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The Mayan Riviera also known as The Riviera Maya and Maya Riviera abounds with exciting things to do. Regardless of where you stay on the Mayan Riviera you will have to travel to any attraction you wish to visit. You can either use the services of a tour company or you can travel to the attractions on your own. One thing to keep in mind is if you are interested in seeing an attraction or doing an excursion is many of the guided tours are expensive and consume the majority of your day. Tours begin around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning and you usually don't return to the hotel until 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening and if you miss the bus, it is your responsiblity to pay for transportation back to the hotel. If many of you would like to go on one of the tours, we can check on doing a private tour with our own transportation and inquire about group rates. Otherwise, it may be more enjoyable to travel on your own. If you do decide to find your own transportation, entrance fees to most of the attractions are usually a fraction of the cost (anywhere from $5.00 to $25.00 USD) and you will have the freedom to leave when ever you want. When you are ready to go back to the hotel or venture off to another place, just stand on the side of the highway and wave down one of the buses, colectivo or taxi's traveling in your direction.
On Saturday, June 17th, we have reserved a morning tee time for the Studebaker Classic. For anyone interested in joining us for a day of golf, please RSVP for the event so we can give the golf resort a final count of players. Also, if you need to rent golf clubs, please include this information when you send your reply. If you are interested in reading more about the excursions listed, we have provided links to the events on the Excursions Links Page. If you are interested in doing an excursion, don't forget to RSVP for any event before you leave.
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Playa Paraiso Golf Resort
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Studebaker Classic
Some of the best golf courses in the world are concentrated in the Rivera Maya. Golf Club Iberostar Playa Paraiso is an excellent example. The new spectacular 18 hole, par 72 golf course is the latest creation of world-renowned golf course architect P.B. Dye. Golf Club Iberostar Playa Paraiso displays a unique design that meet the standards of any world-class golf course with its narrow fairways, undulating greens and deep sand traps.
The Golf Club provides a lit driving range and a convenient putting green where you can practice your swings. Food and drinks are offered at no additional charge, thanks to the All-Inclusive Plan. The Playa Paraiso Golf Resort is located on the Iberostar hotel's property, adjacent to the Iberostar Paraiso Maya hotel.
Adults $112.00 Morning Tee-Time
Adults $82.00 Afternoon Tee-Time
Junior Rates $82.00 All Day
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Swim in the Lagoon
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Mayan Adventure
Your encounter with the Maya culture starts with a 1,500 year-old historical journey to the ancestral city of Cobá, an archaeological site hidden deep inside the rain forest of the Yucatan Peninsula. Climbing the Nohoch Muul temple (the tallest pyramid of the state), you will be able admire the pristine beauty and immeasurable vastness of the surrounding sub-tropical rain forest.
Your Mayan journey then leads you to an authentic Maya village, a self-sufficient Maya community living next to an integral part of the region's lagoon system. You will walk you through the Maya community's forest, learning the mysteries of their local fauna and flora.
Your unforgettable off-track adventure tour begins with an exciting zip-line flying over an incredibly beautiful cenote, rappelling down into another cenote, a refreshing swim and then a canoe paddling on a lagoon of enormous beauty. All that completed with a traditional lunch prepared by the women of this Maya community. A truly unique day of adventure!!
Adults USD $99.00
Children USD $89.00
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Mayan Purification Ceremony
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Mayan Zip-Lines
An incredible combination of Maya culture, breathtaking natural treasures, and unforgettable adventure activities! Break away for half a day and travel to Chikin-Ha, an exclusive, protected natural sanctuary that is only a few minutes drive out of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Your journey on this Mayan Zip Line Expedition begins with a bike ride through the farmlands of Don Silvano where you will enjoy the surrounding jungle scenery and learn about local Maya subsistence farming. You will arrive at an extraordinary system of cenotes where you will be swimming and snorkeling in their crystalline waters. Then you will set out on flight over the jungle's foliage and cenotes on a series of the most thrilling zip-lines of Mexico, last zip-line is 160 meters above the forest canopy!
