When you hear of a trip to Cancun, most people think of resorts, night clubs and bars and partying. But there is so much more to do than just that. My husband and I finally decided to make a trip to Cancun, Mexico and we loved it. We had about five days there and spent all five days exploring the Mexican and Mayan culture. This is not the typical weekend trip to Cancun, but here are a list of great things you can do while there! I will also add information on where you can book these tours and a quick review of how our tour went with each company!
Chichen Itza, Yucatan
This is probably the most overlooked wonder of the world. Chichen Itza is a two hour drive from Cancun, but most people don’t make that day trip to see these great ruins. For us, it was a no-brainer. We love day trips and seeing this world wonder was definitely high on our list while in Mexico! Check out my list of things you should know before visiting Chichen Itza here!
We booked the Chichen Itza tour as a 2 day package, along with an ATV experience, through a company called Cancunatvtours. This day included pick up from our hotel, a short stop at a local Mayan town, drive through a Mayan village, lunch, a dip in the cenote and a two hour guide tour in Chichen Itza. Since Yucatan is a different state, located two hours away from Cancun, it took some time to reach there. The good news is that there is a time zone difference, which allowed us an extra hour of day time!
Would I recommend this tour with this company?
It depends. If you have already visited a Cenote and is only interested in going to Chichen Itza, I would not recommend this trip. We thought this day was a bit of a drag since we had done two tours prior to this, which included similar places. We booked this trip specifically because it came as a package deal with the ATV drive on another day, which hubby and I both really wanted to do!
So, any another options?
I would highly recommend doing this early morning tour to Chichen Itza. This trip takes off at 5 in the morning and is back by the afternoon, leaving you to enjoying the rest of the day to yourself. You beat the crowd and can enter before it opens to the rest of the public.
Cenotes
Cenotes, deep natural sinkholes, are very common throughout Mexico. Sometimes the depth of the pool can go up to 150 feet. Not all are open and safe for tourists, but there is a good majority that is. We were able to see three Cenotes during this trip. However because we did not know how to swim, we did not get out into the sinkhole. Even though they offer life jackets, this would not be the place and time to practice your swimming skills. Many other expert swimmers jumped, dived and even zip lined into the water from the top. We were content just watching them 🙂
During the Mayan civilization, the cenotes were used to offer sacrifices to their gods. They sacrificed people and would throw them into the cenote to make peace with god. Over time, this practiced ended and now the cenotes are used for tourists and locals for a quick dip in the pool.
Tip: Most cenotes are free on Sundays. If you are planning to go by yourself, go on a Sunday!
Mayan Civilization & Ruins
Visiting the Mayan Ruins in Mexico gave us a chance to learn a little about their history and culture. The Mayans worshiped many gods, performed sacrifices and lived a completely different lifestyle than what we see now. The Spaniards came to Mexico and took over, introducing Spanish, Christianity, western education and much more to the country. Many people know about the beautiful Mayan ruins, left from the Mayan civilization in cities like Tulum and Coba. Not everyone knows about the Mayan people that still live in villages throughout Mexico. They speak the Mayan language and live similar lifestyles they used to centuries ago. We were lucky to see a little bit of both during this trip.
Tulum
We booked a one day tour that took us to the ruins in Tulum for a few hours. Our tour guide here taught us the most about the Mayan culture and practices. Many of these ruins were temples and public places, where ceremonies were held. This was a beautiful location, with the ruins on one side and the beautiful ocean view on the other side.
Tip: It gets pretty hot, so don’t forget your sunglasses, hat and sunscreen!
Tip: You will see many iguanas sunbathing – they won’t hurt you.
Don’t hurt or feed them either.
Coba
Coba was another stop during our day trip and we loved it. This was one of the few places we were able to climb the ruins. If you get a chance to visit Coba, climb to the very top! It’s a lot more difficult and steeper than it looks but definitely worth it! One of my biggest regret was not making it to the top of this ruins. I would go back just to climb it once more!
Tip: When booking a package, ask for the plus packages with free drinks and a bike. We had the plus package and got the bikes for free, which allowed us to enjoy our time here a little more.
Buggy Tours/ ATV drives
We booked a day of adventure with ATV drive and zip-lining in a small town called Puerto Morelos. The half day tour consisted of pick up from the hotel, an hour of ATV drive, a small zip line track, lunch and a dip in the Cenote.
We booked this tour with Cancunatvtours. We chose the shared ATV but soon realized that it was not a good idea. Sitting in the back of the ATV is not comfortable because of the bumpy ride. We did get a chance to switch off in between the drive and sitting in the front and driving was a lot more enjoyable! The zip-lining was a short 4 course one and not nearly as high as the one I have done previously, but still fun! The lunch was authentic, but not good as we had hoped it to be.
Would I book with this company again?
Our main reason for booking this tour was for the ATV drive and would book it again only for the drive itself. The hour of ATV driving was the best part but the zip lining and cenote were good additions. The tour may have been a little overpriced considering all the other tours we have taken. If I find other ATV tours, I may opt out for something else next time.
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is a smaller city south of Cancun and closer to Cozumel. We toured only a small portion of Playa Del Carmen, but this town also has a lot to offer. From amusement parks with zip-lining to caves and water sports, this is a less expensive and less crowded version of Cancun.
Mercado 28 & Market 28, Cancun
Mercado 28 is different from Market 28! Initially I thought Market 28 was it, but there was a whole Mercado 28 right behind that a few streets down. Though we did not buy many souvenirs in either of the places, Mercado 28 was a great place to walk around and enjoy. They also have many authentic restaurants, where we had some of our favorite meals in Mexico.
Beach & Hotel Zone in Cancun
Hotel Zone offers a variety of entertainment and safe late night attractions. Though we did not hit up the Congo Bongo, we walked around the Punta Cancun section of the hotel zone during the evening. We also enjoyed the sunset on the beach out-looking the Carribbean Sea.
Many people think Cancun is for young people and not family friendly. Cancun is very family friendly! It makes a great place for a weekend trip, whether you are traveling as a group of friends, couple for a honeymoon or a family. It’s also a very safe and fun destination for families with children. The people in Mexico are very friendly, informal and welcoming. We spend half our time in hotel zone and our other half on tours. We used public transportation outside of hotel zone during day time and within hotel zone even after dark and had no problems. People even offered help and gave us information about buses and directions. Of course, knowing a little bit of Spanish always helps. If not, having a genuine smile and a little love and respect for their people and ways is all it really takes to get by with no issues.
After our trip to Cancun, I finally understand why people make several trips to Cancun. There is just so much to do! If we had more time in Cancun, here are a few additional day trips and things we would have planned!
- Xcaret Park (amusement park with attractions)
- Day trip to Isla Mujeres (ferries leave from Ultramar, Puerto Juarez and Punta Sam.)
- El Rey Archaeological Zone (Ruins)
- Day trip to Cozumel
- Ventura Park (amusement & water park) *great for kids!
- Xoximilco (floating fiesta on a boat) *great for a group of adults
- RÃo Secreto in Playa del Carmen
Check out my post on things to know before visiting Mexico!
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