Mexico is a huge country full of countless things to do and places to visit. One of our favorite areas of this amazing country is the Yucatán Peninsula! Okay, so we may be a little biased after living here for the past few years, but it is a pretty amazing place!
Many people may be familiar with this area or may have even been here themselves without even knowing it. The peninsula is home to popular travel destinations like Cancun, Cozumel, and Tulum. A stretch of its coastline is called the Riviera Maya, which is famous for its countless number of all-inclusive resorts. The Yucatán Peninsula is bordered by the Caribbean Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It’s made up of 3 states: Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo. Because of its beautiful beaches and all-inclusive resorts, the Yucatán Peninsula is probably one of the most visited places in the country. But there is so much more than beaches and resorts! Here’s our 15 favorite things to see and do in the Yucatán Peninsula!
1. Skydiving Onto the Beach
Definitely one of my favorite experiences in the Yucatan is skydiving in Playa del Carmen! There are many places you can go skydiving, but there are few places as pretty as jumping out over the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula beaches. We actually landed right on the beach! (The incredible views also really help distract from the fact that you are freefalling from 10,000 feet! =)
Located right in downtown Playa del Carmen is Skydive Playa. We can’t say enough good things about our experience with them. They’re a top of the line company that makes safety their #1 priority. Em’s tandem jumpmaster has done over 18,000 jumps! We loaded into the plane and before we knew it we were freefalling to the beach below! The feeling was incredible and the view was amazing. I can’t believe how blue the ocean was! After an incredible 40 second freefall, our parachute deployed and we floated safely to the ground. The jumpmasters landed perfectly on the beach!! It was definitely one of my favorite experiences of traveling! If you’re like us and you’ve been wanting to go skydiving, Skydive Playa is the perfect place to go! Here’s more about our experience skydiving in Playa del Carmen.
2. Swimming With Whale Sharks
It’s hard to try to describe the feeling of swimming next to a 30 ft, 40,000 lb shark in the water! Thankfully these amazing creatures are completely docile and only like to eat things that are as big as plankton. This area is one of the best places in the world to swim with whale sharks! In our travels this has definitely been our favorite experience under water. The day that we went there were over 40 whale sharks just hanging out! It was incredible seeing how big their mouths were and how effortlessly they moved through the water!
In order to help protect the whale sharks, Mexico doesn’t allow scuba diving around them, so everyone is snorkeling. Which also means that this is a great experience for everyone to try! Based on our experience and asking around, the best place to book a tour is from Isla Mujeres. You can book tours in Cancun and Holbox, but the whale sharks are usually closest to Isla Mujeres. We loved our experience so much that we did it again on the west coast in La Paz, Mexico. That was also an amazing experience, but the whale sharks there are juvenile and often less abundant. For this area, the whale shark season goes from May – August. (Typically the best months are July and August). So weather permitting, if you’re in the area during this time, this is a must-do experience!
If you’re interested in more info, read our full post here.
3. Isla Holbox
Isla Holox is the best way to experience a primitive island while still having plenty of hotels, restaurants, and other basic amenities. Although the basic amenities are there, this island is definitely more primitive than Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum. The roads aren’t paved and the only vehicles are golf carts and mopeds. And if it rains (ike it did when we were visiting) the roads become temporary rivers. There aren’t any big named resorts or restaurants on the island, but it’s primitiveness is it’s charm. It is a unique place to visit with plenty of things to do.
Our favorite things were lounging in the ocean hammocks, walking on the forever long sandbar, and tasting some of the island’s iconic lobster pizza. Some things that we didn’t get to do but I would definitely recommend if you have the time is wading out into the bioluminescent beaches at night, and go flamingo spotting by walking down the sandbar. You can also book a Whale Shark tour from here, but I would suggest booking a tour leaving from Isla Mujeres instead.
