time the state has made animal news this year — and at opposite ends of the size spectrum. In March, the focus was on a much, much larger animal, as “mystery giraffes” were seen roaming the countryside.
As part of a US $3 billion investment, General Electric Appliances is preparing to transfer production of select home appliances out of China and Mexico. (Shutterstock)
As part of a US $3 billion investment, General Electric Appliances is preparing to transfer production of select home appliances out of China and Mexico.
Last week, GE Appliances announced it would be shifting production of refrigerators, gas ranges and water heaters as part of a plan to expand its U.S. operations in the states of Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.
ABC News reported that the majority of the company’s production is already located in the U.S. The shift — which will occur over the next five years — allows the company to transfer more work to its domestic plants in keeping with its long-term strategy to “manufacture close to its customers.”
“With lean manufacturing, upskilling our workforce and automation, the math works for manufacturing in the United States,” CEO Kevin Nolan said, adding that the investment is the second-largest in GE Appliance’s history.
Not to be confused with GE Appliances, General Electric will maintain a strategic presence in Mexico. GE has operated in Mexico since 1896 and employs more than 11,000 people directly and approximately 50,000 indirectly (through a network of suppliers and contractors), according to the industry magazine Líder Empresarial.
It has 17 manufacturing plants in Mexico (in the fields of energy, aviation and automotive) as well as one of the world’s largest advanced engineering centers — GE Aerospace Querétaro.
The Chinese firm Haier Smart Home bought out General Electric Appliances in 2016 and has been selling products in Mexico under the GE brand, which it has the right to use until 2056. (GE Appliances)
Nolan said GE Appliance’s decision is a reflection of evolving trade dynamics, labor cost considerations and geopolitical factors, including tariffs on foreign goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump whose goal is to lure factories back to the U.S.
In a statement, the company said that it will “relocate production of gas ranges from Mexico to a plant in Georgia, while six refrigerator models now made in China will be manufactured at its Alabama plant.”
GE Appliances — which is not a subsidiary of GE — said the investment will be used to modernize its U.S. plants and will create more than 1,000 jobs.
Jonathan Ruiz Torre, a columnist for the newspaper El Financiero, wrote Monday that General Electric had been unhappy with the performance of its appliance operations in Mexico for decades due to low profit margins.
Ruiz Torre said GE sought to dissolve its joint venture with Mabe, a Mexican appliance manufacturer, offering to sell its share of the operation to Mabe. Instead, the Chinese firm Haier Smart Home bought out GE Appliances and has been selling products in Mexico under the GE Profile brand.
In June, GE Appliances announced it would invest US $490 million to shift production of washing machines to the U.S. from China, saying it was seeking to “rebalance its factory footprint in the face of extreme trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.”
GE Appliances said that once its plan is fully implemented, it will have invested a total of US $6.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing and distribution infrastructure since its acquisition by Haier in 2016.
These sun-drenched skies could soon be your new home and taking the plunge is easier than you think. (Matthew Hicks/Unsplash)
When I first started thinking about moving to Mexico, my head was spinning with all the advice, warnings about bureaucratic red tape, and conflicting “must-do” lists I received from people who had already relocated south of the border. Then I discovered something that made it all a whole lot easier: the state of Baja California, aka “Northern Baja.”
This under-appreciated region of Mexico isn’t just gorgeous — think rugged desert landscapes that tumble into turquoise seas — it’s also one of the most convenient places for Americans to dip their toes into expat life. So with that in mind, here are five reasons Baja California can make your Mexico move simpler, plus one possible challenge you’ll need to plan around.
#1 No Vehicle Temporary Importation Permit (TIP) headaches
(Unsplash/Barbara Zandoval)
If you’ve been researching mainland Mexico, you’ve probably heard about the dreaded Temporary Importation Permit (TIP) for your vehicle. In Baja California? Forget it. You can drive your car down, stay as long as you like, and not have to mess with TIP paperwork or fees. The entire Baja California peninsula, North and South, is exempt from this requirement, as are any “border zones,” meaning areas within 25 kilometers (16 miles) of the border.
Be aware that this rule only covers you in the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and the border zones. If you want to drive in mainland Mexico and you don’t want to change your U.S. registration, you will have to sign a voucher stating the vehicle will not remain there for longer than six months, and limit your time to that.
