Vacation to Mayan ruins?
September 23, 2015 6:07 PM Subscribe
I'm interested in planning a week-or-two trip at the end of the year to see Mayan ruins and other non-Cancun-y things to do in the region. What's good?
A concentration of different things to do in one place could be good. Most interested in Mayan ruins, and also nature reserves, cenotes, non-touristy beaches, and great Mexican food. Trying to avoid overly-Americanized "Spring Break" style places.
Based on Googling, it seems like Merida could be one option - would it be feasible to do day trips to ruins such as Uxmal and other places? Though flights in to Merida at the end of the year seem suprisingly expensive. Tulum could be another - but it seems to be much smaller than Merida, so would there enough to do beyond a day or two at the ruins themselves?
Are there any other places I should be looking into? What's the best way to get around? Also: safety, low-budget, and no issues with a gay couple are all important.
If anyone has done a similar trip, recommendations much appreciated!
A concentration of different things to do in one place could be good. Most interested in Mayan ruins, and also nature reserves, cenotes, non-touristy beaches, and great Mexican food. Trying to avoid overly-Americanized "Spring Break" style places.
Based on Googling, it seems like Merida could be one option - would it be feasible to do day trips to ruins such as Uxmal and other places? Though flights in to Merida at the end of the year seem suprisingly expensive. Tulum could be another - but it seems to be much smaller than Merida, so would there enough to do beyond a day or two at the ruins themselves?
Are there any other places I should be looking into? What's the best way to get around? Also: safety, low-budget, and no issues with a gay couple are all important.
If anyone has done a similar trip, recommendations much appreciated!
Tulum has all of those things, although the ruins are definitely a half day trip at most. You can also see Coba from there. You can arrange to see Chichen Itza from Tulum, although it's a 2-3 hour ride over there, so you may instead want to split your trip in Tulum and Merida.
Tulum has lots of great food and nice beaches. Scuba diving is another attraction there if that's what you're looking for, but there are also lots of cool cenotes around there to snorkel in - but I would say it's a great place to just hang out and relax - may not be the best place if you're actively looking to sight see.
posted by Karaage at 6:28 PM on September 23, 2015
Tulum has lots of great food and nice beaches. Scuba diving is another attraction there if that's what you're looking for, but there are also lots of cool cenotes around there to snorkel in - but I would say it's a great place to just hang out and relax - may not be the best place if you're actively looking to sight see.
posted by Karaage at 6:28 PM on September 23, 2015
Rent a car. When I went (15 years ago, so grain if salt, things change) we flew in and out of Cancun, but rented a car and didn't stay there. We saw Tulum, Coba, Ek Balam, and Chichen Itza, as well as some cenotes and (lit, tourist) caves. We stayed different places different nights; I remember Valladolid was not far from a few places, and being inland, inexpensive. Our strategy was to drive somewhere, get a room (sometimes we'd call ahead to book, other times we'd wing it), and the next day get up early and hit the nearby site right when it opened before the crowds hit, eat lunch, and drive to our next destination in the afternoon.
posted by fings at 6:39 PM on September 23, 2015
posted by fings at 6:39 PM on September 23, 2015
I have seen Coba and Tulum. The ruins at Coba are fantastic. Tulum is relatively small and recent.
Does it have to be Mayan ruins? Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, is the most magnificent ancient site I've seen, and there are a variety of other ancient and cultural sites in the area. The National Sociological Museum, in particular, is an excellent place to learn about the civilizations of Mexico and their archeological sites. I would also suggest Oaxaca, which boasts a number of ancient sites, including Monte Alban.
posted by chrchr at 6:41 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Does it have to be Mayan ruins? Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, is the most magnificent ancient site I've seen, and there are a variety of other ancient and cultural sites in the area. The National Sociological Museum, in particular, is an excellent place to learn about the civilizations of Mexico and their archeological sites. I would also suggest Oaxaca, which boasts a number of ancient sites, including Monte Alban.
posted by chrchr at 6:41 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
A friend and I toured the Yucatan by public transport a few years ago.
Some highlights, off the top of my head
Cancun Centro (one night) - It makes for an easy first night after a flight, and Los Arcos was an excellent introduction to Yucateca cuisine.
Valladolid is worth a couple days. It's an easy bus to Ek Balam, and the Casa de los Venados holds a great private collection of Mexican folk art. Our best meal was at Taberna de los Frailes. And one of the best days of our trip was when we rented bikes for the day and pedaled out to three local cenotes. The local maps are good and the dirt roads have little traffic, so this is a nice stress-free day.