Although I put this in the day trip list, I would suggest a minimum of 2 nights on the island. We only spent 1 night, but because of drive and ferry time I think a 2 day minimum is better. (Just remember to bring some serious bug spay and try to avoid sitting outside at dusk or dawn because the mosquitos are no joke!)
4. Scuba Diving in Cenotes & Cozumel
I’m far from an expert scuba diver, but i think this is one of the best all around best places for diving. (okay, I may be biased because Cozumel is where we were certified ;) There may be prettier places with more technical dives, but there are few places with such a wide variety of dives with such an ease of access. First of all, Cozumel is an incredible place to dive. (Again I may be a little biased ;) The water is crystal clear and there are an endless amount of fun drift dives. The wildlife is diverse and the reefs are pretty amazing too. On the mainland you have the unique opportunity of cave diving in a cenote. It truly is a unique and incredible experience floating through massive stalactites and stalagmites while watching beams of lights piercing through the water!
But of course there are amazing places to dive all around the world. What makes the Yucatán Peninsula so unique is its diversity of dives and ease of access. Instead of traveling to remote locations, you can be picked up directly from your resort and be back before lunch! We completed our PADI advanced open water certifications with Dive Paradise in Cozumel. (Read our full blog post here.) They go above and beyond to make sure you have the best experience possible. They offer everything from discovery dives to advanced technical certifications. All this to say, if you’ve ever wanted to try scuba diving, the Yucatán Peninsula is the place to go!
5. Tulum
Probably the most famous destination on the peninsula (in addition to Cancun) is the beautiful bohemian style beach town of Tulum. Famous for its incredible beaches, Mayan ruins, and of course thousands of Instagram posts, Tulum is one of the most hyped international travel destinations. Whether you are looking for cheap housing and 15 peso tacos or high end beachfront hotels and restaurants, there is a little bit of something for everyone here.
There are some incredible public access beaches, but the majority of the beach access is technically only accessible through hotels and restaurants. But you can usually access the beach by getting some drinks at the restaurant or even just asking if you can walk through to the beach. (In high season this isn’t as likely of an option and they may have a minimum spend at the restaurant.)
Some of our favorite things to do in Tulum are: the ruins, Gran Cenote, Cenote Calavera, and Playa Paraiso. There are dozens of places that aren’t really activities but instagram famous picture spots along the beach. Here are some of the most popular: Leaning Palm Tree at Playa Paraiso, Azulik Hotel hanging nets and art museum, Coco Tulum Swings, Casa Malca, Matcha Mama, and dozens more. You can eat at some incredible places along the beach, but if you are trying to save some money I would say stay in town, or an AirBnB close to the beach. You can sit and get drinks at the expensive beach restaurants and save your appetite for the incredible 15 peso tacos in town.
6. Cenotes
You can’t visit the Yucatan Peninsula without going to a cenote. First of all, what even are cenotes? They’re clear, freshwater pools formed by underground springs. There are thousands located all around the peninsula, each is its own unique experience. Em and I have been to 20 or 30 different cenotes and have loved every single one. Most cenotes look like the beautiful freshwater springs in Florida (usually minus the alligators =) The crystal clear water makes a perfect spot to swim.
Cenotes range from caves, pools, rivers and pretty much anything in between. It is really hard to narrow it down to one cenote to visit, but if I had to choose it would be Cenote Suytun (picture above) close to Valladolid. I have a separate post about this cenote here. If you’re in Valladolid, also check out cenote Ik Kil and Zaci (a great place for cliff jumping). But personally, my favorite cenote is Oxman because of it’s rope swing!
7. Chichen Itza (+ Other Mayan Ruins)
This was a really hard one for me, because there are dozens of incredible ancient Mayan wonders across the peninsula. Each is unique and beautiful in it’s own way. But ultimately I decided that when you get a chance to see one of the 7 Wonders of the world you have to go.
The ruins and mysterious history behind Chichen Itza make it a must-see in the Yucatan. El Castillo, the main pyramid shaped ruin is the most well-known Mayan ruin worldwide. But the grounds of Chichen Itza are filled with several other amazing ruins like the Great Ball Court, Temple of the Warriors, and the Sacred Cenote.
