Day-long trips near Merida
Arriving in Merida in Yucatan allows us to know in depth the secrets of the peninsula and the Mayan culture. Once we have made this capital our base of operations, we can begin to explore. Here are some tips on day-long trips near Merida.
Day-long trips near Merida: Relaxed island life on Isla Holbox
Small, sleepy, colorful and simply gorgeous -that’s how we would describe the island paradise of Holbox. The island is located in the north of Yucatán and can be reached from Cancun in just a few hours.
If you are looking for peace and relaxation, Holbox (pronounced “Holbosh”) is the place for you. The clocks tick slower, real roads you look for in vain, everywhere you find colorful hammocks and instead of cars golf cards drive along the sandy paths. Everywhere you will find colorful little houses with street art on the facades, nice little beach bars with swings to sit on, and happy people. If you walk along the beach, you can also watch pelicans and screeching seagulls, and from May on, large flamingo colonies also settle near the island. Daily highlights on Isla Holbox are the sunsets. At 5:30 pm at the latest, all island visitors gather on the beach to enjoy the sunset with a sundowner.
Snorkel with turtles in Akumal
On Yucatán there are an incredible number of beaches, islands and cenotes that invite you to dive and snorkel. A very special experience is snorkeling with turtles in Akumal.
Akumal is located about 25 kilometers from Tulum and 35 kilometers south of Playa del Carmen. From these places you can easily take a colectivo to get to Akumal. The colectivo cabs will drop you off right at a pedestrian bridge on the highway, so you’ll have to walk a few more meters down to the beach.
Several hotel complexes line the approximately two-kilometer-long beach of Akumal Bay -yet Akumal has remained a tranquil little place. Between May and September, numerous Carey turtles come to the fine sandy beach of Akumal to lay their eggs. By the way, these turtles are highly endangered and are therefore under strict protection in Mexico. Until hatching, the eggs are therefore monitored by biologists on the beach.
Immerse yourself in Mayan culture and climb ancient ruins
You should not miss a visit to a Mayan site on your Yucatán trip. The best known and most famous are the ruins of Chichén Itzá – it is not for nothing that Chichén Itzá was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 and is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.
The biggest tourist magnet is undoubtedly the step pyramid El Castello – away from the pyramid there is much less going on. The site covers a total area of 1547 hectares and is therefore quite large. For a tour you should plan about two to three hours. Here, too, you should definitely come early, because late in the day it is teeming with crowds of visitors and pink umbrellas.
