Family Travel: Day Trips in the Mayan Riviera

The choice was tough. Icy fresh cut pineapple or mango. Which will best satisfy you as you gaze out over the bluest stretch of water you’ve ever seen? It’s hot and sunny. You’ve just been body surfing below the cliffs of the Mayan ruins at Tulum. You watched a young Mexican boy make his way down the steep jungle path with the cooler tied with a rope around him. He opens it with a grin. Inside, fresh cut fruit is skewered, wrapped in plastic, and packed in ice. Dig out your wet pesos and pay him. It’s sweeter and juicier than any thing you’ll find in the supermarket. Better than you imagined. Refreshed, you dive back into the sea.




The eighty or so miles that stretch between Cancun and Tulum is known as the Riviera Maya, or the Mayan Riviera. New resorts are being built and grand openings abound. They’re beautifully crafted, stunningly located on the aquamarine Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and in many cases, all inclusive. That means that you don’t really have to leave the campus to find everything you could possibly need on vacation. There’s abundant sun to frolic in, a variety of restaurants and buffets to savor, frozen drinks to cool you, shops to find the right souvenir of your trip, and the requisite palm treed strung hammocks for seaside napping. If that’s not enough for you, well, you just might be in need of a day trip.

You might recognize the ruins at Tulum from the scenes in the brochures of Mexico. Perched on the Caribbean, their history is as amazing as the view. Go for both. For under $5.00 US per person you can tour the ruins on your own. History markers tell the tale of human sacrifice and devotion to Gods. The word “Tulum” means “walled,” as in walled city. Iguanas rest in the sun on the building’s peaks and foundations. El Castillo or The Castle is the tallest building in the city. The center square was probably used for rituals and ceremonies. It is hot at peak hours of the day, with very little shade. It is easily accessed from Highway 307, about a two hour drive from Cancun. Save some time in your schedule to check out the flea market at the entry. It is packed with silver jewelry, Mexican blankets, hammocks, trinkets and carved wooden statues.

If you’re in the mood to explore the underwater world of the Mayan Riviera, head to Akumal for some amazing snorkeling. There are three places to snorkel. Akumal Bay is home to sea turtles that graze on the sea grass, lazily surfacing for air whenever they think of it. The beach there is dotted with palm trees. You can rent snorkel gear from the Akumal Dive Shop. They have snorkel vests available that allow you to virtually hover over the turtles and rays as they munch. Further out into the bay, the protective reef supports corals and colorful tropical fish. You can jump on one of the boat tours that will take you out there to the known sites. In the sandy center of town, you can rent a golf cart for the day and head down the road, along the shore to the next area, Half Moon Bay. Accessible from many spots along the way, one of the favorites is next door to a great little restaurant for lunch. The Buena Vida has a swing bar and sand floor. You can have a great fish taco and colada with your toes dug in. They have a crow’s nest that the kids love to climb up. From the perch you can see the whole bay, curving in both directions, sheltering a coral studded bay.



After lunch and some shore snorkeling, make your way to the end of the road and the Yal Ku Lagoon. The entry fee is minimal and immensely worth it. There are primitive lockers for your belongings and parking space for the cart. Walk down the lush paths and encounter bronze statues of birds, animals, and people. At the lagoon, there are stairs that lead you into the water which is teeming with fish. Fresh water mixed with the sea and the limestone rocks form a protective harbor for brightly colored parrotfish, schools of yellow striped sergeant majors, and other sea life. The water is not deep, six to twelve feet at most, so you can feel safe bringing the kids. All around the lagoon there are benches, paths, palapas, and statues. When you’re through at the lagoon, make your way back to the center of Akumal and try some homemade ice cream at Lucy’s Kitchen.

The Mayan Riviera is situated on top of the most extensive system of underground rivers and caverns in the world. The caverns that open to the surface are known as cenotes. The water in them is of an unbelievable clarity. If your kids are clamoring for adventure, try Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park. It’s right on highway 307 just north of Tulum. From cycling through the treetops on one of their sky cycles to riding the 600 ft zip line to repelling into a cenote and then riding a zip line to splash down into that same cenote, there’s no lack of whizzing and flying to do at Hidden Worlds. At the end of the sky cycle ride, you enter a cave, don a snorkel vest and gear, and go underground, swimming into a cave where you follow a guide into giant caverns, one so large it has acquired the name “the church” for it’s cathedral ceiling. It’s an amazing under ground and tree top experience. The ride into the jungle, on one of their buggies is an adventure all its own. The kids will come out of this one with stories to tell their friends. The staff at Hidden Worlds is incredibly helpful and friendly, joking with guests, providing insight into the surroundings and wildlife. Special discount rates are available at their website http://www.hiddenworlds.com/.

