Yucatan
5
Day Itinerary •
Mexico
Five days in the Yucatan and Chiapas reveal the full extraordinary depth of the Maya world, from the iconic pyramid of Chichen Itza and the colonial grandeur of Merida to the cliff-top ruins of Tulum, the extraordinary Lake of Seven Colours at Bacalar, the jungle temples of Palenque and the syncretic Maya ceremonies of San Juan Chamula. This route crosses the entire Yucatan peninsula from Chichen Itza to Bacalar and then drops south into Chiapas, one of the most extraordinary and least visited states in Mexico. Five days covering the finest Mayan archaeology, the most extraordinary natural landscapes and the living indigenous culture of the Tzotzil Maya that has survived five centuries of colonialism entirely intact.
Best Time To Visit
November to April
Getting There
Fly into Cancun (CUN) or Merida (MID)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout, ADO bus option
Budget Per Day
Approx 60 to 270 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, driving and walking
DAY 1
CHICHEN ITZA
MORNING
CHICHEN ITZA, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY MAYAN CITY IN THE WORLD
Chichen Itza is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and the most extraordinary Mayan archaeological site in Mexico. The El Castillo pyramid is a precise astronomical calendar with 365 steps and the extraordinary serpent shadow on the spring equinox. The Sacred Cenote, the Temple of the Warriors and the Great Ball Court are all extraordinary. Entry approx 572 pesos. Arrive at opening time (8am) before the tour groups. Drive/Travel: 1.5 hours drive
MIDDAY
VALLADOLID, THE FINEST COLONIAL TOWN IN THE YUCATAN
Valladolid is the most extraordinary colonial town in the Yucatan, its coloured facades, 16th-century convent and the extraordinary Cenote Zaci in the centre of the city making it far more rewarding than Merida for those who have seen the colonial capitals. The extraordinary San Bernardino de Siena convent built over a Mayan temple is the finest in the peninsula. Entry to cenote approx 80 pesos. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
CENOTE IK KIL AND THE SACRED MAYAN SWIMMING HOLES
The Yucatan peninsula sits on a vast limestone shelf honeycombbed with extraordinary cenotes, sacred sinkholes of crystalline water that were the only freshwater source for the ancient Maya. Cenote Ik Kil near Chichen Itza, with its extraordinary 26-metre descent through hanging roots to turquoise water below, is the finest near the ruins. Entry approx 180 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Cenote Samula and Cenote X'Keken near Valladolid are among the most extraordinary in the Yucatan, two interconnected underground chambers with extraordinary stalactite formations and shafts of sunlight piercing the darkness to illuminate the turquoise water below. Far less visited than Ik Kil. Entry approx 120 pesos for both. The sunrise light shaft at X'Keken from 9am to 11am is extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Hotel or hostel breakfast, Merida Eat before departing for Chichen Itza. The drive takes 1.5 hours and the site opens at 8am. | Lunch: La Chaya Maya, Valladolid Outstanding Yucatecan food in the finest colonial town. Extraordinary poc chuc and sopa de lima. | Dinner: Merida Centro restaurant Return to Merida for the finest Yucatecan dinner. The cochinita pibil at La Chaya Maya is legendary.
DAY 2
MERIDA AND UXMAL
MORNING
MERIDA, THE WHITE CITY, AND THE GRAN MUSEO DEL MUNDO MAYA
Merida is the finest colonial city in the Yucatan, its white limestone buildings, extraordinary Sunday Zocalo market and the Paseo de Montejo boulevard of Porfirian mansions making it the cultural capital of the peninsula. The Gran Museo del Mundo Maya is the finest Mayan museum in the world, its extraordinary collection of sculpture, jade and obsidian artefacts surpassing even the Mexico City anthropology museum for Mayan material. Entry approx 150 pesos. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
UXMAL, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAYAN CITY IN MEXICO
Uxmal is the most architecturally extraordinary Mayan site in Mexico, its Puuc style of intricate stone mosaic facades without parallel in the ancient world. The Pyramid of the Magician with its extraordinary rounded profile, the Governor's Palace considered the finest building in pre-Columbian America and the extraordinary Nunnery Quadrangle are all extraordinary. Entry approx 551 pesos. Drive/Travel: 1 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
THE MERIDA SUNDAY MARKET AND THE PASEO DE MONTEJO
The Sunday Merida en Domingo market fills the Zocalo and surrounding streets with extraordinary traditional food, Yucatecan crafts, hammock sellers and live marimba music. The Paseo de Montejo boulevard lined with extraordinary Belle Epoque mansions is the finest urban promenade in the Yucatan. The extraordinary MACAY contemporary art museum in the former governor's palace is free to enter.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Hacienda Yaxcopoil 50km south of Merida is the most extraordinarily preserved 17th-century henequen hacienda in the Yucatan, its extraordinary main house, chapel, machinery house and abandoned henequen processing equipment intact in a remarkable state of decay. Still privately owned and used as a film location. Entry approx 60 pesos. The drive through the agave fields of the Puuc region is extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Mercado Lucas de Galvez, Merida The finest market breakfast in the Yucatan. Extraordinary papadzules and sopa de lima. | Lunch: Los Almendros, Merida The restaurant that invented poc chuc. Outstanding Yucatecan cuisine since 1962. | Dinner: Kuuk, Merida The finest modern Yucatecan tasting menu. Chef Pedro Evia uses extraordinary local ingredients. Book ahead.
