© camping atLagunaBacalarandplentyofsmallMayavillagesstilllost totime. your tripdownfromthere, andyou’llfindmore beachesalongtheCosta Maya,waterfront back vibethat’llhave youextendingContinue yourtravel plansforatleastanotherweek. but-still-a-pretty-damned-good-place-to-spend-your-vacation fairylandsofQuintanaRoo. (trulyadiver’s delight)andIslaMujeres roundoutthenot-at-all-off-the-beaten-track- own pathtoseldom-visited suchasDzibanchéandKohunlich. ruinsintheMayaheartland, filledwithfreshcenotes water) (limestonesinkholes andworld-classdive sites orbeatingyour chock-full ofadventure –whetherexploringthedepthsofregion’s opportunities numerous impressive Mayasites throughoutthislong-archingsliver oflimestone,saltandsea. der, unassumingCaribbean islandsprotected bytheworld’ssecond-largest barrierreef, and Maya,youjustmightfindyourownquietpieceofparadise.theme parksoftheRiviera roh).ButbeyondthethumpingclubsofCancún andcrowded in QuintanaRoo(kin-tah-nah You’d thinkthatasoneofMexico’s mostvisited states, it’dbeimpossibletofindabitofsolitude RooQuintana 66 

L Further downthecoast, boastsanimmaculately preserved Mayaruin,plusalaid- Most tripstoQuintanaRoowillbegin andendinCancún. Chicer-than-thou PlayadelCarmen, It’s thepeninsula’ssuperstate, highlydeveloped, heavilytouristed, easytogetaroundand There are talcum-powder beachesstretching allthewayfromCancún totheBelize bor-

     HIGHLIGHTS o POPULATION: 1.14 MILLION n Marvel at Jurassic-like junglesamidthe atJurassic-like Marvel Goiguana-spottingamongthemysterious, Take excursionfrom awhale-shark Stayout tilldawninoneofthehappen- Setout for amorningbird-watchingmission e (p141 ) Dzibanché mysterious ruinsof situatedspectacularly ruinsof Holbox (seeboxed text, p92 ) and aswim Cozumel ( p104 dayforasnorkel) thenext ( p103 theferry), taking acrossto ing beachfrontclubsin dive atBancoChinchorro(p132) from theremote CostaMayabeachtown of l y

P l a n e t ( p133 ), headingoutabitlater fora 12) and (p142 ) Playa delCarmen Tulum Isla Isla (p120)  AREA : 50,351 SQKM Dzibanché Kohunlich Xcalak Tulum Chinchorro Playa delCarmen Banco Isla Cozumel QUINTANA ROO

67

21ºN 20ºN 19ºN 18ºN Isla Blanca Isla Cozumel Airport Ὀ Ὀ San Miguel de Cozumel Parque Marino Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel 87ºW Boca del Puma Parque Nacional 87ºW de Cancún Aeropuerto Cancún Internacional Punta Sam Ferries Puerto Juárez Porvenir Carmen Paamul C A R I B B E A N S E A Playa del Reserva de la Biosfera Vallarta Leona Vicario Isla Parque Nacional Tulum 00 60 km 40 miles Chiquilá Chemuyil Holbox Airport Ferry Xel-Há Laguna de Boca Paila Tankah San Ángel Tres Marías Punta Pájaros Banco Puerto Aventuras Vicente Kantunilkin Xpu-Há Guerrero Chinchorro Laguna Chunyaxché Xcacel Holbox El Ideal Punta Pulticub See (Tulum Corridor) Map (p95) See Riviera Maya (Tulum Boca Paila Nuevo Durango Tulum Bahía de la Ascención ᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲ ᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲᝲ Bahía del Espíritu Santo Nuevo Xcan Rió Indio Xahuayxol Xcan El Cuyo Colonia Yucatán MEX Punta

307 Xcalak Xcalak de la Laguna Cenote

Angelita Reserva Biosfera Ambergris Caye Sian Ka’an

Cobá San Pedro San Mahahual Azul ᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲ ᝲ

88ºW 88ºW (Toll) Cenote Laguna Lagartos Caye Caulker Biosfera Ría Reserva de la Felipe Carrillo Puerto ὄ ὄ Bahía de Limones Ek' Balam MEX 307 Chemax Tizimín Nohbec BELIZE CITY Valladolid MEX 295 MEX 295 MEX 184 Muyil Archaeological Site

Tepich Calderitas Chichimilá Ocom CHETUMAL exit Laguna San

Ladyville Consejo ᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲ Felipe Airport MEX Laguna Kaná Ha Nohbec Corozal Laguna Río Lagartos 180D Laguna Bacalar Laguna Xpaitoro Altun BELIZE MEX Espita 180

Burrell Boom Tihosuco Elena Santa ORANGE WALK MEX 293 Pisté

Nohmul exit Xul-ha Parque Natural

ὄὄ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Itzá San Felipe Chichén José María Morelos ᝲ ᝲ

Laguna de San Felipe

Hondo Hill Bank

Cuello Polyuc Zona Libre

Laguna Chicnancanab

Bermudian Landing MEX Río 176

Dzibanché

Y u c a t á n

Kohunlich Blue Creek Village

Lamanai Peto Villa La Francisco Unión 89ºW Dzuiché Izamal MEX 89ºW 186 ROO QUINTANA

Tepakán R o o

Morocoy o

Gallon Jug Dzilam

d k

de Bravo i e

d e

Santa Rosa r

Huhí n

Aguas Turbias

Q u i n t a n a

o Chan

C Chich

Hoctún c

s

e

ὈὈ ὈὈ Kantunil u E

l

27

MEX B

MEX 184 o

Reserva de la Biosfera Calakmul í Motul R Tekit

Río Bec Río Azul Gulf of

Xpujil

Mayapán Acanceh Xpuhil To Mérida (20km) To Ticul e h c e p m a C QUINTANA ROO QUINTANA

21ºN 20ºN 19ºN 18ºN Ucum Reserva de la Biosfera Calakmul

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