7 magic places in Mexico

To be clear! This is going to be just a small part of all the magical places in Mexico you can probably visit. In 2015/16 we were travelling the "Yucatán peninsula", "Quintana roo" and "Chiapas"...and here are the places we liked best. Enjoy :)

Close to Cancun lies Valladolid a small little village sourrounded by incredible beautiful cenotes and very close to "Chichen Itza", Yucatans most popular archeological site. Perfect to dive into the Mayan world.

If you take the first bus to "Chichen Itza" in the morning you will be faster than all the tourists coming from touristy Cancun which gives you the opportunity to explore the site more relaxed and take your time to take photos. To see it all you will need up to 2 to 3 hours. Afterwards I recommend you to jump into "Ik kil" a cenote close to the site to refresh yourself.

Valladolid lies in the centre of countless cenotes and has actually its own little archeological site "Ek Balam" but if you need to choose time-dependent between these two - choose to see the cenotes!! The special thing about the sink holes in this area is that they are all underground like caves only illuminated by a light gap from a tree which crushed through the ceiling.
To see the cenotes „Xkeken & Samola“, that lie next to each other, take a 5 km bike ride or a taxi. If you are very lucky you will be on your own like us.

is the biggest town on the Yucatan peninsula and it´s cultural centre. From here you have a lot of possibilities to go on excursions to the Gulf Coast to see flamingos as well as to archeological sites like Uxmal. Due to less tourists you are still allowed to climb the pyramids there which is awesome!!
Merida offers you every day a great cultural program like concerts, museums, shows of sing and dance. My favourite: the "pok ta pok performance" where they show you how the original game of the Mayans is played or at least how they could reconstruct it...anyway a lot of fun to see!!

the only city in "Chiapas" we visited. Located on 2.200m above sea level it get´s f***ing cold there in the winter. Be sure to take some warm clothes with you or prepare to buy a poncho from the artisans there. The city is truly charming with its old colonial houses and the Mexican-artisans who come from around the city to sell their work. If you wanna buy presents or souvenirs buy them here!! It´s cheaper and directly from the producer.

Near by you find the "Sumidero Canyon" where you can go on a speed boat ride and see crocodiles and other wild life.

Totally my favourite!!!!

Palenque lies in the middle of the jungle. The best place to stay is the "Panchan" known by every taxi driver as you arrive to the city of Palenque. The "Panchan" is a huge complex of little houses and apartments from every price category built into the jungle only ten minutes from the pyramids away. They even have a camping ground. There are 3 restaurants where you can eat out in the evening and see a concert or a fire show. To amplify the jungle feeling none of the apartments has windows but mosquito nets only. You fall asleep to the sound of the roaring monkeys and get up with the singing of the birds.  Sounds romantic?? - well, it is!!

Climb the extraordinary pyramids of Palenque and feel like Indiana Jones. Make sure you are in good physical condition cause the area is really wide and the pyramids really high - but the view definitely makes up for it.

Bacalar you can´t miss this little town next to Chetumal. You should pass by here just to admire the incredible colour of the lagoon and spend a few days in and around it. The water is completely transparent and turquoise and changes with the water depths which gave the lagoon the name "The lagoon of the seven colours".

Because of 3 sinkholes/cenotes which were caused by an asteroid the deepest point of the lagoon is around 100 meter.  You can take a kayak to get close to the cenotes and explore the stromalites which look a little bit like corals but are breathing stones which are said to be the reason that the water in the lagoon is so clean. Besides kayaking you can do a boat ride of 3 hours which will bring you to the three cenotes and a narrow stream you can float along with your life west.

To see one of the Mayan sites around Bacalar you are urged to rent a car because there is no other way off season to get there. Nevertheless there are a bunch of sites to visit near Bacalar. Choose between "Kohunlich", "Dzibanche", "Kinichna" or a little bit further away "Calakmul". These first three sites you can easily visit in one day. For "Calakmul", as it lies over 300 km away, you would need an extra day. Don´t forget to take a few of the green coconuts, which grow all over the place, with you - they are delicious.

Mahahual consist of only 2 streets with little shops and cafes which come to life every time a big cruise ship proceeds anchor in the little town. When we got there they were playing german songs everywhere because, as I found out, the cruise ship would be a German one!! Normally people live from fishing here but tourism is starting to get more and more important and that´s not without reason.

Just a little bit offshore lies "El Banco Chinchorro" one of the biggest coral reefs on earth which attracts divers and tourists from all over the world.

And last but not least Tulum which made it deep into our hearts maybe for that reason we spent an entire month there. Tulum is a great place to reach a lot of attractions on the Mayan coast some of them even in shorter time than from touristic "Playa del Carmen". We stayed in the hostel "La cabana" led by a Salvadorian "mama" who made delicious breakfast every day and made us feel like a family.

The beaches

You can choose from endless beaches where you can snorkel, dive or just enjoy the sun and the white sand. On the coastline you will find a bunch of exquisite hotels and lodges that are harmonising with nature offering yoga lessons and wellness treatments. Near Tulum are the cenotes "Dos Ojos" & "Grande Cenote" among tons of others.
The archeological site of Tulum is a popular tourist attraction because they are the only pyramids built directly on the beach. Due to too many people you are not allowed anymore to climb on top. If you like it a little bit more quiet go to "Coba" which lies only one hour away and is far less touristic.

...Let´s say I have mixed feelings with this place. They promise you to see turtles there... and as this is the dream of many you are facing an overcrowded 500m2 peace of beach and water with screaming and pushing people armed with snorkel and floating fins nearly killing each other off...to be able to touch a turtle which they promised 5 min ago not to do... a little bit shocked from the scenery and the policy of Mexican tourist attractions I decided to follow a little bit more along the beach which gets immediately very quiet as you leave the „turtle hot spot“.
I thought that if I was meant to see a turtle they would come to me as well here...so I went to the water on my own and made acquaintance of this little fellow which I enjoyed as much as seeing a sea turtle...