DAY 3
TULUM
MORNING
TULUM, THE MAYAN CITY ON THE CARIBBEAN CLIFF
Tulum is the most extraordinary Mayan coastal site in Mexico, its extraordinary walled city perched on a cliff above the Caribbean with views over turquoise water and the finest beach in the Riviera Maya directly below. The Temple of the Frescoes contains the most complete surviving Mayan murals in the Yucatan. Arrive at 8am opening. Entry approx 90 pesos. The beach below the ruins is extraordinary and free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
SIAN KA'AN BIOSPHERE RESERVE, THE GREATEST WILDLIFE RESERVE IN THE YUCATAN
Sian Ka'an is a UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve covering 1.3 million acres of jungle, mangrove, coastal lagoon and coral reef south of Tulum. The extraordinary floating tour through the ancient Mayan canal system, the crocodiles in the mangrove channels and the manatees in the coastal lagoon make this the finest wildlife experience in the Yucatan. Tours from Tulum approx 1,200 pesos. Drive/Travel: 1 hour drive north
AFTERNOON
COBA AND THE LAST CLIMBABLE PYRAMID IN THE YUCATAN
Coba contains the Nohoch Mul pyramid, at 42 metres the tallest in the Yucatan peninsula and the last major Mayan pyramid in Mexico where climbing is still permitted. The extraordinary view from the summit over an unbroken canopy of jungle stretching to the horizon is the finest in the Yucatan. The site is set in extraordinary lakeside jungle with extraordinary wildlife. Entry approx 90 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Gran Cenote and Cenote Dos Ojos near Tulum are the finest cave diving and snorkelling cenotes in the Yucatan, their extraordinary underwater stalactite formations, crystal-clear water and halocline layers creating the most extraordinary snorkelling experience in Mexico. Dos Ojos is the largest known underwater cave system in the world. Entry approx 350 pesos including snorkel gear. Go before 10am.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Tulum pueblo taco stand Buy extraordinary fish tacos from the morning taco stand on Avenida Tulum before the ruins open. | Lunch: El Camello Jr, Tulum Outstanding fresh seafood. The ceviche and the grilled whole fish are extraordinary. | Dinner: Hartwood, Tulum One of the finest restaurants in Mexico. Wood-fired everything, local ingredients. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 4
BACALAR
MORNING
BACALAR, THE LAKE OF SEVEN COLOURS
Laguna Bacalar is the most extraordinary lake in Mexico, a 42km freshwater lagoon whose depth creates extraordinary gradations of colour from turquoise to deep navy, giving it the name the Lake of Seven Colours. The Spanish fort of San Felipe above the lake is the finest in the Yucatan. Swimming from the town dock in the extraordinary clear water is one of the finest experiences on the Caribbean coast. Entry to fort approx 75 pesos. Drive/Travel: 30 min by boat
MIDDAY
THE BACALAR CENOTES AND THE PIRATE CHANNEL
The series of cenotes feeding the Bacalar lagoon are among the most extraordinary in the Yucatan, their crystal-clear water connecting underground to the lake through extraordinary limestone passages. The Cenote Negro is the most dramatic, a deep circular pool of extraordinary dark water. The pirate channel between Bacalar and the Caribbean, used by buccaneers in the 17th century, is navigable by kayak. Entry approx 100 pesos. Drive/Travel: 1.5 hours drive
AFTERNOON
KOHUNLICH, THE TEMPLE OF THE MASKS HIDDEN IN THE JUNGLE
The Kohunlich archaeological site in the southern Yucatan jungle contains the most extraordinary Mayan mask facade in Mexico, a series of giant stucco faces of the Sun God covering the entire front of the Pyramid of the Masks, their extraordinary scale and preservation remarkable. The site is almost entirely free of visitors and set in extraordinary primary jungle. Entry approx 90 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The channel connecting the Bacalar lagoon to the Caribbean at Chetumal Bay, navigated by kayak or small boat, passes through extraordinary mangrove tunnels and opens into a series of bays where manatees are regularly sighted feeding on seagrass in the shallow water. The extraordinary bioluminescence in the Bacalar channel on moonless nights rivals the finest in the Caribbean. Local guide essential, approx 400 pesos.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bacalar waterfront cafe Extraordinary coffee and pan dulce at the lakeside cafe as the morning light hits the seven colours. | Lunch: Mango y Chile, Bacalar Outstanding fresh lake fish and Caribbean seafood above the extraordinary seven-colour water. | Dinner: Los Aluxes, Bacalar The finest dinner on the lake. Local ingredients, extraordinary setting above the water at sunset.
