The Yucatán Is Home to Pearl-White Beaches and Deep Green
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Strategies for 1 Seeing the Yucatán COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 8 Strategies for Seeing the Yucatán RÍARÍA LAGARTOSLAGARTOS 0 50 mi Isla Contoy RRíoío LLagartosagartos BIOSPHEREBIOSPHERE Isla Holbox Bird Sanctuary Gulf of Mexico SSANAN FFELIPEELIPE RESERVERESERVE N NNATUREATURE RRESERVEESERVE 0 50 km 295 PProgresorogreso TTizimínizimín CancúnCancún IslaIsla MotulMotul 176 KantunilkinKantunilkin MujeresMujeres HunucmáHunucmá MéridaMérida CCelestúnelestún IIzamalzamal EkEk BalamBalam 180 RÍARÍA 281 180 180 CELESTÚNCELESTÚN D PPlayalaya ddelel NAT’LNAT’L 261 180 CCarmenarmen WILDLIFEWILDLIFE YUCATÁNY U C A T Á N VValladolidalladolid REFUGEREFUGE ChichénChichén 307 for Seeing the Yucatán TiculTicul IslaIsla dede LOSLOS ItzáItzá CobáCobá CozumelCozumel PETENESPETENES TTulumulum BIOSPHEREBIOSPHERE 180 UxmalUxmal TekaxTekax RESERVERESERVE 184 CCampecheampeche 261 295 307 HHopelchénopelchén FFelipeelipe CCarrilloarrillo PPuertouerto 261 Strategies 180 184 CaribbeanC a r i b b e a n EdznáEdzná SIANSIAN SeaS e a QUINTANAQ U I N T A N A KA'ANKA'AN CChampotónhampotón ROOR O O BIOSPHEREBIOSPHERE 307 CAMPECHEC A M P E C H E RESERVERESERVE 261 CALAKMULCALAKMUL BIOSPHEREBIOSPHERE BBacalaracalar RESERVERESERVE DDzibanchézibanché 186 BBecánecán XXpujilpujil CChetumalhetumal BancoBanco FFranciscorancisco BahíaBahía ChinchorroChinchorro EEscárcegascárcega CChicannáhicanná 186 dede ChetumalChetumal KKohunlichohunlich CALAKMULCALAKMUL XXcalakcalak CCalakmulalakmul BIOSPHEREBIOSPHERE RESERVERESERVE Maya archaeological site BELIZEB E L I Z E Cuota (toll highway) GUATEMALAG U A T E M A L A he Yucatán is home to pearl-white beaches and deep green Tjungle, as well as pre-Colombian ruins and breakneck modern development. It encompasses three states—Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo—spread over 134,400 sq. km (52,400 sq. miles) and has 3,500 years of civic history since the Olmec developed the region’s first large-scale human settlements in 1500 B.C. It’s also the setting of five UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Riviera Maya’s paradisiacal seashore, luxury hotels, fine dining, and exciting nightlife have become the most popular reasons to visit, but the region offers so much more to see and do: Explore ancient Maya ruins, watch the world go by at a corner cafe, explore cenotes and other unique natural wonders, or just relax on the beach and think about all the things you’re going to do—mañana. Rule # 1: Remember, you plan. Use this book as a reference, probably came here to relax— but don’t try to do everything. Roll so keep your options open. with the punches, and you won’t be Travelers who enjoy their south-of- disappointed when plan A bites the the-border vacations most are those dust; just move on to plan B (or, if who understand and accept that necessary, plan C). things don’t always go according to Previous page: An old form of travel on a beach lost to time. 9 Strategies Rule #2: Choose, you can’t be accompanied by an afternoon of lose. snorkeling at Xel-Ha. Or a boat trip RÍA LAGARTOS The Yucatán’s attractions are to see the flamingos at Rio Lagartos Río Lagartos BIOSPHERE SAN FELIPE RESERVE diverse enough to keep you coming could include a stop at the Ek Balam NATURE RESERVE back again and again, but the region ruins, on the way, just north of Vall- Progreso adolid. Better yet, schedule your for Seeing the Yucatán Tizimín Cancún Isla still offers two basic vacation pro- Motul Kantunilkin Mujeres Hunucmá Mérida files—sand and sun or history and day around lunch. Planning to check Celestún Izamal Ek Balam culture. The coast from Cancún out the Aktun Chen caverns? Arrive RÍA CELESTÚN Playa del south to Tulum is known as the Riv- early enough to go to Oscar y Lalo’s NAT’L Carmen WILDLIFE Y U C A T Á N Valladolid iera Maya. With its blue water and restaurant (p 31) at nearby Playa REFUGE Chichén Ticul Isla de perfect white