We stopped at Chechen Itza en route to Merida. However you do it, make sure you visit Chechen Itza in the morning! The tour buses started arriving near noon, and our beautiful Mayan city was overrun with thousands of grumpy tourists.
Merida itself didn't appeal to me as much as I thought. However, it's easy to arrange a day trip to Uxmal. It's also an easy bus ride to the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, where you can charter an inexpensive boat and visit the flamingos and alligators and other mangrove critters. There are larger boats, but renting direct puts the money in the hands of the locals & is still a budget option.
From there we took an overnight bus to Palenque. Those ruins were certainly cool, but the real highlight was a day trip we took to Yaxchilan and Bonampak. Trust the tripadvisor reports on this one - it is stunning.
From Palenque it was a very comfortable overnight bus ride to Mexico City. Alternately, there are overnight buses to Tulum and Cancun.
posted by kanewai at 7:14 PM on September 23, 2015
Some highlights, off the top of my head
Cancun Centro (one night) - It makes for an easy first night after a flight, and Los Arcos was an excellent introduction to Yucateca cuisine.
Valladolid is worth a couple days. It's an easy bus to Ek Balam, and the Casa de los Venados holds a great private collection of Mexican folk art. Our best meal was at Taberna de los Frailes. And one of the best days of our trip was when we rented bikes for the day and pedaled out to three local cenotes. The local maps are good and the dirt roads have little traffic, so this is a nice stress-free day.
We stopped at Chechen Itza en route to Merida. However you do it, make sure you visit Chechen Itza in the morning! The tour buses started arriving near noon, and our beautiful Mayan city was overrun with thousands of grumpy tourists.
Merida itself didn't appeal to me as much as I thought. However, it's easy to arrange a day trip to Uxmal. It's also an easy bus ride to the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, where you can charter an inexpensive boat and visit the flamingos and alligators and other mangrove critters. There are larger boats, but renting direct puts the money in the hands of the locals & is still a budget option.
From there we took an overnight bus to Palenque. Those ruins were certainly cool, but the real highlight was a day trip we took to Yaxchilan and Bonampak. Trust the tripadvisor reports on this one - it is stunning.
From Palenque it was a very comfortable overnight bus ride to Mexico City. Alternately, there are overnight buses to Tulum and Cancun.
posted by kanewai at 7:14 PM on September 23, 2015
More info, to address your specific questions:
It was extremely safe. The Yucatan (outside Cancun) has a lower crime rate than most of the US.
It was gay friendly. Gay bars are hard to find, but the central plaza of Merida seemed to be a casual cruising area. That's small-c cruising, as in guys hanging out and wanting to socialize, as opposed to hard core cruising.
We were on a budget, and our only splurge was on a couple of nice meals.
Our route lasted 14 days in total, and we felt it was a nice pace. Mexico City is wonderful, so if you can work it in I highly recommend it. The Red Tree House is gay friendly, and one of the better bed & breakfasts I've stayed in in any major city. It's not quite in the budget category anymore ($95 / night), but it is definitely worth the splurge.
posted by kanewai at 7:22 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
It was extremely safe. The Yucatan (outside Cancun) has a lower crime rate than most of the US.
It was gay friendly. Gay bars are hard to find, but the central plaza of Merida seemed to be a casual cruising area. That's small-c cruising, as in guys hanging out and wanting to socialize, as opposed to hard core cruising.
We were on a budget, and our only splurge was on a couple of nice meals.
Our route lasted 14 days in total, and we felt it was a nice pace. Mexico City is wonderful, so if you can work it in I highly recommend it. The Red Tree House is gay friendly, and one of the better bed & breakfasts I've stayed in in any major city. It's not quite in the budget category anymore ($95 / night), but it is definitely worth the splurge.
posted by kanewai at 7:22 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
It sounds like others have put together really interesting itineraries already, and I haven't been to a lot of those places so I can't speak to how they compare to my experience, but I'll describe what we did in that area that worked out great.
