Yucatan Peninsula itinerary: 3 weeks On The Road
The most common question I receive is, “What can I do in Mexico if I have three weeks to spend between the Yucatan and the Riviera Maya?” In this three-week Yucatan itinerary, I will share my tips on the best things to see in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Buckle up, and let’s go on a journey through spectacular archeological sites, refreshing cenotes, and colonial towns.
I always suggest renting a car and exploring, getting out of the most touristy areas, and seeing the real Mexico. There is so much to see, but in three weeks, you can definitely cover some of the most interesting places.
Driving around the Yucatan peninsula is not dangerous at all, and the car will take you to places that are difficult to reach by bus.
If you are concerned about safety, in general, I wrote a lot about safety in Mexico in a very detailed post, which sums up to this: Yes, Mexico is safe to travel, but you need to be wise and follow some easy common-sense rules.
After reading these articles, you will feel like you have been living there forever and know all the tricks and tips for moving around like a local.
Below is my suggested itinerary.
3-WEEK YUCATAN ITINERARY MAP
DAY 1 – ARRIVING IN CANCUN
You will want to pick up your car at the airport after you have completed all the airport formalities so that you are free to move around from the very first day.
You can decide whether to stay on the beach or in town.
If you love the beach, I suggest you spend the first two nights at a hotel on the beautiful beach of Cancun.
It’s worth it. You have plenty of choices in terms of hotels. Although the majority offer all-inclusive service, you will also have the option for room-only accommodation and decide where you want to go to eat, in or out of your hotel.
You can spend a day relaxing on the beautiful beach in Cancun and get fully recharged for your adventure.
Suggested hotels on Cancun beach:
CANCUN’S TOP LUXURY HOTEL
CANCUN’S BEST ALL-INCLUSIVE FAMILY RESORT
CANCUN’S BEST ALL-INCLUSIVE COUPLE RESORT
DAY 2 – ENJOY CANCUN BEACH
I thought you had come from a long, stressful year, so before going on an adventure, you deserve some me-time in one of the spectacular all-inclusive hotels of the Cancun Hotel Zone, right on the beach. Get pampered and relax so you will leave for your road trip in full strength.
DAY 3 – EK BALAM AND RIO LAGARTOS
Drive to Ek-balam and Rio Lagartos, where you will spend the night.
If you take the regular road (LIBRE) instead of the highway, you will pass through local villages and start to get the feel of Mexico. Most of all, you will have the chance to visit one of the most beautiful cenotes that I have ever seen. Cenote Choj-ha is located a few kilometers before the turn towards Ek Balam.
After this stop, you will fall in love with Mexico even more. I would suggest you do not go on a weekend if you wish to enjoy the cenote all for yourself or with a few visitors. It’s magic.
You will then move on to Ek Balam where besides visiting the interesting archeological site, you can rent a bike and ride for 1 km to reach another cenote.
This one is open, not in a cave, less of a visual impact but certainly a great option to cool down after the walk around the Mayan ruins.
You will then proceed to Rio Lagartos where you will enjoy a stunning sunset while dining in a local restaurant on the coast.
Where to stay in Rio Lagartos
In Rio Lagartos, you won’t find luxury properties, but very modest small hotels, where you can spend one night before leaving for the tour early in the morning.
Here there are a couple of hotel options that I suggest. I didn’t stay there but I checked them out during my visit.
Both of them are very simple but with great reviews and awesome views.
DAY 4 – RIO LAGARTOS TOUR
I would wake up early in the morning and tour the lagoon with one of the fishermen’s boats. You can arrange it the previous day or do it directly the very same morning. All the fishermen will be there. If you want a professional experience, you can check out the amazing tours by William Ramon Cruz.
He’s a real expert in the area, a bird watcher and photographer. You will see the gracious flamingoes and other local fauna.
I don’t have any business partnership with William. Still, I would really like to highlight the difference between any fisherman who can take you around but doesn’t have any specific knowledge about local flora and fauna and the territory in general, and a professional like William who knows every single piece of this land and its animal population.
He also organizes night trips to see crocodiles, bird-watching tours, and sports fishing. He’s quite popular, so if you wish to have a tour with him, you should contact him beforehand.
He speaks English, of course. You can find him on Facebook, where you can contact him and arrange your amazing tour. He’s a very popular guide and is in demand so I would recommend booking in advance.
Day 5 – VALLADOLID, THE GETAWAY TO THE COLONIAL YUCATAN
After the tour, you will want to drive to Valladolid and spend the night there. This beautiful colonial city is the first gateway to the Yucatan. One of the “Pueblos Mágicos,” you cannot go anywhere without stopping in Valladolid.