#2 Easier to test drive the lifestyle
(Unsplash/Josue Michel)
Baja California is practically next door to much of the Western U.S., which means you can explore before committing. A day trip to Rosarito? A weekend getaway to Ensenada? These are totally doable without hopping on a plane. You can scope out neighborhoods, chat with locals, and see how the lifestyle feels, then head back home and plan your next visit. Auditioning for Mexico living is something I highly recommend. As wonderful as most of us expats think it is, moving to Mexico is not for everyone, so it is always best to try before you buy.
#3 Less distance equals less stress
(Chris and Lindsay Harvey)
Let’s be real: Moving anywhere is a huge chore, let alone moving to another country. But relocating to Baja California usually means fewer miles to cover compared to Central or Southern Mexico. That translates into lower moving costs, fewer logistical nightmares and a smoother path for getting your possessions across the border.
#4 Pet-friendly and accessible by car
(Andrew Pons/Unsplash)
For those of us whose “kids” have four legs, moving to Baja California is so much easier than other countries. You can drive down with your pets, thus avoiding cargo holds, long flights and sedatives. The border process for pets is relatively straightforward and usually seamless. Once you’re there, you’ll find plenty of vets, pet stores and even dog-friendly beaches.
#5 Close enough to keep a foot in both worlds
(U.S. Green Building Council)
Need to visit your U.S. bank? Have a doctor’s appointment with a specialist? Want to catch a flight from a major international airport? Living in Baja California means the U.S. is just a quick drive away. You get all the perks of Mexico, like a lower cost of living, beautiful scenery and rich culture, while also maintaining easy access to services back home.
Many expats choose to never open a Mexican bank account, and those on the West Coast of Baja California can keep their major health care options in nearby San Diego. For small issues, they know that if they need medical care, it’s extremely affordable to pay out of pocket to see a doctor in Baja California. Others never bother to even get a Mexican phone number, either, although I do advise going that route as it will make local dealings easier.
The point is, relocating to Baja California gives you the best of both worlds: meaning, Mexico and the United States.
The one thing that’s trickier in Baja California
This challenge will only apply to those who want to buy their homes as opposed to rent. Because Baja California’s coastline is in Mexico’s “restricted zone,” foreigners can’t own land outright within 50 kilometers of the coast, and within 25 kilometers (16 miles) of the border. This restricted zone covers much of the Baja California peninsula.
Instead, those wanting to buy land will need to use a fideicomiso (bank trust) or form a Mexican corporation if the land will also be used for a business. It’s totally doable — thousands of expats do it — but it’s something you need to understand before you start house hunting. I cover more details on all of the scenarios in my book, “Moving to Mexico the Easy Way: A No-Nonsense Guide to Northern Baja for Expats, Digital Nomads, and Retirees.” Besides real estate, it covers everything from visas and housing to navigating culture shifts, and more, so you can focus on the adventure, not the headaches.
What better way to end our Where to Travel in Mexico 2025 guide than by finishing with what Mexico does best: The great outdoors. (Nellie Huang)
As one of the world’s few megadiverse countries, Mexico is home to an estimated 10 to 12% of life on Earth. It’s a land of incredible natural superlatives. For example, the country ranks first in the world for reptile diversity, second for mammals, and fourth for plant life. A huge percentage of its reptiles and amphibians are also endemic, meaning they can be found nowhere else on Earth. Because of Mexico’s profound biodiversity, its wildlife may be its most magnificent treasure.
As a travel writer who’s been to 150 countries, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had many epic wildlife encounters all over the globe. But Mexico truly stands out for its sheer amount of wildlife, from humpback whales in the waters off Baja California to the coatís and jaguars in the jungles of the Yucatán and millions of migrating monarch butterflies in the highlands of Michoacán.
For our final journey in the Where to Travel in Mexico in 2025 series, we’re inviting you to be a quiet, respectful guest in some of the country’s most dynamic ecosystems. These are places that will recalibrate your sense of scale and your place within the grand, wild scheme of things. So grab your binoculars and a sense of adventure and prepare to get up close and personal with some of the most treasured animals on the planet.
Baja California Sur: For underwater encounters
An intimate gray whale encounter in Baja California Sur’s Magdalena Bay. (Nellie Huang)
Few places on Earth can rival the sheer marine biodiversity of Baja California Sur, where the legendary Gulf of California (always referred to a the Sea of Cortés locally) truly lives up to its nickname as the world’s aquarium, a moniker bestowed by the late Jacques Cousteau. Its protected, warm-water lagoons, particularly Magdalena Bay, shelter gray whales and their babies during their epic 10,000-kilometer migration from the Arctic.
