What To Do When Sargassum Hits
What is there to do when the Sargassum is covering the beaches? If you’ve come to the Riviera Maya for a vacation or, as some of us, you’ve moved here permanently, it’s assumed that the biggest selling point is the crystal-clear water and white sandy beaches. Take those away and what in the world do you have to do? Luckily the Riviera Maya is much more than beaches and the Caribbean Sea!
If it is a really hot day head to one of the many cenotes dotting the jungle all along the 307 Highway, along the Ruta de Cenotes near Puerto Morelos or along the Coba road. No matter where you are chances are you are literally minutes away from a cool refreshing cenote. Most of the cenotes have reasonable entrance fees. All year-round these water holes average 73 degrees and are mostly in shady jungle settings. Cenotes are a perfect way to cool off and have a fun day. Pack a lunch as many don’t have refreshments available. In Akumal, Yal-Ku is a lovely lagoon teaming with tropical fish, and is a great spot to snorkel away from the beaches. There are two entrances, and both charge a small fee and also offer snorkel gear for rent.
If history is your thing be sure to check out the Tulum Ruins, located right on the ocean where there is almost always a breeze. Though on hot days I would go early. Inland, not far is Coba, which can get steamy but its’ jungle setting does provide a lot of shade. Muyil, just south of Tulum, is a lovely, small ruin and if you , plan on making a day of it. Add a tour that includes floating down a natural, lazy river in Sian Ka’an.
Of course, the local eco-parks are great spots to spend an entire day and you won’t even notice the sargasso. Xcaret is the largest and you will be hard pressed to fit everything there is to do in one visit. Luckily for locals, you can get an annual pass. Xel-Ha offers tons of fun along the lazy river and lots of fish to see while snorkeling in the inlet. Xenses will blow you mind! It has sections that will send your senses into overdrive. While X-plor is perfect for the more adventurous.
For the shoppers, there are so many great places to spend your pesos, but don’t stick to the touristy spots. Explore some of the side streets to shop where the locals do, you won’t be disappointed.
All these fun things are right in our backyard, but sometimes we like to hit the road for a day trip or long weekend. The beauty of living here is there are so many great places to visit just a short distance from us. In future articles we will be highlighting as many of these as we can. To just name a few for you to consider there are 3 islands: Cozumel, Isla Mujeres and Holbox. You will find sargasso on the east side but the rest of the islands are sargasso free and boast some of the best beaches.
About 3 hours south of us is Bacalar, an incredible lagoon which is known for its 7 colors of blue. Closer and inland from us is the Colonial city of Valladolid. Not far from there is, of course, the famous ruins of Chichen Itza.
Merida, though very hot in the summer, is the white, Colonial City packed full of museums, shops, restaurants, churches and gorgeous parks. If you choose to go you can easily hop over to the gulf coast and enjoy the beaches there.
Along the way to or from you might want to check out the yellow city of Izamal, one of my favorite little towns, but only one of many you can find by getting off the main roads. On either end of the gulf coast are great spots: Celestun in one direction and Rio Lagartos in the other.
The Yucatan Peninsula is literally an explorer’s playground, packed full of interesting little cities and towns, and chock full of natural beauty and history. And I have only chipped the tip of the iceberg here. So, don’t let the news of sargasso deter you from visiting this incredible place we call home!