We rented a house in Chan Chemuyil, which is a little bit north of Tulum. The house came with snorkel gear. We flew into Cancun and rented a car. We did a day trip to Chichen Itza (Go as early in the day as freaking possible - we thought it was crowded. Then as we were leaving we faced an oncoming wave of tourists that inundated the place. I could not have handled being in that.) We did a day trip to Coba and rented bikes there. Definitely recommend the bikes. We did a few trips to beaches - Akumal (where I snorkeked with a turtle for a while) is close - and to a limestone lagoon with excellent snorkeling (Yal-Ku, I believe). Dinners we did at restaurants along the beach in Tulum.
This was a couple years ago. Can't speak to the relative gay-safety of Tulum.
posted by univac at 7:31 PM on September 23, 2015
We rented a house in Chan Chemuyil, which is a little bit north of Tulum. The house came with snorkel gear. We flew into Cancun and rented a car. We did a day trip to Chichen Itza (Go as early in the day as freaking possible - we thought it was crowded. Then as we were leaving we faced an oncoming wave of tourists that inundated the place. I could not have handled being in that.) We did a day trip to Coba and rented bikes there. Definitely recommend the bikes. We did a few trips to beaches - Akumal (where I snorkeked with a turtle for a while) is close - and to a limestone lagoon with excellent snorkeling (Yal-Ku, I believe). Dinners we did at restaurants along the beach in Tulum.
This was a couple years ago. Can't speak to the relative gay-safety of Tulum.
posted by univac at 7:31 PM on September 23, 2015
More touristy but still awesome is Xcaret. Floating the underground river was pretty cool.
posted by tamitang at 8:01 PM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by tamitang at 8:01 PM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Yucatan is not all that big and if you have 1-2 weeks you could probably hit all of the major and some of the minor ruins.
You could stay in Tulum and travel to Coba, Ek Balam, Chichen etc, by car as well as be near the ocean and the minor ruins in the Sian Kaan Biosphere. Google that - I haven't been there yet but it's on my list. Tulum is also close the the Ruta de Cenotes which is surprisingly remote and rustic.
You could also stay in Merida or Vallidolid and travel to all of the ruins by car.
You really cannot go wrong. You get in a day trip to most of the ruins from any of these home bases. Have a very reliable car and do not ever have less than a half tank of gas. The jungle you are traveling thru is dense and sparsely populated.
Pick the accommodations you like most and make that home base and day trip from there. Or split it up half and half.
Tulum is going to be more international/beach culture and Merida and Vallidolid are real cities not as much of tourist destinations. Vallidolid is obviously not too near water but Progreso is the beach just north of Merida.
The snokeling and diving on the reef is world class and very cheap and not to be missed.
I've been to several of the ruin sites and Ek Balam is my favorite.
I've always been there with my brood of children so I can't speak with personal experience on the gay friendly issue, but Tulum is a major tourist site and Merida is a huge city. Ruin sites expect tourists. I don't foresee any problems, but be aware of your surroundings and be respectful to the culture when traveling, as I am sure you already do.
posted by littlewater at 8:11 PM on September 23, 2015
You could stay in Tulum and travel to Coba, Ek Balam, Chichen etc, by car as well as be near the ocean and the minor ruins in the Sian Kaan Biosphere. Google that - I haven't been there yet but it's on my list. Tulum is also close the the Ruta de Cenotes which is surprisingly remote and rustic.
You could also stay in Merida or Vallidolid and travel to all of the ruins by car.
You really cannot go wrong. You get in a day trip to most of the ruins from any of these home bases. Have a very reliable car and do not ever have less than a half tank of gas. The jungle you are traveling thru is dense and sparsely populated.
Pick the accommodations you like most and make that home base and day trip from there. Or split it up half and half.
Tulum is going to be more international/beach culture and Merida and Vallidolid are real cities not as much of tourist destinations. Vallidolid is obviously not too near water but Progreso is the beach just north of Merida.
The snokeling and diving on the reef is world class and very cheap and not to be missed.
I've been to several of the ruin sites and Ek Balam is my favorite.
