Just kidding. My boyfriend and I didn’t feel in danger any single time during our 3-week-long road trip to Mexico and Belize. I will try to make this blog post as short as possible because I cannot put into words how amazing this adventure was. If you have the opportunity, just go and book a one-way ticket to Mexico.
In PART 1 of this blog post, I will briefly introduce you our plan and what we did during the first 10 days we spent in Mexico. Our itinerary doesn’t have a lot of resting planned and it’s only meant for hardcore travellers. Pack your energy and let’s go get lost. Vámonos!
All the prices mentioned below are in Mexican Pesos.
For approximate reference 1 USD = 18.91 MXN. 1 EUR =20.85 MXN etc.
DAY 1.
Geneva - Cancún – arrival.
We were picked up by a shuttle from the airport as we rented a car in advance. After long research, we chose SIXT. I suggest you make sure that you’ve done full insurance of the vehicle to avoid any trouble later. Better do the insurance online at home, not by arrival. We paid extra to get a GPS, but we finally used our phones for navigation.
DAY 2 and 3.
Cancún - Isla Mujeres
We parked our car at Puerto Juarez port parking (MXN20 /hour) and took the UltraMar ferry to Isla Mujeres. It takes 20-30 minutes to go from Cancún to the island. Ferry round trip costs MXN300 per person. We took the one at 8:30 AM and went back to our car with the one at 1:00 PM. The ferry departs every half an hour. There was live music, which was fun. Prepare to give some tips.
On Isla Mujeres most of the people rent a golf cart or a scooter. We went for the scooter. Full day price for the golf cart – MXN800; scooter – MXN450.
- If you go in the morning don’t skip having a breakfast/brunch at Mango Polo – they also have some good vegan options.
- Punta Sur – you can enjoy amazing turquoise water views, a sculpture garden, a lighthouse and remains of Maya ruins. Punta Sur is located at the island’s southernmost point.
- Playa Norte – it’s the main beach and you can enjoy some time there simply resting and swimming. The water is transparent and only chest-deep even far from the shore.
You can also visit a Turtle Farm, do some snorkelling or diving at La Bandera, Arrecife Manchones, Ultra-freeze and so on. At the last one (called El Frío in Spanish) on top of the beautiful sea life, you will also find a 60m long cargo shipwreck. For the time we were on the island, we couldn’t do any diving or snorkelling, but it was enough to feel the vibe.
Once we were back to Cancún, we headed to Chiquilla, where we took a ferry to another island called Holbox.
Distance Puerto Juarez, Cancún - Chiquilla – 144.5km or about 2h trip. Toll fees Cancún – Chiquilla - MXN160. Ferry Chiquilla – Holbox takes about 25min and costs MXN150 for a one-way ticket.
The parking in Chiquilla is MXN50 for 12h and MXN 100 for 24h. We left the car in the parking for 2 days, because in Holbox cars are not allowed which I admire. The island is very ECO-friendly and the most common way to move around is by golf cart or bike. We did neither of the two – we walked all the time – except taking a taxi (golf cart) from the harbour to our hotel and back. The taxi was MXN70, so don’t fall for much more expensive prices, because they usually start higher, but the distances are not that long.
Our favourite dining place on the island is LUUMA. We went twice and we chose it even for our New Year Eve’s dinner. The food is incredible – it’s kind of tapas but in a very boho-fancy way. I ate the most delicious vegan food there. What I also love is that LUUMA and many of the restaurants are supporting the local production and they don’t offer brands like Coca Cola etc.
Some nice breakfast/brunch places are:
- Painapol – best brunch and murals in and outside the place.
- Palmetto – cute beach bar with smoothies and some other healthy food options. You can enjoy the location and swing while eating.
In Holbox, you can also go for a flamingo discovery with a kayak or to swim with whale sharks. The best time to swim with the whale sharks is between mid-May and mid-September, so we didn’t do it, but if you travel at that time of the year do it for me, please!
