Mexico Yucatán Road Trip
Mexico Travel Itinerary & Guide
22 Days in Yucatán, Mexico
This trip offers a very diversified adventure – from wonderful beaches, Maya Ruins, Mexican cities, waterfalls to extraordinary canyons and lakes. We started in Cancun, went south to Tulum, Bacalar and inland to Palenque, San Cristobal, Merida, Valladoid,Holbox and finished in Cancún.
Day 1:
Arrived late in Cancún, so we missed the last bus from the airport to the city. So we had to take a taxi which was much more expensive. Furthermore, we booked an airbnb and our taxi driver didn’t know the address (he just know Hotel names) and he didn’t have a gps or mobile phone or anything. It took us hours to get to our location. So two learnings: try to arrive before the last bus leaves and book a hotel instead of an airbnb (price is the same and the reception at a hotel is open the whole night and it’s easier to find).
Day 2:
In the morning we looked for a nice place for breakfast and decided to go the “Vegan Planet”. The breakfast there was delicious. Especially the smoothies. I ordered an Açaí Bowl with bananas and nuts as topics and I loved it! After breakfast we packed our stuff and took the bus to Tulum, since we didn’t have any interest in staying longer in Cancun (very touristic and one hotel next to another)..
With the ADO bus it took us only two hours to get to Tulum. Right after the arrival we took a taxi to our hostel (40 Pesos, the prices there are fixed). We chose a really compfy hostel called JOY with many single huts and a little bit of jungle feeling (usually one hut is for two people). The hostel has a pool, internet (that is only working at the reception) and offers a decent breakfast. One disadavantage: the bathrooms are in another hut, meaning you have to walk there in case you wake up with a full bladder in the middle of the night. We loved the hostel and the lady at the reception was super nice and helped us out with everything.
In the late afternoon we took some bikes (hostel offers a bike rent for free) and went to the wonderful beach. The beach in Tulum is stunning and really a must do when you are there. After a short beach time we went to town for our very first tacos. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from.
Day 3:
We woke up early in order to arrive at Tulum’s Maya Ruins before the tourist buses (you have to be there before 8 to escape the mass). By bike it took us half an hour to arrive there but apparently it wasn’t early enough. This place was full with tourists and it was HOT. The Maya ruins in Tulum are directly at the beach, thats why there are very special compared to all the other ruins. Don’t forget your bath suit, it’s the best feeling ever jumping into the sea after this hot walk around the ruins.
Right afterwards we took our bikes and went to the Grand Cenote which was not far away. This Cenote was amazing. Quite open compared to the others and which crystal blue water, since it is pretty shallow. And you can see a lot of turtles there. Don’t forget to bring your snorkeling gear with you. There a lockers where you can lock up your belongings and hammocks for some relaxation afterwards.
Day 4:
We took the first ADO bus to Coba (10:10am) to explore the ruins there. The ruins were impressive, especially the one that you could climb, which was pretty amazing because of the view you get from there. On our way we saw some snakes and a huge tarantula, so watch your step!
Afterwards we rented some bikes in Coba and cycled to the Cenotes that were close by. We visited two of them (the ones that are next to each other). This cenotes were also impressive, since they were completely underground. A cave where you could swim and the water was cold, which was amazing after the hot, hot ride. In one of the cenotes there was a platform where you could jump from right into the cenote. It’s a lot of fun if you are up for some action.
We missed our last bus to Tulum (3pm), so we took a colectivo, which was almost the same price and faster.
Day 5:
We decided to spend one day longer in Tulum to relax at the beautiful beach. We went to Playa Paraíso which totally lives up to its name. Just beautiful crystal-clear turquoise water. In the late afternoon we took a ADO bus to Bacalar and arrived there at night.
Day 6:
Bacalar was supposed to be our highlight and it was. We had a hotel with a footbridge to the lake with hammocks. I woke up early to see the sunset, make some yoga and just hanging around in the hammock.
We went to the city for some breakfast and I can highly recommend Manati, its the best place in Bacalar to have some delicious and healthy breakfast.
