Is it safe to drink the water in Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc.?
Alfonso Galindo - I Go Yucatan
Yucatan has one of the biggest pre-historic aquifers in the world, so the water is very safe to drink. I know some people say not to drink it but I drink it and I’ve been here since 2008 and I’ve never had a problem. People bathe in it, and people cook with it.
Some people would argue that, while the water might be safe, the pipes may contaminate the water before it reaches your home, but the...
Yucatan has one of the biggest pre-historic aquifers in the world, so the water is very safe to drink. I know some people say not to drink it but I drink it and I’ve been here since 2008 and I’ve never had a problem. People bathe in it, and people cook with it.
Some people would argue that, while the water might be safe, the pipes may contaminate the water before it reaches your home, but the infrastructure in the Yucatan is probably among the newest in all of Mexico.
(The Cenote de los Sacrificios, the collapsed ceiling of a cave with fresh water filling it in, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted December 14, 2015
Doug Willey - Doug Willey, Independent Real Estate Consultant
![Hotel and Club in Playa Mujers with an image of the bottled water [garafon] of Castilla, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living](/images/users/323/Hotel and Club in Playa Mujers with an image of the bottled water [garafon] of Castilla_ Mexico.jpg)
It is not safe to drink the water from the faucets in the Yucatan Peninsula. We only use the water from the faucets for washing clothes, washing the dishes and bathing. For drinking water, most people buy what is locally called garrafon, which is basically the blue, 5-gallon bottled water that you see in offices. They have delivery service. They bring it to your house and set it up on your water dispenser. I do know some local people who drink water right off the tap. Evidently their...It is not safe to drink the water from the faucets in the Yucatan Peninsula. We only use the water from the faucets for washing clothes, washing the dishes and bathing. For drinking water, most people buy what is locally called garrafon, which is basically the blue, 5-gallon bottled water that you see in offices. They have delivery service. They bring it to your house and set it up on your water dispenser. I do know some local people who drink water right off the tap. Evidently their system is used to it. For me, it’s not worth taking a chance. A garrafon of water costs only US $2, anyway. When I first moved to Mexico, I lived in Playa del Carmen, which is one of the more developed beach areas of the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo. One day I woke up after having a lot of fun the previous night, and I went to kitchen and made myself a cup of coffee using tap water. I was only in Mexico for a week then. Within minutes after I finished my cup of coffee, it came to me, “Oh my God, you just drank the faucet water!”
I called a friend of mine, who lived very nearby and I explained to him that I drank a cup of coffee made from tap water. He asked me, “How long ago was it?” I said, “About 20 minutes to half an hour ago.” He said, “Do you feel sick?” I said, “No.” And he said, “Have you been to the bathroom?” I said, “No.” And he said, “Then you’re okay. Don’t worry about it.” And I was okay. Nothing happened.
So it’s not like you’re going to die if you drink tap water here in the beach areas, but for me, it’s not worth a gamble. For $2, if I could get a 5-gallon bottle of purified water brought to my house, why roll the dice?
I’ve had workers come over to my house to do some cement work for me who I saw them drink water out of the garden hose and they showed up for work the next day. So the quality of water here might not be that terrible.
The restaurants here around Merida (the largest city in the state of Yucatan in the Yucatan Peninsula), make their ice using purified water. As far as rinsing vegetables, I personally rinse mine using tap water and never had a problem. There is also a little bottle of liquid that you could use to purify the water. You put four drops of this liquid in a pan of water and it totally disinfects and purifies the water. Some people that I know who have moved here need to do that. My wife and I do not use that anymore because we don’t need to because our system is used to living here in Mexico.
Most of the time, when I boil potatoes, I boil them in tap water. But when I’m having company over, such as someone from the United States who is not used to Mexico, then I would boil potatoes in purified water just to be sure that they won’t get sick while they are visiting because different people have different systems.
(Hotel and club with an image of the bottled water [garafon] of Castilla in Playa Mujers, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted December 16, 2015
Mary Reid - Chelem Christmas Dreams Toy Drive
In Mexico, I use bottled water to drink and cook with. I bathe and rinse my mouth after brushing with faucet water and I have never experienced any illnesses. I do not know if it is safe to drink the water from the faucet but the times I have tasted it, it has a metallic taste. Bottled water is readily available and reasonably priced. A truck comes by at least once a week to exchange used bottles for new ones.