NB!!! Take tons of Insects spray with you and spray yourself day and night. The mosquitos on the island are like vampires and never get enough blood. No siesta for them!
DAY 4.
Holbox – Chiquilla – Valladolid
Once we took back the car from Chiquilla we headed to Valladolid. The distance between the two is 162km, 2h drive. Toll fee between Chiquilla and Valladolid – MXN196.
Remember, to change your time. There is a 1-hour difference between Yucatán and Quintana Roo, so you have to go 1 hour back, as Quintana Roo is 1 hour ahead of Yucatan.
Around Valladolid, there are many cenotes and Maya ruins, including the most famous one - Chichén Itzá.
Once we arrived in Valladolid we went straight for lunch and chasing cenotes. The first cenote we went to is Saytun (see the picture) – MXN120 per person. There were not too many people when we arrived in the afternoon. Super lucky.
After we visited a second cenote – Oxman which costs MXN80 or MXN120 per person including food. My boyfriend liked playing and jumping with a rope in the water like Tarzan.
In the evening we ate in El Atrio del Mayab, which is quite a good dining option in Valladolid.
DAY 5.
Chichén Itzá – 35km from Valladolid, 45min by car. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. No climbing on the pyramid allowed.
Go early in the morning. It opens at 8 AM. The entry fees recently increased double for foreigners. At this point the entrance is MXN486. You can pay cash or by card, but just in case always make sure that you have enough cash whatever sights you visit in Mexico.
We are happy about the early arrival at Chichén Itzá because there were not so many visitors. On the way back which was about 2 hours later, there were already many groups and people walking around or clapping their hands at the base of the pyramid to hear the song of a sacred Mayan bird through the echo. Quite special, but we enjoyed the silence in the beginning.
After Chichén Itzá, we went to cenote Ik Kil which was very crowded, but cool – entrance fee MXN80. We didn’t stay long as it was not enjoyable, so we hit the road to Izamal or also known as the ‘Yellow City’. I loved this place and the yellow architecture everywhere. Just walk around and visit Convento de San Antonio, which you cannot miss if you pass by the centre.
Next stop – Mérida. The distance between Izamal and Mérida is 66.9km, 54min.
We arrived late in the afternoon, but what I didn’t mention is that this day was the worst day of our trip. Since we had our breakfast at the hotel in Valladolid my boyfriend slowly started to feel sick and weak which was getting worse and worse throughout the day. He was trying not to complain or show it too much, but once we arrived in Mérida he was in enormous pain and started to get paralyzed. I’ve never seen him like that. We were crazy scared and I called a doctor, who luckily after the injections and the antibiotics helped him feel better. What I want to say here is - please choose very carefully your food and the places you eat in Mexico.
DAY 6.
Mérida – Celestún – 105.2km, 1h 26min
We went to Celestún for bird- and flamingo watching.
There are 2 places to start this tour in Celestún. The first one is right under the bridge when you enter the town and lasts 1h 30min. The second tour starts from the beach and it’s 1 hour longer, which means more bird-watching, but as I wanted to see mainly the flamingos, we chose the shorter one. The price is per boat for 6, not per person and it is MXN1878 for the boat, so if you don’t want to pay that price and travel alone or just with your partner, ask some people from the queue to join you. We did that and had a shared tour with a nice Mexican family.
We saw a lot of birds, 2 alligators and thousands of flamingos, but apparently, the best time to see the entire lake full of these pink beauties is February and March, but anytime between November and March is good to go. I don’t have to say that I wanted to cry by the view of my favourite birds.
Btw, before starting the boat tour, at the parking, we also saw some raccoons. Best day ever.
After we went to Uxmal, which is 120.6km (1h 48 min) away from Celestún. We spent the night there without electricity.
DAY 7.
Uxmal Mayan Ruins – entrance fee MXN413
The Uxmal Ruins are by far the most impressive ones in Yucatán according to not only us, but many other people who’ve been to Mexico. We were truly surprised by this place, so put it on your list once you are discovering Yucatán.
