Ecological and Cultural Experiences in the Yucatan Peninnsula Cancun, Mexico
Cancun and the Riveria Maya is the premier holiday resort within Mexico and the Yucatan penninsula.
It is a short distance from the Mesoamerican reef and offers great opportunities for snorkelling and scuba diving.
It provides miles of sandy beachs and a long strip of first class hotels. Cancun is tremendous place
to take a holiday. The surrounding area is seeped in ancient Mayan Culture with fantastic pyramids at Chichen Itza and Coba.
Local islands such as the Isla Mujures and the Isla Contoy Nature Reserve add even more variety to the Cancun area.
A Sunset at the Blue Bay Club, Cancun.
It would be easy to simply use the facilities of Cancun and ignore the massive amount of nearby Mayan culture and the
superb Mesoamerican reef and local wildlife. But by narrowing your holiday you would really be missing out.
The Mayan civilisation collapsed around the 14th century and major Mayan ruins are easily reachable from Cancun.
Many first class tours are available to those who wish to get a little more than a sun-tan from their holiday.
Even in Cancun there are appreciable ruins, some within hotel grounds! Just outside Cancun can can be found the El Meco ruins.
These are about a mile from the Blue Bay Club at the end of the Hotel Zone. There are daily all-inclusive tours to Chichen Itza,
Coba and Tulum that cost less than $100.00. (sometimes much less). For an economy visit to some good quality Mayan ruins, including
a Pyramid and a temple you can visit the local El Meco site which will cost about $10 for a Taxi and about $2 entrance fee.
Climbing the Pyramid of Nohoch Mul at Coba. The highest in the Yucatan penninsula
A short trip across the bay from Cancun is the Isla Mujeres. A quick trip down to the tip of the island will take you to the temple of the Moon Goddess Ixca
and also to the eastern most point in Mexico.Of course visiting these Mayan ruins without any knowledge of the Mayan culture that built them is less
than satisfactory. So here you will find a simple straight forward laymans guide to the Mayan civilisation, its rise and its fall.
Approaching the Isla Contoy. Notice the blue bird watching tower on the island.
Cancun also offers a great deal to any wildlife enthusiast. The Mesoamerican reef which is the second largest in the world
(only the great barrier reef in Australia is larger) is literally on the Cancun doorstep and borders the whole of the Yucatan penninsula. A number of
operators run economical day trips out for snorkelling off the Mesoamerican reef and also run trips to a remote and unpopulated island wildlife reserve,
the isla Contoy. With some operators, the Mesoamerican reef snorkelling and the trip to the Isla Contoy are combined, making the most of your time.
I have included pages on Isla Mujures and Isla Contoy here as well.
An example of how impressive and important these sites are can be gauged from the fact that the
Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza has now been classed as one of the new seven wonders of the world along
with:
The Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil,
The Colosseum in Rome,
Taj Mahal India,
The Great Wall of China,
Petra in Jordan and
Machu Picchu in Peru
The Pyramid of the god Kukulcan at Chichen Itza. One the new 7 Wonders of the World
The local people are friendly, and although keen to get a sale, the traders and shop keepers are not as pushy as elsewhere in the Carribean.
Taxis are economical (agree the fare first!) and the busses are a delight. On the bus 35 peso's (about $3.50 US) gets you anywhere along the
hotel zone up to the Grand Porto with ferries to the Isla Mujures.Often the busses get boarded by buskers (some good musicians, others less so)
so expect to get serenaded on you journey. They always appreciate a couple of pesos before you part company.
The people of the Yucatan penninsula are mainly mixed descendants of Maya and Spanish parentage.
They are known as Meso Americans. Some pure blood Mayans still survive and often live in the simple yet
practical houses which have been built in the same manner for thousands of years.
A typical Mayan Thatched Outhouse near Coba.
Most shops in Cancun, and most tour operators are more than happy to deal in US dollars as well as pesos.
As with most great holiday destinations there is an immense amount of nightlife, which is easy to find and very accessible.
We loved our holiday in Cancun and we found Mexico, and especially the Yucatan penninsula, the best Carribean holiday we have had.
It combined the luxury of high quality hotels, excellent beaches and shopping with tremendous opportunities to see ancient Mayan
culture and experience the Mesoamerican reef (as made famous by Jacque Cousteau).
Truly a worthwhile experience and a fantastic holiday.
Due to the presence of the fantastic Mesoamerican reef, water sports are very popular in and around Cancun. Many operators
will take you out in organised groups to go snorkelling or scuba diving off the reef. The reef first became famous due to the
French diver and ecologist Jacque Costeau, who dived extensively on the reef in the 1960's and 1970's.
The eastern tip of Mexico, directly below the Temple of Ixca On the Isla Mujeres
