Attractions and leisure

ATTRACTIONS
Pyramids, volcanoes, archeological sites, museums, crafts: Mexico is chock full of activities all more interesting than the last. It is hard to imagine a place richer in natural, historical and tourist attractions. Though the coast is full of beaches for tourists, we also find deserted white sand beaches bordered with lush green vegetation Less than 25 minutes from the village, the Cancun region and the Yucatan Peninsula is full of treasures to discover. Spread over 480 km towards the South, along the Yucatan coast is the Tulum corridor with dozens of bays and deserted beaches bordered by the jungle. This coastal zone, with its beautiful unspoiled views, also called the Costa Turquesa is slowly being coaxed into tourism.	Museums Crafts and souvenirs Excursions Islands exploration Archeological sites Leisure activities Shopping Restaurants
*Museums* The Mexican National Anthropological Museum is one of the most beautiful in the world. Other important museums are: the Colonial museum of Tepozotlan, the Chapultepec castle and the La Venta museum in Villahermosa in Tabasco Top of page *Crafts and Souvenirs* Huipiles (woven dresses) and hammocks of Mérida, embroidery and jewelry from Oaxaca, San Critobal woven textiles, bows and arrows of the Lacandons of Palenque and everywhere onyx chessboards, aztec calendars, tequila and mezcal. In the village of Puerto Morelos there is a hammock maker that offers customers lessons so that they can make their own hammock. Top of page
*Excursions* Cancun is a good departure point to visit the fascinating Yucatan Peninsula. Excursion possibilities are so numerous that anyone on vacation often has a hard time making a choice. You can easily share your time between island exploration and the discovery of the continent (Chichen Itza and the length of the Yucatan coast to Tulum). See our destination representative for a list of guided excursions to the ruins, the isles and the neighboring beaches. You can alos rent an all terrain vehicle or a car and go on an adventure! Playa Del Carmen Less than 20 minutes from the village, this town has a lot to offer. *Caves* There are a lot of caves set up for tourists and in their natural state. We can visit, amongst others, the caves of X'Keken or of Balankanché, approximately 4 kilometers East of Chichen Itza. These are fresh water sources that served as worshipping areas for the Mayans and later the Toltecs.	Top of page
*Islands Exploration* Several tour operators offer a variety of sea excursions that usually last 4 to 6 hours. The most frequented destinations are Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy and Cozumel.
Isla Mujeres is a small island near the coast, north of Cancun. For those who wish to rest, Isla Mujeres lets you discover nature as it was before tourism. Life here is slow paced and the views amazing. Here you can go deep sea diving near the Banderas, Manchones and Cuervones coral reefs. Snorkellers will appreciate la Garrafon Bay, a national underwater park. Western beaches are generally calmer than those on the East, the most popular being: Playa Los Cocos, Playa Lancheros and Playa Garrafon. Isla Contoy is a tourist desination that attracts nature lovers and those who want to see a completely preserved ecosystem. This coral island is located 2 hours north of Cancun by boat. Dozens of divers, people on picnics and bird watchers come every day. It is a natinal park teeming with Herons, Pelicans and other aquatic birds. Other than the wharf and the museum there is no construction on the island. Cozumel is an excellent day trip from the village. This flat island shaped like a jewel is located 19 kilometers off the Yucatan coast. It has become, following a documentary by Jacques Cousteau, a place of predilection for divers of the world. It is considered one of the five best diving areas of the planet. The sea that surrounds the island abounds with innumerable underwater species, colored reefs and spanish galeon wrecks. *Yours to descover!* *Archeological sites* No other region in the western hemisphere has as many archeological sites as the Yucatan whether it be completely renovated ancient cities or still buried ceremonial centers. Excellent excursions are available to visit them. Amongst the most exciting to discover are: Teotihuacan (and its famous pyramids) and Tulum, Coba, Edzna. To the South: Palenque and also Chichen Itza and Uxmal in the Yucatan. click here. For more details on these sites click here	Top of page Top of page
*Chichen Itza* 200-kilometers west of the city of Cancun, Chichen Itza is one of the largest archaeological sites in Mexico, and is rich with legends and treasures. When the Spanish first saw the Templo de Kukulcan, they named this pyramid El Castillo (The Castle). When you see it, you'll understand why. Inside, there's a jaguar of red stone, with green jade eyes. There's a mystery here that's never been solved. You see, there's no jade like this in Mexico - but there is in China. How did those ancient people get it? If you're lucky enough to visit during the fall equinox or spring equinox, and the weather is cooperative, the sun and shadow will create a "serpent" body along the edge of the pyramid that lines up with the carved stone serpent head at the bottom. Other fascinating structures at the site include the astronomical Observatory, and the reclining Chac Mool figure - which is a form of classic Mayan sculpture believed to have served as an altar for sacrifices. The ball court (the largest ever discovered) is lined with elaborate stone carvings that shows details of the sacred ball game. One even shows the captain of the losing team being beheaded! There's also a deep and eerie cenote - a sacred well. Some of the sacrificial offerings - including beautiful jewelry - that were thrown into it have been recovered by archaeologists .
