Places to visit in Yucatán besides Cancún

This article has been updated on December 7, 2021.

Due to numerous cheap international flights, a large number of Western travellers either enter or exit the Latin World via the Mexican city of Cancún, a popular holiday spot that’s filled with Miami-like hotels and luxury beach resorts, party buzz and massive shopping malls. While there are a lot of people who come to Mexico to enjoy the carefree Cancún-style beach vacation, there are also many others who prefer to seek a more authentic experience. FYI, given the hint in this post’s title: places to visit in Yucatán besides Cancún, this article is more suitable for the latter group of travellers.

A Cancún-free guide to Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Yucatán is a very attractive peninsula to visit, that boasts of rich cultural traditions, history as well as nature. Due to the rather overwhelming volume of information this text aims to deliver, I’ve added additional articles that elaborate on the peninsula’s natural attractions, interesting towns and villages, as well as its numerous Mayan ruins in more depth, as opposed to brief descriptions offered in this post.

Please note that the attractions we selected include all highlights as well as some perhaps less-visited locations. Such a mix of options should point you in the right direction to create your personalised itinerary, based on your preferences. Expect the usual travel tips info package, such as places to see, safety, nightlife, how to get around and so on.

Basic facts about Yucatán

Yucatán is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico. It has an area of 197 600 km2 (76 300 sq miles), which would, for illustration, cover more than double the area of Portugal. Nature-wise, except for the massive protected rainforest areas, the peninsula also boasts of a tremendous 1100 km (700 miles) of Caribbean coastline, which is roughly the same as the distance between Seattle and San Francisco.

Administrative-wise, the peninsula includes the Mexican states of Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatán as well as parts of Belize and Guatemala. The local economy is based on agriculture (sugarcane, corn, cotton, coffee), there’s also the presence of the oil industry and another big player is, of course, tourism.

Most of the 5+ million people living in Yucatán are Mestizos (mixed Indian and European ancestry) and Maya. Mayans have been around the peninsula for thousands of years by now, arriving at the region around 2500 BCE, only to become one of the most influential pre-Columbian civilisations in the Americas.

Between 2500 BCE and the 16th century, the Maya civilisation flourished in the region, establishing several important settlements that reached their peak before the break of the first millennia. Spanish only arrived several centuries after the mysterious decline of Mayan civilisation, however, it still wasn’t an easy task for them to conquer the indigenous population.

However, following several unsuccessful attempts which began in 1502, the technologically advanced Spanish forces finally managed to gain full control of the peninsula in 1537. The Spanish Crown then ruled over the region until 1821, when Mexico gained its independence.

There are, of course, many more interesting facts and historical events to mention in connection to Yucatán but to finally get on with the subject of places to visit in Yucatán besides Cancún, I think I better leave the history topic and move on. In case you were interested in further factual as well as history-related information about the peninsula, please check out the useful and interesting links section near the bottom of this article.

Towns and villages to visit in Yucatán

Tip: the links highlighted in red are Google Maps locations to give you an idea about WHERE we're talking about. If you save the locations you're interested in into "want to go", once you arrive to the destination, it could make things easier for you when it comes to finding places, not to mention the (sometimes) helpful and informative reviews ;)  

Depending on your budget as well as interests, there are various options of what towns you could explore on the peninsula. If you wanted to experience the local culture, you might want to consider visiting Mérida a large regional capital city, which is known for its pretty historical centre as well as for holding various outdoor live events daily. Another alternative is to check out the pretty colourful colonial architecture in the UNESCO World Heritage cities of Campeche or Izamal nearby.

If you don’t want to travel around the peninsula that much and still want to see an authentic Mexican town, then look into a laidback-vibe town Valladolid that’s praised for its cuisine and which is also a rather conveniently located to a few popular attractions in the region. Another option is to check out the small sleepy-ish town Bacalar with its beautiful turquoise lagoon.

For the seaside locations, you might want to consider visiting either the modern resort destination Playa del Carmen or the more diverse Tulum, that’s famous for its Mayan ruins located on the Caribbean shore. If you were looking for something much quieter, then look into the “Caribbean beach paradise” settlement of El Cuyo. More touristy but still not entirely tourist-buzz crazy alternatives are Akumal or Mahahual.

