Cancun is the base. The best days leave from it.
Which Chichen Itza coach reaches El Castillo before the crowds. What the catamaran to Isla Mujeres actually pours. Whether a cenote swim beats another afternoon by the hotel pool. Reviews of the tours you can book from the Hotel Zone.
Six days most Cancun trips are built on
- 1Chichen ItzaChichen Itza, Cenote, and Valladolid Tourfrom $45
- 2Isla MujeresIsla Mujeres: Catamaran with Open Bar, Snorkeling and Lunchfrom $59
- 4Tulum on the cliffTulum Ruins and Cenote Guided Tour, from Cancunfrom $49
- 5Reef and MUSA5-in-1 Cancun Snorkeling: Turtles, Reef, Musa, Shipwreck, Cenotefrom $79
- 6Whale sharksWhale Shark Adventure in Isla Mujeres and Cancunfrom $155
Isla Mujeres, the reef or a whale shark: choosing a Cancun boat day.
Cancun has two waters: the flat Bahia de Mujeres on one side and the open Caribbean on the other. Four ways to spend a day on them, and what it costs to get aboard each.
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · Isla Mujeres Luxury Sailing: Adults Only or Family Friendly
Isla Mujeres by boatAnything from a plain ferry seat to a catamaran with an open bar and a snorkel stop.
2
Reef and statue snorkellingMasks on over the coral and the sunken sculptures of MUSA.
3
Whale sharksA summer-only dawn run north to swim beside the biggest fish in the sea.
4
Party boatsLoud music, an open bar and a swim stop between rounds.
All 125 Isla Mujeres days out →
The Cancun tours more people book than any others.
The full Cancun list →Mostly ruins, cenotes and boats to Isla Mujeres, which is a fair picture of what a week here usually looks like.
1
Chichen Itza, Cenote, and Valladolid Tour
Travel from Cancún or the Riviera Maya to Chichén Itzá with a bilingual guide, then visit Cenote Chichikan for a swim and buffet lunch. The day ends with a short stop in Valladolid. Guides such as César, Luis, Edwin, and Hugo have been praised for lively explanations of Maya culture. Check your package carefully: the lowest fare may not include the archaeological-site entrance fee.
Seats from $45
Read our review →
2
Chichen Itza, Cenote & Valladolid Tour with Tequila and Lunch
from $34
3
Early morning Chichen Itza Tour: Cenote and Tequila Tasting
from $26
4
Cancun ATV Jungle Adventure, Ziplines, Cenote and Tequila Tasting
from $49
5
Viator Exclusive: Tulum Ruins, Reef Snorkeling, Cenote and Caves
from $129
6
Chichen Itza Early Access All Inclusive: Hotel Pick up & All Fees
from $165
7
ATV Adventure, Interactive Bridges, Ziplines, Cenote and Lunch
from $49
8
Isla Mujeres Luxury Sailing: Adults Only or Family Friendly
from $129
Chichen Itza at opening time, then a cenote swim on the road back to Cancun.
Inland, the Yucatan swaps sand for limestone: pyramids the jungle took back, and sinkholes full of cool, clear fresh water. Most Cancun day trips pair the two, with a stop in colonial Valladolid on the way home.
South to Tulum, west to Chichen Itza: how far each Cancun day trip drives.
Times are from the Hotel Zone in normal traffic. The cheapest seat on each road is under the name.
Cancun
Puerto Morelos
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Coba
Valladolid
Chichen ItzaWhen sargassum washes onto Cancun’s Caribbean side, go inland or across the bay.
From around April to September, rafts of brown sargassum drift onto the east-facing beaches of the Hotel Zone and the coast down to Tulum. Some weeks there is barely any; some weeks it piles up along the tide line. The cenotes are fresh water and never see it, Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres faces the other way, and the jungle zipline does not care either way.
Sunken statues, summer whale sharks and a pink lagoon, all within reach of Cancun.
