Playa del Carmen receives a popularity for being a celebration capital. While I assume it merits the name in lots of respects, there may be additionally an awful lot extra than meets the attention there. I lived only a couple hours from Playa for approximately a year, and made common journeys there to go to friends, visit the seaside, and discover what else there has been to do except going to the clubs. I changed into frequently amazed to locate that this beach celebration city is clearly a awesome spot to connect to nature, cling out with locals, and find out about Mexican culture. The listing underneath includes my favored sudden activities there.
Things to Do in Playa del Carmen:
1. Playacar Beach
This is my favored seaside in Playa del Carmen, as it’s a quiet break out from the busy ones close to the Quinta Avenida (one of the primary purchasing streets). Playacar Beach has the identical luscious white sand and clean waters of different seashores withinside the region, however with 1/2 of the humans or maybe fewer — and the similarly south you walk on Playacar, the much less crowded it’s miles. It’s a public seaside and there is simplest one huge hotel on it, in contrast to others close by which might be covered with resorts from one stop to the different.
2. Playa Punta Esmeralda
Playa Esmeralda takes away the strain of selecting among a seaside day and a cenote day, due to the fact this paradise has both. There, a massive cenote opens as much as the sea on one side. The crystalline water is an absolute dream, and the palm timber and white sand make it even sweeter.
You’ll locate Playa Esmeralda on the north stop of Playa del Carmen. The satisfactory time to go to is for the duration of the dry season (December to March) due to the fact the water is calmer and extra shallow. Get right here early, as it has a tendency to get crowded withinside the afternoon.
3. Río Secreto
The Riviera Maya (the region that encompasses Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Cancún) has a number of the world’s longest underground rivers. These are what feed the cenotes, and withinside the cave structures created via way of means of the rivers there are a few underground caverns that you could go to. Río Secreto is one in every of them, and it is genuinely now no longer somewhere you need to overlook out on.
4. Parque Los Fundadores
The massive statue you spot right here, one in every of Playa del Carmen’s maximum outstanding landmarks, is a illustration of a Mayan portal. The Portal Maya ends in Parque Los Fundadores, that is one of the city’s first plazas. Head down some stairs and you will attain every other famous public seaside.
The statue is the best spot for a fast photo, and the seaside in the back of it’s miles a a laugh spot to humans-watch or have a picnic. It receives crowded withinside the afternoons, so plan to test it out in advance withinside the day. I like this spot due to the fact there are a variety of road providers who promote antojitos (snacks), like clean fruit with chili lime salt, elote (grilled corn), churros, and extra.
5. Cenote Azul
Just south of Puerto Aventuras (that is only a 15-minute force from Playa del Carmen), you may locate Cenote Azul, an open cenote that resembles a pond, with cliff overhangs from which you could leap into the water. The water is so clean right here that you could see numerous toes down into its rocky depths.
The jungly environment make this region sense absolutely eliminated from the busy streets of Playa del Carmen. It’s the best region to move for a swim and take withinside the splendor of the Riviera Maya. Get there early (it opens at 8am) to revel in the calm earlier than the crowds arrive.
6. Parasailing
What’s even extra remarkable than the Caribbean sea from the seaside? Seeing it from the air! Soar above the turquoise waters of the Caribbean on a interesting parasailing ride. From above, you may be capable of see the plentiful reefs off the coast of Playa del Carmen, plus the countless stretches of white sand and palm timber. Book your parasailing journey right here.
7. Xcaret Park
This is a topic park in contrast to any different. Tucked into the Mayan jungle, Xcaret combines the rugged nature of the Riviera Maya with adventurous thrills which might be positive to get your adrenaline pumping. Here you could snorkel coral reefs, zipline via the jungle, hike via ruins, and extra. Not simplest that however there are midnight hearthplace suggests and different interesting occasions for the duration of the year.