If case you were into authentic seaside towns, then your best bet could be the fishing town of Puerto Morelos with a slightly bohemian feel and fantastic diving/snorkelling opportunities. For more depth and details about these towns and cities, please check out this separate post.

Mayan Ruins to visit in Yucatán

Being the former centre of one of the most advanced ancient civilisations in the Americas, Yucatán boasts of hundreds of Mayan ruins that are scattered throughout the peninsula’s rainforest. An archaeology fan could therefore go rather Indiana Jones-crazy around here.

Among the most visited ruins in the region, is the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Chichén Itzá with its iconic pyramid Temple of Kukulcán located nearby Valladolid. Another, pretty much and equally impressive but considerably less busy is Uxmal ruins site, which is located across the peninsula nearby the regional capital Mérida. As mentioned above, a large number of tourists also like to visit the ruins of Tulum, located on the Caribbean shore.

In case you fancied to visit some less busy sites, then perhaps consider Calakmul or Ek Balam. I recommend hiring a certified guide to enhance your experience by learning more things as well as reaching the best spots on each site.

There are many more sites you can explore in the region. In case you were interested in more details and tips about how to visit these as well as other ancient sites in Yucatán, please check out this post that elaborates on the subject of Mayan ruins further.

Natural attractions in Yucatán

Besides the ancient Mayan sites and some beautiful colonial towns and cities, this attraction-rich peninsula also boasts of some spectacular sites created by Mother Nature. Even if you aren’t a massive fan of natural spots, you are in the Caribbean so you can expect some extraordinary natural beauty that’s certainly worth it 😉

In other words, except for the large number of beaches and other spectacles located on Yucatán‘s tremendous 1100 km (700 miles) of Caribbean coastline, the peninsula also boasts of tremendous lush jungle, several protected areas, rich biodiversity, few islands and other inland natural spectacles to consider checking out, like for example underground caves filled with water called cenotes.

Cenotes

The most popular cenotes are Sac Actun nearby Tulum, and Ik Kil Cenote that’s located between Valladolid and the Chichén Itzá ruins. There are however many cheaper and less busy cenotes scattered around the peninsula, which you could check out, some of which are even located directly in the cities, such as Cenote Zaci.

Honestly, for me, it felt special in every each of those cenotes I’ve visited. I can’t recommend enough to take your time to visit some of the less-visited cenotes and chill out there with a book or something like that. It did feel rather magical and super-recharging. Most of the time, you might have to take a taxi or a colectivo to reach them but they are certainly worth the effort 😉

To get more tips as well as details about pretty much any notable cenote in the peninsula, click here to visit the informative Cenote Finder website.

Islands

Yucatán is also home to a few islands you can visit to get your Caribbean island vibe. The most visited and developed islands are Isla Cozumel, located about 16km (10 miles) from Playa del Carmen and the smaller and more expensive Isla Mujeres, that’s about 13 km off Cancún. Both islands boast plenty of resorts and beautiful beaches full of snorkelling and diving opportunities as well as some smaller Mayan ruins to explore.

In case you were aiming at something more special and less busy, with far less infrastructure and nearly untouched shore, then consider checking out the more remote and car-free Isla Holbox, many people who seek peace and quiet during their vacation rave about.

Protected biosphere reserves

Except for the amazing cenotes and picturesque Caribbean islands, the peninsula is home to large biodiversity that mostly lives in a staggering 69 700 km² (26 900 sq mi) of the rain forest, which is, in comparison, just a few square miles short of the Republic of Ireland’s territory. Naturally, there are therefore numerous protected areas, among which arguably the most popular is a UNESCO-rated Sian Ka’an nearby Tulum.

If you are a birdwatcher, then consider checking out the stunning Las Coloradas or yet another UNESCO biosphere Celestum nearby Mérida. If you’d like to head off the shore and deeper inside the jungle and explore the largest tropical forest reserve in Mexico, this time also combined with Mayan ruins, then you should look into Calakmul Biosphere nearby Campeche.

