QUINTANA ROO © Camping Atlagunabacalarandplentyofsmallmayavillagesstilllost Totime
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© Lonely Planet 66 Quintana Roo QUINTANA QUINTANA ROO You’d think that as one of Mexico’s most visited states, it’d be impossible to find a bit of solitude in Quintana Roo (kin-tah-nah roh). But beyond the thumping clubs of Cancún and crowded theme parks of the Riviera Maya, you just might find your own quiet piece of paradise. There are talcum-powder beaches stretching all the way from Cancún to the Belize bor- der, unassuming Caribbean islands protected by the world’s second-largest barrier reef, and impressive Maya sites throughout this long-arching sliver of limestone, salt and sea. It’s the peninsula’s superstate, highly developed, heavily touristed, easy to get around and chock-full of adventure opportunities – whether exploring the depths of the region’s numerous cenotes (limestone sinkholes filled with fresh water) and world-class dive sites or beating your own path to seldom-visited ruins in the Maya heartland, such as Dzibanché and Kohunlich. Most trips to Quintana Roo will begin and end in Cancún. Chicer-than-thou Playa del Carmen, Cozumel (truly a diver’s delight) and Isla Mujeres round out the not-at-all-off-the-beaten-track- but-still-a-pretty-damned-good-place-to-spend-your-vacation fairylands of Quintana Roo. Further down the coast, Tulum boasts an immaculately preserved Maya ruin, plus a laid- back vibe that’ll have you extending your travel plans for at least another week. Continue your trip down from there, and you’ll find more beaches along the Costa Maya, waterfront camping at Laguna Bacalar and plenty of small Maya villages still lost to time. HIGHLIGHTS Isla Holbox Set out for a morning bird-watching mission from the remote Costa Maya beach town of Xcalak (p133 ), heading out a bit later for a dive at Banco Chinchorro ( p132 ) Playa del Carmen Stay out till dawn in one of the happen- Isla Cozumel ing beachfront clubs in Playa del Carmen Tulum ( p103 ), taking the ferry across to Isla Cozumel ( p104 ) the next day for a snorkel and a swim Take a whale-shark excursion from Isla Holbox (see boxed text, p92 ) Banco Chinchorro Go iguana-spotting among the mysterious, Dzibanché spectacularly situated ruins of Tulum ( p120 ) Kohunlich Xcalak Marvel at Jurassic-like jungles amid the mysterious ruins of Kohunlich ( p142 ) and Dzibanché ( p141 ) POPULATION: 1.14 MILLION AREA : 50,351 SQ KM lonelyplanet.com QUINTANA ROO 67 QUINTANA QUINTANA ROO 0 60 km QUINTANA ROO 0 40 miles 89ºW 88ºW 87ºW Gulf of Mexico Río Lagartosᝲᝲᝲ Isla Holbox Parque Nacional El Cuyo Holbox San Reserva de la Isla Contoy ὈὈὈParque Ferry Porvenir Ὀ Dzilam Felipe Biosfera Ría Natural Lagartos Isla de Bravo San Felipe Chiquilá MEX Blanca 27 See Riviera Maya (Tulum Corridor) Map (p95) ᝲᝲᝲColonia Yucatán San Ángel Punta Sam MEX Puerto Juárez 176 Tizimín Tres Marías Isla Cancún Motul Kantunilkin Mujeres MEX Tepakán 295 Leona 21ºN Vicario 21ºN Espita Vicente Aeropuerto To Mérida (20km)ὈὈ Guerrero InternacionalὈ Izamal de Cancún Ek' Balam Boca del Puma Hoctún El Ideal Acanceh Vallarta Kantunil (Toll) Nuevo Xcan Puerto exit Xcan exit MEX Morelos Huhí 180D Valladolid Nuevo Pisté Durango Playa del Carmen MEX Chemax Punta Mayapán 180 Laguna Airport Chichén Chichimilá Ferries Airport Itzá Xcaret Tekit Puerto Aventuras Paamul San Miguel Cobá Xpu-Há de Cozumel Akumal Isla To Ticul Y u c a t á n Xcacel Chemuyil Cozumel Xel-Há Tepich Cenote Tulum Tankah Tihosuco Angelita Parque Marino Nacional MEX Muyil Archaeological Site Arrecifes de Cozumel 184 Peto Parque Nacional Tulum Laguna Muyil 20ºN Laguna de Boca Paila 20ºN Boca Paila Cenote MEX Santa Rosa Laguna ᝲᝲᝲMEX Azul 307 ᝲLaguna Chicnancanab 295 Chunyaxché Dzuiché José María Punta Allen Morelos Felipe Bahía de la MEX Carrillo Ascención Polyuc 184 Puerto Lagunaᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲ Kaná C A R I B B E A N S E A Reserva Laguna de la Ocom Biosfera MEX Sian Ka’an Bahía del 307 Espíritu Santo ᝲᝲ LagunaᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲPunta Pájaros Ucum MEX Xpaitoro 293 Nohbec Laguna Nohbec Punta Pulticub 19ºN Reserva de la 19ºN Biosfera Calakmul Limones ᝲᝲQ u i n t a n a Lagunaᝲᝲᝲᝲ Bacalar R o o Laguna de San Felipe Rió Indio Mahahual Dzibanché Bacalar Banco Reserva de la Morocoy Chinchorro Biosfera Banco Airport Chinchorro C a m p e c h Xul-ha ᝲᝲXpuhil Francisco Calderitas Zona Libre Xahuayxol Villa CHETUMAL Xpujil MEX 186 Santa Río Bec Elena Consejo dido on sc Kohunlich Corozal Bahía de E Chetumal ío Xcalak ᝲᝲR Hondo Nohmul Río ORANGE WALK 18ºN Ambergris 18ºN Creek Cuello BELIZE Reserva e La Caye lu Unión de la B Biosfera San Pedro ᝲᝲ Blue Creek Calakmul Aguas Altun Village Ha Turbias Caye Caulker Lamanai ὄ Chan Río Azul Chich Hill Bank Ladyville Gallon Jug ᝲᝲ ᝲBurrell Bermudian Landing Boom BELIZE CITY 89ºW ᝲὄὄὄ88ºW 87ºW.