One Week Adventure

An Eco-Adventure for the Entire Family

If you've got your own mask and snorkel (and fins, too) bring them for this trip; you can always get rentals, but you're better off with gear that comfortably fits you.

Day 1: Arrive at Cancún Airport

For this itinerary, it's best to stay in the lower Riviera Maya, at a hotel or condo in the Xpu-Ha-Akumal-Tulum area. That puts you close to most of the places you'll be going. The drive from the airport to this part of the coast is at most 2 hours.

Day 2: Xel-Ha & the Ruins of Tulum

Start by enjoying a nice swim at Xel-Ha's lovely lagoon, go snorkeling, or simply enjoy the parklands encircling the water. You can stay here the entire day or combine this with a trip to see the ruins in Tulum (which you should do in the morning, when the air is cooler).

Day 3: Hidden Worlds & Aktun Chen

Between Akumal and Tulum are two attractions, each interesting in its own way. At Hidden Worlds, you can snorkel in a couple of different cenotes (sinkholes or wellsprings) and subterranean rivers for which the Yucatán is famous. The water is cold, but this outfit provides wet suits and snorkel gear if you don't bring your own. Aktun Chen is a cavern that you can hike through and see lots of rock formations. There's also a small zoo with local species such as spider monkeys and tropical birds, including a toucan.

Day 4: Alltournative

Consider spending today with Alltournative, an adventure tour agency based in Playa del Carmen. Its day trips combine adventure with nature and interactions with contemporary Maya in one of their own villages. The tour company will pick you up at almost any hotel in the Riviera Maya. You can fly out over the jungle on a zip line, try your hand at rappelling, and have a Maya-style meal all in the same day.

Day 5: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Explore the largest wildlife preserve in the Yucatán; snorkel down canals built by the Maya, visit the large, pristine lagoon at the center of the park, and observe various forms of wildlife as you get an up-close-and-personal view of the peninsula's natural habitat. Tour agencies do full-day tours.

Day 6: Chichén Itzá

Go for a morning snorkel trip with one of the local dive shops, and then drive to Chichén Itzá in the afternoon. Check into a hotel, and in the evening you can enjoy the sound-and-light show at the ruins. Return the next morning to get a closer look in daylight.

Day 7: Cenote Dzitnup, Ek Balam & Río Lagartos Nature Reserve

After seeing the ruins, head east on the old federal highway until you get to Cenote Dzitnup, shortly before the town of Valladolid. You'll find a dark cenote with a beautiful pool of water illuminated by a column of sunlight that penetrates the roof. Nearby is a second cenote. After a quick dip, continue into Valladolid for lunch. After you're nourished, head north on Highway 295 to the turnoff for the recently excavated ruins of Ek Balam, noted for a beautifully sculpted sacred doorway on the tallest pyramid in northern Yucatán. Continue north, past the town of Tizimín, until you get to the coastal village of Río Lagartos. Here you can get a room at one of the economical hotels fronting the water and arrange for an early-morning boat tour of the wildlife sanctuary. Not only will you see those eye-catching natural wonders -- pink flamingos -- but you'll see a host of other species as well, and enjoy a boat ride through mangrove and saltwater estuaries.

Day 8: Cancún

After your visit with pink flamingos, it's time to get back to Cancún and civilization.