Mexico's Yucatán & Chiapas

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Mexico’s Yucatán

&% Chiapas 52 / POP 8.9 MILLION (YUCATÁN, QUINTANA ROO, CAMPECHE AND CHIAPAS STATES)

Why Go? Cancún...... 43 Flanked by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and the Isla Mujeres...... 49 wildlife-rich Gulf coast, the steamy Yucatán Peninsula is a wonderland of Maya jungle ruins, picturesque limestone Valladolid...... 50 swimming holes, colorful coral reefs and soulful colonial Chichén Itzá...... 51 cities. Sure, the Yucatán is Mexico’s busiest tourist destina- Mérida...... 54 tion – and, not surprisingly, its most expensive – but you Playa del Carmen...... 59 can still score affordable sleeps and eats, even in apparently Isla Cozumel...... 61 pricey tourist centers. Exploring the Yucatán pays big re- wards: you can delve into Maya culture, chill in out-of-the- Tulum...... 64 way fishing villages, observe nature on a boat tour, or simply Campeche...... 68 enjoy some of Mexico’s finest regional cuisine. Down south San Cristóbal in Chiapas, home to the Zapatistas, you’ll love San Cristóbal de las Casas...... 72 de las Casas, a lovely highland colonial city surrounded by Palenque...... 79 pine forest, while in Palenque it’s all about the extraordinary Maya ruins set in a celestial cloud forest. No matter where the road takes you, life is pretty darn sweet in this corner Best Places to Eat of Mexico. ¨¨La Chaya Maya (p58) ¨¨La Cueva del Chango (p59) When to Go ¨¨Conato 1910 (p51) Cancún ¨¨Mañana (p50) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 16/400 ¨¨Tierradentro (p77)

30/86 12/300

Best Places to 20/68 8/200 Stay 10/50 4/100

¨¨Poc-Na Hostel (p49) 0/32 0 J F DNOSAJJMAM ¨¨Nómadas Hostel (p55) ¨¨Hotel López (p69) Mar Don’t miss May-Sep Swim Oct-Nov Cooler the shadowy with gigantic climes and ¨¨El Jardín de Frida (p65) serpent’s appear- whale sharks at cheaper accom- ¨¨Posada La Media Luna (p75) ance in Chichén Isla Holbox. modations make Itzá at vernal low season an equinox. ideal time to visit. 41 Mexico’s Yucatán & Chiapas The Yucatán

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