Riviera Maya
Between the Chemuyil and Xel-Há exits is a tiny sign on the east side of the highway marking the short dirt road that leads to the two arching bays Xcacel…
Riviera Maya
Between the Chemuyil and Xel-Há exits is a tiny sign on the east side of the highway marking the short dirt road that leads to the two arching bays Xcacel…
Veracruz
Reachable only on foot and covering 8 sq km, the remains of this pre-Hispanic settlement have been only partially excavated. It shows Olmec, Huastec,…
Southern Baja
Named for an image of what inhabitants once thought was a rat (or mouse) but is more likely a cougar, this is the most easily accessible cave in the…
Mulegé
Trinity Canyon is great for bird-watchers, with the chance to see vermilion flycatchers, gila woodpeckers and a host of raptors and buteos. The narrow,…
Riviera Maya
Punta Laguna is a fair-sized lake with a small Maya community nearby, 20km northeast of Cobá on the road to Nuevo Xcan. Thus far, it's remained relatively…
Cobá
The temple at Grupo de las Pinturas (Paintings Group) bears traces of glyphs and frescoes above its door and remnants of richly colored plaster inside…
Bahías de Huatulco
One of Huatulco’s loveliest and most interesting day trips, this ‘agro-ecotourism’ operation includes a large organic fruit orchard and a gorgeous 500m…
Mazatlán
More than 600 petroglyphs, some believed to be more than 5000 years old, are depicted on volcanic rocks along a sublime stretch of coast, some 60km north…
Sonora
CEDO is a wonderful place to learn about Rocky Point’s fascinating desert-meets-sea ecosystem. Dedicated to the conservation of the upper Gulf of…
Palenque
In 1999, in Templo XIX, archaeologists made the most important Palenque find for decades: an 8th-century limestone platform with stunning carvings of…
Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast
Part of Dzibanché (ticket price includes entry to both), but well removed from the main site, Kinich-Ná consists of one building. But what a building: the…
Northeast Mexico
In the picturesque Valle del Tunal, this mountain-backed vineyard is one of the highest in the world. The 2100m growing conditions along with technical…
Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast
Housed in an 18th-century building and with a passionate director, this small museum does a fine job of detailing the more than four centuries of…
Museo Casa Venustiano Carranza
Northeast Mexico
Housed in Venustiano Carranza's childhood home, this well-conceived museum relates the life story of Cuatro Ciénegas' most famous son. From mayor to…
Puerto Escondido
Casa Wabi, a sprawling artists' residency that occupies a wonderfully airy building designed by famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando, runs tours three…
Central Pacific Coast
An estimated 70 per cent of the world’s population of green sea turtles, along with olive ridley and leatherback turtles, lay their eggs on the long flat…
San Cristóbal de las Casas
On the north side of the plaza, the candy-colored cathedral was begun in 1528 but wasn't completed until 1815 because of several natural disasters. Sure…
Bahías de Huatulco
Inaccessible by land, Chachacual has two beaches: the easterly Playa La India is one of Huatulco’s most beautiful scimitars of sand and one of the area’s…
The Copper Canyon & Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico
Sitting alongside the Cusárare Mission church, this museum holds an exceptional collection of colonial religious paintings.
Central Pacific Coast
This turtle sanctuary, located 4km east of Cuyutlán, has released more than two million green, black and leatherback turtle hatchlings into the wild here…
Veracruz
This is probably the single best beach in the whole state, but it's not an easy one to access. Turn off the main road onto a dirt road just before…
Guadalajara
Just south of Avenida Javier Mina and the Mercado San Juan de Dios, this is the very birthplace of mariachi music. By day it’s just a narrow walking…
Jardín Botánico Dr Alfredo Barrera Marín
Puerto Morelos
One of the largest botanical gardens in Mexico, this 65-hectare reserve has about 2km of trails and sections dedicated to epiphytes (orchids and…
Museo Universitario de Artes Populares
Western Central Highlands
Colima's best museum, this is a showcase for folk art including a superb collection of masks, mojigangas (giant puppets), musical instruments, baskets and…
Sonora
The magnificent views from this overlook shouldn't be missed on a visit to San Carlos. From a lofty perch 200m over the crashing waves, you can take in…
The Copper Canyon & Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico
This mission was built by Jesuits in 1741 as a religious meeting place as well as a school to teach the locals Spanish and different trades. In 1826…
Sonora
A popular spot for snorkeling and dive excursions 28km west of San Carlos, Isla San Pedro Nolasco is a rocky island nature reserve that's home to a large…
Oaxaca City
In a city of provocative graphic art, this workshop and gallery is a key agitator. Founded by the art collective Asaro (Asamblea de Artistas…
Chichén Itzá
East of the Nunnery, the Puuc-style Akab-Dzib is thought by some archaeologists to be the most ancient structure excavated here. The central chambers date…
Tulum
On the south side above the main doorway you'll see a lovely stucco frieze of the Descending God, also referred to as the Diving God. The upside-down,…
Isla Cozumel
Local and international artists backed by the PangeaSeed foundation created 36 large-scale public murals in 2015 to raise awareness about ocean…
Puerto Morelos
About 23km south of the Cancún airport, this former crocodile farm now calls itself a conservationist zoo that protects some of the area's endangered…
Palenque
The Templo del Sol, on the west side of the Acrópolis Sur plaza, has the best-preserved roofcomb at Palenque. Carvings inside, commemorating Kan B’alam’s…
Guadalajara
Among the best of the many ceramics museums in the greater Guadalajara region, this one focuses largely on works from Tonalá, arguably the finest in…
Sonora
Puerto Peñasco's main town beach, Playa Hermosa is an inviting swath of tawny sand with small waves and views of the rocky landscape in the distance…
Museo del Sarape y Trajes Mexicanos
Northeast Mexico
An excellent museum devoted to the Mexican sarapes (blankets with an opening for the head) that Saltillo is famous for. There's a priceless collection to…
Centro Cultural Vito Alessio Robles
Northeast Mexico
Once Saltillo's city hall, this cultural center houses the most extensive mural painted by a woman in Mexico. At 500 sq m, it is a remarkable and…
Palenque
Steep steps climb to the Templo de la Cruz, the largest and most elegantly proportioned in Grupo de las Cruces. The stone tablet in the central sanctuary…
Monterrey
Four disemboweled red-brick factories compose the Centro de las Artes: Nave Generadores and CONARTE feature rotating modern-art exhibitions; Nave Dos is…
Central Pacific Coast
Playa Pérula, a sheltered beach at the northern end of the tranquil 11km-long Bahía de Chamela, is great for swimming and extended walks. There are cheap…