The same as with the interesting towns and villages and Mayan ruins, there’s also a separate post that elaborates on the subject of natural attractions in Yucatán further and you can find it here.

Go out and events

As mentioned above, the peninsula’s two biggest tourism players Playa del Carmen and its bigger, noisier and richer neighbour Cancún both come with vibrant nightlife options that include numerous live performances of various artists, DJs and musicians of a decent quality. Then there are tons of various pub & club crawls, boat parties and all that. Eventbrite is listing some of those events here, in case you were curious about their nature or genre range.

In case you were looking for more authentic and traditional Mexican culture, then your best bet would be heading to Mérida‘s Paseo de Montejo to check out their daily cultural events. Generally, like all Latinos, Mexicans also love to have fun so you should be able to come across plenty of live events, especially if you visit the local cities. For more details about what’s going on in Mérida at night, click here for Yucatán Today‘s article about its nightlife. As for more listings, here‘s a link to Yucatán Magazine‘s events calendar.

Safety in Yucatán

Despite Mexico’s rather infamous reputation regarding safety, from the tourist point of view, Yucatán is mostly a very safe place for tourists. The stats show that it’s safer than London or New York. At the same time, it needs to be said that the drug-related violence doesn’t entirely stay away from the peninsula but it very rarely affects the areas popular with tourists.

Update 7.12.2021: Unfortunately, the recent developments appear more than worrying. Between January and September 2021, there were 65 homicides in Tulum, which is an 80% rise from the same period last year. In autumn 2021, there has been two incidents that did affect the tourist areas quite significantly. Let’s hope that these were isolated incidents, rather than a new trend.

Except for the violent crime, being a popular tourist destination, there are a lot of scam and various petty crimes going on. Make sure that you get the correct change back from various vendors, even by highlighting what note you’re handing in so they can’t claim that you’ve only paid with a 50 pesos note instead of 500. Apart from watching out for scams, you should do just fine with the usual precautions, which means not advertising your valuables and not being entirely careless…

Well, and then there’s also partying. Make sure that no one messes with your drinks. Furthermore, in case you wanted to experiment with illegal substances, make sure to do it with someone you can trust – I mean someone you know, not just someone who just “gained” your trust on the night – especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing…

Sort of conclusion

As I’ve mentioned above, Yucatán is a large and attractive region to explore. FYI, in this post, we’ve briefly looked just at what could be called “Highlights Plus” of what the peninsula offers. I believe that with the information this piece has provided, you should now have more than just a general idea of what attractions you’d like to visit in Yucatán.

In addition to that, you have the option to explore any of the locations mentioned in this post further through Quaint Planet‘s separate posts about the peninsula’s interesting towns, Mayan ruins and natural attractions, as well as via the outbound links provided in the summary section below.

Overall, I feel safe to say that we’re talking about an ideal destination where you can mix plenty of diverse fun activities, many of which are located relatively close to each other. The bottom line is that during your trip to Yucatán, you could easily combine a bit of beach time with visiting one or two archaeological sites, soaking up the atmosphere of a Mexican colonial town, perhaps checking out one of the islands and taking a swim in at least one of the stunning cenotes.

You’ve got plenty of alternatives in this attraction-rich region. Even your Plan B should sound amazing. Take it easy, it somehow doesn’t feel right to rush things down here. You don’t have to see it all. The opportunities and their combinations are nearly endless and the choices are all yours. I do hope that you’ve found this long article useful and that it perhaps even offered you some inspiration of what places you’d like to visit in Yucatán besides Cancún.

Summary + links

Towns and villages

• Towns and villages of Yucatán to visit: Check out this rather comprehensive guide to the peninsula’s towns and cities to consider visiting, from the most visited up to less busy ones