When we returned to the hotel we went for a sailboat trip (without any expectations) and were completely astonished about the beauty of this lake. The sailboat brings you to the spots which you can only reach by boat. Even more crystal-clear turquoise water and no fish swimming around at all. Just you and this beautiful lake which looks like Caribbean Sea. Amazing and a must-do if you are there.
In the evening we went to town for dinner and followed a recommendation (Italian restaurant Bertilla: “Best pizza I ever ate”). It wasn’t the best pizza of my lifetime, but the owner is a real Italian and the pizza was still very good, compared to the Mexican ones.
Day 7:
Second day in Bacalar we had our breakfast at Pina. They had great smoothies and for the first time we ordered a typical Mexican dish for breakfast: Nachos with salsa and salad. It sounds weird, but it was pretty delicious and heavy. For me its not really something for breakfast but I liked it. The rest of the day we relaxed a lot and in the afternoon we went to the Cenote Azul which was very close by. But the cenote was in the water so actually you couldn’t see anything and even snorkeling was not really spectacular. I think it was not worth going there (also a very touristic place).
In the late afternoon we went to the restaurant Aluxes because we wanted to have a “swing-in-the-water” picture like you can see from everyone who has been in Bacalar. You have to consume something in the restaurant first, before you can use it. There was a bachelorette party this evening, so it was almost impossible to get a picture, so we decided to come back the next day.
Day 8:
The last day at Bacalar we woke up early to get a Kayak (rent from our hotel) and have a ride on the lake at sunrise. It was truly amazing. Because the water stands still its very easy to paddle and you can paddle pretty fast. In two hours we paddled to some pretty beautiful spots and explored the surrounding. Afterwards we wanted to have our breakfast at Aluxes (for the swing picture) but Aluxes doesn’t open the outdoor area for breakfast so we decided to go somewhere else and come back later (again). We had our breakfast again at Manati, since it was just the best place of all. This time I ordered a omelette with vegetables and the typical beans salsa and it was just amazing. You have to try it when you are there!
After we bought out tickets for the next bus night ride, we went back to Aluxes and had a couple of drinks there, waiting for the swing to be free… But people don’t get that other people also want to take a picture or to take a picture ALONE so sometimes it took an hours before somebody disappeared from the swing. It became late and very cloudy and I had no mood for pictures anymore but eventually I got one, even if you can’t see the seven colors of the lagoon anymore. But still nice.
Day 9:
After a hard bus night ride we finally arrived at Palenque. We checked-in at our hotel Maya Rue, which was very central and pretty nice for Mexican standards (a clear recommendation here!) and went for breakfast in “Jade” which was highly recommended in lonely planet and on trip advisor. It was a good restaurant, I had a really delicious Falafel burger (for breakfast!, but there were not many other vegetarian options available). On our way back to the hotel we passed a tour agency and booked a tour for the day which started in exactly 15 min! So we grabbed our stuff and the bus took us first to the Maya Ruins of Palenque, afterwards to the waterfall Mihol-ha and eventually to the waterfalls “Agua Azul”. Usually all the tours offer this three activities in a one-day package and it doesn’t make sense to split it, because all three spots are pretty close by.
The ruins were the prettiest ones (of the whole trip), since they are located in a beautiful jungle and they are pretty well preserved, some of them you can even climb. While exploring this huge area, you pass a beautiful little waterfall, a cute hanging bridge and see a lot of nature (watch your step for unpleasant animals). The waterfall Misol-Ha is really beautiful and worth the visit. You can even take a walk behind it and see it from “the other side”. The waterfalls “Agua Azul” was my least favorite activity of these three, but maybe just because it rained a lot the days before and the water didn’t appear as blue as on some pictures. From some people we heard that you can take a swim there, but we didn’t see anyone swimming or could even imagine how this could be possible. Its also a very touristic place and the locals constantly beg for money, which became pretty annoying after a while. But you definitely should try their freshly squeezed orange juice, its delicious.
The whole tour lasted from 9 am until 7 pm. Overall I can say that the trip is very well organized, the bus is always in time and the time given by driver for each station is more than enough to see and enjoy everything.
In the evening we went for dinner, to a place that is called Las Tinajas and was recommended to us by our bus driver. We liked it a lot there (as a vegetarian I asked for some vegetarian Enchiladas and it was no problem serving them without meat).
