Tips to have the best road trip in Yucatan!
Mexico! No mames guey!
Here’s a summary of my three-week trip to Mexico🇲🇽 :
☀️ I traveled during 21 days around the Yucatan (one of the 32 regions of Mexico). I had my tickets booked from Madrid with a layover in the US (cheaper that way). I only had a carry-on suitcase with me. I packed only summer clothes because the temperature during the day was around 30 degrees Celsius and very humid, sometimes it was tough to breath. October is the last month when hurricanes, storms, and heavy rains can occur. Luckily, the weather was on my side, so I can’t complain!
☀️ I recommend renting a car from the airport in Cancun – it’s the best and most convenient way to get around if you want to see a lot on your own, although the roads leave much to be desired.
☀️ The Mexicans are very friendly and nice, but you have to haggle for everything because the prices are way too high. However, if you speak Spanish, it’s an advantage and it’s so much easier to get the price you want 🙂
☀️ In every place/bar/restaurant/
hotel, they ask for propina ( tip), it’s something almost obligatory… even when you order coffee to go. At some point, it started to annoy me because Mexico is not as cheap as it used to be before pandemic COVID-19.
☀️ This part of Mexico amazed me – the water in the Caribbean Sea, paradise beaches, fresh fruits everywhere, street food, Mexican culture, and most of all, mariachi music… Not to mention the delicious Mango Margarita and shrimp tacos – taste like little drops of heaven… 🙂
☀️ I felt safe in Mexico, but I didn’t go out alone at night and always kept an eye on my belongings, whether it was on the beach or exploring local spots
☀️My travel plan:
- Cancun – 1 night – perfect to see Playa Delfines, have tacos at Mercado in the city center, and take a walk around the city.
- Isla Mujeres – 2 nights, I recommend staying at Nomad Hostel – see Punta Sur, Playa Norte, colorful streets, and houses on the island.
- It’s worth stopping in Puerto Morelos for a coffee and a stroll around the town to see the fishing village.
- Stop in Akumal only if you want to go snorkeling and see turtles. Unfortunately, the entrance to the beaches, including an hour of snorkeling, costs over 500 pesos, and I don’t think it’s worth the price…
- Playa del Carmen – 2 nights, although one night is enough – perfect for a night out, visit the pueblo, and maybe go to Playa Paraiso because the beach in the city is not that great 🙂
- Isla Cozumel – 2 nights – a snorkeling tour to El Cielo is a must to see the starfish and beautiful coral reef.
- Tulum – 4 nights. It was our base for visiting various cenotes but also for Valladolid and Chichen Itza. Public beaches in Tulum: Playa Santa Fe – absolutely beautiful, you must visit it, next to it is Playa Paraiso. In Zona Hotelera, there are all the beach bars, but there’s an entrance fee.
- Bacalar – 2 nights – a beautiful place, make sure to go on a sailing tour of the Seven Colors Lagoon, visit Los Piratas to swim with the current and see the largest and oldest stromatolites in the world (which are protected and should not be touched), and enjoy a natural mud and sulfur peel, perfect for the skin.
- Playa Mahahual – 2 nights – a beautiful place for a peaceful rest and snorkeling with turtles on your own. If you want to see manatees, go to Campeche (a 50-minute drive from Bacalar), where their sanctuary is located.
- Rio Lagartos – I recommend 1 or 2 nights to see flamingos and the pink beaches in Los Colorados. Unfortunately, I didn’t get there, but I had planned to 😉 While heading towards Cancun, you can also visit El Cuyo – a small town with a wild, beautiful beach and colorful houses and restaurants.
- Isla Holbox – 3 nights – my favorite place with beautiful beaches and a great vibe. It’s an island without asphalt, where you can get around by bike, on foot, or by golf cart. On this island, you can experience bioluminescence throughout the year. During the season, you can see whales, flamingos, and almost year-round – crocodiles. It’s an ideal stop to end your road trip/vacation.
- Cenotes: Near Tulum, I visited Cenote Calavera, and near Valladolid, I visited Cenote Sac Acua and Oxmal. In Bacalar, I saw Cenote Azul, which is over 120 meters deep, and if you’re an experienced diver, you can dive in it 🙂
- By car I was able to see Mexican villages, houses, and learn about how modern Maya’s tribe people live and their habits and culture.
You should definitley say YES to Yucatan trip!
If you dream of a vacation by the Caribbean Sea, Mexico is perfect. Prepare yourself mainly for eating tacos, burritos, and, of course, guacamole. If you don’t eat meat like me, it might be a bit challenging, but there are alternatives. Also, try tequila and mezcal, marquesitas, delicious margaritas, freshly squeezed juices for 40 pesos, be prepared for plenty of mosquitoes in Bacalar and Holbox, tipping the Mexicans, bargaining for EVERYTHING – I personally love doing that :D, encountering numerous speed bumps in every village, street vendors with fresh fruits, vegetables, and “tortas de pina” made by grandmothers, street vendors calling out “Hermosa, si hablas Español, todo màs barato” – Beautiful, if you speak Spanish, everything is cheaper, the friendliness of Mexicans, and prices that can be sometimes quite a bit higher than I thought it would be…
