YUCATAN ENCOMPASSED

The Yucatan Peninsula is a place of emerald waters turning to turquoise waves crashing on perfectly white coral-sand beaches. You can also find lush green forests dotted with Mayan ruins, colonial-era architecture, and sea life ablaze with color and cuisine to die for. The Yucatan peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, and everything tropical you associate with the word “Caribbean” is on full display along its shorelines. With the warm turquoise Caribbean Sea to the east and the shallow lagoons in the Gulf of Mexico towards the northeast, this scenic peninsula is home to flamingos, sea birds, and whale sharks. You’ll also find jaguars, crocodiles, parrots, and much more here. The Yucatán is home to more than 200,000 animal species in its mangroves, reefs, savannas, forests, and coastal lagoons. It’s one of the earth’s most biodiverse areas!

 

Akumal Beach, Yucatan

Cancun

 

A rough translation of the word Cancun in Mayan is “pot of snakes” – and this accurately describes how you might feel about this riotous city of hotels, bars, and every kind of party you can dream of. Cancun does have many fun things to do. You can swim with whale sharks, rent jet skis, relax on the beach, take a scuba diving course, race Lamborghinis, or sail around at sunset with a drink in your hand. Don’t forget the excellent nightlife you’ll find there.

 

Cancun Beach

Isla Holbox

Isla Holbox is a two-hour drive from Cancun, which was somewhat of a secret for a long time. Without a reef for snorkelers, it’s remained free from the skyscraper hotels you’ll find closer to Cancun along Riviera Maya. A long stretch of island shaped like a boomerang, Isla Holbox still feels pure and untouched by mass tourism…at least for now. To get to Holbox, you’ll drive to the tiny port town of Chiquila and then take a 30-minute ferry ride to the island. There are no cars on the island, just golf cart taxis that splash through rain-soaked potholes along dirt roads through the jungle to stunning white sand beaches.

 

Isla Holbox

 

Swim with whale sharks

 

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, growing up to 40 feet long and weighing up to 20,000 pounds, and you can swim with them! However, you don’t have to worry about them eating you, as they prefer plankton. Swimming next to a 30-foot-long sea creature the size of a bus is a unique experience.

 

Whale Shark Isla Holbox

 

Hacienda Sotuta de Peon

 

Haciendas were large ranches, and by the late 19th century, henequen was grown on a large scale in the western half of the Yucatan Peninsula. Haciendas grew large henequen fields to be processed into rope and other products. Henequen is a plant native to the Yucatan and is a type of agave. It has pointy green spikes with a central stem. The tour will take you down this track through the henequen fields. Hacienda Sotuta de Peon is one of the cultural treasures of the Yucatan. Not only is it a living museum, but it is also an exciting place to visit and stay. This hacienda is one of the most popular tourist attractions near the City of Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula. 

 

Merida

The capital city of Yucatan state has a colonial history, written into the architecture of most of the buildings in the beautiful, pedestrian-friendly city center, and liberal use of white limestone has given Merida the nickname “the white city.” It’s a cosmopolitan city with broad streets and high rooftops, and it is a great place to base yourself on exploring the rest of the peninsula. With Maya ruins nearby, you can observe vast flocks of pink flamingos just 2 hours away at Celestun Biosphere. Merida is also a perfect place to pick up a locally-made Mexican hammock. Hammock weaving in the Yucatan Peninsula is a 700-year-old tradition, producing some of the most beautiful hammocks in the world.

 

Hammocks in Merida

Uxmal

Just south of Merida is Uxmal, another UNESCO-listed Maya ruin celebrated for its impressive construction and ornate stone carvings. It is considered one of Maya culture's most important archaeological sites, along with Chichen Itza, Caracol, and Xunantunich in Belize and Tikal in Guatemala. The name Uxmal means ‘thrice-built’ in Mayan. It refers to the construction of its highest structure, the Pyramid of the Magician, which was built on top of existing pyramids. This archaeological complex has much fewer crowds than Chichen Itza. 

 

Cenotes

What’s a cenote, you ask? It’s an underground cave filled with fresh water. The Yucatan Peninsula has tons of them! The sinkholes open into underground rivers with the most transparent water you’ve ever seen. Mexico’s natural swimming holes are created when the limestone bedrock caved in to reveal underground rivers below. There are around 6000 different cenotes across the Yucatan, which are the perfect way to cool off on a hot day!

 

Cuzama Cenote

Izamal

 

Izamal is one of Yucatán’s best-kept secrets. This small town of no more than 15,000 inhabitants is so brightly colored that just catching a glimpse of it will put you in a good mood! Landmarks include the Convento de San Antonio, built by the Spaniards in 1553 on top of the Ppapp-Hol-Chac temple, and the Kinich Kakmoo Pyramid, located just outside the center of town.

 

Izamal

 

Chichen Itza

This UNESCO world heritage site is a centerpiece of the Mayan archaeological sites in Mexico, getting around 1.4 million visitors yearly. For over a thousand years, Chichen Itza was one of the great cities of Central America, located here because of its proximity to deep cenotes with access to fresh water. The modern site covers 5 square kilometers of exposed archaeology and impressive stone buildings, surrounded by dense forest. What makes Chichen Itza so unique is that the Maya designed the Kukulkán Pyramid so that on the spring and autumn equinox, the movement of the shadow cast by the sun makes it seem like a snake is slithering up or down the stone steps.  

 

Chichen Itza

 

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