Day 10:
We just slept one night in Palenque and the next bus ride was already booked. But until the night ride we didn’t know how to spend time in Palenque so we went to the tour agency from the day before and they recommended us to go to the waterfall “Cascadas the Roberto Barrios” where you finally also have a swim.
It took us around 1,5 hours to get there and you could indeed swim there. You could walk the stones in the waterfall without problems they were not slippy at all.
After a while a Mexican guy started to talk to us in Spanish because he wanted to show us a cave. So we followed him through the pouring water of the waterfall (he knows every stone and tells you exactly which one to use in order to not get hurt). The cave was tiny but it was fun climbing through the waterfalls which was just the beginning. He made a real tour through the waterfall with us and a couple of people joined us. The Mexican guy showed us where to jump (some spots were 3 meters high, some around 5-7 meters). Sometimes I really had to cross some limits but it was so much fun! At the end he disappeared in the jungle and after some minutes he came back with some pressed plastic bottles a gave them to us so we can slide the waterfall! Just an amazing experience for those you can overcome their fears.
Of all the activities in Palenque this was definitely the best one, although – or because – not on every tourist’s program.
Day 11:
After another exhausting bus ride (8 hours for 110 km!! Where in Mexico has the bus been??) we arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas. Depending on how much time you have for the road trip it is possible to leave it out (many travelers do) but its definitely worth the detour! It is the most beautiful city of the whole trip. It has many many tiny colorful houses which are build next to each other. We couldn’t stop taking pictures in front of every wall, door and window. If you are up for some culture you definitely get it here. It has a lot of young people, hip restaurants (also some vegetarian and vegan one), really good coffee places and markets. The city is really “alive” and totally worth it to explore.
After a first look in town we took a taxi to the indigenous village Chamula (10km from San Cristobal). The taxi driver told us a lot of stories about this places and the people living there. It was interesting to see, especially their place of prayer, which is totally different from the churches we know. Please be aware and respect that photography of the people is absolutely forbidden their. I just made a few of the surrounding and thats it.
In the afternoon we explored the whole city, climbed all the stairs to the churches at the edge of the city and visited the local market.
One thing that really is a pain in the heart are all the little children that sell stuff or beg for money (they are not even 5 years old!). I also felt really bad for the really old women who can barely walk anymore but have to sell things on the street for their living. I always had some little money in my pockets, but there are so many you cannot help everyone…
Day 12:
On the second day in San Cristobal we made a tour (220 Pesos) to the Canon de Sumidero, a pretty Canyon which you explore by boat. The canyon was really beautiful and impressive and it was a lot of fun exploring it. We’ve seen some crocodiles, many birds, some monkeys and passed a couple of little waterfalls.
On our way back we stopped in a village for one hour, which was supposed to be the oldest in Chiapas. But this place was somehow scary, everyone was looking at us as we were aliens, so we decided to sit on a bench in the park and wait until the hour was over.
In San Cristobal we had a nice breakfast at Casa Lum, some amazing coffee at el Carajillo and a delicious dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (Te quiero verde).
Day 13:
After the longest bus night ride of almost 16 hours we arrived in Merida in the afternoon. We checked-in at our hotel and straight away took a taxi to Uxmal, where we wanted to visit some more Maya Ruins, which are even UNESCO World Heritage, but that you realize latest when you are paying for the entrance tickets. The ruins were okay, but definitely not the best ones of this trip. So if you have to leave something out then definitely these ones.
Just by chance we arrived in Merida on a Friday. Each Friday there is an indigenous game held in the center of the city. Its like a soccer game but they are using their hip to put the ball to the goal instead of the feet. Its interesting to see what Maya people did in former times but its not very spectacular on my opinion.
Day 14:
The next day in Merida we went to Cuzamá to explore some more Cenotes. This was surprisingly an adventure. From the center of Cuzamá the ride to the cenotes is on horse-drawn railway carts. It was a really funny adventure that we don’t won’t to miss (although I felt really sorry for the horse). The three cenotes that we’ve seen there were the most beautiful ones of the whole trip. So definitely don’t miss this out when you are there and don’t forget to give your driver a generous tip. You have 30 min to spend at each Cenote.