Many of these whales seek out human interaction, a profoundly moving experience that feels both ancient and deeply personal. I will never forget the moment a 12-meter, 30-ton gray whale calf deliberately approached our small panga, rising so close we could see the individual barnacles and touch its soft and rubbery skin.
Nearby, the waters of La Paz offer the chance to swim alongside whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea. This encounter is one of unhurried grace, as you glide alongside these gentle giants, their vast, polka-dotted backs filtering the dappled sunlight just beneath the surface. A short boat trip away, the island of Espíritu Santo is home to a large colony of sea lions. Slipping into the water here is to be greeted by the ocean’s acrobatic, whiskered clowns. Pups, full of boundless energy, will zip past your mask, barrel-rolling and playfully nibbling at your fins.
Close to the tourist hub of Los Cabos, the waters of Cabo Pulmo also offer intimate marine encounters. Once a decimated reef, this community-led marine park has seen its fish biomass rebound by an astounding 460%. Playful sea lions, sea turtles, and even bull sharks now patrol the waters, offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences for scuba divers.
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve: For jungle wildlife sightings
A howler monkey surveys the scene in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. (Unsplash / Thomas Gabernig)
Deep in the remote interior of the Yucatán Peninsula lies the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a vast expanse of wilderness where ancient history and wildlife are inextricably linked. Here, towering Mayan pyramids, remnants of a powerful kingdom that once rivaled Tikal in Guatemala, pierce through the seemingly endless jungle canopy.
This 1.8-million-acre reserve is a stronghold for Mesoamerica’s five great cat species — jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, and jaguarundi. Calakmul itself is home to the largest number of jaguars in all of Mexico. While spotting a jaguar is exceptionally rare, simply knowing you walk through their kingdom adds a thrilling edge to exploring the ruins. Visitors are almost guaranteed to see vibrantly colored ocellated turkeys, inquisitive coatís, and a fraction of the region’s nearly 400 bird species.
My advice is to arrive early and make the drive slowly into the archaeological site, which takes about 90 minutes on a winding, potholed road. Watch out for wildlife crossing on your way! Before the heat of the day hits, make sure to climb Structure II, one of the tallest Mayan pyramids. From that vantage point, I’ve sat and watched a troop of spider monkeys swing effortlessly through the treetops.
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve: For the annual migration
Monarch butterflies in the Sierra Chincua sanctuary. (Nellie Huang)
High in the oyamel fir forests of Michoacán, one of nature’s most awe-inspiring spectacles unfolds each winter. An estimated 60 million to one billion monarch butterflies arrive after a multi-generational, 4,500-kilometer journey from Canada and the U.S., seeking refuge.
When I visited the Sierra Chincua sanctuary, the sheer biomass of life was staggering. The branches of the sacred firs drooped under the collective weight of millions of butterflies, their clustered bodies appearing like rust-colored beehives. As the sun warmed the air, they would burst into flight, and the forest suddenly filled with the sound of millions of paper-thin wings beating at once. It was a profoundly moving and humbling experience.
The best time to visit is from late November to early March, with peak activity in January and February. Base yourself in the tourist town of Angangueo, just a 30-minute drive from both El Rosario and Sierra Chincua butterfly sanctuaries.
The migrating butterflies tend to congregate at an altitude of over 3,000 meters (almost 10,000 feet). So to get there, you will need to hike up the steep slopes or hire horses to carry you. Pack proper walking shoes and hiking sticks if possible. Maintain absolute silence in the core viewing areas, as loud noises can disturb the butterflies and cause them to expend precious energy.
Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve: For wetland animals
The lush jungles of Sian Ka’an. (Nellie Huang)
Just south of the vibrant energy of Tulum, the pace of life slows to the rhythm of the tides in Sian Ka’an, whose name aptly means “Origin of the Sky.” The 1.3-million-acre UNESCO World Heritage site is a vast network of turquoise lagoons, mangrove channels and wetlands. Despite its proximity to the hedonistic party scene of Tulum, it’s a completely different world here, one carved by Mother Nature and dominated by wildlife.
A boat trip through Sian Ka’an is the best way to explore the reserve. While gliding through the pristine waters with my family, our guide suddenly cut the engine as a pod of dolphins surfaced to play in our wake, their sleek bodies silhouetted against the emerald-green mangroves. We then drifted quietly, watching Morelet’s crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks like ancient, armored statues. The birdlife is staggering, with over 350 recorded species, including the shocking pink of roseate spoonbills. It’s a living mosaic of the Caribbean coast as it once was, a vital refuge for countless species.
