• Tulum
  

  
  Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan city, its ruins sitting picturesquely on a bluff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Tulum's most impressive buildings are El Castillo, similar in style to the pyramids of Chichen Itza the columned Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God, featuring the upside-down deity in a niche. Go early in the morning to avoid crowds.
  
  

• Akumal
  

  
  Its name meaning "place of the turtles", Akumal is a small town sitting on the attractive white-sand crescent Halfmoon Bay beach. The beaches to the north and south of Akumal are important breeding grounds for the endangered green turtle, while the reef that protects the bay attracts snorkellers with its display of tropical fish.
  
  

• Cenotes
  

  
  The Riviera Maya is dotted with cenotes - circular sinkholes with subterranean fresh water pools, the most famous being Dos Ojos and Gran Cenote near Tulum. Used by the Maya for sacrificial offerings, they are great for swimming in and cenote diving is also on offer by the likes of Akumal Dive Shop and Dive Cenotes
  
  

• Playa del Carmen
  

  
  Playa del Carmen boasts some excellent beaches, a varied eating scene and accommodation ranging from party hostels to exclusive hotels. The main pedestrian drag, Avenida Quinta (Fifth Avenue) is lined with boutiques, restaurants, bars and clubs. At night, you can drink at the likes of Hangover Bar Playa or Tequila Barrel and party at Coco Maya or Mandala
  
  

• Cozumel island diving
  

  
  Cozumel Island is considered one of the world's top diving destinations. It boasts two dozen top dive sites: Paradise Reef teems with marine life such as octopus and the endemic Splendid Toad Fish; drift dive Barracuda Reef attracts barracuda, reef sharks and eagle rays; Chankanaab Reef is known for its stonefish, scorpion fish, lobster and crab, while Las Palmas Shallows is full of rays, eels, puffer fish and large schools of parrot fish.
  
  

• Xel-Ha eco park
  

  
  Xel-Ha is an eco theme park that comprises a natural aquarium made of lagoons, cenotes and inlets that's ideal for snorkelling. Other activities include swimming with dolphins, cliff diving, and scuba diving. Cycling is the best way of getting around, as the park is pretty sizeable.
  
  

• Xaman-Ha aviary
  

  
  An aviary that's home to parrots, toucans, flamingos and other birds, as well as endemic and endangered animal species that live here in semi-captivity.
  
  

• Yucatan cuisine
  

  
  The Yucatan peninsula is known for its colourful, flavourful dishes. Typical dishes to look out for include pibil (marinated, spiced meat wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a pit), cochinita pibil (suckling pig), poc chuc (pork marinated in orange and achiote sauce), chiles rellenos (chillies stuffed with cheese and deep-fried) and ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime juice with cilantro and chili).
  
  

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