• Cancún: beach resort vacation busy and a rather unauthentic destination but with great services and tourism infrastructure. Here‘s a website to get more infor about Cancún, in case you were interested
• Tulum: a diverse-ish destination that consists of Tulum ruins, the city, AKA pueblo and Tulum Playa, all conviniently located within several popular attractions
• Playa del Carmen: a smaller Cancún with tourism buzz, shopping and nightlife, plus a good location to reach several popular attractions. Amy Mulcair writes about the Playa del Carmen and Tulum for the BBC
• Bacalar: the spectacular lagoon and laidback atmosphere. Allison Keeley writes about Bacalar for The New Yorker Magazine
• Valladolid: colourful colonial architecture, great cuisine and a very convenient location to reach a number of spectacular cenotes, Chichén Itzá and a number of other popular attractions in the area. More info about the town could be found here in The Yucatan Times
• Mérida: daily live cultural events, vibrant nightlife and colourful colonial architecture. A Forbes Magazine guide to Mérida by Nora Walsh could be found here
• Campeche: colourful colonial architecture, UNESCO square, Mayan ruins and Ria Celestun UNESCO biosphere. The UNESCO page on this World Heritage site is here, plus the informative Wikivoyage‘s guide could be found here
• Izamal: the yellow town and Mayan ruins. Izamal‘s UNESCO page is here, plus a travel piece by Dayvee Sutton for CNN is here
• El Cuyo: super tranquil beach location to chill + it’s close to Isla Holbox and Las Colorados pink lagoon. Here‘s an official up to date website with plenty of information about the town, possible activities and so on
• Puerto Morelos: a rather authentic fishing town with a bohemian-ish atmosphere, the second-largest reef barrier in the world. Here‘s Wikitravel‘s informative page about the town
• Mahahual: more touristy beach location but still quiet at night. Here‘s a local website with plenty of information
• Akumal: sea turtles, spectacular bay, close to popular attractions. Here‘s Wikitravel‘s informative page about the town

• Events: Eventbrite‘s listings could be found here and Yucatán Magazine‘s are here

Archaeological Sites

• Mayan Ruins to visit in Yucatán: Here‘s a comprehensive guide to the peninsula’s best archaelogical sites to consider visiting, from the most visited to sort of ‘off the beaten path’ ones

• Tulum: popular and busy ruins on the Caribbean shore. An early start could help you to beat the crowds. For more tourism-related info about Tulum and the closeby attractions, please click here. More details about the site’s history are here, in Mark Cartwright‘s article at World History website
• Chichén Itzá: popular, large and rather busy UNESCO-rated ruins with the iconic El Castillo pyramid. The site’s website of the archaeological site with tours, info and blog
• Cobá: A large site not far from Tulum, where you can climb the 42m tall Ixmoja pyramid. Also less busy than Chichén Itzá, but you need an early start to beat the crowds. For more history and tourism-related info about the site, please click here to read The Mayan Ruins Website‘s post
• Uxmal: Equally impressive to Chichén Itzá but significantly less busy. The site’s UNESCO page could be found here. For more history, significance and tourism-related info about the site, please click here to read The Mayan Ruins Website‘s post
• Ruta Puuc: Five Mayan sites (incl Uxmal) on a 50 km stretch of the road. For more info, check out this piece of Greg Benchwick for the BBC or this newer and up-to-date piece in The Yucatán Times
• Calakmul: Amazing, remote and off the beaten path UNESCO World Heritage site in the middle of huge UNESCO-protected jungle. A little harder to get to but very Indiana Jones-like. Read more about the site and the protected reserve here on its UNESCO’s page or read Amanda Strickland‘s piece in Yucatán Today about a sustainable eco-tourism at Calakmul here
• Becán: No far from Calakmul, a little easier to reach, also impressive and also off the beaten path. Read more about the site here on the Mexico Archelology website
• Ruta Rio Bec: More smaller less visited ruins in the area not far from Calakmul and Becán. Read more about Ruta Rio Bec here, on the website of a popular hotel located in the area
• Ek Balam: An impressive and also less visited site to check out near Valladolid, where you can also still climb the pyramids. An early start could help you to reduce crowds even further. For more history, significance and tourism-related info about the site, please click here to read The Mayan Ruins Website‘s post
• Edzna: Another less visited site, this time nearby Campeche, with the impressive Five Storeys Temple. More details about Edzna could be found here in the article by Thilini Wijesinhe for Mexico News Daily
• Palenque: Read more about the popular site in Chiapas region here on Encyclopedia Britannica
• Bonampak: Read more about this medium-sized site in Chiapas region here on Encyclopedia Britannica
• Yaxchilane: Read more about yet another incredible site in Chiapas region here on the Mayan ruins website
• Copán: A well known UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Honduras. Read more about the site here on its UNESCO’s page
• Tikal: Famous Guatemalan ruins in the UNESCO reserve surroundings nearby the lake-island city of Flores, only 90 miles south of its former rival city of Calakmul. More details and plenty of travel tips about Tikal could be fund here, in case you were interested.

