Yucatan Peninsula: Places to Visit in 10 Days

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The Yucatan Peninsula is one of the most visited destinations in Mexico for its fascinating cultural heritage, natural resources, and historical sites to visit. Here is an example of a 10-day Yucatan Peninsula itinerary that includes the most famous places and things to do. It is a tour that invites you to explore the Yucatan Peninsula in-depth and discover its nature and local people.

You will visit internationally recognized places such as Chichen Itza and Puerto Morelos, plus you will discover the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, which will reveal its most beautiful surprises. This trip out of the ordinary will end with a few days of sun and relaxation in the Yucatan Peninsula. Book here a unique and different trip with Rutopia.

Itinerary – Yucatan Peninsula

Day Activities Place
Day 1 Arrival in Cancun, transfer to Puerto Morelos. Puerto Morelos
Day 2 Enjoy the beaches and wonders of Puerto Morelos Puerto Morelos
Day 3 Valladolid-A Colonial Yucatan Getaway Valladolid
Day 4 Ek Balam y Río Lagartos Río Lagartos
Day 5 Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve and Las Coloradas  Río Lagartos
Day 6 Discover Chichén Itzá at sunrise – swim in the Yokdzonot cenote Izamal
Day 7 Izamal y Merida Merida
Day 8 Explore Coba Playa del Carmen
Day 9 Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen
Day 10 See you later Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula!! Playa del Carmen a Cancún

Day 1- Arrival at Cancun, transfer to Puerto Morelos 

Puerto Morelos Yucatan Peninsula

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Upon arrival at the airport, you will meet your transfer to your hotel in Puerto Morelos. Depending on your arrival time, you can take a stroll on the beach or go to your hotel for the night, get ready to start your trip around the Yucatan Peninsula in the morning! 

Day 2- Enjoy the beaches and wonders of Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos

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Puerto Morelos is a small fishing village that has become one of the most popular destinations in the Riviera Maya for those seeking peace and tranquility. Firstly, you can enjoy the beach and relax on the soft white sand. We promise you that you will fall in love with this place and the relaxed atmosphere at the end of your day.

You can do different activities in Puerto Morelos, including snorkeling and discovering the beautiful world beneath the water’s surface. Another option is to go to one of the cenotes of the famous route where you can snorkel, zip line, biking, rappelling, bird watching, among other things. Finally, enjoy a good meal with a magnificent ocean view. Puerto Morelos has several restaurants like La Sirena, Punta Corcho, and El Merkadito. 

Day 3: Valladolid-A Colonial Yucatan Getaway

Valladolid-Península de Yucatán

Rutopia

Valladolid is one of the must-see cities of Yucatan, a magical and colonial city. You can’t go anywhere without stopping in Valladolid. There are many things to do here, but as we only have one day, we share with you some activities you could do: visit the convent, the cathedral, the regional museum, the Calzada de Los Frailes, the market and dive into the Cenote Zaci and enjoy other beautiful corners of Valladolid, all of them full of history and tradition.

From Valladolid to Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 

Day 4: Ek Balam and Rio Lagartos 

Ek Balam

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Today the trip will continue in Ek Balam, where you will visit the fascinating archaeological site. Also, you can rent a bike and ride 1 km to reach a cenote. An open cenote is a great option to cool off after walking through the Mayan ruins. You can also practice rappel, zip line, or rest in one of the hammocks.

Next, you will head to the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, where you will enjoy a breathtaking sunset while dining at a local restaurant.

Day 5: Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas Biosphere Reserve 

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Today, you will take a boat tour of Rio Lagartos, a biosphere reserve with Mexico’s most significant pink flamingos concentration. The Rio Lagartos protected reserve is a wetland area home to animals such as flamingos, sea turtles, crocodiles, jaguars, and seabirds. Explore this beautiful area by boat.

Las Coloraditas

Rutopia

Then, you will visit the famous pink lagoons of Las Coloradas, located just 30 minutes from Rio Lagartos. Once there, local guides will be waiting for you at the gate to show you around. Unfortunately, you cannot enter the area on your own. However, it only costs 50 pesos and in addition to helping the local community. 