I've always been there with my brood of children so I can't speak with personal experience on the gay friendly issue, but Tulum is a major tourist site and Merida is a huge city. Ruin sites expect tourists. I don't foresee any problems, but be aware of your surroundings and be respectful to the culture when traveling, as I am sure you already do.
posted by littlewater at 8:11 PM on September 23, 2015
It's cheaper to fly into Cancun and rent a car or take a bus to Merida than it is to fly directly to Merida.
posted by monotreme at 9:25 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by monotreme at 9:25 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Mayan civilization covered not just the Yucatan area of Mexico but also parts of Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. It is now several years since my own trip around the region. This involved a flight into (and swift exit from) Cancun, some time in Merida with a day trip to Chizen Itza, a trip down through Belize to San Igncacio and then over the Guatemalan border to Tikal (my favourite site). Finally a return to the Chiapas region of Mexico via Palenque - and back to Cancun. "The Maya circuit" is what I think many backpackers called this. Our trip was quite low budget (lots of buses), emphasis on covering ground, often rather uncomfortable - certainly less so than spending time on a beach. It would be possible to have a much more restful break by trying to see less.
Many outsiders think of the Maya as an extinct people who vanished leaving behind only a calendar which incorrectly predicted the end of the world back in 2012 and some ruins. In fact the Maya, and their customs, are very much alive in the region. "The Book of Destiny" is a nice summary of these beliefs which would be an interesting read on your trip.
posted by rongorongo at 2:59 AM on September 24, 2015
Many outsiders think of the Maya as an extinct people who vanished leaving behind only a calendar which incorrectly predicted the end of the world back in 2012 and some ruins. In fact the Maya, and their customs, are very much alive in the region. "The Book of Destiny" is a nice summary of these beliefs which would be an interesting read on your trip.
posted by rongorongo at 2:59 AM on September 24, 2015
If you are not absolutely married to Mexico, Belize is a fabulous option. Hopkins Village is a great end of the road destination, but there are many more on the mainland. They have Mayan ruins inland, plus cave tubing, ziplining and all sorts of things.
Extra bonus - it's the one English-speaking country in Central America, being a former British colony.
The American dollar is readily accepted, and once there, it is fairly inexpensive. The Cayes (islands) are a big tourist draw for scuba diving, but you don't have to get near there if you stay on the mainland. And you can still take a scuba or snorkle trip if you want.
posted by rich at 3:37 AM on September 24, 2015
Extra bonus - it's the one English-speaking country in Central America, being a former British colony.
The American dollar is readily accepted, and once there, it is fairly inexpensive. The Cayes (islands) are a big tourist draw for scuba diving, but you don't have to get near there if you stay on the mainland. And you can still take a scuba or snorkle trip if you want.
posted by rich at 3:37 AM on September 24, 2015
Echoing some of the above: Cheaper to fly into Cancun and drive around. With at least a week, stay in a few different places. It's not that big, but you don't want to waste time with lots of backtracking.
I strongly recommend the Cadogan Guide to Yucatan & Mayan Mexico. It's a bit out of date, so you'll want to use online sources for hotels and restaurants, but it's a great cultural reference, and really well written to boot.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:06 AM on September 24, 2015
I strongly recommend the Cadogan Guide to Yucatan & Mayan Mexico. It's a bit out of date, so you'll want to use online sources for hotels and restaurants, but it's a great cultural reference, and really well written to boot.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:06 AM on September 24, 2015
I've been to both Tulum/Coba and Belize on separate trips and I much preferred Belize. You can see the entire country in a week, there are fabulous Mayan ruins to visit especially in the northern and western parts of the country, they speak English and take American money, and (when I went) it was pretty inexpensive. Visit Caye Caulker to get your fill of beaches and snorkeling, then take a bus to San Ignacio and hit up to Actun Tunichil Muknal, Tikal (in Guatemala), and Xunantunich.
posted by xbonesgt at 8:13 AM on September 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by xbonesgt at 8:13 AM on September 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
You might want to look into adding Campeche to your itinerary; it's got a very lovely historic centre that is well worth a visit. It would also provide a bit of a break; I find too many days of looking at the same sort of thing, whether cathedrals or deserts or art museums or Mayan ruins gets a little wearying and I don't appreciate each one individually, especially the lesser ones. It's also a good jumping off spot for Edzna, which is not heavily visited like Uxmal or Tulum, but is substantial and in decent condition.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:55 AM on September 24, 2015
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:55 AM on September 24, 2015
A few scattered pieces of advice.
Fly in and out of Cancun but don't stay there. Flight will be cheaper than to Merida. Excellent affordable and comprehensive bus connections to all parts of the Yucatan from the ADO terminal in Cancun Centro. Or rent a car for more remote locations. There is an ADO bus that runs from the airport to the bus station. Don't get fooled by the hoards of cabbies out front telling you it doesn't run anymore or telling you to "wait for the bus right here" which is not where the bus comes. I suppose they hope you will get frustrated and retreat back to them for a ride. Once you exit the terminal turn right and walk all the way to the end. You will see a small ADO kiosk. Buy your ticket there.