Nature

• Natural attractions in Yucatán: Check out this, rather comprehensive guide to the peninsula’s natural wonders to consider visiting, from the most visited to the less busy ones

• Cenotes: spectacular limestone sinkholes. To get more tips as well as details about pretty much any notable cenote in the peninsula, click here to visit the informative Cenote Finder website

• Islands: Isla Mujeres or a bit cheaper, larger and perhaps more diverse Isla Conzumel. Both rather touristy. More remote with the untouched vibe is the car-free Isla Holbox. Read more about the Isla Holbox here in Lane Nieset‘s piece for National Geographic, in case you were interested

• Sian Ka’an Lagoon and Muyil: wildlife, Mayan ruins, boat tours, close to Tulum. Find the UNESCO info page here and the reserve’s website with info and tour options here
• Rio Lagartos and Las Colorados: birdwatching, pink lagoon, pink flamingos, close to El Tuyo. Check out its UNESCO page or this article about the reserve in The Yucatan Times
• Ria Celestún Biosphere Reserve: dunes, mangroves, lagoons, marshes, rainforest, wildlife, close to Mérida. Check out its UNESCO page or this post in The Yucatan Times
• Calakmul biosphere: Lush jungle with Mayan ruins. The largest rainforest reserve in Mexico, close to Campeche. Check out its UNESCO page or this article in The Yucatan Times

• Adventure Parks and tours: raved about and unique swimming in an underground cave is be Rio Secreto (website). More touristic, more expensive but fauna rich and full day water parks are Xcaret (website) and Xel Ha (website). For zipline fans, there’s Xplor (website)

Other interesting links

• A tour of the real Yucatán: Kevin Rushby writes about his experience in the peninsula for The Guardian
• Highlights of Yucatán: Check out The Guardian‘s readers’ travel tips
• Sargassum problem: here‘s an article about the seaweed problem in the west coast of the peninsula in The Yucatan Times

• History of Yucatán: History.com‘s article about the significant events that shaped the peninsula’s past
• Fall of the Maya: Robin Wylie explores the possible reasons of the fall of the Mayan cities here for the BBC
• Facts about Yucatán: Encyclopedia Britannica‘s page on the peninsula, its history some facts

• Chicxulub Crater: FYI, Yucatán was a centre of an important event in our planet’s history. It is believed that 66 million years ago the area was hit by a massive asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs smashed into the Earth’s surface, which played a significant role in human history to come. Read more about the Chicxulub crater here by Matthew Ponsford on the BBC website, in case you were interested. You can visit the Museum of Science of the Chicxulub Crater in Mérida (website)
• Secrets of the Maya Otherworld: Alma Guillermoprieto writes about the underground pools from the Mayan point of view for The National Geographic Magazine
• Cancún and drug violence: David Agren writes for The Guardian about the 2018’s murder of an alleged cartel boss as well as the corruption in the city

Your possible itinerary

I would personally recommend taking a relaxed mini-road trip around the peninsula. If you’ve saved the Google Maps locations in your “want to go” section, your itinerary should reveal/design itself when looking at the map, depending on your ability to prioritise, because there are too many interesting places to visit in Yucatán besides Cancún.

For instance, you could start in the northern parts and begin your vacation by taking a well-deserved break in one of the coastal towns. If you have preferred more tranquil surroundings, you could start by taking things easy in El Cuyo or Mahahual and explore the area by car or even with organized tours. Then you could move on to Mérida for the weekend to enjoy the cultural buzz the city offers and soak up the Mexican vibe a little.

