I’m still raving about the beaches from our Mexico trip: The soft white sand and turquoise water fulfilled all our Caribbean dreams. Once you see them you’re not questioning anymore why Cancún and the Riviera Maya (the stretch between Playa del Carmen and Tulum) have become such popular tourist destinations. Even during high season – while highly frequented – we found the beaches serene and peaceful – and incredibly clean! And while laying on the beach all day quickly gets boring to us, we enjoyed probably the best snorkeling in the Riviera Maya too. We even swam with wild turtles which I’ll be telling you about later. For now I apologize for the beach spam 😉
Contents
1. Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen was our home base for a week: Although it’s a busy little town with lots of ferry traffic from/to nearby Cozumel, the beaches were surprisingly calm and clean. Most of the action can be found on the beach promenade Quinta Avenida but the wide stretch of sand takes you far enough to find your place of relaxation. The amount of people decreases the more south you go and the swimming is excellent.
Not far from the beach you may see some cute agoutis (a rodent similar to guinea pigs) who live in the parks and gardens.
2. Tulum
I already showed you the picture-perfect beach near the ruins of Tulum here, but there are more beautiful stretches of sand outside the ruins. The laid-back beach of Tulum is fringed with palm trees and doesn’t lack (neo-)hippie spots for the love of (mostly Western) temporary and long-term escapees.
Tulum also is a paradise for those who love extraordinary beach accommodation and have a big wallet 😉
3. Isla Mujeres
The “island of women” lies close to Cancún but instead of high-rise beach condos, you’ll only find a small village, golf-carts and a nice mix between travelers and locals. The atmosphere was very laid-back as you would expect it from an island paradise!
The beach is the main attraction of Isla Mujeres: Playa Norte plays in its own league although, not surprisingly, felt crowded at times. The scenery is hard to beat though: The crystal-clear water gently crushes on the finest, whitest sand you could ask for!
If you want to escape the crowds you just have to walk a few steps to the East side of the island: The waves are much rougher but the beach there was completely isolated!
Isla Mujeres is served by frequent ferries from Cancún by Ultramar and the ride takes about 20 minutes only.
4. Akumal
Let’s head to some of the best snorkeling spots the area has to offer: It’s no secret that Akumal – half way between Playa del Carmen and Tulum – is THE spot for snorkeling with wild turtles! I couldn’t believe it at first when we got there – the beach was already busy and it was obvious that everyone came for that one reason. Some local touts will try hard to convince you to join a snorkeling tour with a guide, but I did my research and knew it wasn’t necessary. Just bring your own gear and come as early as possible, politely ignore the touts and you can start your own snorkeling tour right off the beach!
Basically you just have to swim to the patches of sea grass and patiently keep your eyes open. I instantly saw a sting ray and it didn’t take long until we spotted a silhouette of a turtle in the murky water! It was pretty amazing to see them grazing and elegantly floating through the sea, although I wasn’t sure whether they felt disturbed by the amount of people… I suppose they got adjusted to humans, nevertheless I want to point out that you should keep a safe distance and never touch them!
5. Yal-Ku
Just a stone throw away from Akumal Beach, yet very different is Yal-Ku: The setup is more like a park that has been built around a cenote. However this isn’t an ordinary cenote, but one that is connected via a lagoon with the ocean! You have to pay an admission fee to gain access (rental gear and lockers are available) but in my opinion it was totally worth it. The scenery is unique as you swim between rocks and mangroves, accompanied by plenty of colourful, tropical fish. If you’re into snorkeling, this is a must!
Last but not least, after a fantastic week, we had to say Goodbye to Mexico. Before we returned our rental car, we stopped by this beautiful little beach near Cancún Airport… And with a heavy heart we had to say Adiós!
Looking for tours and activities in the Riviera Maya? See the full list here.
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12 Comments
das ist so unpackbar unfassbar wunderschön! und die schildis, hach hach hach!
Ohja, ich war so fix davon überzeugt dass wir keine sehen werden, weil so viele Leute am Strand waren… Dafür war das Erlebnis umso schöner 😉
What incredible beaches and snorkelling spots. I couldn’t believe how gorgeous each is Julia. Love the sea animals and fish – yes hope they are not too concerned with the amount of humans in their world but if everyone did what you did ie not too close, they would be fine I am sure.
I’m always astonished to see so much wildlife so close to people – very fascinating (and sometimes a little scary ;))
Tulum has always been top on my list! can’t wait to visit myself! Love your photos as always x
Tiffany
http://www.mstiffanyyang.com
Awww thank you. I’m sure you’d love it as much as I did 😉
You’re making me want to book a flight to Mexico this instant. Such beautiful photography and that water! Thank you for all these tips, its great for deciding which city to visit, if not all of them!
Thank you for your kind words! I’m always happy to hear that I could help a little 😉
Another great post from you Julia! The big photo in the Tulum section caught my eyes. I think I saw it in one of the fashion bloggers’ post that I follow. lol. Yes, I heard the area is quite expensive but I suppose worth all the penny?
Your snorkeling photos are evidence for a no-cash great experience in Mexico. We joined a tour when we were there just to do snorkeling and we pretty much saw same sea creatures with a cost. 😀
Very likely these photos look familiar to you, I think every travel blogger has taken similar ones 😛 Yes, the are is pricier than others but it was ok for a day or two. And I don’t think the tour is a bad idea – at least it supports the locals 😉
I’ve never heats of an agoutis – I never even knew this animal existed! I’m so jealous reading this post as it’s currently snowing in Scotland and I’m absolutely freezing! Desparately craving some sun 🙂
Honestly I’ve never heard of them either and I had to look them up 😉 What should I say, I’m freezing here as well and I think we’re all fed up with winter :/