Every beach town has a catamaran. These three exist because of where Cancun sits: at the corner where the Gulf meets the Caribbean, with the Yucatan salt flats behind it.
The MUSA statues
More than five hundred life-size statues stand on the sand in the shallows off Cancun and Isla Mujeres, sunk from 2009 onwards to draw divers away from the stressed natural reefs. Coral and sponges have grown over them since. The shallow gallery off Punta Nizuc works as a snorkel; the deeper Manchones gallery is best seen on a dive, and calm mornings give the clearest water.
- 15-in-1 Cancun Snorkeling: Turtles, Reef, Musa, Shipwreck, Cenote★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 1,678 reviews
- 2Isla Mujeres Snorkeling Adventure at the Underwater Museum★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 219 reviews
- 3Jungle Tour & Snorkel at Punta Nizuc Reef , Underwater museum★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 201 reviews
Whale Sharks
Every summer the largest fish in the ocean gathers off the northern tip of the peninsula to feed on plankton and fish eggs. Boats leave the marinas before dawn and run well offshore toward Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy. Only a couple of swimmers go in at a time with a guide, so the day is mostly waiting, then a few minutes you will not forget.
- 1Whale Shark Adventure in Isla Mujeres and Cancun★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 951 reviews
- 2Whale Shark Tour from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Riviera Maya★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 929 reviews
- 3Whale Sharks Small-Group Tour in Cancun and Riviera Maya★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 916 reviews
Las Coloradas
Three hours north of Cancun, the salt works at Las Coloradas turn their evaporation ponds anything from pale rose to shocking pink, a colour that comes from algae and tiny brine shrimp in the salty water. Swimming is not allowed. Most tours pair the ponds with a boat through the Ria Lagartos mangroves, where flamingos feed in the shallows.
- 1Las Coloradas Pink Lake & Rio Lagartos Guided Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 103 reviews
- 2Discover the FABULOUS PINK WATERS at the Caribean (Las Coloradas+Río Lagartos)★★★★★★★★★★ 3.5 · 53 reviews
- 3Las Coloradas Tour! Boat Ride, Lunch & Rio Lagartos from Cancun★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 26 reviews
After dark in Cancun: Coco Bongo, a pirate galleon and Cirque du Soleil.
The Hotel Zone saves its noise for the night. A nightclub that is half stage show, a galleon that sails the bay with dinner and a sword fight, and a Cirque du Soleil show staged in a jungle theatre down the coast.
Every Cancun night out →What a Cancun day out costs, from a coach seat to a private yacht.
Every tour on the site, grouped by price per person. A good share of the big days, Chichen Itza included, come in under fifty dollars.
Chichen Itza coach trips, cenote and ATV combos, taco walks and the cheaper Isla Mujeres boats.
Catamarans with an open bar, Tulum with a reef snorkel, Xcaret and the other parks.
Whale sharks, early-access Chichen Itza, scuba days and private guides.
Four Cancun bookings that will not wait until you arrive.
Most of a Cancun week can be arranged from a sunbed the day before. These four run on seasons, opening hours and seat plans, and they fill up without you.
- 01Whale Shark Adventure in Isla Mujeres and CancunThe season runs roughly June to September and the boats leave before dawn. Outside those months there is nothing to swim with.
- 02Early morning Chichen Itza Tour: Cenote and Tequila TastingThe site opens at eight and the coaches from the coast roll in late morning. Only the early departures see El Castillo before the crowd and the heat.
- 03Xcaret Park Entry Tickets with Cultural Night Show IncludedAdmission is sold for a set date and the day runs on into the evening show. Sort the ride back to the Hotel Zone when you book.
- 04Coco Bongo Nightclub ExperienceCoco Bongo sells by section, and the seats nearest the stage go first on busy nights.
By place, from the Hotel Zone outwards
By kind of day: water, jungle, ruin or table
Just reviewed: new Cancun tours on the list.
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