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Costa Maya & Southern Coast

Why Go? Felipe Carrillo The Southern Caribbean Coast, or the if you Puerto ...... 128. will, is the latest region to get hit by the development boom. ...... 129 . But if you’re looking for a quiet escape on the Mexican Caribbean, it’s still the best place to be. ...... 131 For those looking to get away from it all, Laguna , Laguna Bacalar ...... 132 aka the ‘lake of seven colors,’ provides mesmerizing scenery ...... 133 thanks to the water’s intense shades of blue and aqua-green. Corredor East of Bacalar, the tranquil fishing towns of Mahahual and Arqueológico ...... 136 . Xcalak offer great beach-bumming, birding and diving op- South to & portunities along a relatively pristine stretch of coast. ...... 138 . In the interior, the seldom-visited ruins of Dzibanché and seem all the more mysterious without the tour vans. For both the ruins and trips down south to Belize, ’s state capital Chetumal is a great jumping- off point. Off the Beaten Track ¨¨Xcalak (p131) When to Go ¨ ¨¨Corozal (p138) ¨Don’t miss the Caribbean-flavored Carnaval (p134) street festival in February in the Quintana Roo state capital, ¨¨Dzibanché (p136) Chetumal. It’s definitely one of the best fiestas of the year on ¨¨Kohunlich (p138) the southern coast. ¨¨Kinich-Ná (p138) ¨¨Featuring pre- music, dance and culinary events, the Jats’a Já (p130) has emerged as one of the region’s most interesting annual festivals; it’s held on the third weekend of Best Places to August in the fishing town of Mahahual. Eat ¨¨A visit between mid-November and mid-December has several advantages: hurricane season has passed, the ¨¨Leaky Palapa (p131) weather has cooled considerably and many great hotel deals ¨¨Los Aluxes (p133) can be found ahead of the holiday season. ¨¨Fernando’s 100% Agave (p130) ¨¨Tacos de Cochinita Chepe’s (p133) ¨¨Sulumar (p130) m o a Coosstata M ayaMaya & Sout & heSoutrn Carihebbernan Cari Coabbest Costaan MCoaayas &t S outhern Caribbean Coast Highlights 127 0 k e l EA 5 Banc iles a d C rv NS

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2 Azul, the 90m-deep Cenote on then bask (p129), the largest coral atoll atoll coral the largest (p129), in the northern hemisphere ship and a fascinating graveyard 1 QUIN Sa

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