DAY 5
CHIAPAS
MORNING
PALENQUE, THE MAYAN CITY IN THE JUNGLE OF CHIAPAS
The Palenque archaeological zone in the Chiapas jungle is the most extraordinary Mayan site for those who love jungle atmosphere, its extraordinary temples emerging from dense rainforest with howler monkeys in the canopy above. The Temple of the Inscriptions contains the extraordinary jade-masked tomb of King Pakal discovered in 1952. The extraordinary Palace tower and aqueduct are both remarkable. Entry approx 90 pesos. Drive/Travel: 4 hours drive or 45 min flight
MIDDAY
THE AGUA AZUL WATERFALLS AND THE MISOL-HA CASCADE
The Agua Azul waterfalls on the Chiapas road between Palenque and San Cristobal are among the most extraordinary in Mexico, a series of travertine cascades of extraordinary turquoise water in primary jungle. The 35-metre Misol-Ha single fall 20km from Palenque drops into a pool with a walkway behind the curtain of water. Both are extraordinary. Entry to each approx 50 pesos. Drive/Travel: 45 min drive
AFTERNOON
SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, THE HIGHLAND MAYA CITY
San Cristobal de las Casas in the Chiapas highlands is the most extraordinary colonial and indigenous city in southern Mexico, its extraordinary textile market, Tzotzil Maya communities in the surrounding villages and the extraordinary Church of San Juan Chamula with its pine-needle floor and candle rituals make it unlike anywhere else in Mexico. Entry to city free, Chamula church approx 20 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Tzotzil Maya village of San Juan Chamula 10km from San Cristobal is one of the most extraordinary and autonomous indigenous communities in Mexico, its church containing no pews and no priest but hundreds of candles, pine needles and local shamans conducting healing ceremonies with Coca-Cola and live chickens in a syncretic ritual unlike anything in the Catholic world. Photography strictly forbidden inside. Entry approx 20 pesos.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Palenque hotel breakfast Eat before the early opening. The jungle mist at Palenque at 8am is extraordinary. | Lunch: Agua Azul food stalls Extraordinary tlayudas and grilled meats from the waterfall entrance vendors. | Dinner: La Paloma, San Cristobal Outstanding Chiapanecan food. The extraordinary Chamula textiles market closes at 5pm for shopping first.
Where To Stay
Merida Centro, Nights 1 to 2 Hotel Medio Mundo or Casa del Balam. Approx 60 to 150 USD per night. Tulum, Night 3 Papaya Playa Project or Azulik. Approx 80 to 300 USD per night. Bacalar, Nights 4 to 5 Explorean Bacalar or Akal Ki. Approx 80 to 250 USD. Budget: Yaxche Hostel 15 to 30 USD.
Top Tips
1. Bacalar Lake of Seven Colours is finest in morning light before 10am. Hire a kayak from the town dock.
2. Kohunlich pyramid masks: go early before 10am. The site is 1.5 hours from Bacalar on excellent road.
3. Palenque jungle: bring insect repellent. The howler monkeys at dawn are extraordinary.
4. San Juan Chamula church: no photography, no shorts. The syncretic ceremony inside is extraordinary.
5. Cenote Dos Ojos: go before 10am. The underwater stalactites are the finest snorkelling in the Yucatan.
6. Sian Ka'an biosphere: book the floating canal tour the evening before. Morning departures only.
Total Budget
60 to 265 USD/day