Best of Yucatan

About the destination: The Riviera Maya is a tourism and resort district in Mexico. It straddles the coastal Highway along the Caribbean coastline of the state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. This district historically started at the city of Playa del Carmen and ended at the village of Tulum. Target areas for urbanization include the towns and villages of: Puerto Morelos, the Riviera Maya), Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, Chemuyil, and Tulum. A major attraction throughout the Riviera Maya are coastal and reef aquatic activities dependent on the coastal water and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System which begins near Cancun and continues along the whole length of the Riviera Maya continuing southward to Guatemala. This barrier reef system is the second longest in the world. Activities at the most visited locations include jet-skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming in cenotes, swimming with dolphins, zip-lining, horse riding, sailing, and guided jungle tours. Archeology is also a big tourist draw in the area, including the popular archeological sites operated by the Instituto Nacional de Archeological such as Tulum on the coast, and Chichen Itza and Coba located some distance inland.

About the destination: It is the most famous archaeological site of Mayan culture, was named World Heritage Site by UNESCO and one of the "Seven New Wonders of the World." The archaeological site covers an area of ​​6.5 square kilometers and can be visited in one day. The views and most impressive structures in Chichén Itzá are located in the central area. There you will find the Ballgame, various platforms, temples and the spectacular Castle (Pyramid of Kukulkan), a huge stone 25 meter showing the Mayan calendar. Every year during the spring and fall equinoxes, the sun creates the illusion of a snake climbing or descending the stairs of the Pyramid of Kukulkan, a fantastic phenomenon that attracts large crowds. The illusion is reproduced in sound and light show that takes place every night at the archaeological site. You can tour the archaeological site of Chichen Itza in a day trip, or spend the night at the nearby Hacienda Chichen, a place of XVI century beautifully restored and transformed into a luxury hotel and spa.

About the destination: Izamal is a Mexican city, head of the municipality of the same name in the State of Yucatan. Izamal is located 66.5 kilometers east of Merida and about 60 kilometers northwest of Chichen Itza.

About the destination: Campeche is one of 31 States that, together with the Federal District, conform the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is one of three entities that make up the Yucatan peninsula, is in a position of transition between the Guatemalan Peten rain forest and deciduous in the north end of the Yucatan peninsula. The State capital is San Francisco de Campeche. The region has a based on the well-known tourism as Sun and beach tourism, although the great legacy of pre-Hispanic culture makes the place even more charm.

About the destination: The city is known as a center of business and management of the oil industry and the southeast of Mexico. Villahermosa is a city with an abundance of natural resources, its origins go back to 1519, when Cortés, after defeating the Chontal Indians in the battle of Centla and after receiving the Malinche. The city focused its tourist offer in its cultural heritage but also generated many business tourism income.

About the destination: San Cristobal de Las Casas is the head of the homonymous municipality in the center of the state of Chiapas (Mexico). It is the largest urban center in the region of Los Altos de Chiapas2 and the third largest in the state, behind Tuxtla Gutierrez and Tapachulaen the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas.

About the destination: Palenque is in Chiapas and is a city famous for the ruins of a Mayan city dating from about 600 to 800 CE and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Its numerous inscribed stone slabs, intricate basrelief sculptures, inlaid masks and other remarkable adornments give Palenque an air of enchantment and sanctity. The 75-foot-high Temple of the Inscriptions contains one of the only crypts found inside a pyramid in Mexico. On excavation, the Tomb of Pakal, a Mayan ruler of the 7th century, revealed an array of jewels, masks, jade ornaments, wall carvings and other exquisite artefacts.

About the destination: Chicanná was a Maya town that was built during the Classic period (600 A.D. to 830 A.D.). The site was named after its most famous building, Structure II, which means "House of the Serpent Mouth" in Mayan. In the Mayan language chi means "mouth", can means "serpent" and na means "house". The site is located two kilometers west of Becán in the Mexican state of Campeche on the Yucatán peninsula. It is one of 45 other ruin sites located within that area.

About the destination: Tulum is the largest community in the municipality of Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located on the Caribbean coast of the state, near the site of the archaeological ruins of Tulum. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS •Tulum archaeological site •Muyil archaeological site •Cenotes •Sian Ka'an Biosphere. The reserve features acres upon acres of pristine mangrove swamp and wetlands. •Coba ruins. They feature "el castillo" the tallest of the Mayan ruins that juts up above the treetops in the jungle. You can still climb el castillo in Coba and the sight from the top is spectacular. •Tulum Ruins. It is the biggest ancient building that is standing on the Riviera Maya shore.