In the evening we took the bus to Valladolid and arrived late at our hotel in Valladolid.
Day 15:
As closer we got to Cancún the more touristic got the activities. Nevertheless, it’s a must to go to the 7th World Wonder Chichen Itza and to the beautiful Cenote Ik-Il when you are close. Usually all the tourist first go to Chichen Itza to be there very early. We did it the other way round because we have seen enough ruins so it was more important to us to be with less people at the Cenote. So we arrived there right after opening and we have been there absolutely ALONE. The Cenote is not so natural anymore as all the other cenotes that we have seen before because it is a very touristic place, but the cenote is still very beautiful and breath taking especially if you don’t have to share it with other people. For more than one hour we have been there completely alone before the first tourist busses arrived from Chichen Itza, Chichen Itza was impressive but honestly not so much special anymore after all the other ruins. But it is still worth a visit of course (It’s a 7th World Wonder!).
Day 16:
Finding out how to get to our next destination was a rocket science. We initially planned to rent a car from here on but in Valladolid there is not a single car rental. Locals told us that there is no bus to “Las Coloradas” but in the end we did some research in the internet and decided to go the complicated bus route. From Valladolid we took a bus to Tizimin, from there we changed to a bus that went to Rio Lagartos and from there there is one bus a day (11:15 am) and one bus back (3pm) to Las Coloradas. We made it to Rio Lagartos without problems and from there we didn’t take the last bus to the final destination but decided to do a 3 hour boat tour where we could see the surrounding of the beautiful area and which also took us to the breathtaking pink lake (Las Coloradas) which was one of my highlights of this trip, since it was one of my top goals from the beginning. The color of the lake is magical. Even if it is complicated to get there, please do. Its worth it! AND we’ve seen HUNDREDS of Flamingos there!! And several crocodiles.
We went back to Valladolid, grabbed our luggage, took a bus to El ideal (the bus dropped us off on the street in the middle of nowhere) and took a taxi to Chiquilá, from where we took the last fairy (9:30 pm) to Holbox island. Puh that was a trip and everything in one single day!
Day 17:
Holbox was supposed to be just a stop but once we’ve seen in the morning how beautiful this island was we decided that this would be our last destination. After a lot of exhausting bus rides we really craved some beach and just doing nothing. Thats what we did the first day: lying on the beach the whole day.
I can highly recommend the hotel “Casa del Viento” where we were staying. Holbox has plenty of beautiful hotels, but most of them are very pricy. This one was cheap compared to the other hotels, clean, very cute decorated and it has a hammock in the room! What else do you need?
Day 18:
On the second day we decided to explore the island. So we headed east for a 4 km walk. According to the locals after a 4 km walk there was a spot (Punta Mosquito) where you can see flamingos. So we started at 11 am (the sun was already burning), along the way we took some amazing pictures in hammocks that were placed in water and then we continued our walk at a pretty sandbank that is reaching until Punta Mosquita. It was beautiful walking in the waters but pretty hot! Luckily we took enough sun protection and water with us otherwise we would have been grilled chicken wings after a short while. Eventually we reach the spot and we saw many flamingos, but honestly the hike was so exhausting that for me it was not worth it. It is enough to walk the sandbank for 1 or 2 km but then you should return or at least make a lot of precautions before the expedition (long clothes, sun glasses, sun protection, water!!!). We felt like we were hiking the Sahara (seriously!) and we almost cried with happiness as we made it back to the hotel.
Day 19:
Just lying at the beach became already boring so we booked another tour. It included a boat ride to the end of the island, snorkeling (“you will see colorful fish, turtles, sea stars and lot more”), fishing fish, preparing the fish and a short stay at a beach. It took us 1,5 hours by boat to get to the spot where we tried fishing. As soon as the boat stopped and swayed back and forth all passengers became seasick and jumped into the water. Some even threw up and that was not funny anymore. The tour guide brought us to the beach where we relaxed a little and the men fished the fish. Afterwards they brought us to the snorkeling spot where we tried to see something and the guides prepared Ceviche in the meanwhile. But we didn’t see anything. Truly nothing. It was the wrong season they said, but what annoyed me was, that they said different when they sold the tour. However, I also couldn’t eat the Ceviche, since it was raw fish and as a consolation prize they brought us to the flamingo spot where we have walked the day before almost to death. Great. This tour is definitely not worth its 750 pesos when you travel in the low season.
