no street camping in Bacalar | Warning

May 21st, 2023 by expeditionsyncro

We stayed here 3 nights as well and nobody seemed to care. The police drove by servals times and didn’t say anything.

June 16th, 2021 by eric_on_the_road

Spent 3 nights in front of the kiosk where you buy tickets to visit the Fort. No one bothered. Police drove by several times during the day and night and did not stop. Quiet and safe.
On weekends they ask you to park on the other side of the street, as they receive lots of tourists, and that parking is for whoever visits the Fort.

February 20th, 2020 by Sean Emerson

We chilled out in the van on the main square for a few hours working on laptops. at 11pm the police/guard started banging on the door. he then told me we can't sleep here so we found a spot outside vacant land behind a delivery van to blend in ( closer to the highway)

February 13th, 2019 by nossakombieumaviagem

A polícia não tem mais deixado dormir dentro do carro em Bacalar, todo lugar que a gente vai alguém vem nos tirar, disse que temos que buscar um camping e até dão horário para estar estacionado na via pública, até as 18h somente. A gente questionou que a via é pública e que eles não podem impedir a gente de estacionar, não tem uma lei específica para isso, estão fazendo porque querem. Está bem difícil mesmo.

January 11th, 2019 by WunderbareWelt

after street camping in front of the public beach "balneario municipal" for 5 nights, the police told us that they dont want people sleeping in cars in Bacalar anymore at all. They told us to pay for a hotel or campground. The police apparently also told the others that there is a new mayor or something and the new policy is because of that. Not really sure if thats true.

anyways, we were three overlanders at one spot and had to leave. we thought maybe it was just too much... but we all left to another spot, where the police already waited and spoke to another overlander family, which then also had to leave.

not sure if they will permanently annoy overlanders from now on in Bacalar or this was a one time thing. Maybe its OK if you just keep low profile.

A German couple told us that they have stayed for three months in Bacalar last year or so, never to be disturbed. seems that winter has come to Bacalar.