|
Day Trips
Mayan Ruins:
The three best are the easiest to see from
Puerto Morelos. You could do Coba and Tulum in
one day. Chichen Itza should be a day by itself
or overnight.
Coba
Coba was a huge city begun in
600 AD with the tallest pyramid on the
Yucatan. We rented a car for the day to get
there. The ruins were very spread out so
they provide bicycles to get from one ruin
to the next. We also found it helpful to
hire a tour guide at the entrance.
http://www.cancunsouth.com/cit_coba.html
Chichen
Itza

Chichen Itza is probably the
most restored archeological site on the
Yucatan. I know that you can take the bus
from Cancun, but we rented a car and made it
a two day trip. We stopped in Valladolid, an
inland colonial city, Cenote Dzitnup, and
Cenote Zaci on the way. We went to Chichen
Itza for the night show and then stayed at
the Hotel Delores Alba in Piste. It was a
highlight for our teenage boys. The hotel
has a pool that has limestone formations and
tunnels that you can swim through. We went
back to Chichen Itza first thing the next
morning to see all of the sights. On the way
home we made a quick stop at Tulum.
Chichen Itza:
http://www.cancunsouth.com/cit_chichen.html
http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/chichen/chichen_index.html
This link is from a site that is a bit
strange, but an extensive collection of good
stuff on the Maya culture and history:
http://www.crystalinks.com/maya.html
Tulum
These are the beautiful ruins
right on the beach that you often see in
photographs. It’s a walled ruin with 60 well
preserved structures from 1200 ad. You can
drive or take a bus. It’s less than an hour
south of Puerto Morelos. You can catch the
bus at the highway. Tulum:
http://www.cancunsouth.com/cit_tulum_ruin.html
Tankah Cenote
There are hundreds of Cenotes
on the Yucatan penisula. We especially
enjoyed this one. The turn-off from the
highway is between Xhelha and Tulum. It
seems like there was a sign for Casa Cenote
Hotel on the highway. The cenote is almost
at the end of the road and behind the Casa
Cenote Hotel. There's a beautiful beach
there too and legend has it that manatees
would congregate where the cenote dumps into
the ocean.
Xel-ha
This theme park provides
adventure activities,
natural,
ecological attractions and
water activities like
diving or snorkeling in creeks, lagoons,
natural wells and ancient caves fed by
subterranean rivers flowing to the Mexican
Caribbean Sea of the
Riviera Maya.
I’ve heard reservations are recommended for
swimming with the dolphins.
www.xel-ha.com
Xcaret
This natural history oriented
theme park offers a full day of activities
from archeological sites to swimming with
dolphins to floating down an underground
river. They have a great night show and huge
enclosed butterfly exhibit and a big
aquarium. We liked it a lot.
http://www.xcaret.com/
Whale Sharks:
I haven't
done the whale shark trip but want to. The whale
shark is the largest fish on the planet and
grows up to 60'. They
are peaceful plankton feeders. They congregate off Isla
Holbox in June through September 15. You can swim with
them, if you dare. One tour operator:
http://www.holboxwhalesharktours.com/whalesharkvideos.shtml
Isla Mujeres:
We went to Isla
Mujeres without a car pretty easily. Take the
bus to the central bus station in Cancun. Go
across the street to the bus stops in front of
Commercial Mexicana. Here you can catch the R-1
or R-2 bus to Puerto Juarez/Gran Puerto.
We ended up seeing a collective with it in the window
and took that. Any bus should cost 6 pesos per
person. Once at Puerto Juarez, it is 70 pesos
round trip to Isla Mujeres. Isla Mujeres
is a lot like Cozumel only smaller. We really
didnt see any special shopping. There is a grave
marker of some pirate in the cemetary at the
north end of the town. The south tip of the
island is nice. You can climb the lighthouse and
get a nice view of the sea and hotel zone. There
is a zip line there over the ocean. The eastern
side of the island was surprisingly rocky. We
rented a golf cart for two hours which was
enough for us. There was a nurse shark penned in
a cage you could swim with at Playa....it was
pretty depressing frankly. There appear to be a
wide variety of dives you could do there and the
cost was pretty cheap.
Hidden
Worlds Cenote:
You see
the brochures all over and it looks a little
cheesy, but this turned out to be a very good
snorkel tour. We took the two cenote tour for
$40, which included a wetsuit and snorkel if you
need it. Don't take fins as they are not
allowed. Our group of 6 had a guide. The water
was as clear as advertised 300' visibility they
say and the stalactite and stalagmite formations
were amazing. They take you out to the cenote in
an old truck over a windy road. (could have done
without that part) You enter the cenote through
a fairly small hole and down a ladder. The
underground area has underwater lighting and
they give you flashlights. It was great. We
really do recommend it. Link:
http://www.hiddenworlds.com.mx/
Isla Mujeres:
This is
an easy day trip. Take the bus to the bus
station in Cancun. Then a cab, collectivo or bus
not far to Puerto Juarez. (R1 or R2 go there, so
do many others, just ask the driver) It
was a nice half hour boat ride for 70 pesos
round trip. The best way to see the island is to
rent a golf cart. We got one for two hours ($300
pesos) and that was plenty of time. The south
end of the island is very pretty. Be sure to
climb the lighthouse. There is a zip line there
with stations build out in the water. Nice
view of the hotel zone. The east side is quite
rocky with spectacular surf. Be sure to check
the return schedule. The lines can get long in
the afternoon, and they did not seem to have
extra boats. Diving trips there seem more
reasonably priced. This is where the cave of
sleeping sharks was discovered.
Isla Contoy
You can't
stay on this island. It is a wildlife sanctuary.
I don't know much about it.
|