Each year from May through mid-September travelers can experience one of the most memorable Riviera Maya excursions by swimming with whale sharks off the Yucatan coast in the Caribbean Sea! These gentle giants come to the warm turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean each year during their annual migration to feed on plankton and other tiny sea plants that grow where there is an up-swell of cold, nutritious water.

Situated off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, about 25 minutes by ferry ride from Cancun, Isla Mujeres is consistently recognized by top travel resources as one of the world’s best beach vacation destinations. Now Travel + Leisure magazine has joined the chorus of praise, naming Isla Mujeres one of the top five island destinations in its annual World’s Best Awards 2019 reader survey.

A new report by International Living has named five Mexico beaches among the world’s best, including Cancun, Cozumel, and Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula’s Caribbean coast, along with Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita on the country’s Pacific coast. Here’s a brief rundown of what makes each one of these Mexico beaches stand out from the crowd, along with some insider tips designed to make your next beach vacation one you will never forget!

By now you might have heard about the sargassum that has been coming to shore in parts of the Caribbean and Riviera Maya, but the beautiful beaches in Cozumel are pristine, great for swim and free of the seaweed. Situated off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, just a quick ferry ride from downtown Playa del Carmen, Cozumel is home to one of the world’s top cruise ship ports and is a major beach and diving destination, offering easy access to everything the magical Riviera Maya has to offer.

Neighboring the state of Quintana Roo - which is home to Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum in the Riviera Maya - Mexico’s Yucatan State and the capital city of Merida offer some of Latin America’s most exciting tourism offerings. Merida lies just over three hours west of downtown Playa del Carmen and Cancun near the beach town of Progreso on the northern coast of Mexico’s amazing Yucatan Peninsula. This is an excellent choice if you want to enjoy an overnight excursion or long weekend getaway while visiting Cancun or the Riviera Maya, offering the chance to experience the charm of Mexico’s colonial cities and also take in some of the country’s most impressive ancient Mayan ruins! 

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is home to many natural wonders, including countless freshwater cenotes, which are pristine underground caves and sinkholes where you can swim, snorkel and dive, entering a subterranean world in the limestone bedrock that is both surreal and incredibly beautiful. Pronounced “say-note-tays,” many Riviera Maya cenotes are well-known and already quite popular among tourists, but there are also quite a few others waiting to be discovered just off the beaten path.

Here are three of our favorite lesser-known cenotes about 45 minutes away near Tulum in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, all situated close to one another and just ten minutes from the ancient Mayan ruins of Coba!

The Riviera Maya is one of the world’s top vacation destinations, stretching more than 80 miles south of Cancun along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, where travelers enjoy gorgeous white sand beaches and an incredible array of activities that simply can’t be found anywhere else in the world. With so much to choose from the options can feel a bit overwhelming, so here are five non-touristy things to do in Playa del Carmen that will make your next Mexico vacation a truly unforgettable experience and create memories to last a lifetime.

No visit to Cancun or the Riviera Maya region of Mexico is complete without exploring the ancient Mayan culture of the Yucatan Peninsula and Caribbean coast, which is home to a wide variety of ancient ruins and where many indigenous communities still thrive to this day. But if you’re looking for an exciting new adventure that will take you even deeper into the magical world of the Maya people, Maya Ka’an offers visitors a sustainable, back-to-nature cultural experience that is unlike anything else in the world.

By now, you probably know that the Riviera Maya is home to some of the best beaches in the world, but you may not realize that it also lies right next door to Yucatan State, which offers so much to do and see that you might just forget about the Caribbean Sea for a few days of your next Mexico vacation! Here’s a brief overview of the region and some of the best things to do on a vacation in Mexico to the Riviera Maya and Yucatan State:

Whether you’re coming to Playa del Carmen on vacation or business, 5^th Avenue (Quinta Avenida in Spanish) is a must-see, especially if you love to shop, eat, listen to music and people watch! As one of the longest pedestrian-only streets in the world, Fifth Avenue stretches for more than 20 blocks (and counting!), running parallel to the beach just steps from the clear turquoise waters and white sand beaches of the Mexican Caribbean Sea.

Situated about 25 minutes south of the Cancun International Airport and only 35 minutes north of downtown Playa del Carmen, the onetime sleepy fishing village of Puerto Morelos has retained its small-town charm despite its growing popularity as a vacation destination for international beach bums. Today, Puerto Morelos offers a more laid-back, boutique vacation experience than what you will find in the Riviera Maya’s larger neighboring towns along the Mexican Caribbean coast.

Although the Riviera Maya region just south of Cancun is perhaps best known for having the best beaches in the world, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is also home to thousands of beautiful freshwater cenotes (pronounced say-note-tays) that offer fantastic places to swim, snorkel or - for more adventurous travelers - experience cave diving in the world’s most stunning underwater caverns. Considered to be sacred by the ancient Mayans, these natural sinkholes are still an important water source for the Yucatan Peninsula and also represent one of the Riviera Maya’s most exciting tourism offerings. 

Here are four of our favorite cenotes in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, offering incredible photo ops and a fun way to support both the local Mayan culture and indigenous businesses! 

For some travelers, nothing beats a day at the beach and Mexico is home to some of the best beaches in the world! Here’s a roundup of the top five trending beach vacation destinations in Mexico for this year, along with some insider tips on the best times to travel, where to stay and what to do. 

The new list of 2019-2020 Blue Flag Beach Certifications makes it easier than ever to find the best beaches in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, with 20 white-sand beaches in the Mexican Caribbean making the coveted list this year! About half of the Blue Flag Beaches in Mexico’s Riviera Maya are located in Cancun, with the others located nearby in Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres and Puerto Morelos.