The Maya Caribbean Journal
Stories, guides and hidden gems of Cancún, Tulum and the Riviera Maya.
Scuba diving in Cozumel: the complete guide to your first dive
Why Cozumel is one of the best diving destinations on Earth, what to expect from a no-certification Discover Scuba dive, and what a day on the reef actually looks like.
Sunset sailing in the Riviera Maya: what the experience is really like
Sunset sailing in the Riviera Maya is two or three quiet hours on the water, timed to the exact minute the sun goes down. Here is what departure points, timing, and the experience itself are really like.
JOYÀ by Cirque du Soleil: the complete guide to the show in Riviera Maya
JOYÀ by Cirque du Soleil is the company’s only resident show in Latin America and the first one built around a full dinner. Here is everything worth knowing before booking a night out in Riviera Maya.
Xel-Há from Cancún: The Complete Guide to the All-Inclusive Lagoon Park
Xel-Há is the all-inclusive park south of Cancún where a jungle river meets the Caribbean inside one enormous natural lagoon, built for a full day of snorkeling, cliff jumping, and quiet floating. Here is what actually happens when you spend a full day inside it.
Atlantis Submarine Cozumel: The Complete Guide to Seeing the Reef Without Getting Wet
The Atlantis Submarine Cozumel dives to 100 feet along the Chankanaab reef and lets you see the Mesoamerican reef through a real porthole, no swimming, diving, or getting wet required. Here is exactly how it works.
Xoximilco: the complete guide to Cancún’s Mexican fiesta on a trajinera
Xoximilco is Xcaret’s nighttime Mexican fiesta aboard a trajinera, inspired by the historic canals of Xochimilco in Mexico City. This guide breaks down, with real details, what an entire night at Xoximilco near Cancún actually looks like, from the first shot of tequila to the closing show.
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve: the complete guide to Tulum's wild side
Everything worth knowing about the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve before you go: the Maya canal float, the Muyil ruins, the wildlife, Punta Allen, and how a visit to this UNESCO site near Tulum actually works.
Río Secreto: The Guide to Playa del Carmen's Underground Cave River
Río Secreto is not a cenote you snorkel across, it's a guided cave swim through underground passages near Playa del Carmen, in near total darkness lit only by headlamps. Here's what an actual visit looks like, and why the reserve enforces some of the strictest conservation rules on the coast.
Cobá Ruins: The Complete Guide to Nohoch Mul, Punta Laguna and the Cenotes
Everything the Cobá ruins actually involve today: cycling between jungle temple groups, climbing Nohoch Mul now that it has reopened, spotting wild spider monkeys at Punta Laguna, and cooling off in a cave cenote.
Holbox Island: The Guide to Mexico's Car-Free Caribbean Island
How to get to Isla Holbox, when to see its bioluminescence and whale sharks, and why this sand-street island stays so different from the rest of the Riviera Maya.
Las Coloradas: The Complete Guide to Yucatán's Pink Lake
Why the water at Las Coloradas is genuinely pink, how salt has been produced there for centuries, and what to expect from a full day that combines flamingos, mangroves, and a Mayan mud bath.
The Akumal monkeys don't perform. They recover.
The Akumal Monkey Sanctuary is one of the most reviewed tours on the Riviera Maya, and one of the few built around confiscated and injured wildlife rather than performance. Here is what a visit actually involves, and how to tell a real rescue center from a good marketing story.
The Playa del Carmen Buggy Tour: The Buggy Is the Least Interesting Part
Why the muddy ride through the jungle is only the opening act, what the cenote at the end of it reveals about the water beneath the entire peninsula, and what it actually takes to visit a Maya village without turning it into a photo op.
Bacalar Lagoon of Seven Colors: A Complete Guide to Mexico's Turquoise Wonder
The Bacalar lagoon of seven colors is a freshwater lake in southern Quintana Roo known for its shifting blues, ancient stromatolites, and a pirate era colonial fort. Here is what to know before visiting.
Snorkeling with Turtles in Cozumel: The Complete Guide to Swimming with Sea Turtles
Snorkeling with turtles in Cozumel means entering a marine park protected since 1996, set within the world's second largest barrier reef, where green turtles, loggerheads and hawksbills feed in plain sight of anyone who knows where to look. This guide covers when to go, how the tour actually works and what makes Cozumel different.
Isla Mujeres: what the catamaran tour does not show you
Ferry, golf carts, Playa Norte, Punta Sur, the underwater MUSA and why whale shark is better from Isla Mujeres than from Cancún.
Chichén Itzá: the guide to not regretting the trip
How to arrive before anyone else, what to see beyond El Castillo, and why the Sacred Cenote is the second most important place on the site that almost nobody visits properly.
Why the coatí doesn't ask permission to explore
The coatí is the spirit of Chi'ik Adventures. Not as a mascot, but as a way of moving through the world.
Xenses, Xcaret or Xplor: which one is right for you?
Three parks, three completely different experiences. Before you decide, it helps to know what each one actually is and what it is not.
How to explore the Riviera Maya without leaving a mark
Millions of visitors arrive in the Riviera Maya every year. Tourism is its engine, but it can also be one of its greatest threats. Here is how to travel consciously.
The real Tulum: what nobody photographs
Everyone knows the ruins on the cliff and the turquoise sea. But there is another Tulum that barely appears in travel stories. Here is where to find it.
The chi'ik: the animal that named a company
The coatí is not just a curious animal that roams the Riviera Maya jungle. In Maya culture, it carries a deeper meaning. Here is why we chose its name.
Cenotes of the Riviera Maya: the essential guide
What cenotes are, why they were sacred to the Maya and how to choose which one to visit on your trip.
Swimming with whale sharks in Cancún: the complete guide
When to go, what to bring and what it’s really like to swim beside the world’s largest fish in the Mexican Caribbean.
The 7 best experiences in the Riviera Maya
From swimming with whale sharks to losing yourself in a sacred cenote: the experiences truly worth your time in the Mexican Caribbean.