Mexico

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Mexico will conquer you! One of the most friendly and cheerful people in the world, impressive ruins scattered throughout the country, well-preserved colonial cities, an exciting capital, incredible natural beauties and a wide choice of activities for all tastes. You may want to extend your time here.

Mexico is joy, fiesta, tacos, sombrero, beaches, tequila, mezcal, cactus, mariachi, Mayan ruins. The country has a lot to offer … Beaches with crystal blue water of the Caribbean, a underwater world of cenotes, exotic marine animals, two official wonders of the world (Paricutin volcano and Chichén Itzé ruins), mountains, desert, radical surfing, heat, cold, history, art and culture.

The ruins are all amazing and we never felt tire of visiting them, Teotihuacan, Chichén Itzá, Palenque, Uxmal, Monte Alban … Each one has its own characteristics and worth a visit. We liked so Much everything we saw in Mexico that it was even hard for us to make the must-see list on this page.

What was worth it: The loop through the beautiful colonial cities, the energetic capital, the coast of the Yucatan with crystal clear water and stunning cenotes and the amazing ruins scattered throughout the country.
What was not so paid off:Cancun (is hell on earth! A beautiful beach with a jaw-dropping crystal blue water destroyed by concrete and noisy resorts with nonsense tourists and a city that has just consumption to offer. If you want to see the beach with tyour own eyes you can make a day trip from Playa del Carmen, wich will be enough) and Puerto Vallarta (because it is super touristy, is not very interesting and it is another party destination for teenager).
What we wanted to do but we didn’t: The arid desert of cactus in Real de Catorce, the colonial cities of Puebla and Taxco, the train trip to Chihuahua, the Mariposa Monarca reserve and a trekking in Pueblos Mancomunados.

A few tips:

• TRANSPORTATION: The buses are the most luxurious we saw throughout our trip. There are several categories, all with AC, but not all trips offer all options. The super luxury offer individual screens for entertainment, like on airplanes, separate toilets for men and women, more comfortable seats, a leg rest and drink and sandwich. The median category has shared screen TV with movies, good seats and shared bathroom. The simplest category varies greatly, sometimes with or without bathroom and TV, and the only problem is that they will usually make a lot of stops on the way and your trip can take twice as long. To buy a ticket you don’t always need to go to the station. In the center of main cities there are shops selling tickets or you can also buy tickets for most companies inOxxos stores, for a fee of only $ 0.50.
• FLYING FROM CANCUN: Cancun has a large offer of airline tickets to Europe and Cuba for great prices. It worths seeing agencies offers or search on the internet. There are flights to Europe around 120 euros in low season. For flights to Europe have a look at: Jetair Fly, Air Europa, Pullmantur Air. For flights Cuba have a look at: Cubana, Aeromexico.
• THE INCREDIBLES CENOTES: We had never heard about that before, but we just loved we got to know them. The entire Yucatan region is formed by cenotes, which is a natural well, characteristic of Mexico, resulting from the collapse of the limestone layer that exposes the groundwater. It is an underwater world to be explored, unique and fun. There are cenotes open, closed with underwater caves and other partially covered with circular pools. The coolest thing is to do snorkeling or diving depending on the cenote. We visited the cenotes Cristalino (open) and Dos Ojos (closed with caves), both near Tulum, and we loved it!
• SWIMMING WITH THE WHALE SHARK: This is certainly one of the most amazing experiences to do in life and Mexico is one of the few places in the world where it is possible and perhaps the best, as you swim in groups of more than 20 whale sharks and even watch the beautiful ballet of giant manta rays that swim there. The whale shark is the largest fish in the world, it can measure up to 12 meters, it has great beauty, it is vegetarian and super docile. So you don’t need to be afraid! If this is your dream make sure you plan your trip, as you can only swim with them from June-August. The cheapest places to do are Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox, for about 70-75 USD per person, but if you are there right in the July holidays it can be more difficult to find for this price.
• CHICHÉN ITZÁ: The Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza are on the list of the seven wonders of the world and it is truly amazing. Visiting the ruins on a tour is very expensive and it doesn’t worth, as they arrive at the site around 11am when everyone is coming and your experience will be destroyed by a crowd. But you can visit it independently in 3 easy ways: taking a bus from Merida or Valladolid, or spending the night in the city of Pisté, which is next door. No matter your choice, just remember to wake up early to get there by 9 am.

Our itinerary (58 days)

We left Belize City by public bus crossing the border to the city of Chetumal, in Mexico. From there we took another bus to Tulum, where we made several day trips to the cenotes and Akumal beach. Then we went by minivan to Playa del Carmen, where we visited Cancun on a day trip. From Playa we went by bus to Chiquilá to catch the boat to Holbox island and returned to Chiquilá to catch the bus to Cancun and go to Isla Mujeres by ferry. We returned to Cancun by boat to catch our flight to Havana, Cuba. We spent 15 days in Cuba and returned on a flight to Mexico City. After we did the northern loop by bus passing through San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, the beach of Puerto Vallarta and Morelia, from where we visited Patzcuaro and the volcano Paricutin, until we returned to Mexico City. Then we continued the route to south through Oaxaca, the beach of Puerto Escondido, San Cristobal de Las Casas, where we visited the Cañon del Sumidero, Palenque and Merida, where we visited the ruins of Uxmal and Chichen Itza. From there we took a bus to Cancun to catch our flight to Madrid.

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