sand, it’s graced with Soliman. In Mexico, lunch is often a LOS Itzá Cobá Cozumel PETENES Tulum some of the best beaches in the big meal, and dinner can be a BIOSPHERE Uxmal Tekax RESERVE world. Inland, travelers encounter lighter, late-evening affair. Campeche impressive Maya ruins and native Hopelchén Felipe Carrillo Puerto villages, charming colonial towns, Rule #5: Expect the C a r i b b e a n lots of natural beauty—and last unexpected. Edzná SIAN S e a but not least, lower prices. Choose Cancún and the Yucatán is a safe Q U I N T A N A KA'AN Champotón R O O BIOSPHERE one region if your time is limited or destination to travel around as long C A M P E C H E RESERVE combine them for the broadest as you observe the same precau- CALAKMUL experience. tions you would in any major North BIOSPHERE American city. While Mexico has RESERVE Bacalar Dzibanché faced newsworthy problems with Becán Xpujil Chetumal Banco Rule #3: Decide whether to Francisco Bahía Chinchorro hotel-hop or just flop. recent drug violence, most of the Escárcega Chicanná de Chetumal Kohunlich Decide whether to book accommo- incidents have taken place along the Xcalak CALAKMUL dations in one place and take day northern border within the United Calakmul BIOSPHERE RESERVE trips, or change hotels frequently States. Nonetheless, don’t even B E L I Z E and venture farther afield. For think about purchasing any illegal G U A T E M A L A shorter stays, it’s better to hole up substances during your stay. Also, in Cancún, the Riviera Maya, or be sure to make photocopies of Mérida and explore from there. your passport and other important Lodging in one place gives you the documents in case the originals greatest stability but limits the dis- should be lost or stolen. tances you can traverse. Wandering allows you to cover more ground The Mayan Ball Court and Pyramid at and follow your whims, but you may Uxmal. end up feeling that you need another vacation to recover from all the packing and traveling around. Decide which approach suits you best or combine them for the best of both. Rule #4: Pick the key activity of the day and then plan other activities in the sur- rounding area. Regardless of whether you’re a sightseeing fool or a beach bum, plan your fun around the key activity you’ve chosen for the day. For example, a visit to the ruins of Tulum in the heat of the day could 10 Rule #6: Don’t drink the water. That’s a bit of an old folk axiom about Mexico. The water is actually safe in Cancún and all the major hotels up and down the Riviera Maya, and in large cities such as Mérida as well. Ice everywhere is undoubtedly made from purified water, so you don’t need to ask. We do recommend that you use bottled for Seeing the Yucatán water for drinking, but don’t have a panic attack if you realize you acci- dentally just brushed your teeth using tap water. You should wash your hands frequently (which will Strategies also help you avoid the dreaded H1N1 virus), and, if you do get sick, have your hotel contact a local doc- tor. Most speak English, and many have trained in the United States. Rule #7: You can get there from here. Street addresses in Latin America are often determined by the A palapa on the beach at Sian Ka’an. The Estrella del Norte sails from Isla distance from someplace else. The Mujeres to Isla Contoy. Cancún Hotel Zone, for instance, has just one road (Kukulcán), and the street numbers are determined by the number of kilometers from downtown. In more rural areas, you don’t need exact addresses; often there’s only one road with lots of signs. Rule #8: Don’t become a victim of “La Mordida.” While most law enforcement offi- cers have tourists’ and citizens’ best interests in mind, a few less reputa- ble ones are after la mordida: This “little bite” is a small bribe of gener- ally about $20 to $100. Avoid any possible confrontation by following all traffic laws, particularly in heavily touristed areas. You might also con- sider traveling to major destinations by bus; first class is fast, inexpen- sive, and comfortable. .