Things to do in Mexico

Xcaret and the Mayan ruins

The Xcaret eco-archaeological park is one of the real gems of the region. Around an hour from Cancun’s city centre, this is an adventure park with everything from butterfly exhibitions and Mayan ruins to dolphin encounters and wine tasting.

There are plenty of opportunities to see some other wonderful ancient Mayan sites too. The Yucatan region is nearby and excursions can usually be arranged if you’d like to get in touch with Mexican culture.

Watersports

There’s a truly broad range of watersports on offer in Cancun. Diving is very popular here thanks to the array of spectacular dive sites. There is also plenty of opportunities for ‘animal encounters’ too – go swimming with whale sharks and stingrays, or meet friendly dolphins.

Adrenalin-pumping watersports are on offer too including water-skiing, jet skiing and windsurfing. There are centres to hire equipment from if your resort does not offer them.

Daytrips

If you’re staying in Cancun’s hotel zone it can be well worth your time to day trip down to Playa del Carmen or Tulum. The former is an interesting coastal city with a less commercial feel than Cancun itself. The latter is an ancient walled city that’s a lot of fun to have a look round.