Day 6: Discover Chichen Itza at sunrise – swim in the Yokdzonot Cenote

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These ancient ruins are the most famous and best-preserved of Mayan history. With our local guide at the helm, Chichen Itza is an extraordinary place on the trip and a history buff’s delight. Its main attraction is the Pyramid of Kukulkan (El Castillo). However, many significant Mayan and Toltec buildings, sculptures, and reliefs will draw you in, such as the Temple of the Warriors, the Hall of a Thousand Columns, and the ball courts.

Then, you will head to the enchanting cenote of Yokdzonot, relatively unknown and not as crowded as other cenotes. Cenotes were sacred to the Maya and represented the entrance to the underworld.

Finally, spend the night in the colonial town of Izamal. 

Day 7: Izamal and Merida 

izamal

Rutopia

Firstly, you will stop at Izamal, known as the yellow city of Yucatan and one of Mexico’s Magical Towns, is where you will start your day. Then, you will have time to tour the city, enjoy its colonial atmosphere, and try the local restaurants. Izamal is also called the “city of three cultures” for its splendor that dates back to a mixed heritage of pre-Hispanic culture, colonial influences, and modern Mexican culture.

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Merida is the capital of the state of Yucatan. The city is larger and more bustling than any previous city you will pass through. During your stay in Merida, be sure to go to Celestun, especially during November through March, as flamingos settle there for the winter. A beautiful excursion to do and accessible by public transportation. Other things to do in Merida include a free walking tour of Merida, breakfast at El Barrio Comfort Food, Uxmal to see some Mayan ruins, or you can also enjoy a day trip to Progreso if you’re looking for a day at the beach.

Day 8 – Explore Coba

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Today you will visit the archaeological site of Coba. If you decide to climb to the top, you will have an extraordinary view of the beautiful jungle that surrounds this impressive site.

Then, you will continue your day to Nuevo Durango (about 30 minutes away), a small ecotourism community and organic food production. This community has maintained its cultural identity in both language and customs. Here you will enjoy a traditional meal and meet Don Manuel and his family. He is a member of the community that operates an Environmental Management Unit (UMA), a beautiful project to conserve the region’s endangered animals where you can observe several endemic species of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Day 9 – Playa del Carmen

Braden Collum – Unsplash

There is no need to introduce one of the most popular places in the Yucatan Peninsula. The notorious Playa del Carmen is ideal for a party, a tourist destination. Althought, there are many great all-inclusive resorts lined up along the beach, and there is a party to be found everywhere around the famous 5th Avenue, there are also incredible natural spaces in Playa del Carmen. In addition, from Playa del Carmen, there are many day trips such as the Selvatica Canopy adventure, the Tulum and Coba tour, etc. 

Day 10 – See you later, Mexico!

Rutopia

Today is the last day of your 10-day Yucatan Peninsula itinerary. You will check out your hotel this morning and head to the Cancun airport. Then, at the terminal, at least three hours before your flight is scheduled to take off. It has been a pleasure to show you a different side of Mexico.

However, if you are not ready to go? An experienced expert can help you organize your trip to extend your adventure in the Mexican Caribbean.

 

 

More than 1500 travelers, 5 stars in Tripadvisor

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Victoria O.

September, 2022
Two Weeks in Mexico
Seamless transfers, excellent hotels particularly in Mexico city and Puebla, combined with various cultural and food tours. Particular highlights were the cultural/food tours in Mexico city and Puebla (also including the anthropology museum in Mexico city), and the rural tours in Oaxaca where we visited textile workshops, mescal producers and participated in a cooking class using traditional equipment. Also, although we didn't need it, the on call remote assistance was reassuring. I would definitely recommend Rutopia.
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Kris S.

April, 2022
Enjoyed using Rutopia
Enjoyed using Rutopia (Marisol and Melina) to plan my trip to Mexico. Marisol helped me figure out the best options fand booked everything. Melina was my in country support. Rutopia (the company through Kim Kim) is great and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take the burden out of vacation planning. My son and I truly enjoyed the trip knowing everything was taken care of and we just had to have fun. Thanks!
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Melissa W.