On arrival, you will have time to take a dip in Cenote Zaci, located 2 blocks from the center, which will cool you off and prepare you for the hotter part of your day.
The second essential stop is the main square with the cathedral of San Gervasio, which is well worth a visit; from there, you can continue towards Calle 41 and then Calzada de Los Frailes, where you can walk past the typical brightly colored houses, explore high-quality artisan shops, and stop by the famous Jardin de Los Frailes for a delicious local lunch.
You can split all these visits between the day you arrive and the following day. No rush.
Where to stay in Valladolid
I’ve been going to Valladolid for several years now, and I notice that the level of hotel quality in Valladolid has increased quite a bit, especially in recent times.
Here is my choice for each category:
Budget hotel but with great quality
Mid-range price for cozy boutique hotels
Mayan Majesty Boutique Hotel –
DAY 6 – CHICHÈN-ITZÀ
If it is your first time in Mexico, you will want to see Chichen-Itza and its majestic pyramids and history. I need to warn you it’s going to be a very tiring visit, not only for the huge site but for the number of people visiting and the tiresome insisting vendors.
I must confess that after the first time I went, 15 years ago, I never went back, while I visited Uxmal 3 times.
I encourage you to check it out at least once in your life, though. You should probably plan to be at the gate by 8 a.m. when it opens to avoid the crowd.
Close to Chichen Itza, there is one of the most visited and photographed cenotes, Ik-Kil. It’s beautiful indeed, but others are less known but still amazing. I enjoy cenotes when a huge crowd does not surround me.
After visiting Chichen Itza, you can drive to Homun, where you will be ready for a full cenote tour the next day.
Homun is a small town in the heart of the Ruta de Los Cenotes. I would spend two nights there, so you will have 1 full day to visit all the possible cenotes.
Homun is a very small town where there is nothing else to do or to see, and it is not particularly charming.
The hotel option is reduced to 1. The Hotel and Restaurant Santa Maria is really modest and simple but clean and decent. The restaurant is great, too, and the staff is very friendly and helpful.
The area is full of cenotes to keep you busy for one entire day, and you can decide whether to go by car on your own or rent the typical Yucatan taxi-bikes.
The cost is relatively cheap, around 400 Mxn ( about 22 USD) for the entire day, although the price varies and it is always negotiable.
As I love to support the local communities as much as I can, I would rent and give them what they ask, especially if you stay with them all day, this will represent their only income for the day or some of it as they might have to pay for the taxi rental.
They will be able to take you around and show you the best cenotes of the area with some information, while you relax and enjoy the views.
If you choose a luxury option, not far from here, in Acanceh, you will find the hotel Hacienda Sac-chich and you will thank me forever :).
It’s only a 20-minute drive from Homun, so you can easily enjoy the full day and then return to your luxury accommodation.
Where to stay in Homun
Here are some other options if you wish to stay in the village of Homun
DAY 8 – IZAMAL
Drive to Izamal and spend 2 nights there. In this way, you will have the time to browse around the town, enjoy its colonial feeling, and try the local restaurants.
Where to stay in Izamal
Budget hotel but with great quality
Hotel San Miguel Arcangel – Booking.com
Mid-range price for cozy boutique hotels
Hacienda Santo Domingo – Booking.com
DAY 10 – MERIDA
I would certainly spend one or two days in Merida, the white city. The city has a lot to offer, especially if you are interested in history and art. As for accommodation, you can choose to stay in the city or in the main plaza. There are many lovely properties in the main plaza.
Otherwise, you can decide to stay in one of the beautiful haciendas on the outskirts of Merida and do daily visits from there.
They are located a short distance from Merida and the archeological site that I suggest you visit in the next few days.
In Merida, remember if you wish to enjoy the local folklore, they have a very good nightly program of shows on history and tradition that happens every night, but the most colorful and interesting day is Sunday, when everything happens around the central plaza. In my dedicated post on Merida, you can get more info.
Where to stay in Merida – Suggested Hotels
Hotel Rosas y Chocolate – Booking.com
DAY 11 – VISIT UXMAL
Visit Uxmal and the other archaeological sites on the Ruta Puuc and stay in the amazing hotels in close to Uxmal ( 3 or 4 days).
I haven’t written a full article on the Ruta Puuc, but if you are interested in archeology and Mayan history, this is the place to visit. Uxmal, Labná, Sayil, Xlapak y KabahUxmal.
