Cancun
CancĂșn Spring Break, Music Festivals & Beach Party Culture
CancĂșn's spring break and beach party culture (the annual influx of approximately 100,000 American college students during February-April and the major electronic music festivals (the 'Ultra Beach CancĂșn', the 'BPM Festival' (formerly held in Playa del Carmen), the 'Medusa Festival') that have made CancĂșn the party tourism capital of the Americas) represent a distinct and significant dimension of the CancĂșn tourism experience that co-exists with the family resort culture of the Hotel Zone.
Downtown CancĂșn, Mexican Street Food & Local Life
El Centro (downtown CancĂșn â the Mexican city of approximately 1 million people that exists behind the tourist curtain of the Hotel Zone) is where the real CancĂșn lives: the Mercado 28 (the covered market with the Yucatecan food), the Parque de las Palapas (the local park and street food scene), the Avenida YaxchilĂĄn (the local bar and restaurant strip), and the authentic Mexican culture that is largely invisible to the visitors who never leave the all-inclusive Hotel Zone.
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve & Mayan Jungle Wilderness
Sian Ka'an (the 'Where the Sky is Born' in Maya â the UNESCO World Heritage Site biosphere reserve of 5,280 kmÂČ (2,038 sq miles) on the Caribbean coast of the YucatĂĄn, 100 km south of CancĂșn) encompasses tropical forests, mangroves, marshes, a section of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and over 100 Maya archaeological sites, making it the most important natural reserve on the Mexican Caribbean coast and one of the most biodiverse areas in the Americas.
CancĂșn's Hotel Zone, Caribbean Beaches & Turquoise Waters
CancĂșn (the city on the Caribbean coast of the YucatĂĄn Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo â the most visited tourist destination in Mexico and the most visited beach resort destination in the Americas, with approximately 6-7 million international visitors per year): the Zona Hotelera (the Hotel Zone â the 22-kilometre barrier island of white sand beaches, luxury resort hotels, and turquoise Caribbean waters that is the reason why most visitors come to CancĂșn) is the archetype of the Caribbean beach resort.
The Mesoamerican Reef, Snorkelling & CancĂșn's Marine World
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (the world's second largest barrier reef system, running 1,000 km from Mexico to Honduras â the reef that creates the conditions for the extraordinary turquoise clarity of the Caribbean Sea off CancĂșn) provides the world-class snorkelling, scuba diving, and marine life encounters (whale sharks, sea turtles, manta rays, dolphins) that are among the most compelling natural attractions accessible from CancĂșn.
Chichén Itzå, the Maya Pyramid & the Ancient Civilization of Yucatån
ChichĂ©n ItzĂĄ (the UNESCO World Heritage Site and New Seven Wonders of the World site in the interior of the YucatĂĄn Peninsula, 180 km (112 miles) west of CancĂșn â 2.5 hours by bus or car): the El Castillo pyramid (the 'Pyramid of KukulcĂĄn' â the most important Maya pyramid in Mexico and the most visited archaeological site in Mexico, with approximately 2.5-3 million visitors per year) and the other structures of the ChichĂ©n ItzĂĄ site together represent the most accessible and most spectacular Maya archaeological experience available from CancĂșn.
Xel-HĂĄ, Cenote Adventures & the YucatĂĄn's Freshwater World
The cenotes (the 'ts'onot' â the natural freshwater sinkholes of the YucatĂĄn limestone karst, ranging from small cave pools to vast open lagoons) and the Xel-HĂĄ natural water park (the natural inlet where the fresh water of the cenote system meets the Caribbean Sea â now operated as an all-inclusive snorkelling park on the Riviera Maya) represent the freshwater dimension of the YucatĂĄn's extraordinary natural heritage, the complement to the saltwater reef experience of CancĂșn.
Isla Contoy Bird Sanctuary & YucatĂĄn Wildlife
Isla Contoy (the uninhabited island national park 30 km north of Isla Mujeres â one of the most important seabird nesting colonies in the Mexican Caribbean, with over 150 bird species including large colonies of the magnificent frigatebird, the brown pelican, and the red-footed booby) and the rich marine life of the northern YucatĂĄn coast (the whale sharks, the loggerhead sea turtles, the spotted eagle rays, and the vast schools of fish) make the waters north of CancĂșn one of the most important marine wildlife areas in the Americas.
CobĂĄ Ruins, Jungle Cycling & YucatĂĄn Archaeological Sites
CobĂĄ (the Maya archaeological site 170 km southwest of CancĂșn in the interior jungle of the YucatĂĄn â the site of one of the largest Maya cities of the Classic period (approximately 600-900 CE), with approximately 6,500 structures across 70 kmÂČ of jungle, including the Nohoch Mul pyramid (the tallest Maya structure in the YucatĂĄn at 42 metres / 138 feet)) is unique among Maya sites in allowing visitors to climb the main pyramid and in requiring bicycles or rickshaws to traverse the wide-spread site through the jungle.