Tours
From Playa and the rest of the coast there are tours to all of the ruins mentioned below. The tour buses usually stop at a few places along the way for refreshments and souvenirs, which is why I prefer the small tours. Some combine the ruins of Tulum with a visit to a nature park. A tour agency in Playa called Alltournative (tel. 800/507-1902 in the U.S. and Canada or 984/803-9999; www.alltournative.com) offers small tours that combine a little of everything: culture (visit a contemporary Maya village), adventure (kayaking, rappelling, snorkeling, cenote diving), natural history, and ruins. It offers these tours daily using vans for transportation. The tours are fun. You can call the agency directly or arrange a tour through your hotel; they pick up at most of the large resorts along the coast. Selvática (tel. 866/552-8825 in the U.S. or 998/898-4312; www.selvatica.com.mx), operating out of offices in Cancún, offers guests a little adventure tourism in the jungle, with 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) of zip lines strung up in the forest canopy. The tour also includes biking and swimming in cenotes. In high season you should make your reservation a month before your trip. The $70-$80 (£35-£40) cost includes transportation, activities, a light lunch, locker, and all equipment. Another interesting option is an ecological tour of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. To do this, however, you have to get to Tulum.
Visiting the Ruined Cities of the Maya
Four cities are within easy reach of Playa and most of the coast. The easiest to access is Tulum. A half-hour inland from Tulum on a pock-marked road is Cobá, rising up from a jungle setting. This city has not been reconstructed to the same degree as the other three and doesn't have the rich imagery or clearly delineated architecture. The other two cites, Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam, are 2 1/2 hours distant in the interior of the peninsula. My favorite way to see them is to rent a car and drive to Chichén in the afternoon, check into a hotel (perhaps one with a pool), see the sound-and-light show that evening, and then tour the ruins in the cool of the morning before the big bus tours arrive. Then drive back via Valladolid and Ek Balam.
Xcaret & Xel-Ha Nature Parks
These parks make full-day excursions, offering opportunities for swimming, snorkeling, and other seaside activities, and educational tours about the region's natural history and local Maya culture and entertainment. They are completely self-contained and offer food, drink, watersports equipment, and various kinds of merchandise. Xcaret is just south of Playa, while Xel-Ha is farther south, almost to Tulum.
Cozumel is a half-hour away by ferry from Playa, but it makes for a poor day trip unless you simply want to shop. You'll see exactly what the cruise-ship passengers see -- lots of duty-free, souvenir, and jewelry stores. To enjoy Cozumel best, you have to spend at least a couple of nights there to explore the island.