July, 2022
Adventures in the Yucatán!
Such an amazing time in the Yucatán! Between floating in the mangroves to visiting Chichén Itzá to spending a whole day on the beach in El Cuyo, I couldn’t have planned a better trip without their help. Thank you so much for an unforgettable birthday vacation!! Simply amazing! Don’t think twice about having them help you plan your next vacation!
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Cat839

April, 2022
Great experience with this agency, totally recommend!
Great experience with this agency. Our tour in Mexico was perfect and organised with great passion and precision. Special thanks to Mel (our direct contact during the trip) for being super responsive and to Jorge Barbosa (our tour guide in Mexico City). Totally recommend this tour operator!
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Sue G

June, 2022
Mayan Site Tour in Yucatan Penninsula Mexico
Rutopia did an outstanding job with the arrangement and execution of a 9 day tour of Mayan sites in the Yucatan peninsula. We provided Rutopia with the general parameters of the trip we wanted and they suggested an itinerary. After our approval, they set up the hotels, transportation within Mexico, and site tours. The hotels were good quality, and all of the drivers and tour guides showed up on time. We were very impressed with the quality of the tour guides and learned a lot on the trip. Jorge handled setting up the itinerary, and Melina handled the execution of the trip and was readily available via WhatsApp throughout the trip for any questions or issues. Melina was particularly helpful in changing our transportation arrangements to the airport at the last minute per our request. I would recommend Rutopia and would use them again for future trips.
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Varadarajan

July, 2022
Fantastic Will do it again
My wife and I had a fantastic holiday in Mexico thanks to Marisol, Ana, Teresa and their colleagues & partners. The entire itinerary and arrangements were put together in less than 4 days. What we really liked about Marisol & her team was that they were only a message or a phone call away for any query/suggestion, etc. The trip was bespoke to the extent that Rutopia had kept in mind about our interests, food habits & executed bookings, tours. They were also very flexible in catering to last minute changes/requests. The team took upon them to ensure that our entire trip was comfortable & safe by taking care of even small stuff that one normally finds out post getting to a place. We would definitely like to use their services again!!
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Elena R.

April, 2022
A literally perfect trip to the Yucatan peninsula
Tom and I knew we wanted to go to Mexico. We knew we wanted a little bit of culture, some wildlife, and maybe a splash in the ocean. That's it. With the vague and minimal information we gave them, Rutopia was able to put together a perfect trip for us. We had a flawless itinerary. It's so clear that Rutopia really cares about the communities (animals and humans) in Mexico. Everything we did and everywhere we stayed felt like they were helping us experience Mexico as authentically and respectfully as possible. It's almost impossible to pick a highlight, but top of the list has to be the day we shared with Enrique, a Mayan host who was unbelievably generous with us. He shared the community gardens, including history and background about the families that live in Nuevo Durango and other nearby communities. He showed us the neighborhood cenotes, Punta Laguna, Uma Nojoch Keej (a wildlife reserve), and more. We picked and prepared the plants as Enrique and his wife Blanca showed us the best way to cook them (and rescued us when we were pricked by the nopales!). We saw howler monkeys and spider monkeys in the wild which was very cool. That had to be the very best day, but every day was amazing. Sian Ka'an reserve was lovely, the Mayan ruins were spectacular, the snorkeling in Puerto Morelos was fabulous, the bicycle cenote tour was jaw'droppingly gorgeous. I'm waxing superlative but it really all was like a dream. Beyond the activities, the scheduling and pace was perfect for us. We felt like we really made the most of our six days, but with enough downtime to explore and enjoy at our leisure. From picking up our car at the airport to finding our accommodation, the logistics were very smooth at every interaction. Special shoutout to Melina who pretty much instantly helped us when we had any questions about the trip. We've never used a travel planning service like this before. But after this trip, we'll never go back to the old way!
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David

July, 2022
Journey to Mexico City, Cholula and Cuetzalan
We had a wonderful time. We started out in Mexico City with a 2 day tour filled with museums, food, and beautiful sights. We then went on to Cholula to experience the culture in a smaller town, see a local market, and eat traditional food. We finished the tour in a small town called Cuetzalan, where most people speak an indigenous language. All of our guides were great. Thank you for a memorable vacation!
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DaniEla