*Coba* 106 miles south of the city of Cancun, Coba makes you feel like an archaeologist who comes upon a lost city hidden deep in a jungle. Parrots and monkeys chatter at you. The vines and trees attempt to overwhelm the ruins. Yet Coba has endured over the centuries. You catch a cooling breeze across your face - it's coming from one of four lovely lakes dotting the site. In fact, the name Coba means "Water Stirred By The Wind." The Nohoch Mul rises up before you - the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula. Climb to its summit, and you can see the lakes and jungle spreading out over the horizon. Or, take a stroll on a "sacbeob" - one of the wide limestone-paved avenues; there are more of them at Coba than at any other known site. Imagine the way it must have been in the days when Coba was a hub city, and these avenues were filled with trade goods being transported. Or on ceremonial occasions when pageantry was the order of the day. No... you may never have heard of Coba before. But you won't ever forget it once you've been there .
*Tulum* 128 kilometers south of the city of Cancun. Modest in size, Tulum more than makes up for that! Just wait until you see its temples rising from the highest point of land on the Yucatan Peninsula - a cliff overlooking the azure Caribbean - and a palm-fringed beach. Tulum's original Mayan name was "Zama," which means the City Of The Dawn. That should tell you it's a great place to watch the sun rise over the sea. Tulum is surrounded by a wall - and it's the only known walled city by the ocean that the Mayans ever constructed. Tulum's temples were observed by the Spanish, as they sailed by on an exploratory expedition led by Juan de Grijalva in 1518.
*Costa Turquesa* Many treasures awatt those who are willing to abandon the comfort of the pools and to head south to discover hidden beached and explore mysterious Mayan vestiges on the East coast. You will need at least one day to explore the region. If you only have one day, leave very early, go South so that you get to Coba before the sun sets. *Valladollid* Very interesting colonial village approximately 1h40 from Puerto Morelos. Here you will fin many caverns and several cenotes (sacrificial wells) to visit. *Uxmal* This is a historical village with many pyramids to visit. It is said the Pope has been here to ask for forgiveness of the Mayans for the massacre of which they were victim. Top of page
LEISURE
Golf There are 2 18 hole golf courses. Nestled between the Nichupte Lagoon and the crystal-clear Caribbean Sea, lies Cancun´s oldest, most prestigious golf club. Designed in 1976 by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Club de Golf Cancun artistically incorporates hundreds of meters of dramatic shoreline and ancient Mayan ruins into a truly enjoyable experience for golfers of all abilities.
Watersports The coast of Quintana Roo is a paradise for divers and amateurs of aquatic sports. Its limpid waters, scattered with coral reefs, is shelter to an abundant aquatic fauna. The Cancun region offers all sorts of the latest watersports including sailboarding, seadoos, sailing, parascending and the new variation on surfing. There are three major waterways: Bahia de Mujures, lagune Nichupte, and the Caribean Sea.
Fishing The fishing area produces fish all year, but due to the weather in the winter months (Dec.-Mar.) bonefish and permit are scarce. All other species are present throughout the year. Peak months for all fish are May through August. Top of page
Shopping Everyone will find his joy in this country full of exclusive local creations and mexican crafts. Typical articles include panamas (straw hats), black coral and seashell jewellry, woven baskets et guayabera shirts, Huipiles (embroidered dresses) and hammocks from Merida, embroidery, woven blankets from San Cristobal, Taxco silver jewellry, bows and arrows from the Lacandons of Palenque and from everywhere onyx chessboards, aztec calendars, tequila and mezcal. In Puerto Morelos their is a craft market filled with treasures. Commercial centers are usually made up of small café-style restaurants, bars, art galleries and travel agencies. There are also several open air markets.	Top of page
Restaurants From Continental cuisine to traditional Mayan meals and seafood, the region really offers an excellent choice of restaurants. There are also many Mexican fiestas and cabaret style shows in different restaurants in Cancun. Don't forget to try the excellent Mayan dishes such as: Huavos Moltulenos, la Cochinita or Pollo Pibil, Sopa de Lima to name but a few. The local beer is Montejo brewed in Merida. Top of page

ATTRACTIONS

Pyramids, volcanoes, archeological sites, museums, crafts: Mexico is chock full of activities all more interesting than the last. It is hard to imagine a place richer in natural, historical and tourist attractions. Though the coast is full of beaches for tourists, we also find deserted white sand beaches bordered with lush green vegetation

Less than 25 minutes from the village, the Cancun region and the Yucatan Peninsula is full of treasures to discover. Spread over 480 km towards the South, along the Yucatan coast is the Tulum corridor with dozens of bays and deserted beaches bordered by the jungle. This coastal zone, with its beautiful unspoiled views, also called the Costa Turquesa is slowly being coaxed into tourism.

