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South of Cancun along Mexico’s Caribbean coast on the Yucatan Peninsula lies the Mayan Riviera. The further south you head, the farther you get from the disco playing resorts and fiesta atmosphere of Cancun. The first major town on the Mayan Riviera is Playa Del Carmen. Once a sleepy fishing village turned mini-ecelectic resort area, Playa is now home to upscale malls with designer stores and techno-pumping bars. While you can still find quaint boutiques and quiet beachfront restaurants, they are becoming more of the exception than the rule. Continue south and you will find vast spreads of resort land until you reach Tulum. The hotel zone in Tulum, and the village itself, maintains a quirky backpacker atmosphere with a bit of luxury thrown in the mix…perfect for flashpackers. The beachfront resorts are eco-friendly mostly consisting of cabanas and beach restaurants.

We stayed at Dreams Tulum, just five minutes north of this area. It gave us a nice mix of nearby adventure with vacation paradise of five restaurants – all-inclusive – and lots of beach activities for the kids. The kids loved hanging in the resort pool and taking kayaks out or jumping on the water trampoline when the temperatures soared in the afternoon and there were plenty of nearby excursions where we could immerse in the rich culture and vast nature of the area. Here’s what we did:

Day 1:

We headed south of Tulum to Sian Ka’an Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There, we hiked through the jungle with a guide from Community Tours, a Mayan community cooperative promoting sustainable tourism, to a chicle camp so the kids could see how gum was made. Bubble gum history…what kids wouldn’t love it? They watched as a local gummer hacked a maze-like pattern into the tree with his giant machete and the sap oozed down his siphon-like pattern dripping into the bag at the bottom of the tree. He then let the kids help stir the boiling sap and, once cooled down, try some. They said it needed flavor (which they add later) but had great texture. Apparently, you can chew this kind of natural chicle for days. After we had worked up a sweat, we headed out into the lagoon through ancient Mayan canals, which they built to connect their villages to the fishing routes. We jumped out for a swim and to float down one of the canals, past a small Mayan pyramid, lots of fish and birds, orchids and one lonely sting ray. We all enjoyed the relaxing float and the kids played funny imaginary games as we floated through the mangroves.

Day 2:

Today, we headed a bit north of Tulum to one of the ecological parks, Xcaret. This park promotes a long range of Mexico history – from Mayan to modern – through models, artifacts, re-creations of pyramids, festivals, towns and such and shows. It also promotes the areas nature through marine exhibits, aquariums, and animal interactions. The kids were thrilled to hop in the water and meet sting rays and nurse sharks. The guides did a great job teaching them about the animals and letting them have time to pet them and snorkel around with them. They even got a nurse shark high-five! The high speed Adrenalina Ride was a big hit as well – the boat tosses and turns, swirls and even dives semi-under-water!

Day 3:

Key to any trip to the Mayan Riviera is visiting some Mayan pyramids. Even if you are only going to Cancun, and do not want to leave, you can visit El Rey, some very small Mayan ruins in the hotel zone. But to get a real feel for the massive size of ancient Mayan cities, visit one of the bigger sites like Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, Uxmal, Tulum or Coba. Though we were staying close to the incredibly located and picturesque ruins of Tulum, the pyramids there are not quite as big as the other locations, and you cannot climb them (and kids love to climb them!), so we headed about 45 minutes inland to Coba. They are still uncovering pyramids at the massive site of Coba, but they have not cleared the whole area like they have in Chichen Itza, so there is lots of jungle cover – making for a cooler day. But, I still recommend going in early morning or late afternoon (most ruins start asking guests to make their way out at about 4:30p). We rented bikes and bumped along the dirt roads discovering ancient Mayan ball courts and smaller pyramids. At the end of the road, El Castlllo soared above the lush canopy calling to us. We parked our bikes and headed up the steep stone steps and were rewarded with incredible vistas of green tree tops waving in the breeze punctuated by rocky temples. You could just imagine what it would feel like in ancient Maya watching the clouds drift by and the wind rustle in the trees below you.

We ended the day in Tulum’s hotel zone. We strolled the beach boardwalks through the small resorts and over little cliffs and hills, discovering bay after bay of amazing turquoise waters and white sand beaches. We ended with dinner at Zamas. The kids played on the beach while we toasted our incredible luck. And our luck continued. That night, when we returned to our hotel we went for a moon light walk near our hotel and saw three turtles digging nests for their eggs. The kids were mesmerized watching the giant lumbering turtles – so out of place here on land. Lights appeared over a dune and a herd of scientists came to check in on the turtles..counting eggs, measuring the turtles and letting the kids help, They reburied a couple of stray eggs – the kids got touch the eggs – and they measured the turtles before they made their way back into the ocean – the kids helped with that too! Then they accompanied the turtles as they waddles back across the beach and into the waves. Normally, I would say do not approach too close to a nesting turtle as they are endangered and your presence may cause them distress (especially do not use lights or flashes). But because the kids were in the good hands of the well-trained scientists they got a first hand experience that is priceless!

Day 4:

Motivated and ready for more adventure, we headed just a few minutes up the road and into the jungle to Hidden Worlds to snorkel cenotes (underwater caves) and experience their eco-friendly, but very exciting adventure activities. After riding in a Mad-Max-esque Jungle Mobile 15 minutes through the lush jungle, we arrived at adventure land. We started by pedaling along the Aero Cycle – a sort of bike attached to a zip line with fabulous views over the tree-tops and through caves. Then came the Zip Coaster – a morphe of a roller coaster and a zip line. The ride lasts less than a minute, but the kids thought it was a blast as they swung, twisted, turned and bumped down a curvy cable with built-in drops and sharp turns. They rode it again and again! The only thing that got them moving was the offer to rappel into a nearby cenote followed by a more traditional zip line through the jungle with a surprise ending that splashed down into a cenote. My favorite activity was at the end – a snorkel through a long cenote. A bit more tame, but much more adventure in its rugged nature. We climbed down into a cenote, donned masks and flash lights and floated through caves – only a few feet above our heads at some points and then opening to large caverns. Vistas both above and below the surface were amazing – dripping with unique rock formations, stalactites, stalagmites punctuated by cave fish with bulging eyes and squeaking, flittering bats. The kids agreed it was their favorite…until they remembered the Zip Coaster that is.

Plan Your Trip:

High Season is December – May and July and August. The Mayan Riviera stretches from Puerto Morelos in the north to Sian Ka’an in the south. Upscale resorts line the areas between the towns. Popular places include Playa Del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal and Tulum. Flights run from most U.S. cities – some connecting through Houston or Miami. We booked through Apple Vacations, which offers great deals on family vacations all around Mexico and the Caribbean including Cancun and the Mayan Riviera. Be sure to pack lots of light weight clothes, plenty of suncreen and mosquito repellent.

More Information on the Area:

Cancun with Kids: http://www.travelwithkids.tv/cancun-with-kids/

Dreams Cancun Review: http://www.travelwithkids.tv/cancun-with-kids/

Mayan Riviera Tourism: http://www.rivieramaya.com

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