Your journey will end in the mystic dry cenote of the legendary Aluxes where you will witness a traditional Mayan purification ceremony and learn of the religious and cultural importance of the cenotes to the Mayan people.
Adults USD $76.00
Children USD $66.00
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Kayaking to the Reefs
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Nohoch Jungle Crossing
Nohoch Jungle Crossing is an unparalleled tour that will take you deep into the tropical jungle of Quintana Roo. You will make a jungle crossing in their Mercedes Benz Unimog 4x4’s, an adventure in itself. You will visit an isolated community of Mayans and see how they live. During this tour you will also get the chance to swim and snorkel in one of the world’s largest discovered underwater cave system. Later you will get into the undiscovered Caribbean bay where you will go kayaking to the reef and enjoy an unforgettable snorkeling tour in its beautiful aquamarine water. Enjoy lunch and relax in the hammocks. Get in touch with all the beauty the Riviera Maya has for you. Come experience all of the excitement!!
$99.00 USD Adults
$89.00 USD Children
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Tulum - The Mayan City
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Tulum - The Mayan City
Playa del Carmen has some interesting Mayan ruins near by, but if you want to see some truly magnificent pyramids you'll want to visit these sites. Tulum is about a 45 minutes ride (by bus, taxi or rental car) south of Playa del Carmen. Tulum, near the town of El Crucero, is the place to go for ruins on the beach. It is the most visited Maya ruin and is the biggest attraction on the coast. After exploring the ruins and enjoying the spectacular view from atop El Castillo, you can take a refreshing dip in the Caribbean from the pristine beach in front of the site. It was the only Maya city built on the coast, having housed 2000 people and once functioned as a trade center. Tulum is thought to date from 400-900 A.D.
This port city was never conquered by the Spaniards and was one of the last Maya outposts left standing during their revolt against Mexican rule in the War of the Castes during the 1840's. There is no question why Tulum holds great significance to the Mayans. An impressive sight at Tulum is an imposing castle standing on the edge of a 12 meter cliff at the top of the ruins. Visitors may wish to bring a swim suit to cool off in a cove at the bottom of the site but there are no facilities. The area prime trekking ground for those who want to experience jungle wildlife living amidst pristine rain forest and unrestored Mayan ruins.
$88.00 USD Adults
$68.00 USD Children
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Reefs near Cozumel
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Scuba Diving
Different excursions by boat or catamaran are organized by the Dive Center. Some of them take you to fish in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, others to snorkel in the reefs located near the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres. For an excursion to Cozumel, one can use the ferry that leaves from Playa del Carmen with departures almost every hour.
Leaving from the Dive Center on the very beach of the Iberostar Cozumel Hotel, they offer trips to more than 20 different dive sites on the incredible Cozumel islands reefs. Boats depart several times a day from the beach of your hotel to the dive site. The trips to the dive site will last less than 15 minutes. The Dive Center always plans the dives in such manner as to ensure that you will not dive the same reefs twice during your stay, unless specifically requested. For those divers who do not have complete equipment, or simply did not wish to travel with it, they offer the possibility to rent all items or parts. There will be more information available at the hotel for anyone interested.
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Chichen-Itza Ruin
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Chichen-Itza Ruins
Enjoy an amazing visit to the great archeological ruins of Chichen-Itza, the ancient Mayan city located in the center of the Yucatan. Chichen Itza, translates to mean “mouth of the well of Itza”, is probably the best known of all the Mayan ruins, and with good reason. Chichen is the best known, best restored, and arguably the most impressive Mayan ruin. Although it is due west of Playa del Carmen, you will have to go north to Cancun to get to the main highway to Chichen-Itza. It is about a three hour ride, so leave early to give yourself plenty of time to explore this fascinating site. It is recommended you hire a guide, or at least buy a booklet to better understand what you are seeing. The structures are enormous and awesome.
The largest ball court in Mesoamerica, stone sculptures of gods associated with human sacrifice, steam baths for ritual purification and the 98 foot tall El Castillo, all resides here. Chichen had two principal wells, or cenotes: one sacred and the other profane. The profane well was used in worship and offerings were continually made to it. Divers have retrieved skeletons and many ritual objects from its depths.