This is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Yucatan Peninsula so you can expect crowds. However, if you get there when the gates open at 8:00AM you will likely have about an hour or so before the majority of the crowds start to show up. There are a lot of other details about visiting this Wonder of the World, but I’ll save the details for a full post here.
Chichen Itza may be the most famous Mayan ruin, but it certainly isn’t the only one! My personal favorite is Uxmal, but it is a lot further of a drive for most people. Other famous ruins in the area are: Tulum, Coba, and Ek Balam. Each is unique in their own way and a testimony to the incredible Mayan culture.
8. All-inclusive Resorts
Like many people, the first time Em and I visited Mexico was to an all-inclusive resort outside of Cancun! Probably some of the nicest hotels we have stayed in have been along the Carribean coastline in the Yucatan Peninsula. There are a countless amount of these incredible resorts. In most of the resorts the food, beaches, grounds, and rooms are top of the line for a fairly reasonable price.
I wish I could give better advice on which resort to go to, but since we live here we haven’t been able to visit as many as we like! You can find a wide variety of prices, so if you have some flexibility, do your research and go during the less crowded times of the year. The resorts are so amazing that sometimes it can be difficult to get out and explore the rest of the area. (Hopefully this post helps give you a few ideas to start!)
9. Bacalar
Bacalar is the most popular and beautiful lagoon on the peninsula. It’s unlike any other lagoon I’ve ever seen. Fed by cenotes, almost every kind of blue imaginable can be found in Bacalar Lagoon. It is a great place to relax or see wildlife. Take a boat tour by a local and see how drastically the color of the water changes. In some areas the lagoon goes from a few feet deep to hundreds of feet deep in a couple of steps. Although it isn’t the ocean, there are several beaches and sandbars with crystal clear water that make the perfect place for laying out and relaxing.
Although well known, Bacalar is far less visited by international travelers. Which gives it a far more laid back and less touristy feel. There are still plenty of local restaurants, AirBnB’s, and local hotels. But it’s a lot different than the all-inclusive resort atmosphere. Bacaar is a great change of pace from the international crowds at Cancun, Tulum, or Cozumel.
10. Isla Mujeres
Another popular island is Isla Mujeres. This island is home to possibly one of the prettiest beaches in the entire peninsula. Playa Norte (North Beach) has picture perfect white sand and crystal clear water. It’s definitely not a remote caribbean beach. It’s usually fairly crowded, but the water is so calm and shallow that it feels fairly spread out. Isla Mujeres has no lack of restaurants, beach clubs, and other basic amenities. It’s only mode of transportation is also golf carts and mopeds, but the roads are paved and lined with dozens of local hotels and restaurants.
Our favorite things to do on the island were Playa Norte beach, seeing the first Mexican sunrise at Punta Sur, visiting the turtle sanctuary, eating at endless restaurants, and going on a whale shark tour.
This is probably the easiest island to access from the Cancun airport. It is an easy 20 minute ferry from the mainland. Our favorite activity on the island was swimming with the whale sharks. You can also catch a boat from Cancun or Isla Holbox, but based on my research, Isla Mujeres is the best place to book a Whale Shark tour. It is the closest location and a great place to hang out in case your tour gets delayed due to bad weather.
11. Las Coloradas
The first time I saw a picture of Las Coloradas I was positive that it was photoshopped. But after visiting these incredible pink lakes I can confirm that they are in fact real! It’s just another example of an unbelievable sight in this incredible country. If you’re lucky you can even see flamingos grazing in these pink lakes!
Something to know before you go however is that these lakes aren’t naturally this pink. The lakes are shallow man made pools created for mining 750,000 tons of salt each year! The cool thing about this is that Mayans harvested salt here more than 2,000 years ago! I’m definitely no scientist, but our guide at Las Coloradas told us that the halophilic microorganisms that turn the water pink are 100% natural, but the water looks extra pink due to the shallowness of the man made lakes. (Confused? So was I ;) The summary is that there’s pink water, made by man made lakes.