When you’re ready to get back in the water, go to Xel Ha. . Pronounced “Shell Ha,” this ecopark won’t allow you to use your regular sunscreen. They are so protective of their beautiful environment that you can only use approved eco friendly sunscreen. The self proclaimed “World’s Biggest Aquarium” really is as it suggests. With so many things to do at the park, it’s a wonder that some tour groups actually package a visit here along with a stop at Tulum. Though they are relatively close to each other, Xel Ha deserves its own day trip. Beyond snorkeling in their immense lagoon, where you can circle boulders and swim through avenues traveled by angle fish, Xel Ha has a lazy river where you can climb into a tube from a platform in a mangrove and float down into the lagoon, a leisurely 45 minute ride downstream past cliffs and cliff jumpers. You can pull over anytime at one of the many platforms and take in the scene. The all inclusive rate is definitely the way to go. As well as your park admission, it includes all drinks and food from a variety of cuisines, bicycle and locker rental, towels, snorkel gear and security bags for your belongings. There are deck chairs and hammocks all over. There’s a small shallow inlet for the little kids to play. There’s even an apiary to check out. You can walk through the jungle and cross over the tree top bridge. See a cenote and a grotto. They even have a Snuba program. Take your kids to Xel Ha for an incredible day of fun. Their website is http://www.xelha.com/ and they offer discounted rates online.

Still looking for something to do? A day trip to Cozumel just might satisfy your need for some Mexican culture. The world’s second largest barrier reef runs between the island of Cozumel and the Mexican mainland and the snorkeling there is spectacular, of premium clarity. Corals, eels, tropical fish, urchins, all seem within grasp. You can snorkel from the shore at many places. Take the ferry from Playa Del Carmen. There are two competing ferry lines. They charge the same rate and take the same amount of time to get to the island. The Money Bar Beach club is located right at the Dzul Ha reef. You can take a taxi right from the ferry dock. Their website is http://www.moneybarbeachclub.com/ for more information. Another great place to visit while on Cozumel is the Chakanaab Park. For a very reasonable admission fee, you can use the park’s hammocks, beach chairs, restrooms, showers and huts. You can take snorkel tours, swim with dolphins and manatees, and sea lions for additional fees. Their website is http://www.cozumelparks.com./

The public transportation in this part of Mexico is safe and reliable. The “Collectivo” runs between Cancun and Tulum. You can travel from Playa Del Carmen to Tulum for about $3.00 one way. The collective system moves the population and is not geared specifically for tourists, but many drivers know to park outside of the large resorts for customers. You can also take a taxi. Many of them also wait outside of the resorts waiting for customers. At most resorts, your concierge can call a taxi for you as well. Unless extremely adventurous, you don’t need to rent a car when visiting the area. Public transportation will take you to and from your day trip destinations.

Some very helpful websites geared towards travel in the Mayan Riviera are www.locogringo.com, which is the ultimate travel guide for this area. Read forums and find out about the many choices of hotel resorts. The maps on this site are some of the best, especially the snorkeling maps of Akumal Bay. Another great site for travel in general is www.tripadvisor.com. Read reviews, forums, and recommendations from travelers like you. One of the most well known tour operators for Mexican vacations is Apple Vacations. At their website, http://www.applevacations.com/, you can view flights and resorts. Their rates generally include airport transport to your hotel.



More than just “how to get around” Mapchick’s website http://www.cancunmap.com/ will tell you just about all you need to know about visiting. You can get information about the weather, travel tips, the airport, resorts, fish you’ll see, documents you need, the best time to visit, and read Laura’s (aka “Mapchick”) blog. Her maps are worth the investment for the sidebars alone. She and husband Perry scour the peninsula in search of great spots to visit and eat. They travel the streets with a GPS for accuracy. They’ve made it their (awesome) jobs to provide tourist tidbits to travelers. The maps are $10 each.



So many things to see and do in the Mayan Riviera, you might need more than a week to visit. Despite the day trip information provided here, make it a priority to enjoy yourself. Nap in a hammock. Stay up too late. Eat too much. The natural beauty of the sea and sand and surroundings beg you to chill out a bit. You could easily fall in love with it all and become a loco gringo yourself.