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9-night Western Caribbean Cruise

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21-night Caribbean Cruise

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28-night Caribbean Cruise

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Overview

Introduction

Though Cancun and the Riviera Maya get the most attention from visitors to Mexico's Caribbean coast, interest in Costa Maya (or Grand Costa Maya) has been growing. The area, which starts a four- to five-hour drive south of Cancun, stretches from Punta Allen south to the border with Belize. It's more than 100 mi/160 km south of Tulum in the Riviera Maya.

Although many travelers opt to drive from Cancun (where rental cars are plentiful) to the Costa Maya, it's also possible to take a bus from Cancun or Playa del Carmen into Chetumal, which is near the border with Belize and a starting point for trips into Guatemala and Belize.

Costa Maya has lovely beaches, small seaside towns and traditional architecture. Unfortunately, newfound attention to this once-secluded paradise is bringing with it a lot of hasty and often unsightly construction, although the government has promised that no new hotel will be taller than a palm tree (a regulation immediately ignored).

Costa Maya is also close to the Mayan ruins at Kohunlich, which are tucked deep in the forest about 40 mi/64 km from Chetumal. Groups can tour three plazas, a ball court and an imposing temple. Scientists believe more than 500 burial mounds in the area have yet to be uncovered. More large Mayan sites are opening north of Kohunlich. To learn more about the history of the ruins, you can visit the excellent Museum of Maya Culture in Chetumal.

Costa Maya also offers visitors plenty of ecotourism opportunities. Bacalar, which is 23 mi/37 km north of Chetumal, is a good base for sailing, fishing and bird-watching—more than 300 feathered species have been identified in the nearby jungles and wetlands. Scuba divers can also take a two-hour boat trip to Banco Chinchorro, which is part of the largest coral atoll in the Americas. Dotted with shipwrecks, the reef is a favorite with experienced divers.

Location

Costa Maya is a popular stop for cruise ships sailing the Western Caribbean. The terminal at the sleepy town of Mahahual, a quaint fishing village with powdery-sand, palm-lined beaches boasts a lovely boardwalk lined by beach houses, small hotels and restaurants.

The privately run port is clean and attractive with a lot to do: There is a beach, bars and restaurants, jewelry stores and duty-free galore. Just outside the gates cruisers find familiar chain restaurants such as the Hard Rock Cafe and Senor Frog's.

The port boasts a few nods to the Mayan culture beyond its gates, and the people who work there are locals, but the area has about as much to do with Mexico as the Venetian in Las Vegas has to do with Italy.

Cruisers who stop there should take advantage of being able to visit a part of Mexico that is not otherwise easy to get to.

Majahual is less than 10 minutes from Costa Maya by taxi. Passengers can see the town's lighthouse from the cruise ship pier.

Shore Excursions

There are excellent excursion options from Costa Maya.

Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is home to thousands of pre-Columbian Mayan ruins as well as the world's second-largest coral reef, offering some of the planet's best snorkeling and diving.

For history buffs, a trip to the Mayan ruins is a must, and the excursion to Chacchoben is the most popular of the Costa Maya cruise tours. The recently excavated ruins, which date back as far as 1000 BC, have only been open to the public since 2002.

The guides who work at the site are all government-certified and are very knowledgeable about Mayan history. Some of the guides grew up playing on the ruins before they were "discovered" for the important archaeological sites they are.

Before there was a cruise port in Costa Maya, the few tourists who came to this area were mostly diving enthusiasts making the long trip to the Chinchorro Reef, famous for its black coral and, thanks to perilously shallow reefs, a plethora of shipwrecks.

Snorkeling and diving are must-do adventures there. The port offers six snorkel and diving tours. For certified divers, the port offers scuba trips on boats that venture out to the Meso-American coral reef.

For casual snorkelers, the reef closest to the shore, reached by a short boat ride from a private beach, is not to be missed. The port offers a snorkel and beach tour that includes use of a speedboat to get out to the reef.

After docking at a floating pier, groups snorkel over the reef, teeming with stingrays and tropical fish of all colors.

Participants on the tour can then spend the rest of the day at the private Uvero Beach Club, an almost-immaculate beach, bar and restaurant. There is also an excursion that takes passengers to the beach alone, offering a beach chair, volleyball, kayaking and an open bar. The Mexican fare there is good but costs double what a meal would in Majahual.

For people who like adventure, the port's second most popular tour is a trip to the BioMaya Canopy Zipline. BioMaya has some of the world's tallest jumping platforms. Ascending those towers on a winch is terrifying, but the jumps make it worth it.

The tour sends people along three ziplines, the last being the fastest and most scenic, gliding past the edge of the Bacalar Lagoon, whose color changes from greens to blues throughout the day.