In case you had a bit more spare time, from Mérida, you could travel further west to reach Campeche and explore the region, otherwise head southeast to visit Chichén Itzá, Valladolid and also some of the cenotes in the area. You could also head to Bacalar to check out its magical lagoon and cool vibe, from where it’s only a short journey to Tulum, where you can get it all, a bit of nightlife and spectacular ruins as well as the beach time. Furthermore, I would recommend visiting some of the less-visited Mayan archaeological sites such as Coba and a few more cenotes 🙂

How long to stay and how much

Well, that’s is up to you. For instance, this rough little itinerary above should take you up a minimum of 12-14 days in a peaceful but effective mode (excl. Campeche). So I’d say 14+ days if you want to chill and spend a full day or two on the beach a bit as well.

But you could also throw in an extra Mayan Ruins, a few more cenotes and if you’re a nature lover, you might also want to check out some of the biosphere reserves. As I said above, there’s so much to see in Yucatán and even your Plan B should still sound amazing. If you liked it around here a lot, you can always come back instead of trying to see everything in a rush mode.

It’s rather cheap to get here and if you take it easy with luxury, adventure parks, taxis and so on, you could just as well do it on a budget 😉 In practical terms, if you avoid luxurious hotels and take it a bit easier with partying and adventure parks count on roughly $30-50,- USD per day, including one or expensive-ish car rentals and archaeological sites.

When to visit Mayan Riviera

The busiest and most expensive periods are the obvious ones: the Christmas and Easter weeks. The high season is however much longer and it runs from December to April. The rainy season runs therefore from May to November but quite a few tourists visit the peninsula to be there also in July and August. The best time to visit to get the best deals and fewer crowds would be between May and June or between September and November. That is unless the hurricane season (June – October) ruins your trip…

Get around and how to get there

Public transport, as well as the quality of the major roads in this part of the world, could reach the 1st World level. There are numerous bus connections between the peninsula’s settlements and it is easy to use them, although outside of the tourist places, you might need to know at least basic Spanish. Examples of the bus prices are below:

• Bacalar to Tulum: 160mins @ 202,-MX (€9.30)
• Tulum to Playa del Carmen: 80mins @ 88,-MX (€4.10)
• Playa del Carmen to Valladoid: 160mins @ 138,-MX (€6.40)
• Valladoid to Cancún Airport: 3hrs, excl the change in Cancún Bus Terminal @ 296,-MX (€13.60)

In case you were to arrive from Belize or Guatemala, there’s an option to get here from Flores (Tikal Ruins). A 9hrs bus journey to Bacalar (via Belize City) would cost you an equivalent of about €31.

Practical notes

• A fee to enter Mexico, would cost you a 558,-MX (€24) entry fee if you are planning to stay in the country for 7 or more days. This fee is normally included in your flight upon your arrival to Mexico by plane. Some airlines include that fee even in your exit flight. However, if you are entering by land, you apparently have to pay that fee on the border.

• Sargassum, AKA a seaweed problem that has been giving headaches to the hotel owners on the Western coast of the peninsula in the last few years. While some wealthier resorts have resources to deal with the huge amounts of the water plants invading the shores to significantly affect more than 80 beaches, you will most likely arrive at the location, where you won’t be able to swim, plus the air won’t smell of the typical pleasant Carribean odour. I recommend checking the news before you pick your destination. Read more about sargassum here, in case you were interested.

Stay

Well, being a popular tourist destination, Yucatán offers plenty of accommodation options, ranging from budget hostels up to 5-star hotels. When saying budget, prepare to pay a bit more than in for example Guatemala or Nicaragua, especially if you were looking for a private room. In practical terms, the most economical options sometimes start from $20,- USD in some places.

In Bacalar, which was at the more expensive end of the locations in the peninsula I’ve visited, I’ve opted for Posada Palma Cola de Pescado, an Airbnb place, located just a block and a half from the main square (Airbnb hide the exact locations). It was a private room with AC, a cute little coffee table, shelves as well as a built-in wardrobe, which means that this was a wee bit more than just a basic place. With a shared bathroom it was $22 USD/per night. Given the price (2nd lowest I found) and location for what Bacalar had to offer it was OK. It could do with a paint job though but given the rates, I’d pick the place again if I ever came back.

