“ Travel far enough,you meet yourself — David Mitchell”
One of my reasons to visit Cancun was to see the magnificent Chichen Itza.However, as I tried to explore more about Cancun, I became aware of more things to do apart from visiting Chichen itza, whether it's Coba or a Cenote or Playa Del Carmen. Here are my top things to do in Cancun.
Chichen Itza: It is the largest pre-Columbian city built by Mayan people and situated on the Yucatan peninsula. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and was a center for pilgrimage for the Ancient Maya for over 1000 years.
Swim Cenotes: If you love water, there are so many beautiful Cenotes out there that are unique. It is said that the Yucatan peninsula has over 30,000 cenotes. The water is clear and usually has this blue or green hue.
Mayan Ruins(Tulum and Coba): I took the choice of visiting both these Mayan sites in a day. I was amazed by the sunrise at Tulum and sunset at Coba. You would see the water, ruins, and trees at Tulum in one frame, and at Coba, you can climb up to the top and see the jungle around the ruins.
Playa del Carmen: This is close to Cancun which takes around 45 min to 1-hour drive based on the traffic. The buses run frequently from Cancun to Playa and back every 30 minutes and it’s a good option as the price is very reasonable. The beach is beautiful and the playa has underground cave systems where people usually snorkel. There are a variety of restaurants around downtown that are worth a visit.
Shopping,Food and Activities: The variety of colors and the choices were too many to pick from. This is also a region to try your hand at different activities: whether its water sports: parasailing; Ziplining or ATV tours. There are several resorts with different choices such as Xcaret, Xavage, Xplor, Xel ha which are fun to try. Even before visiting Mexico, I am a big fan of Mexican food. Guacamole, Tacos, and Nachos are my favorites.
Most of the places that I listed above, I managed to do them as day tours. My day tour used to start by 6.30 am and end by 8 pm( dependent on the travel time). The best time to visit Cancun is generally from December to April. And it is also the time most tourists are there and the prices are higher than usual.
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow” — Anita Desai
