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Things to see & do in Cancun!
We're going this October for 8 nights, 9 days. We'd like to have a few ideas to research and plan on doing.
Ideas?
THANKS!
Re: Things to see & do in Cancun!
We went to XCaret on our honeymoon and had a great time. The underground river is really cool!
Check out Tulum, Chichen Itza and Xel-Ha as well.
We are having a destination wedding this November in Playa del Carmen. I have copied and pasted below the list of activities/things to see from our wedding website. I still have to add a few more tour recommendations for scuba diving and deep sea fishing, but otherwise it's complete.
Playa del Carmen: This lovely town is located just a five minute cab ride from our hotel. It's main pedestrian and commercial street is Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) which stretches more than 20 blocks and contains restaurants, bars, and lots of shopping.
Cozumel: The largest island in Mexico. You can take a ferry from 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen to reach the island, which is known for its scuba diving and snorkeling.
Chichen Itza: One of the most widely recognized and heavily visited archaeological sites in the world, the Mayan ruins of this World Heritage site are remarkable for both their size and scope. If you only participate in one excursion off of the resort, this is the one we recommend. We will likely be taking a tour through a company called Mayans' Explorers, which in addition to Chichen Itza, will take us to another archaeological site called Ek Balam (where we can actually climb one of the temples), a stop in the colonial town of Valladolid, lunch, and a visit to a cenote for a swim. This is an all-day tour with transportation included from our hotel. We will most likely be completing this tour on Wednesday, November 14th. If you would like to join please let Jennifer and Shyawn know ASAP so that we can notify the tour company in advance.
Tulum: Ancient Mayan ruins that are perched dramatically on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean. There are multiple tour companies that can take you to Tulum including Mayans' Explorers and Yuca Treks. Both companies are very highly rated on Trip Advisor.
Coba: A large ruined city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization that contains ancient Mayan pyramids, one of which, you are still allowed to climb. As with Tulum, there are multiple tour companys that can take you to Coba including Mayans' Explorers and Yuca Treks.
Horseback riding with Rancho Baaxal: This ranch is located 15 minutes north of Playa del Carmen and offers horseback riding to small groups in the jungle along famed Maroma Beach. Jennifer participated in this tour in 2010 and had an amazing time riding a horse along the beach. Most importantly, the horses are humanely treated which isn't always the case in this part of the world.
Rio Secreto: This combined walking and swimming tour takes you deep inside an underground river cave that is filled with thousands of dramatic stalactites and stalagmites. Jennifer also participated in this tour back in 2010 and found it one of the most impressive natural formations she has ever seen. Rio Secreto is only located about 3 miles SW of Playa del Carmen.
Xcaret: Located just three miles south of Playa del Carmen, this mega eco-park offers water activities like snorkeling in underground rivers and swimming with dolphins. There is also up-close animal viewing of jaguars and pumas, a butterfly museum, an aquarium, a folk art museum, and shows featuring regional dances and music performances. Most visitors spend the entire day at the park as admission is good from 8:30-21:30. They offer a 10% discount if you purchase your tickets in advance on their website.
Xel-Ha: Similar in concept to Xcaret, Xel-Ha is located about 30 minutes south of Playa del Carmen and is the biggest natural aquarium in the world where one can enjoy activities such as snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, zip lining, and floating down a lazy river. The major difference between Xel-Ha and Xcaret is that the entrance to Xel-Ha is all inclusive, meaning that it includes all of your food and beverage. Xel-Ha also offers a 10% discount if you book in advance.
The Jungle Place: Jennifer visited this amazing sanctuary for the endangered spider monkey in 2010. Visitors get an hour to play, feed, and snuggle with the monkeys. Interacting with the monkeys was one of the highlights of her trip. The sanctuary isn't the easiest place to reach (you'll likely have to take a combo of a bus ride and taxi ride OR rent a car) but I can assure you that the effort will be worth all of the hard work.
Zip Lining: There are multiple companies throughout the Riviera Maya that offer zip lining. Two of the most highly recommended are Selvatica and Xplor. In addition to zip lining, both of these companies also offer ATV rides.
Speed boat tour: This boat will race up to speeds of 70 MPH and take you up to the beach of Akumal, where you will be able to snorkel in three different areas. Lunch, non-alcoholic beverages, and snorkeling equipment are included in this four hour tour.
Cooking Classes: There are numerous cooking classes offered throughout the Riviera Maya. Some of the more popular ones include The Little Mexican Cooking School, Cocina Cosmopolita Culinary School, Hacienda Maya,Food Motion Cooking Workshop. Jennifer will likely end up selecting one of these classes to participate in, so if anyone else is interested please let her know!
Parasailing: There are several companies that offer parasailing up and down the beach of Playa del Carmen. The price range is usually $60-$65 but we have read that you can barter with the pricing and can usually pay around $50 if business is slow.
Wow wow wow! Thank you for all these great ideas! I'll show him the links you all provided!
I talked with the hubs last night and we DEFINITELY want to visit ruins and snorkel. Those are are only 2 requirements on our Cancun trip. And then maybe some shopping for inexpensive jewelry and pottery. I always get one or the other when we travel. :-)
My exact recs as well. Also we did a ziplining tour that also included a bike ride to swim in a cenote and it was really fun.
^^^Wow! That's a really good, comprehensive list of all the great things to do in Cancun! That was one of the things I've loved about it most---there is so much to see and do there...and on top of that, it's beautiful and you get the bang for your buck! This list kind of makes me want to go back...