In Tulum, I stayed in Casa Jungla. A private room @ 257,-MX (€11.80) makes it one of the cheapest places to stay in Tulum Pueblo. It’s located in a residential area about 7-10 minutes walk from the city centre run by a friendly Chilean dude. However, a more important fact to be aware of is that it’s a bit of an informal place, reminiscent of some of the semi-hippie hostels, one comes across from time to time. If you are a liberal and non-conformist kinda person, you will most likely like it. I’d recommend the place to my friends. with alternative lifestyles.

In Playa del Carmen, I’ve stayed in another Airbnb place PERFECT SPOT *downtown *close to beach *CASA PIÑA. Close to the centre, 5 mins walk to the beach. Well organised, well maintained, run by a friendly Mexican dude. It came fully furnished, with few homey touches. At 11.25 USD for a private room with a shared bathroom, it was also one of the cheapest options in Playa del Carmen. I’d recommend the place to my mates if they had to stay in town.

As for Valladolid, I stayed in Valladolid Hostel, formerly known as Spanglish Hostel. Nice private room @ 220,-MX (€10.10), one of the cheapest in town. Friendly staff, clean place with nice garden and not so clean pool. The room came with some concrete shelves and a table, a private bathroom. I’d recommend the place to my mates on a budget.

Latin American locations covered on Quaint Planet

Santiago de Chile ► Valparaíso ► Santiago de Chile ►Punta Arenas – Ushuaia – Punta Arenas ► Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales ► El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier, Arg) ► El Chaltén (Los Glaciares National Park) ► Chile Chico (Ch) – Puerto Rio Tranquillo (Marble Caves) ► Coyhaique – Puyuhuapi – (Carretera Austral) ► Puerto Chacabuco – Quellón/Castro ► Puerto Varas – San Carlos de Bariloche (Arg) ► Buenos Aires ► Colonia (Ur) ► Montevideo ► Punta del Diablo – Cabo Polonio ► Montevideo ► Salto ► Concordia (Arg) ► Puerto Iguazú (Iguazú Falls) ► Salta ► San Salvador de Jujuy ► Tilcara ► San Pedro de Atacama (Ch) ► Uyuni Salt Flats Tour (Bol) ► Uyuni ► Sucre – La Paz (Death Road Tour) ► Copacabana (Lake Titicaca) – Isla del Sol – Copacabana ► Cusco (Per) ► Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) ► Cusco ► Lima ► Máncora – Montañita (Ecu) ► Puerto López ► Quito ► Ipiales (Col) – Pasto ► Tatacoa Desert ► Bogotá ► Medellín ► Villa de Lleyva ► Santa Marta – Cartagena – Rincón del Mar Necoclí ► Capurganá ► Puerto Obaldía (Pan) ► Panama City ► Las Lajas ► Cerro Punta ► David ► Bocas del Torro ► San José (Costa Rica) ► San Juan del Sur (Nic) – Ometepe ► Granada ► Managua – El Rama – Bluefields – Corn Islans ► Léon ► El Tunco (El Salvador) ► La Antigua Guatemala – Lake Atitlán ► Lanquín (Semuc Champey) – Flores (Tikal) ► Belize City ► Bacalar – Tulum – Playa del Carmen – Mérida – Valladolid – Cancún ✈️ .

Practical info about travelling in Latin America

• Budget: in case you were interested, here‘s an article listing the country-by-country basic expenses for a traveller in Latin America
• Safety: Few safety tips on how to secure your valuables, what to watch out for and more can be found here
• Transport: Information, safety and some other practical advice regarding public transport in Latin America can be found here
• ATM withdrawal charges: Some practical info, including the list of free-of-charge ATMs in Latin America, can be found here
• Border fees: To find out how much you will have to pay to enter or exit certain countries in Latin America, please click here
• Pre-trip preparations: Few things you can do ahead of time before you’ll become frantically busy prior to your departure are listed here
• Packing list: What to take with you for an extended trip as well as some security tips could be found here
• Cheap Flights: few tips on how to score a cheap/er flight, get a better seat on a plane, where to get a nap at a particular airport and so on

Featured image by Darren Lawrence on Unsplash