Museums
Crafts and souvenirs
Excursions
Islands exploration
Archeological sites
Leisure activities
Shopping
Restaurants

Museums

The Mexican National Anthropological Museum is one of the most beautiful in the world. Other important museums are: the Colonial museum of Tepozotlan, the Chapultepec castle and the La Venta museum in Villahermosa in Tabasco

Top of page

Crafts and Souvenirs

Huipiles (woven dresses) and hammocks of Mérida, embroidery and jewelry from Oaxaca, San Critobal woven textiles, bows and arrows of the Lacandons of Palenque and everywhere onyx chessboards, aztec calendars, tequila and mezcal. In the village of Puerto Morelos there is a hammock maker that offers customers lessons so that they can make their own hammock.

Top of page

Excursions

Cancun is a good departure point to visit the fascinating Yucatan Peninsula. Excursion possibilities are so numerous that anyone on vacation often has a hard time making a choice. You can easily share your time between island exploration and the discovery of the continent (Chichen Itza and the length of the Yucatan coast to Tulum). See our destination representative for a list of guided excursions to the ruins, the isles and the neighboring beaches. You can alos rent an all terrain vehicle or a car and go on an adventure!

Playa Del Carmen

Less than 20 minutes from the village, this town has a lot to offer.

Caves

There are a lot of caves set up for tourists and in their natural state. We can visit, amongst others, the caves of X'Keken or of Balankanché, approximately 4 kilometers East of Chichen Itza. These are fresh water sources that served as worshipping areas for the Mayans and later the Toltecs.

Top of page

Islands Exploration

Several tour operators offer a variety of sea excursions that usually last 4 to 6 hours. The most frequented destinations are Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy and Cozumel.

Isla Mujeres is a small island near the coast, north of Cancun. For those who wish to rest, Isla Mujeres lets you discover nature as it was before tourism. Life here is slow paced and the views amazing. Here you can go deep sea diving near the Banderas, Manchones and Cuervones coral reefs. Snorkellers will appreciate la Garrafon Bay, a national underwater park. Western beaches are generally calmer than those on the East, the most popular being: Playa Los Cocos, Playa Lancheros and Playa Garrafon.

Isla Contoy is a tourist desination that attracts nature lovers and those who want to see a completely preserved ecosystem. This coral island is located 2 hours north of Cancun by boat. Dozens of divers, people on picnics and bird watchers come every day. It is a natinal park teeming with Herons, Pelicans and other aquatic birds. Other than the wharf and the museum there is no construction on the island.

Cozumel is an excellent day trip from the village. This flat island shaped like a jewel is located 19 kilometers off the Yucatan coast. It has become, following a documentary by Jacques Cousteau, a place of predilection for divers of the world. It is considered one of the five best diving areas of the planet. The sea that surrounds the island abounds with innumerable underwater species, colored reefs and spanish galeon wrecks.

Yours to descover!

Archeological sites

No other region in the western hemisphere has as many archeological sites as the Yucatan whether it be completely renovated ancient cities or still buried ceremonial centers. Excellent excursions are available to visit them. Amongst the most exciting to discover are: Teotihuacan (and its famous pyramids) and Tulum, Coba, Edzna. To the South: Palenque and also Chichen Itza and Uxmal in the Yucatan.
click here.

For more details on these sites click here

Top of page

Chichen Itza

200-kilometers west of the city of Cancun, Chichen Itza is one of the largest archaeological sites in Mexico, and is rich with legends and treasures. When the Spanish first saw the Templo de Kukulcan, they named this pyramid El Castillo (The Castle). When you see it, you'll understand why. Inside, there's a jaguar of red stone, with green jade eyes. There's a mystery here that's never been solved. You see, there's no jade like this in Mexico - but there is in China. How did those ancient people get it?

If you're lucky enough to visit during the fall equinox or spring equinox, and the weather is cooperative, the sun and shadow will create a "serpent" body along the edge of the pyramid that lines up with the carved stone serpent head at the bottom.