Day 20:
The last day we spent at the beach again, although it started to be cloudy and was not as warm anymore. We took the ferry to Chiquila in the afternoon and from there a bus to Cancún. There we slept one night in a budget hotel close to the ADO station, so we could get early to the airport the next morning.
In the evening we went to Vegan Planet again for some dinner, because we liked it so much in the beginning. I had so burritos and a salad with mango, which I can highly recommend. I just love this place. If you are veggie (also if you are not) you have to try this place.
Day 21:
When we arrived at the airport in time we were told that our flight has a delay of 8 hours!
FML.
That meant that we also wouldn’t get our flight from Toronto to Munich. We were brought to a fancy all inclusive hotel in the Zona Hotelera in Cancún (I hate those kind of hotels, so I hated it) and we received all-inclusive arm wrists so we could eat and drink as much as we wanted. Since we already had long pants and nothing with us except of our hand luggage, we couldn’t use the pool or even sit outside. So we just killed our time in the hotels lobby, until we were brought back to the airport.
When we arrived in Toronto they brought us to a nice hotel where we could spend the night.
Day 22:
Since our flight was in the evening, we decided to make the best out of this situation and woke up early in order to explore Toronto. And it definitely was worth it. At least we were very lucky with the weather. It was beginning of October and it was 25 degrees and we wore short pants and a shirt. Toronto is an amazing city, much better than I thought it would be. We explored the city by foot for almost six hours and have seen a quite big part of it (I guess). We especially loved the Distillery District, with its old houses and the little shops. I also loved the quarter where the universities are (especially King’s College) and of course also all the skyscrapers.
With a 24 h delay we finally arrived in Munich.
Tips and Tricks:
– You do not necessarily need a car to do this road trip. We did it all by bus. The ADO first class buses are very cheap and comfortable. If you do the long distances by night you even save a night in the hotel. Of course I can only recommend it if you can sleep in the bus otherwise it can be very exhausting. In the cities it is very cheap to move by Uber or taxi. You have to consider that when traveling by car you have not only to pay fuel, but also parking lots and the penalties (the Mexican police stops you wherever and whenever they can). We also didn’t always understand the Mexican traffic regulations, so we felt safer by bus.
– For veggies: It is not easy to eat vegetarian in Mexico, but it is possible. You have to tell the people that you “don’t want meat” otherwise they consider chicken, fish vegetarian or think you are vegan and that they don’t have anything for you. Indeed as a vegan its nearly impossible to find something, because there is cheese and eggs everywhere. I saw some vegan restaurants in San Cristobal and visited one twice in Cancun, but at other places its hard..
– It is recommended to speak some basics of Spanish, that helps a lot. Except of Cancun and Holbox nobody could speak English in Mexico. And the locals really appreciate it if you at least try to speak Spanish.
– I can highly recommend to travel during the low season or “rain season”. It was still freaking hot, but there were sometimes light rain showers that didn’t last long and that we enjoyed. We always booked the hotels one day before because everything was empty at this time and we had the choice where we want to go. If you travel during high season that might be different and you have to book long before your trip even starts.
– We were highly satisfied with the route we have taken. Thanks to some friends who traveled this area in Mexico before us, we could already exclude some spots that were not worth visiting. If I would do it a second time, I would leave out Cenote Azul in Bacalar and Uxmal and visit some more cenotes around Valladolid. If you don’t know which ruins to leave out, here is my personal ranking:
1. Palenque
2. Chichen Itza
3. Cobá
4. Tulum
5. Uxmal
Concerning the Cenotes there are much more than the ones that we’ve seen. But relating to the ones the we visited this is my personal ranking:
1. Cenotes in Cuzamá
2. Grand Cenote in Tulum
3. Cenote Ik-Il
4. Cenotes in Cobá
5. Cenote Azul