Las Coloradas is located in the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula and used to be relatively unknown by international tourists. You may see pictures online of people walking or even swimming in these pink lakes. However, as tourism increased, it’s now illegal to enter the pink lakes. However, you can pay a local guide to take you on a tour and walk right up to the water’s edge. Our guide also told us that the pink color also varies depending on the weather, water level, and time of the year. When we went it was a beautiful sunny day and the water was definitely pink!
12. Campeche
Before moving to Mexico we had never even heard of the beautiful, colorful city of Campeche. After visiting, we can’t figure out why more people don’t talk about Campeche! The closest city I can compare it to is Charlseton, SouthCarolina, but with even more colorful buildings. In the historic downtown every street is bursting with beautiful pastel colored buildings. There are dozens of amazing restaurants and charming shops to explore. The city itself has a unique history full of pirates.
Campeche is definitely one of my favorite cities I’ve visited in Mexico! Part of the reason it isn’t as well known internationally is because it’s located on the complete opposite side of the peninsula from the most popular tourist destinations. So it is quite a hike to go just for one city. But if for some reason you are on that side of the Yucatan peninsula, Campeche is definitely a must visit destination!
13. Cozumel
The largest inhabited island in Mexico is Cozumel. Cozumel is famous for it’s cruise ports and world class scuba diving. It is also pretty easy to access from the mainland via ferry from downtown Playa del Carmen. There are several amazing places to stay and eat on the island. Some great day activities are Punta Sur Ecological Park, Playa Palancar (beach), and swimming with starfish at El Cielo. In addition to scuba diving, my favorite thing to do in Cozumel is rent a moped and cruise all the way around the island. The east side of the island has a whole different feel to it. The big cruise ports and touristy shops of the west side are replaced with local beach bars and quiet restaurants.
We spent the week in an incredible condo called Casa Phoenix. We saw some of the prettiest ocean sunsets from that balcony. It was quite a different experience visiting Cozumel on a cruise and spending the week on vacation. But regardless of if you’re there for a day or several weeks, there’s something for everyone on this beautiful island.
14. Merida
The biggest city on the Peninsula is Merida. The city is full of big city Mexican charm, and has a lot different vibe than touristy cities like Cancun. Most of Cancun was built for tourism, merida was built for well… local people to live and work! (Haha as most cities usually are =) Although Merida may not have been built just for tourism, it certainly is a very friendly city.
The first park we visited in the city Em and I sat down to eat a snack. A few minutes later an old man sat down on the bench next to us and started a conversation with us in English! He was extremely kind and spoke great English. We figured he was eventually going to try to sell us something and was just taking a long time to do it. But after several minutes he stood up and said “thank you for letting me practice my English” and left! To be honest we couldn’t believe that someone would be so kind without trying to sell something or take our wallets! (I guess we’ve been tourist in too many cities =) But later that same day another old man at a different park sat down next to us and did the same thing! They were both so kind, told us about their family, the city, and overall life. We’ve asked other tourists if this is a common thing in Merida, but they all say that no one has tried to practice their English with them. (I guess we really must look like clueless tourists =)
Side notes: 1) If you’re visiting in the summer, Merida can feel verrrry hot. Temperature wise it isn’t too different from the rest of the peninsula, but there’s no ocean breeze or shade trees to help mask the heat. 2) If you’re driving in the city it can take some getting used to. There are unmarked topes (speed bumps) everywhere. And most intersections have a big blind spot. But after a few days of driving you kinda get used to it.
