Cancun, like the Mayan Riviera, is one of Mexico's most popular resort cities. It lies on the east coast of Yucatan, in the southeast of the country in the state of Quintana Roo. Cancun is famous for its scythe, covered with white sand and overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea. It is 400 meters wide and 30 km long. From the airplane window, the scythe looks like the number "7".
general information
Cancun's beaches can be seen on computer desktop screensavers in people around the world. After all, many people associate this resort with an ideal vacation. Luxurious five-star hotels and numerous nightclubs , velvet white sand and spreading palm trees, clear turquoise water and a mild climate reigning all year round.
All of this made Cancun tours incredibly popular. Lovers of non-banal pastime here will find something to their liking. They can catch barracudas, swim with turtles in the lake of Shel-Ha reserve. And excursions in Cancun to the ruins of Mayan civilizations, diving near Cozumel's corals and much more will not leave indifferent even an avid traveler.
A bit of history
Despite its prestige and great fame, this resort is relatively young. There is a legend that when in 1967 Mexican travel agencies used computers to determine the place of construction of a new tourist center, the latter chose Cancun as their ideal region. Then there was practically nothing here: only a sand spit inhabited by several dozen Mayan fishermen. Soon two dams were built here. They connected the scythe with the shore, and then on the 24-kilometer coast, which is washed by the waters of the Nichupte Lagoon on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other, hotels began to grow one after another.
How to get there
Direct tours to Cancun from Moscow are made by only one airline - Nordwind Airlines. It is very convenient, albeit a long flight. There are very few such flights - only one or two per month.
Travel time is eleven hours in the direction of Moscow-Cancun and fourteen hours back. There is no direct flight from the northern capital of our country. I must say that the tickets in this case are quite expensive: they will cost about one and a half thousand dollars in both directions.
Significantly cheaper will be the flight Moscow-Cancun with a transfer. It is most advantageous to fly through the United States, but this requires an American visa. If it is not, then you can look for tickets with a connection, for example, in Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt. Relatively cheap flights to Cancun are offered through London or Havana.
Where to relax
Here the sun shines all year round, swimming is absolutely safe, in addition there are excellent conditions for relaxation and water sports.
Cancun's coastline can be divided into two parts - short and long. The first is characterized by a calm sea and proximity to the city center, entertainment venues. This part of Cancun is great for relaxing with young children, because there are never big waves.
But this can not be said about the long stretch of coast. In this part, there are always waves that delight surf lovers. The water is clean everywhere, the beaches are in perfect condition, on the seabed there is fine sand.
The resort consists of two areas: the city itself and the hotel zone located on the shore. In the city, tourists have nothing to do, with the exception of the Mercado region, where you can rent cheap housing. There are apartments for every wallet, and the infrastructure is quite developed.
Cancun Hotel Area
Here you can stay not only in hotels, but also in condominium apartments. This part of Cancun is very clean and beautiful. In fact, it is a huge beach on which there are hotels, facades overlooking the ocean, and on the other - to the lagoon.
At the northern end of the hotel zone is shallow water. Therefore, it is an ideal place for bathing children and those who can not swim. The smooth sandy beaches of Playa Langosta, Las Perlas and Tortugas are always crowded. Here, tourists sunbathe and swim, play beach games. If you wish, you can buy a boat trip in Cancun with diving and snorkeling, as well as go by boat to the island resort of Isla Mujeres. There are many restaurants and bars in the Hotel Zone. One of the undoubted advantages of this part of Cancun is that the sand on the local beaches is shredded corals, so it does not heat up even on the hottest days.
What to see in Cancun
Today, for this once unprepossessing fishing village, "golden" times have come. In this Mexican resort, you can not only idly indulge in a beach holiday or hang out in nightclubs. Buying tours to Cancun, tourists, including Russians, are sure to try to combine business with pleasure. After all, local attractions, of which there are a huge number, seem to carry people into the era of Mayan civilization.
Mexico ranks second in the number of historical monuments in the world. In this Latin American country, more than three and a half thousand archaeological zones, a tenth of which is available for visiting. Therefore, those who buy permits to Cancun try not to miss the chance and necessarily get sightseeing tours to both historical and natural monuments.
First of all, these are the ruins of cities left over after the death of the Mayan civilization. In Cancun, excursions can be purchased both in hotels and in kiosks on the streets. The cost of tours starts from one hundred dollars per person. The ruins closest to the Mayan and Cancun Riviera resorts are the famous Chichen Itza. There is also the Kukulkan pyramid, on which the shadow of the revered Mayan sacred serpent descends on the days of the spring or autumn equinox; observatory; cult well, etc. Travel time to Chichen Itza is about 2.5 hours. Less popular are excursions in Kankum to Ek-Balam, where you can see the plaster tomb of the ruler, as well as figures of winged people who guard her entrance. Unlike the ruins of Chichen Itza, here you can freely climb all the buildings. Ek Balam is approximately two hours drive from the Cancun hotel area.
Colorful houses and narrow streets, magnificent cathedrals and churches - this color of ancient Mexican cities is a must see. You can buy excursions in Cancun to the nearest Valladolid, Isamal and Merida. Campeche, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is also one of the most beautiful centers of colonial architecture.
Natural monuments
The Yucatan Peninsula is literally dotted with underground voids filled with water. Many of them are interconnected and form a whole system of underground rivers. Cenotes that were sacred to the Mayans are the only source of fresh water on the peninsula. Some of them are available for swimming or boating.
There are several eco-parks in the vicinity of Cancun. In Shkaret there is an orchid farm, a botanical garden, a bird colony and a tortoise farm. Popular activities here include rafting on the underground river, swimming with dolphins and swimming among coral fish.
Island of Women
The Caribbean coast of Mexico is very interesting. There are four islands. Fifteen minutes on a ferry or boat from Cancun, you can sail to the Island of Women. There are several hotels, a small airfield. Local attractions include the Turtle Farm, the Underwater Museum, and Punta Norte, one of Mexico's most beautiful beaches.