Highlights of the Yucatan
Destination visited: Mexico
Activities included: Birdwatching, Scuba Diving, Walking
Trying to balance site seeing, diving and just relaxing on the beach, I spent two weeks traveling around the Yucatan peninsula stopping at a few of the major archaelogical sites, beaches, and towns along the way.
I spent the first two nights in Valladolid seeing the towns highlights and visiting the nearby site of Chichen Itza. I then stayed in Merida for three nights and took day trips to Uxmal, la Ruta Puuc and Celestun on the Gulf Coast. After the non-stop sight-seeing and a long second class bus ride via Coba, I spent four nights and five days relaxing at the cabanas on the beach south of Tulum. For the last four days of my vacation, I dove the reef off la Isla Cozumel.
The trip had so many highlights that it’s hard to select out just a few for this report. Some of the best parts of my trip were the more intangible aspects such as the second class bus rides through the smaller towns and the conversations with locals and other tourists while having a beer in the zocolo as the day cooled off.
As for what to see, well, there’s a lot. Two weeks does not allow enough time to really absorb the ambiance at all the archaelogical sites or to visit all the cenotes, small towns and wildlife refuges that are mentioned in the guide books. You do have time to hit some of the more well-known and easily accessible spots which I list below.
1. Chichen Itza, Yucatan: Incredible Mayan site located off the main highway between Cancun and Merida.
2. Merida, Yucatan: Capital of the state of Yucatan. Beautiful colonial architecture, musuems, and parks.
3. Uxmal, Yucatan: A Mayan site, smaller in scale than Chichen Itza, but worth the trip for Mayan enthusiasts.
4. La Ruta Puuc, Yucatan: Four small Mayan sites in the Puuc Hills that have some well-preserved carvings and facades. The most impressive of the sites is Kabah though Sayil, Xlapak and Labna each have structures of note.
5. Wildlife tour near Celestun, Yucatan: The highlight of the tour is the flamingoes which winter in the area, though we saw numerous other species of birds including white pelicans, great blue herons, kingfishers and many others that were also impressive.
5. Cabanas at Tulum, Quintana Roo: Though the level of comfort at some of the cabanas is rather rustic, the access to the beach and the laid back atmosphere provided a nice contrast to the whirl-wind sightseeing of my first week.
6. Mayan Ruins at Tulum, Quintana Roo: As the guide books say, the ruins aren’t the most spectacular you will see but the picture-postcard view of the buildings with the beach and the aquamarine Caribbean Sea is worth the trip.
7. Diving off Cozumel, Quintana Roo
1. Chichen Itza: If you don’t have a fear of heights, climb up to the top of El Castillo for a good view of Chichen Itza and the surrounding forest. For a bit of quiet reflection or to take a few photos without hundreds of brightly clad tourists, try to go early in the morning or in the late afternoon. You can avoid the mass of tour groups that arrive from Cancun and Merida around 11 am and depart the ruins around 2 pm. If you are there during the height of the tourist flood, walk through the Group of the Thousand Columns and around the Sauna and el Mercado to the High Priest’s Grave. Tour groups usually don’t have time to inundate this area.
2. Merida: Try to visit on a Sunday when a good portion of the town turns out in the zocolo and the surrounding streets to shop, eat, socialize, and watch Ballet Folklorico and mariachi performances. This day is not geared toward tourists though there are still plenty of stalls selling hamacas and other regional crafts. The musuems are free on this day as well and there are a few surrounding the zocolo that are worth viewing as well as the artwork in the Palacio de Gobierno depicting the history of the Yucatan. Merida is a good base from which to visit the other points of interest in the region including Chichen Itza, Uxmal and la Ruta Puuc, and Celestun.
3. Uxmal: The best overall view, now that the top of the Pyramid of the Magician is closed to tourists, is from Great Pyramid in the southwest corner of the site. For detailed carvings, see the Governor’s Palace or the Nun’s Quadrangle where the rain god Chac appears in abundance.
4. La Ruta Puuc: To access the ruins you either need to rent a car or take the one second class bus that stops at all four sites and Uxmal in a day. I recommend the car if you really want to explore each of the sites, but the bus is a convenient, though hurried, way to see all of the ruins in one shot.
5. Wildlife boat tour in Celestun: Though getting into Celestun was a bit of a hassle being as the one bridge into town was under construction when I was there, the trials of the trip were worth it. With a group of tourists, you can rent a guide and a boat to tour the mangroves. Alberto, our guide, was excellent with an extensive knowledge of the mangroves and the wildlife. After the tour, lunch at one of the restaurants on the beach by the Gulf Coast is a pleasant way to enjoy the time until your bus back to Merida.
6. Cabanas south of Tulum: Don Armando’s maintains it’s position as the nicest of the ‘budget’ cabanas, but don’t miss the restaurant at El Mirador. The view from this open-air, hilltop building is spectacular. Check the hours, though, as it’s not always open.
7. Mayan ruins at Tulum: Again, to avoid the tourist groups from Cancun, go early in the morning when the park opens. If you are staying at the cabanas, it’s an easy walk from the beach up past the lighthouse and down the hill to the entrance of the park. If you happen to pass the lighthouse keeper on the hill, strike up a converstation and he may let you up into the top of the tower. The view of the ruins and the beach is spectacular.
8. Diving Cozumel: Though some of the dive sites such as the wall at Santa Rosa were extremely crowded, and mind you, I was there in the off-season, the diving is still beautiful. Our group dove with Dive Paradise and found their service and quality to be excellent. Thanks again to Enrique, Jorge and Profirio for four days of fantastice diving!
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