15. Sian Ka’an
Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve has some of the most diverse wildlife on the Peninsula. Sian Ka’an is one of Mexico’s largest biosphere reserves and is a great place to take a break from people and beaches. There are over 326 different bird species in the park, several crocodiles and turtles, pumas, jaguars, dolphins, manatees, whales, tapirs and dozens of other amazing animals. You can explore Sian Ka’an on your own or with a guided tour. But it’s difficult to get to and navigate on your own. Most places we usually like to explore on our own, but this is one place I would definitely suggest a guided tour. Instead of renting your own car and boat the guides take care of everything for you. Plus they know the habits of the wildlife and do a great job of spotting the animals!
The park has several different areas you can explore. The main area is located just south of Tulum. After some research we chose to book a tour that entered closer to Muyil Ruins. If you like nature and lazy rivers then the Ancient Canal Tour of Sian Ka’an is for you. Instead of crowds of people and dirty water of an amusement park, we were surrounded by the backdrop of the biosphere. The 40 minute float was incredible! In addition to the natural lazy river we also loved the boat ride and stop at the beach. We saw a manatee, crocodile, and several birds. Drifting through the canal on the small boat was one of my favorite parts of the tour. It felt like an airboat ride in the Florida Everglades.
The company that we went with was called Community Tours Sian Ka’an. From transportation, food, and guides, they took care of everything. Our favorite thing about Community Tours Sian Ka’an is their commitment to protecting the environment and the local Mayan culture. Our tour guide Gilberto was Mayan and had a great respect for the area and its history. It was an amazing experience floating through a canal that Mayans had used more than 1,000 years before! If you are looking for more info, read our Sian Ka’an Canal Tour post here.
16. Akumal
If you want to swim with sea turtles then Akumal beach is the place to go. A lot has changed and is even now, currently changing in Akumal to help protect the turtles. In the past there were sea turtles everywhere. You could just show up and go swimming wherever you wanted. Unfortunately, in recent years several turtles have died or moved to different locations. So in efforts to protect the turtles, they have changed the areas in which people are allowed to swim.
It is possible to see turtles without a guide. However, the free swimming area is small and close to the shore. We went and paid 50 pesos each for the beach access. You can also order drinks and enter through the restaurant without having to pay the entrance fee, but then you don’t get access to the bathrooms, showers, and locker. (There is a 100 peso deposit for the lockers but you get it back when you return the key.)
If you read info online, it may seem like you are getting scammed. But we talked with several people in the area and a lot of things have changed in recent years. You can pay a company for a guided swimming or boat tour or pay a local guide for a swimming tour. We paid a local guide which included a life jacket, snorkel gear, and a private tour. (We paid 500 pesos total. The original price was 800 pesos but we went in the middle of the week and it wasn’t too busy.) Our guide told us that the best time to come is either first thing in the morning before the bus tours arrive or in the afternoon after the tours have left. Afterwards we headed to local Oxxo and bought some tacos and snacks and had our own little picnic on the beach.
We were a little nervous at first that we weren’t going to see any turtles, but after about an hour of swimming around we saw about 5 or 6 turtles and several different fish. Apparently, years ago there were dozens of turtles all around. But if you’ve never seen a sea turtle before, Akumal is a great place to check out!
17. Xcaret
Xcaret is the Yucatán Peninsula’s version of Disneyworld. Instead of Mikey and thrill rides, Xcaret is full of wild animals and cenotes. (Okay so maybe they aren’t really actually anything alike =) But Xcaret is by far one of the most popular “theme parks” on the peninsula. It also has several sister parks that specialize in various other activities.
Although it’s pretty pricey and heavily advertised, for people who have limited time in the area, Xcaret is a great place to go to get a curated version of what the rest of the Yucatan Peninsula is really like. Within a few hours you can see dozens of the area’s local wildlife, swim in a cenote, and eat some local food. We totally underestimated just how big the park was! At the end of the night, Xcaret holds a performance in a huge arena! In addition to being extremely impressive, the show does a great job of telling a brief history of what ancient mayan life was like. Xcaret is a place that tourists and locals both love to visit.