There are two different ways of accessing Sian Ka’an. The easier route takes you through the lagoon side, as you enter through the Muyil ruinsand hike through the boardwalk to get to the lagoon for a serene float down an ancient Mayan canal. The second way leads you to the coastal side of Sian Ka’an, via Punta Allen, for a longer boat trip that lets you experience marine life and coral reefs, with a chance of spotting dolphins, turtles and manatees. If you have the time, I highly recommend exploring both parts of Sian Ka’an to get a well-rounded experience.
Oaxacan Coast: For crocodiles, turtles and iguanas
A baby sea turtle makes its way to the ocean in Oaxaca. (Nellie Huang)
The Oaxacan coast is rightly famous for its world-class surf breaks and bohemian beach towns, amongst which the small village of La Ventanilla offers one of the most heartwarming ecotourism experiences in Mexico. Here, a cooperative of local families took it upon themselves to restore and protect their native mangrove ecosystem.
The experience begins as you board a lancha, and a guide from the community rows you through the serene, shaded waterways. Within minutes, the success of their conservation is all around you. Giant green iguanas perch on branches, countless species of water birds hunt in the shallows, and large American crocodiles glide silently through the water or bask on the muddy banks. Seeing these predators thriving, thanks directly to the efforts of the people who live alongside them, is a powerful lesson in grassroots ecotourism.
Combine your trip with a visit to the nearby National Turtle Center in Mazunte. For a truly special experience, join the turtle releases on Playa Bacocho near Puerto Escondido, run by VIVEMAR. You can help to release baby turtles at any time of the year, as various species of turtles lay eggs here (though there is a greater presence of turtles during the high season from October to April). Protecting over 27 km of the Oaxacan coast, this non-profit organization is one of the most outstanding conservation projects in Mexico.
Lacandón Jungle: For tapirs, monkeys and macaws
A wild macaw shows off its colors in the Lacandon Jungle. (Canto de la Silva)
For the truly adventurous soul seeking a journey into Mexico at its most raw and untamed, there is nowhere else like the Lacandón Jungle. This patch of wilderness in Chiapas is the country’s largest remaining stretch of lowland rainforest and a vital biological corridor. Staying in an eco-lodge run by the Lacandón Maya people, the ancient guardians of this forest, is a deep cultural and ecological immersion.
On a boat trip down the magnificent Usumacinta River, which forms the border with Guatemala, I saw brilliant scarlet macaws flying in vibrant pairs and followed trails where the tracks of the elusive Baird’s tapir were still fresh in the mud. The air was thick and humid, alive with a symphony of insects, the calls of parrots and the ever-present monkeys. It was a challenging environment, but it rewarded me with a profound sense of connection to the wilderness.
A trip here requires planning and a willingness to go back to basics. Hire local Lacandon guides, whose ancestral knowledge of the forest’s flora, fauna and secret ruins is invaluable. There is no signal in the area, and you will be disconnected from the outside world. Pack for the heat and humidity, and be prepared for rain at any time of year.
What’s right for each type of traveler?
We’ve put together a table summarizing which destination would suit travelers based on their experience in Mexico.
Beginner Travelers are those with limited international experience, maybe this is their first trip to Mexico. Ideal for first-timers who prefer margaritas with training wheels. These travelers stick to well-trodden paths, mastering “¿Dónde está el baño?” while clutching a phrasebook. They thrive in destinations where guacamole arrives with optional spice and hotel staff speak “Google Translate.”
Intermediate Travelers are those with some international experience and can handle moderate language barriers and cultural differences. Ready to trade resorts for real-deal experiences, these travelers navigate cobblestone streets without face-planting. They’ve graduated to ordering tres tacos al pastor without pointing and can haggle for a sombrero in Oaxaca’s markets (but still overpay by 20%).
Advanced Travelers are those with extensive experience navigating complex destinations independently. These wanderers treat Mexico like a choose-your-own-adventure novel written in Spanglish. They’ve adopted a street dog named Churro, debate the merits of different mezcal artesanales, and know which mercado stall has the best tamales oaxaqueños.
Nellie Huang is a professional travel writer and author based in San Miguel de Allende with her family. She has contributed to BBC Travel, CNN, International Business Times, and National Geographic, and co-authored Lonely Planet’s 2025 Mexico guide. Read about her adventures worldwide on wildjunket.com and follow her updates on Instagram @wildjunket.