...
In Mexico, I use bottled water to drink and cook with. I bathe and rinse my mouth after brushing with faucet water and I have never experienced any illnesses. I do not know if it is safe to drink the water from the faucet but the times I have tasted it, it has a metallic taste. Bottled water is readily available and reasonably priced. A truck comes by at least once a week to exchange used bottles for new ones.
(Pictured: sunrise over Chelem, in the state of Yucatan, close to the city of Merida.)
Posted January 15, 2016
Gustavo Cisneros - Petén
It is very safe to drink the water in Yucatan. Most of the people drink bottled water as it has become a huge business here but it doesn’t mean that the water in the Yucatan is not safe. Most of the water in the Yucatan is treated so we do not have a problem with the quality of water here. The famous “Montezuma’s Revenge” doesn’t exist.You have to also realize that the food in the Yucatan is a lot of pork and meat so it is very different than in...
It is very safe to drink the water in Yucatan. Most of the people drink bottled water as it has become a huge business here but it doesn’t mean that the water in the Yucatan is not safe. Most of the water in the Yucatan is treated so we do not have a problem with the quality of water here. The famous “Montezuma’s Revenge” doesn’t exist.You have to also realize that the food in the Yucatan is a lot of pork and meat so it is very different than in other areas of Mexico. We have lots of clients and visitors who have been coming here and none of them have ever felt sick because we take them to the right places.
Sisal is a very small fishing village of only 2,000 people on the coast around 40 minutes away from Merida (the largest city in the state of Yucatan, with about 1 million inhabitants). When you go to Merida, there is an infrastructure. It is very concentrated compared to the rest of the state. 50% of the population of the entire state of Yucatan is in Merida. The rest is divided into municipalities, which are like counties. We have 106 counties within the state of Yucatan. The conditions in Sisal in terms of services are not as good as in Merida but they all have water, electricity, and other basic services. I wouldn’t recommend drinking water straight from the taps in Sisal but most of the people who are living there have water filters, which are just the same kind of water filters that you have in your houses if you live in the US. Once the water from the tap is filtered, then it is fine to drink.
(A courtyard fountain in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted February 16, 2016
Paulina Almeida - Tao Real Estate
Water here in the state of Quintana Roo (includes Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and here in Akumal)is safe to drink because Quintana Roo has a high tourism rate and therefore has a lot of hotels around. Water around Quintana Roo must be purified the same way water is purified in the United States to make it drinkable. This is mandated by the government of state of Quintana Roo, that any of the qualified hotels, restaurants or even housing developments need to...Water here in the state of Quintana Roo (includes Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and here in Akumal)is safe to drink because Quintana Roo has a high tourism rate and therefore has a lot of hotels around. Water around Quintana Roo must be purified the same way water is purified in the United States to make it drinkable. This is mandated by the government of state of Quintana Roo, that any of the qualified hotels, restaurants or even housing developments need to have within their own system some type of water purification system. You cannot just drink from any tap in Quintana Roo. The reason for this is because in the Quintana Roo area, the water is very salty. I would recommend having a water purification system here in Quintana Roo so you can drink the water from the tap, which is cheaper than getting bottled water.
If you just built a house here in Tao Mexico (a planned gate-guarded community in Akumal, also in Quintana Roo), on the other hand, the developer takes care of the water purification system, so you don’t have to have your own purified water system within your house. However, you can install one. A lot of the residents of Tao Mexico have installed a water purification system in their tap so they can drink tap water freely.
If someone bought a property in some other place in Quintana Roo, they would have to put in their own system to have drinking water out of the tap.
(Relaxing with a drink at Tao Inspired Living, Akumal, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted March 9, 2017
Roddrigo Sidney Whalesharkdaddy - Cancun Whale Shark Tours
Never drink tap water anywhere.
Always drink bottled water.
Enough said. Avoid problems
Never drink tap water anywhere.
Always drink bottled water.
Enough said. Avoid problems
Posted March 12, 2018