Route Map
Mérida, capital of the Yucatán, is a charming urban experience. From there, you can easily arrange day trips through local travel agents in the centre square. Visit Chichén Itzá or Uxmal, see the flamingos and tour the mangroves in the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve on the Caribbean coast, cool off in a cenote, visit local markets, and sample local cuisine— the possibilities are endless.
You can also visit several UNESCO world heritage sites aboard the Tren Maya. In Campeche, a colourful colonial city on the Gulf of Mexico, walk atop the historic walls of the fortified city, or take a bus tour. Nearby Edzná, a regional Maya capital between 400 – 1000 CE, is impressive and not crowded.
We stopped in Xpujil, a small Maya village near Calakmul, located in the dense jungle of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, the third largest in the world and second largest in the Americas after the Amazon. Train travel makes this archaeological site easy to access, and a newly constructed hotel provides accommodation near the ruins.
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