This great Mayan city is one that exemplifies the unmistakable beauty and wisdom of any Mayan town. Enjoy the pristine and sacred waters swimming in one of the peninsula's many sink holes, which constitutes a great portion of water to the inhabitants of the area and also contains the geological history of the Yucatan. Enjoy a buffet lunch of traditional Yucatan dishes and become acquainted with the beautiful colonial town of Valladolid that played an important role during the Castle War in 1846.
Adults USD $95.00
Children USD $59.00
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The 41ft "Fat Cat"
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Catamaran Sailing Adventure
Your Caribbean vacation is not complete without boarding a sail boat and sailing off into the Caribbean Sea. This is your opportunity to live the dream even if just for a day. Make an afternoon of it on the “Fat Cat”, a 41ft custom built catamaran with a friendly and professional crew. It is owner operated to ensure the very best service. Ask to take the helm or let the crew do all the work and you just sit back and enjoy a cocktail. The Fat Cat offers Mexico’s only “boom netting” experience, combined with a stop in a secluded snorkel cove overlooked by a Mayan temple. Relax on a deserted beach and eat and drink the day away. The sail includes free drinks, cocktails, beers and mineral water. Snacks such as homemade guacamole, fresh tropical fruit, chips and salsa are also provided. Don’t miss this fun-filled sailing adventure.
$85.00 USD Adults
$49.00 USD Children
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Take a Swim in a Cenote
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ATV Jungle Adventure
You will visit beautiful caves and cenotes on your ATV Explorer Motorcycle Jungle Tour in Playa del Carmen. The eastern half of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, is home to thousands of caves and natural springs called cenotes. The ancient Mayans considered them sacred entrances to the spiritual world. No visit to this region would be complete without a trip to one of these freshwater pools.
The Yucatan peninsula was originally under the ocean, and the region's limestone foundation is fossilized coral beds and ocean floor. There are no above ground rivers in this area, all of the ground water sinks through the porous limestone and travels to the sea in underground rivers. Parts of the limestone weakened over time and collapsed, leaving sinkholes filled with water. The Maya used the cenotes for water - both for drinking and irrigation - and in religious ceremonies.
ATV Explorer Motorcycle Jungle Tour takes you swimming in one of the most beautiful cenotes near Playa del Carmen. The water is clean, sheltered from the sun by sheltering cavern roof. It is so clear that the stalagmites on the bottom look like they are just under the surface, when the truth is they are more than 60 feet down! Another highlight of the jungle tour is a trip into an ancient cave. This cave used to be a cenote, but dried up centuries ago. Near the entrance is a burial site of an ancient Maya priest.
Adults (12+) $38.50 Riding Double
Adults (12+) $48.50 Riding Single
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Swim with the Dolphins
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XCaret
Only 6 km. south of Playa del Carmen is the Mexican version of Disneyland, X-Caret. X-Caret is a 250 acre ecological theme park with a number of attractions. Archaeologists are still excavating the area and several ruins have been restored. One of the main attractions is the educational Dolphinaruim. Visitors can swim with the dolphins for a fee of $60. Another main attraction is the underground river ride that floats visitors past coralline deposits and unusual fish in the river.
Other park attractions include a botanical garden, a museum, a turtle farm, butterfly garden, horseback riding and a lagoon great for young snorkelers. Get intimate with the mysteries of Quintana Roo's jungle: meet the jaguar, the sacred animal to the Maya. Learn about our sea turtle protection program. Have a close look at the colors of the reef, its coral, sponges, sea stars and crustaceans in the Coral Reef Aquarium. Discover the secrets of a singular cemetery, one of a kind in the world; and visit an authentic Mayan. Learn about its customs and traditions, its craftsmen and weavers. Experience a Mexican party; adelitas, charros, horses and traditional songs in a display of skill, color and joy. Explore fascinating Archaeological Sites built by the Maya to worship their gods; take a relaxing trip over the Paradise; and taste the best Mexican cuisine in our restaurants. Later, you can nap on a shady hammock and enjoy the charming landscape of Xcaret's bay.
$87.00 USD Adults
$50.00 USD Children
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