Uxmal – Las Coloradas – 306km, 3h 33min
This is not a common route and was the only mistake we did in our tour planning. Going from Uxmal to Las Coloradas is quite long and doesn’t make sense, especially when we were in Valladolid before. The best way to go to Las Coloradas is from Valladolid as it is much closer – 116km, 1h 37min.
However, that day was cloudy and windy and it was me this time, who didn’t feel good, but once we arrived to the cotton-candy pink lake in Las Coloradas, I forgot the pain and felt that I am in paradise. We paid MXN200 for the two for a guide otherwise it is not possible to walk around the lake. Going inside the lake isn’t allowed as well.
Las Coloradas lake contains 27% salt, the ocean in comparison has roughly 3,5% salinity. The name of the lake translated from Spanish means ‘’the red’’, but I guess you are asking yourself why is this colour? The answer is due to red-coloured algae plankton, and brine shrimp that thrive in the salty environment.
This lake is part of Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, which is home to many of my favourite animals like flamingos, sea turtles, all kinds of sea birds, jaguars and my not that favourite crocodiles.
We drove to Las Coloradas just to see this parallel world reality in pink. Btw, this place is being used to produce highly valuable salt, so you will see some huge ‘’white hills’’ around.
We drove to Bacalar right after this and had the longest day of driving, but it was all worth it. The distance between Las Coloradas and Bacalar is 384.6km or 5h on the road. I guess, this is why it is called a road trip, right?
DAY 8.
Laguna Bacalar – the peninsula’s largest lagoon. There is not much going on here, but those 60km long turquoise waters are enough to fall in love with the place. When we arrived, the weather was not at its best, but we had 3 hours of sun, which we used to the fullest. Walking in the water, we found the tiniest beach ever only for ourselves. 2x2m kind of paradise.
To enter the lagoon there is a tax. We paid MXN20 per person, but I am pretty sure that you can enter also for free if you go from some other places.
You can rent a kayak and go to the other side of the lagoon or explore some cenotes.
The only cenote we’ve visited in Bacalar is cenote Azul, which I don’t recommend. It’s not bad, but after the rest we saw, it was not jaw-dropping at all. Entry fee to cenote Azul – MXN25/person.
DAY 9.
Bacalar – Cobá ruins. 262km, 3h 4min drive. Entry fee archaeological site – MXN80, parking MXN60.
Climbing the pyramid in Coba is allowed. There you might want to rent a bike after you enter the site as the distance to the main pyramid is not as short as by the most Maya ruins we’ve been to. You can also pay someone to drive you around. Anyway, we walked since we prefer walking, even if our time was limited because this day was the drop off of the car in Playa del Carmen.
Cobá – Playa del Carmen – 109km, 1h 32min
Time for the marathon to start. My boyfriend didn’t change the time (as I mentioned above, there is 1-hour difference between Quintana Roo and Yucatán) and I didn’t check my phone, so we left 1 hour later than planned. We dropped quickly our luggage at our hotel in Playa del Carmen and had to put fuel – card payments were not accepted at the gas station so we gave an ID card for a guarantee and went to withdraw some cash from the closest ATM, which was 7 minutes drive away. But in the end, none of this mattered because we arrived perfectly on time to drop off the car. Mission accomplished.
In the afternoon we walked in the city centre of Playa del Carmen, went to the beach and had dinner. There is not much to see there and it honestly is my least favourite place we went to, but this is my personal opinion.
DAY 10.
On this day, we were thinking to go to Cozumel island or explore more of Playa del Carmen, but as we didn’t like the vibe of the place, we changed our ADO bus tickets to Tulum for an earlier trip and left around 12h. Don’t skip Cozumel though, because a lot of people love it. We just couldn’t wait to get to Tulum.
Hope you will succeed to wait a bit longer for PART 2: The truth about Tulum.
XOXO
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