Except for Uxmal, which is the biggest and will take most of the day, the others are doable in one day.
I would stay in the area for 3 nights and dedicate one full day and a half to visiting all the sites and the Loltun caves (grutas de Loltun).
It’s a great opportunity to see the underworld in the Yucatan Peninsula. The rock formations, stalactites, and stalagmites are of incredible beauty, and you will witness human settlements 7000 years old. The visits are organized and accompanied by a local guide.
They have fixed visit times: 9:30, 11, 12:30, 14, 15, and 16 h. The cost is about 150mxn per person.
The caves are close to a very characteristic town, Oxkuztcab, where you can enjoy a visit to the colorful local market and try local specialties right in the market.
DAY 13 – CAMPECHE
Drive to Campeche and spend 3 nights there. I love this city, but you don’t need more than 3 nights to visit. One day to enjoy the city and one to visit the majestic archeological site of Edzna.
Driving from the Ruta Puuc to Campeche is quite a drive for about 4 hours, but really pleasant. You will pass through Maxcanu and then follow the instructions for Campeche.
I suggest you stay in one of the haciendas, either Uayamon ( outside the city) or Puerta Campeche within the city’s ancient walls ( stunning). If you are traveling on a budget, there are many lovely hotels in the city of ancient walls.
Suggested hotels in Campeche
Hacienda Puerta Campeche – Booking.com –
DAY 15 – MIGUEL COLORADO
I would wake up early and drive to Xpuhil, but I would stop in Miguel, Colorado, to visit the Cenote Azul. This is a great natural place to visit off the beaten track.
It’s an open cenote where you can swim, kayak, or enjoy a zip-line trip. If you like adventure, you can spend the night there.
There are nice cabañas, but they are a bit isolated, with an external bathroom, and not for everybody. If you decide to stay, ask the owner of the cabañas how to see the bat shows. This is something that happens every night, right after sunset, in a cave close to the cabañas. Millions of bats are flying out in search of food, forming a vortex. Amazing.
If there is a full moon and clear sky, you will be able to see them more clearly. Also, being in the forest in the middle of the night is scary and exciting at the same time. Remember to bring a torch, long pants, and hiking shoes. If you want to just stop for the cenote and leave, you will be heading to Calakmul.
DAY 16 – CALAKMUL
Suppose you decided just to drive through and reach the next stop the same day. Campeche – Miguel Colorado is about 2h 30′ drive and so is Miguel Colorado to Calakmul. Here I would sleep at Puerta Calakmul, an oasis in the jungle, which I call laid-back luxury. It’s right at the door of the biosphere of Calakmul.
I have also written a long and comprehensive post on my Mexico site about the areas and the Calakmul biosphere.
There is so much to see in the area that you could spend the entire week, as I did. However, since you have limited time, I suggest you spend at least two nights and one full day in the Biosphere.
Here you need to hire a guide to appreciate it fully.
Since you will arrive late afternoon, you can visit the Visit Calakmul tourist office and ask them to organize a guide who will wait for you at the entrance of the Biosphere at 6 a.m. or even earlier.
That’s the best time to enter and see many species of fauna before entering the archeological site.
Where to stay in Calakmul
Hotel Maya Balam – Expedia
But if you wish to know about other kinds of accommodation, you can check out this detailed post.
DAY 17 – BACALAR
You will drive all the way to Bacalar, the charming, magical town on the coast of the Lagoon of the 7 colors, for the shades of blue of its water. You will fall in love with this place, I assure you.
You will want to stay longer after reading the guide, but we need to move on as I wanted to show you other beauties of the region. I would spend the full day between a boat trip and a visit to the rapids, my two favorite places in Bacalar.
Where to stay in Bacalar
DAY 19 TULUM
You will arrive in Tulum, where there are tons of other things to do, or you can just stay in your fancy hotel on the beach and chill.
I wrote many posts about Tulum that will help you make up your mind.
DAY 21 – TIME TO GO HOME
Remember you have a flight to go back home…
Now, you will notice that I have left little beach time. You will want to spend a full week in Tulum instead, also because you will see that there are thousands of things that you can do while staying in Tulum.
It’s no problem because you can easily modify the itinerary, cutting and adding as you please.
This is one example of an itinerary, but there are thousands more, and I will write more to give you ideas.
If you want to ask me for specific information, please do not hesitate to write in the comment below or email me. I will be pleased to help you out and do your personalized itinerary.
Bye for now and safe travels!