Other fascinating structures at the site include the astronomical Observatory, and the reclining Chac Mool figure - which is a form of classic Mayan sculpture believed to have served as an altar for sacrifices. The ball court (the largest ever discovered) is lined with elaborate stone carvings that shows details of the sacred ball game. One even shows the captain of the losing team being beheaded!

There's also a deep and eerie cenote - a sacred well. Some of the sacrificial offerings - including beautiful jewelry - that were thrown into it have been recovered by archaeologists
.

Coba

106 miles south of the city of Cancun, Coba makes you feel like an archaeologist who comes upon a lost city hidden deep in a jungle. Parrots and monkeys chatter at you. The vines and trees attempt to overwhelm the ruins. Yet Coba has endured over the centuries. You catch a cooling breeze across your face - it's coming from one of four lovely lakes dotting the site. In fact, the name Coba means "Water Stirred By The Wind."

The Nohoch Mul rises up before you - the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula. Climb to its summit, and you can see the lakes and jungle spreading out over the horizon. Or, take a stroll on a "sacbeob" - one of the wide limestone-paved avenues; there are more of them at Coba than at any other known site. Imagine the way it must have been in the days when Coba was a hub city, and these avenues were filled with trade goods being transported. Or on ceremonial occasions when pageantry was the order of the day. No... you may never have heard of Coba before. But you won't ever forget it once you've been there
.

Tulum

128 kilometers south of the city of Cancun.
Modest in size, Tulum more than makes up for that! Just wait until you see its temples rising from the highest point of land on the Yucatan Peninsula - a cliff overlooking the azure Caribbean - and a palm-fringed beach. Tulum's original Mayan name was "Zama," which means the City Of The Dawn. That should tell you it's a great place to watch the sun rise over the sea. Tulum is surrounded by a wall - and it's the only known walled city by the ocean that the Mayans ever constructed. Tulum's temples were observed by the Spanish, as they sailed by on an exploratory expedition led by Juan de Grijalva in 1518.

Costa Turquesa

Many treasures awatt those who are willing to abandon the comfort of the pools and to head south to discover hidden beached and explore mysterious Mayan vestiges on the East coast. You will need at least one day to explore the region. If you only have one day, leave very early, go South so that you get to Coba before the sun sets.

Valladollid

Very interesting colonial village approximately 1h40 from Puerto Morelos. Here you will fin many caverns and several cenotes (sacrificial wells) to visit.

Uxmal

This is a historical village with many pyramids to visit. It is said the Pope has been here to ask for forgiveness of the Mayans for the massacre of which they were victim.

Top of page

LEISURE

Golf

There are 2 18 hole golf courses. Nestled between the Nichupte Lagoon and the crystal-clear Caribbean Sea, lies Cancun´s oldest, most prestigious golf club. Designed in 1976 by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Club de Golf Cancun artistically incorporates hundreds of meters of dramatic shoreline and ancient Mayan ruins into a truly enjoyable experience for golfers of all abilities.

Watersports

The coast of Quintana Roo is a paradise for divers and amateurs of aquatic sports. Its limpid waters, scattered with coral reefs, is shelter to an abundant aquatic fauna. The Cancun region offers all sorts of the latest watersports including sailboarding, seadoos, sailing, parascending and the new variation on surfing. There are three major waterways: Bahia de Mujures, lagune Nichupte, and the Caribean Sea.

Fishing

The fishing area produces fish all year, but due to the weather in the winter months (Dec.-Mar.) bonefish and permit are scarce. All other species are present throughout the year. Peak months for all fish are May through August.

Top of page

Shopping

Everyone will find his joy in this country full of exclusive local creations and mexican crafts. Typical articles include panamas (straw hats), black coral and seashell jewellry, woven baskets et guayabera shirts, Huipiles (embroidered dresses) and hammocks from Merida, embroidery, woven blankets from San Cristobal, Taxco silver jewellry, bows and arrows from the Lacandons of Palenque and from everywhere onyx chessboards, aztec calendars, tequila and mezcal. In Puerto Morelos their is a craft market filled with treasures. Commercial centers are usually made up of small café-style restaurants, bars, art galleries and travel agencies. There are also several open air markets.

Top of page

Restaurants

From Continental cuisine to traditional Mayan meals and seafood, the region really offers an excellent choice of restaurants. There are also many Mexican fiestas and cabaret style shows in different restaurants in Cancun. Don't forget to try the excellent Mayan dishes such as: Huavos Moltulenos, la Cochinita or Pollo Pibil, Sopa de Lima to name but a few. The local beer is Montejo brewed in Merida.

Top of page

Source : www.index411.com