Located around 45 minutes’ drive south-east of Campeche city, the Mayan ruins at Edzna are notable for their mixture of architectural styles, a result of its location relative to other, more powerful Mayan cities, namely Calakmul, Uxmal & Palenque.
Combining Mexico City & the Yucatan Peninsula couldn’t be easier and offers an insight into two very different parts of this vast and fascinating country.
Named after the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo, who founded Merida in 1542, the Paseo de Montejo is one of the grandest, most attractive avenues to be found anywhere in Mexico.
At the height of the boom in henequen production, known as the ‘Green Gold’, it is said that the Yucatan Peninsula was home to well over 300 haciendas, including Hacienda Sotuta de Peon.
Despite its relative proximity to Cancun, being close to Chichen Itza means that Ek Balam receives very few visitors even though it is one of the Yucatan Peninsula’s most impressive Mayan sites.
Perhaps the most surprising fact about the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya in Merida is that it took quite so long to come about.
It might be just 27 miles inland from the Yucatan Peninsula’s fabled east coast, but the ancient Mayan city of Coba goes largely unnoticed by the beach brigade.
Established in 1972, UNESCO World Heritage sites are locations of global significance, both cultural and / or natural. As of 2018 there were 35 World Heritage sites in Mexico of which 5 are located within the Yucatan Peninsula.
The Yucatan Peninsula is famous for its luxury, hacienda accommodation and, in my opinion, these are five of the best.
A rundown of the top ten reasons to visit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on holiday.
Relatively few tourists make it to Izamal which is a shame, because this small, picturesque town has plenty going for it, including the Convento de San Antonio de Padua, located smack in the centre of town.
Primarily visited for its beautiful beaches and world-famous for its superb Mayan ruins, the Yucatan Peninsula is also home to four wonderful colonial centres.
Although primarily visited for its superb beaches, the Yucatan Peninsula is a treasure trove of cultural attractions and having one’s own car is probably the best way to fit in as many as possible.
Ceviche Yucatan style is my favourite variant of a dish that is hugely popular throughout Central & South America.
It’s the single biggest draw in the Yucatan Peninsula so deciding where to stay at Chichen Itza is a decision you’ll want to give some thought to
It’s not as if the Yucatan Peninsula is short of Mayan sites but many visitors to the region are still determined to include Palenque in their itinerary.
Heaven knows, there is more than enough to see and do in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to warrant looking no further. However, if like me you actively seek out holidays that, er, wander off beyond the ordinary, how about combining the Yucatan with Havana?
There are over a thousand Mayan sites dotted across Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula so, unless you plan to move to the region permanently, chances are that you will struggle to visit even 1% of them.
Anyone looking to holiday in the Yucatan and flying in from Europe will arrive at Cancun airport from the late afternoon onwards, too late to begin the journey into the region’s hinterland.
Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos in Spanish) is a uniquely Mexican holiday that is celebrated across the country.
If you’re planning on a holiday to the Yucatan Peninsula anytime soon, the choice of direct, scheduled flights is a straight shoot-out, British Airways vs Virgin Atlantic. Who’s it going to be?
It may be one of the Yucatan’s smallest, and least architecturally impressive Mayan sites, but Tulum sure pulls in the crowds. Wonder why?
Although there are a number of charter flights between the UK and Cancun, this article will deal purely with scheduled flight options from the UK.
Who would have thought taking a simple ferry ride could be so much fun?
Located in the sparsely populated south of the Yucatan Peninsula, very few visitors make it to the small Mayan site of Becan; fewer still would visit were it not for its relative proximity to the far larger and better knows ruins at Calakmul.
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of any holiday to Mexico is the opportunity to visit or stay in one of the haciendas of the Yucatan.
If truth be told, Mexico does not have a great reputation for law and order and with good reason. So why are we so relaxed about travel to the Yucatan?
Taken from the Mayan word, dzonot, meaning a well, cenotes are natural sinkholes, the result of collapsed limestone bedrock exposing the subterranean groundwater. They are found both inland and by the coast and can be either freshwater or saltwater.
In a previous article we talked about Playa del Carmen which, over the space of some 40 years, has morphed from a charming little fishing village with a lovely beach into a thriving, mini-city that just so happens to have a lovely beach.
Once a small, sleepy fishing village with a beautiful beach, Playa del Carmen – or Playa as it is now more commonly known - was first ‘discovered’ by independent travellers back in the 70’s, searching for an altogether less commercial, more authentic alternative to the rapidly growing fun-factory that is Cancun.
Mexicans are proud of their national cuisine which varies from region to region. The Yucatan is no exception with numerous local specialities happily rubbing shoulders with pan Mexican favourites and a wide selection of international options.
The Fundacion Haciendas del Mundos Maya is a not-for-profit organisation that works with, and for the benefit of, Mayan communities in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
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Whichever of our featured countries you wish to visit, we've been there several times. So, if you're after something beyond the ordinary to Cuba, Guatemala or the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, we'd love to hear from you.
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