Beaches

Climate

Geography

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Unique to Here

The nearest international airport to Riviera Maya is the Cancún International Airport. The best way to get around is by renting a car or a jeep since you will be travelling a lot from one village to an archaeological site to another attraction. Taxis are available but tend to be expensive. Many collectivo vans run between the major cities and offer cheap transportation for local workers and budget-minded tourists.

Extreme sports enthusiasts will enjoy scuba diving in the open seas in the crystal-clear waters. The ecological park called Tres Ríos is specially created for bicycle rides. You can go kayaking on the Pájaros River, where you can admire the mangrove swamps and see a large number of different species of birds.

Xel Há
This site has lakes connected to each other by underground tunnels that are fun to explore. The tropical jungle is great for hiking, and climbing down the walls of the cenotes and swimming in the reservoirs.

Playa del Carmen
Locals will sometimes rent out horses so that you can enjoy a relaxing tour of the surroundings. The constant coming and going of ferries, hydro-jets and yachts is a highly entertaining, year-round spectacle. You can go snorkeling and scuba diving on the Great Mayan Reef, located less than 100 meters out from the beach. Alternatively, you can go diving in the caves, which is a great experience.

Puerto Aventuras Marina
This tourist village has a marina with 240 docks. This marina is considered the largest and best protected on the Caribbean coast. You can rent boats for periods of up to a day.

In addition to the wide variety of entertainment available in Playa del Carmen, Playacar Club de Golf has a beautiful 18-hole golf course (par 72) with a length of 7,202 yards.

Tres Ríos
The transparent waters of these rivers are great for kayaking and rafting. There are reefs where you can dive and admire the submarine wildlife.

This state contains some of the most spectacular sites in the Mayan world, such as Tulum, Xcaret and Coba.

Until recently, Xaman-Há, a meeting point for the Mayans to attend their ceremonial appointment with the goddess Ixchel on the neighbouring island of Cozumel, was a small fishing village. It is now the second most important tourist destination in the Mexican Caribbean.

On the outskirts of Playa del Carmen, stands one of the main archaeological zones of Quintana Roo. Known as Tulum, it contains the Templo de El Castillo and the Templo de los Frescos where you can admire the wonderful paintings of the Mayan world.

The Mayan city of Cobá was built in the fauna-rich jungle next to freshwater lakes about 2,200 years ago. Today, four sections of this complex: Coba, Chumuc Mul, Macanxoc and Nohoch mul, contain partially preserved buildings, white roads, or sacbés, platforms, foundations, pyramids and patios.

The Xel-Há park features underwater rivers, lagoons, limestone sinkholes, virtually unspoiled forest and archaeological remains. Ideal for swimming and snorkeling.

The Muyil Mayan settlement, located inside of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, reached its peak between 300 and 600 AD. It was linked to other Mayan cities by means of sacbés that were used to transport goods traded with other regions.

Enjoy Playa del Carmen's Quinta Avenida, with its improvised artists, and dozens of languages blended into a single murmur. Check out also the Xaman-Ha aviary, home to 200 birds set in a tropical forest.

If you are into speleology go explore the Cavernas Sacba or the Atkun Chen Caverns.

Several attractions are to be found in Xcaret such as the Mayan Village, the archaeological museum or the botanical garden.

Just forty-five minutes away, the natural well area of Puerto Aventuras houses Xel-Há an ecological theme park and the largest natural aquarium in the world. Here you can swim with dolphins, see sea turtles, bicycle, snorkel, cliff-dive, and scuba.

Some of the lovely coastal villages for you to discover include Puerto Morelos with its alligator farm and botanical garden, Playa del Secreto and Playa Paraiso which is often frequented by sea turtles, the very quiet town of Paamul or last but not least Akumal with its Yal-Ku miniature lagoon.

The Caribbean nights, popular fiestas on the beaches and lively bars offers a number of options such as places to dance the night away.

If you'ld like to spend a pleasant evening, you could stroll down Quinta Avenida, the most famous street in Playa del Carmen that runs parallel to the sea, and visit its many restaurants, bars and cafés.

The two best places to dance are El Espiral and El Señor Frogs. If you'ld like to have a drink and listen to good music, Captain Tulis, Safari and The Blue Parrot are all excellent choices.

A mere 15 minutes outside Playa del Carmen near the new Puerto Aventuras tourist complex stands an area of natural wells that it is crucial to both the environmental balance of the area and visitors' enjoyment. These pools with their exotic names, such as Cenote Azul, Chacmool, Kan Tun Chi, Zazil-Ha, Sask'alech-Ha, are just waiting to be explored.

Aktún Chen Park
This park consists of 400 hectares of tropical jungle inhabited by deer, badgers, spider monkeys, wild boar, iguanas, and beautiful birds. Three caves in the park have been illuminated in order to better observe them. This park is 42 km southwest of Playa del Carmen.

Xcaret Eco-Archeological Park
Here you can swim with dolphins, dive in the nearby coral reef or just swim in the most transparent waters in the world. Archaeological zones, underground rives, aquariums that reproduce the Mayan reef, botanical gardens and an aviary for reproducing endangered species. The bay provides refuge for thousands of species of brightly-coloured fish.

This park, only 6 km from Playa del Carmen, has subterranean rivers, caves, cenotes (natural underground reservoirs), which are fantastic sites for diving. There are also reefs, archaeological ruins, a special orchid-growing area, and another special area for dolphins.

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