March, 2022
Just wonderful!
We had an amazing trip excellent organized by Jorge and supervised by Melina from Rutopia. We spent 10 days in Mexico, starting in Ciudad de Mexico where we visited the amazing Teotihuacan and then we flew to Yucatan for the amazing sites of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Ek Balam, Tulum, Merida, Valladolid and the great Island Holbox. The trip was perfectly organized, the hotels were very good, and the guides were carefully chosen. We highly recommend Rutopia and especially Jorge!
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Bikø J

November, 2021
Chiapas, Neri and her family
I traveled to Chiapas for an ecotourism experience with Rutopia and I liked it very much, the team responds very quickly to all questions and accompany the traveler throughout the experience, I missed my flight and they were very flexible to accommodate the entire itinerary, My destination was the lakes of Tziscao, where I was received by Neri with his family in very nice cabins next to a lake with incredible views and a magnificent tranquility, with them you make experiences of beekeeping and coffee and tours to nearby lakes, Montebello is a must! 100% recommended.
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Alexhcros1500

March, 2021
Super local agency
We have worked with Rutopia for several tours in Mexico in the Yucatán and Chiapas and we have never been disappointed. Authentic experiences, with locals, in magical places and off the beaten tourist track. Our contact Marisol was always super available and responsive, understanding and anticipating our desires. And she speaks very good French. I highly recommend Rutopia!
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Mikel D

April, 2021
The best moment lived in Mexico
We were traveling as a group of friends with nothing organized. We like to improvise and be able to find alternative plans to the conventional tourist routes. We arrived in Puerto Escondido - Mexico's paradise - and started looking for options. A Mexican friend recommended us to contact Rutopia and we did. We explained our way of traveling - which they quickly understood - and in a few hours they came to us with a perfect selection of activities. We chose one of them and the next day we found ourselves galloping through beautiful hills, crossing a small lagoon in canoes, bathing on an unspoiled beach at sunset and sipping freshly picked coconuts with some mezcal. We had dinner in the only hut on the beach, eating fish that had been caught that day from the lagoon. Then we went to see the luminescence of the placton with paddle canoes until we were surprised by one of the biggest and reddest moons I have ever seen in my life. We ended up sleeping in bamboo huts a few meters from the waves. There were no more than 5 huts on the miles of beach that we could see. And at ALL times with an exquisite treatment - sympathy, kindness and attention. This is just one of the plans we booked with Rutopia, which definitely changed the course of our trip. Without a doubt, I would repeat this experience in any place I would like to visit in Mexico. Viva Mexico!
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Claudia A

September, 2020
Super organization, great accommodations and nice team
The trip was perfectly organized, we were always exclusive or in very small groups and had freedom to do our own activities. All accommodations were fantastic and sustainable, the food almost always local and very good, we could always fill our Rutopia water bottles and travel as plastic free as possible. We were met at the airport and had assistance getting a rental car. After that, we traveled independently but had our fixed dates and reservations with Rutopia. It was the perfect mix!
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pascalrichard0304

March, 2020
Circuit in Yucatan
Discovering wonderful and surprising sites, Mayan communities with an unforgettable welcome, breathtaking landscapes, a very pleasant climate in the middle of March...and smiling people! A big thank you to Rutopia and his team for the elaboration of this ideal circuit, alternating nature, city life, simplicity and comfort. Thanks to Mélina for the follow-up during our trip. We don't speak Spanish well enough, and we appreciated having a French-speaking contact person who could be reached if necessary. We still have a lot to discover and hope to come back very soon, and with Rutopia without hesitation!
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Sabrina N

March, 2020
Perfect
For those who don't like to manage logistics like hotels, rental cars, activities. And above all, to have someone who speaks fluent French that we can reach at any time for the unexpected... You are in the right place! Thank you to Chloe for the preparation of our trip, to Melina our Ariadne's thread and Teresa for her welcome and help at the arrival and departure. A big thank you to Enrique and Blanca from Nuevo-Durango for their welcome, their smiles, their family, a lot of emotions at the time to leave you. Thanks to Mémo for your teaching of Mexican customs (Sian Ka'an) The Yucatan is a magnificent region. And the population is very pleasant. Only downside Holbox... Too much dust, too much smell of fuel oil, too much tourist. I will keep in memory these wonderful moments!
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