Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Yucatan Peninsula has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- The view from the ruins at Tulum is exceptional; you cannot climb the great temple-pyramid of El Castillo but the view from the Temple of the Wind is just as impressive.
- Arts and culture
- The Yucatan Peninsula was the centre of the fascinating Mayan civilisation, and their ruined cities, often reclaimed from the jungle, are scattered throughout the area. Cobá, Tulum and Chichen Itzá are the most famous sites, marked by temple-pyramids, sacred ball courts, palaces and sacrificial altars (including those used for human sacrifices). Aspects of Mayan culture, such as the language, still survive to this day in certain parts of the Yucatan, and elements of Catholicism and local fiestas, such as the Day of the Dead, have a discernable exoticism about them.
- Something for nothing
- The area’s limestone landscape is dotted with cenotes – water-filled pools connected by a network of underground caverns and rivers. Once regarded as sacred sites by the Maya, who thought they represented the entrance to the underworld, cenotes are also a wonderfully refreshing place for a swim: Dzitnup cenote just outside Valladolid is one of the best places for a dip with a difference.
- Shopping
- For a bit of light retail entertainment, Playa del Carmen has perhaps the best selection of shops, although they are decidedly aimed at tourists. Don’t expect the Via Condotti, but pedestrianised Quinto Avenida (5th Avenue) has several internationally branded stores and small Mexican boutiques that are definitely worth a poke around in. If you have somewhere back home to hang it, a hammock is a suitably Yucatecan souvenir.
- Daytripper
- Chichen Itzá is the finest of the Mayan archaeological treasures in the Yucatan. It’s best to arrive very early or stay a little later, in order to enjoy the ruins without the midday crowds. It’s also possible to explore the less-frequented parts of the extensive site. The centrepiece is the 25-metre-high Pyramid of Kukulcán, which is also an astoundingly complex calendar: there are 365 steps and 18 terraces to represent the 365 days and 18 ‘months’ of the Mayan year. Astrologers might like to know that the Great Cycle of the Mayan calendar will end on 21 December 2012, a date on which the Mayans believed one world would end and another begin.
- Best beach
- The coast is lined with white sand beaches and clear blue Caribbean seas; Tulum beach is perhaps the most beautiful, and stretches to the south of the main archaeological site.
- Activities
- You can go scuba diving with Tank-Ha Dive Center (+52 984 873 0302; www.tankha.com), one of the longest-running dive schools in Playa del Carmen. The island of Cozumel is the place to head for the best reef diving and snorkelling in the area; its reefs form part of the second largest barrier reef in the world. The cenotes of the Yucatan offer amazing cavern dives, particularly around the ruined Mayan city of Cobá (for details, visit www.cenotesoftherivieramaya.com). As well as all the usual beach activities (paragliding, windsurfing, fishing), you can also rent a Harley in Playa del Carmen for a cruise down the coast, or join a bike expedition, with Harley Adventures (+52 1 984 106 0500; www.harleyadventures.com), from $95 a day.
Diary
2 February The Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas) festival is celebrated all over Mexico with candlelit processions. Late February Carnaval takes place in the week prior to Ash Wednesday, and has grown in recent years to become a major event in Cancun and Cozumel. 31 October–2 November The fascinating Day of the Dead festival celebrations span three days and combine pre-Columbian ancestor worship with elements of Halloween.