Tulum is awesome for the stunning beach, the cool eco-hotels and the food. Eat at Hartwood if you want to splurge one night.
The ruins at Tulum are very underwhelming in my opinion. A bunch of small structures, no stelae that I can recall, no ball court, no pyramids. I would definitely recommend Coba over the Tulum ruins if you stay in Tulum. If you want more budget options there are many cheap hotels and some hostels in Tulum Pueblo as well as lots of cheap restaurants and bars. To stay on the beach you are probably looking at around a $150 US per night minimum and eating out can quickly add up.
If you want a show stopper ruins site that is really off the tourist trail look in to Calakmul. You can't do it as a day trip as it is really out there in Campeche State but there are a few bare bones places in the cross roads town of Xpujil that you can stay in. You would need your own car for this. When I was there a few years ago we stayed the night in Xpujil, got up very early and then it was about a half hour drive to the entrance of the park then another half hour drive down an access road to the actual site. We were the only ones there for the first three hours probably. And then I think we only shared the park with 10 other people all day. We saw quite a few spider monkeys and green parrots. The main pyramids are staggeringly massive. The largest is the largest Mayan structure on the Yucatan I believe. Something like a footprint of 2 square km. You can climb several of the big pyramids which give you amazing views above the tree line off in to the horizon.
posted by Fred Wesley at 1:12 PM on October 7, 2015
Fly in and out of Cancun but don't stay there. Flight will be cheaper than to Merida. Excellent affordable and comprehensive bus connections to all parts of the Yucatan from the ADO terminal in Cancun Centro. Or rent a car for more remote locations. There is an ADO bus that runs from the airport to the bus station. Don't get fooled by the hoards of cabbies out front telling you it doesn't run anymore or telling you to "wait for the bus right here" which is not where the bus comes. I suppose they hope you will get frustrated and retreat back to them for a ride. Once you exit the terminal turn right and walk all the way to the end. You will see a small ADO kiosk. Buy your ticket there.
Tulum is awesome for the stunning beach, the cool eco-hotels and the food. Eat at Hartwood if you want to splurge one night.
The ruins at Tulum are very underwhelming in my opinion. A bunch of small structures, no stelae that I can recall, no ball court, no pyramids. I would definitely recommend Coba over the Tulum ruins if you stay in Tulum. If you want more budget options there are many cheap hotels and some hostels in Tulum Pueblo as well as lots of cheap restaurants and bars. To stay on the beach you are probably looking at around a $150 US per night minimum and eating out can quickly add up.
If you want a show stopper ruins site that is really off the tourist trail look in to Calakmul. You can't do it as a day trip as it is really out there in Campeche State but there are a few bare bones places in the cross roads town of Xpujil that you can stay in. You would need your own car for this. When I was there a few years ago we stayed the night in Xpujil, got up very early and then it was about a half hour drive to the entrance of the park then another half hour drive down an access road to the actual site. We were the only ones there for the first three hours probably. And then I think we only shared the park with 10 other people all day. We saw quite a few spider monkeys and green parrots. The main pyramids are staggeringly massive. The largest is the largest Mayan structure on the Yucatan I believe. Something like a footprint of 2 square km. You can climb several of the big pyramids which give you amazing views above the tree line off in to the horizon.
posted by Fred Wesley at 1:12 PM on October 7, 2015
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If I were to do the trip again, I'd probably stay as far away from the Cancun madness (which really includes Playa Del Carmen and Tulum as well -- it's all one huge strip of mind-numbing resorts) as possible, and split my time between Merida and Mahahual, which is much more isolated (though be careful of the cruise ships that dock there from time to time). If you do stay in Merida, I would highly recommend the B&B we stayed in, Casa Del Maya. You could save money by booking your flight in and out of Cancun airport rather than Merida. The toll road from Cancun to Merida is expensive but really quite well maintained -- if we were to do it again, we would try to ensure the drive happened in the daytime however, as we felt quite disoriented. There's also a longer route, which allows you to stop at interesting cenotes/towns/haciendas along the way.
Let me know if you have any more questions about specifics once you get the outline of your trip filled in.
posted by peacheater at 6:23 PM on September 23, 2015 [5 favorites]