Practical guide for visitors to the Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya has hundreds of incredible places to visit and.
One of the most common activities is to visit the virgin beaches that surround the site in places like Tulum and Playa del Carmen, where you will love to spend a pleasant time and have an enjoyable experience while feeling the sand between your toes and the sea breeze shaking your hair.
You have to know that in Riviera Maya there are many more activities to do and places to discover than going to the beach to take a bath. It is one of the most visited sites with historical relevance by all the travelers of the south of Mexico. Besides beautiful places and landscapes of heart attacks, visiting Riviera Maya will leave you with a desire to continue knowing this small Mexican paradise full of culture and INCREDIBLE places that you will understand in this Practical guide for visitors to the Riviera Maya.
These are the places you can’t miss in the Riviera Maya.
Visit the archaeological zone of Tulum.
Source sea and rocks during daytime photo – Free Land Image
Tulum is an archaeological zone full of exciting places and beautiful landscapes that will steal your heart as soon as you see the first ruin of the site.
The great Castle is one of the places you can not miss. This is located on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea with an impressive view, which you can access via huge wooden stairs to paradise beach … same that will show you at the first moment because it is called this way.
This site has a rather peculiar history since the Castle is located at the tip of the ancient Mayan city was considered an observatory and warning house against the pirate attacks of foreigners and other rival colonies that will come to the beach.
If you want to know more about this history, I advise you to hire a tour guide (it’s not the same as me telling you here to see it for yourself on the site while they offer you a detailed explanation of each of the areas that make up the place).
Two Cenote Eyes
It’s called Cenote Dos Ojos since it’s divided into two main underground water systems, Ojo Uno and Ojo dos, which, seen from the satellite, can be seen as twin eyes. It’s a great place for cave diving!
This large cenote is located near Playa del Carmen. Upon entering the site, you will be able to appreciate the caves and underwater caves that are considered the largest underground water systems on earth.
Entering this cenote is not easy and is, to some extent, a bit risky, so we recommend you do it if you consider yourself an expert in diving or have a guide who knows exactly what to do at the site. The depth of one of the caves is 450 meters in diameter, and depth is about 10 meters.
Sian Ka’an Biosphere
Source two pelicans flying above water during daytime photo – Free Pelican Image
Very close to Tulum is the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve, which is in a protected state because it has been declared a world cultural heritage site and is home to hundreds of water birds and thousands of species of plants and other wonders for which the price of admission to this site is a little high.
Within this site, you will find a lagoon, mangrove, and an exciting variety of ecosystems; later, you will be able to visit the nearby beaches and have the opportunity to meet one of the largest and most important ecological reserves in the world.
Within this reserve, you can see different species that will completely call your attention, among the jaguar, the peccary, the tapir, the manatee, and the other 500 species among birds and mammals that live on the surfaces of this incredible lung of Mexico.
Xcaret & Xel-Há
Source Xel-Há Park, inlet nearby Tulum | Xel-Há Park Official Website
These two eco-parks are ideal for a vacation in contact with nature at its best. Besides getting to know the diverse species for which these parks are home, Xel-Ha, unlike Xcaret, has many more activities you can do in the water, so, if you are a swimmer, snorkeler and scuba diver, this is the ideal park for you. At Xcaret you can live more closely with your experiences with the animals and local fauna; Also, one of the most exciting activities in this place is to visit the largest coral reef aquarium in Quintana Roo. You can also visit the butterfly farm and have incredible experiences in the Sea Turtle area, where you will know everything about them.
Both places are just a few hours away from Cancun and the cities of the Riviera Maya, so getting a Cancun Car Rental service this time can be your best method of transportation.
3D Museum of Wonders
Source Galería
Have you ever visited a place that has played with your mind to the point of believing that there are things in a place where they are not? Or of illusions in such a way that you believe that what you are seeing is real?
The 3D Wonder Museum is ideal for getting to know this type of art, where you will have great fun and be able to challenge your mind while enjoying taking pictures in the paintings and 3D prints, an ideal activity for the whole family.
To get to this museum, you will have to travel to Playa del Carmen. And, it is such a central place that you will be able to get there quickly from your hotel once you have arrived with your Cancun Airport Transfers service to the hotel because this is where your adventure begins.
Contoy Island
Source Information about
A very short time away from the impressive Isla Mujeres or starting from Cancun, you will find Isla Contoy. One of the characteristics that make this island unique and particular in the air and unlike those in the surroundings is that there is no light, no signal and the island has almost no inhabitants, besides being a protected and preserved site, which is only allowed entry to 200 people per day.
One piece of advice we can give you is to wake up very early in the morning to board a ferry or boat and get to know the island, since the passes are finished very quickly, and the visits end in the afternoon, which will not give you much time to get to know the place if you arrive late.
About 90 aquatic and terrestrial animals live in this place, so you can not miss the opportunity to know this beautiful place, the incredible species that live here, and swim in the crystal clear waters by which this beautiful island is surrounded.
Cozumel Reefs
Source: live corals photo – Free Outdoors Image
You haven’t really known how colorful a reef can be if you haven’t visited Cozumel, this site is considered a paradise for anyone who wants to know a little more about marine life and all the exciting things you can find there.
If you are a diving fan, you will love this site.
Also inside this small island, you know one of the main attractions as El Cielo, a great place to observe starfish resting under the sea.
IMPORTANT
You can’t take one of these stars. You can’t take them out of the sea or take them home as a souvenir and let them dry out because it is considered a crime within the place as it is a highly protected area.