Riviera Maya is the coast of Mexico that overlooks the Caribbean Sea, on the Yucatan peninsula. Being a sunny and warm place all year long, it is a major destination for tourists of every country.
I left Italy at the beginning of January 2019, to Cancun. After a few days in Havana, Cuba I arrived with a flight of 45 minutes in Cancún: the first time in my life, in less than one week I had passing from the middle of the winter to the total summer!
Since the moment I put my feet outside the airport I felt an incredible holiday atmosphere. Everybody was smiling at me, and their lovely tanned skin made me feel a pale foreigner. I asked some people for information on how to reach Tulum, and their extremely kind manners made me feel at ease right away. Once on the bus, I sat by the window to look outside during the journey. I was charmed by the nature around: tropical forests on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other. When I arrived in Tulum the sun was already down. I reached my hostel, crossing a lot of both tourists and locals going out partying: just few weeks later I would have been there myself with my new Mexican friends!
Tulum
Tulum is the third city of the Riviera Maya. It’s smaller than Cancun and Playa del Carmen but it’s very much authentic. Its centre is characterized by a long avenue flanked by colorful shops and murales, which end in the main square where stands the twelve rocks of the Mayan calendar. The best food that I ate was a Burrito in the restaurant “Burrito Amor” and drunk my first ‘Agua de Sabores’, typical Latin American water mixed with fresh fruits such as banana, mango, coconut or papaya. It rapidly became my favorite thirst-quenching drink!
Ruinas Mayas
The Yucatan peninsula is characterized by the presence of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. The truth is, in the south of Mexico Mayas still exist nowadays. Some Mexicans from Quintana Roa, in fact, still speak the language, backed by Spanish as the official of the country. The Mayas were one of the most intelligent populations in the world of that time, having excelled in art, architecture, mathematics, and astronomy. When visiting the Yucatan peninsula you could not miss exploring the ancient ruins of the Mayan cities. All of them are very particular and worth to visit, but the ones I most recommend are:
Tulum: very close to the municipality, these ruins are not very big but enjoy an amazing view of the Caribbean Sea. They were called by the Mayas Zama, which means sunrise
Chichen itza: one of the major focal points of the Mayan civilization, and nowadays considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It is situated in the state of Yucatan, so at around twenty minutes from the city of Valladolid. Its main pyramid is the temple of Kukulkan.
An amazing fact about it is that if you stand at the foot of the Western side and you clap you hands, you will hear coming from the top an incredibly realistic roar of a jaguar!
Coba: located in the exact middle on the road from Tulum to Chichen Itza, Coba is an archeological site completely immersed in the forest. This is the only site where you will be able to climb the biggest pyramid. It is pretty steep but the view pays off! In this site you will also be able to see the field of the famous ‘Juego de la Pelota’. This is a sort of Mayan football in which they had to thread a ball through a ring, using all the parts of their body but the hands and the feet.
In the park of Xcaret a part of the show features a match of the Juego de la Pelota. The actors are really players!
Cenotes
The other incredible uniqueness of the Yucatan peninsula is the presence of Cenotes. These are ponds of unsalted water located in caves or natural spaces. The water is not stagnant, but always moving thanks to subterrean connections, which can be very deep. It’s still a mystery how they got created, but the legend says that it was because of a meteorite which fell on the on the Yucatan Peninsula. Mayas used some cenotes for sacrificial offerings, thinking they were a gateway for afterlife. Some cenotes worth visiting are Cenote Ik kil, Jardin del Eden y Xunan-Ha.
If you are brave enough you could go to Casa Cenote, but be careful: I swam very close to a crocodile sleeping on the rocks!
I hope you enjoyed my article. Let me know if you have questions about things to do in the Riviera Maya and check my experience as a Receptionist in the Bahia Principe!
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