The Yucatan Peninsula is a porous limestone shelf with no above-ground rivers or lakes. Instead there are underground rivers, lakes, sinkholes and caves. The caves of the Yucatan were sacred places for the Mayan and are great places to visit.
LOLTUN CAVES
This name is derived from two Mayan words, LOL (flower) and TUN (stone). Located in the hilly Puuc region, 66 miles from Merida, these are the largest caves on the peninsula. They are also the ones that are the most studied. Evidence has been found here of human contact going back 7,000 years. Mammoth bones have been found in the caves, along with fresco paintings on the walls, "hands in negative", faces, animals, grecos and decorative figures.
The caves will amaze every traveller. A special feature in these caves are the columns that can be "played" like musical instruments. When struck with the flat side of one's fist, they strike two deep and beautiful bell-like tones. The caves seem to go on forever, and have not been fully and completely explored, even to this day. Your tour will take you from cathedral like underground spaces, to dry river beds, beautiful glittering stalagmites that look like frozen fountains, and much more.
CALCEHTOK CAVES
Also known as Actun Spukil, these are also very large caves, the second largest after Loltun. The name is derived from the Mayan words CAL(neck), CEH(deer), and TOK(stone).
These caves have a complicated series of tunnels making it obligatory to use a guide. Within the caves there is a great amount of pre-hispanic findings like intact plates, quartz hammers, arrow tips, stone sculptures, obsidian knives, human burials sites andholtuns (stone cisterns for water collection). Within the chambers you will see natural formations that resemble different objects such as waterwalls, elephants, faces, animals, etc. Around the Calcehtok area there are about 30 caves and it is suspected that they connect.
BALANKANCHE CAVES
Located 6 kilometers from Chichen Itza, these caves were an important ceremonial site for the Mayan. There are impressive stalagtite and stalagmite formations inside650 feet from the entrance is the "Balam Throne," an altar where it is believed the Mayan celebrated some type of ceremony. In this same chamber there is a 20 foot tall grand stalagmite formation that resembles a ceiba tree, the sacred tree of the Maya. It is said to be the "sacred tree inside the earth."
TZABNAH CAVES
Located 25 miles south of Merida in the village of Tecoh (Tee-ko'). The name Tzabnah (Zob'-na) is Mayan and means "The Kings Palace". There are stalagtites, stalagmites, columns, deep crevices and thirteen cenotes within the caves. On the route within the caves, there is a huge chamber known as the "Cathedral Cupula" that oddly enough resembles the Cathedral of Merida. Legend has it that a Mayan prince and the princess that had been kidnapped escaped to these caves and were lost.
650 feet from the entrance is the "Balam Throne," an altar where it is believed the Mayan celebrated some type of ceremony. In this same chamber there is a 20 foot tall grand stalagmite formation that resembles a ceiba tree, the sacred tree of the Maya. It is said to be the "sacred tree inside the earth."
The largest flocks of flamingos in North America are in the wetlands of the Yucatan. The joy of seeing the salmon pink masses of these elegant birds is a heartwarming experience and a photographer's dream come true.
Once exclusive to the Ria Lagartos area, they changed their living habits after the category 5 Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. After Gilbert, colonies started to form in Celstun. Then they started appearing by the hundreds in Uaymitun, near Progreso. Presently there are some 25,000 flamingos in the Yucatan.
To see the flamingos in Ria Lagartos or Celestun, you have to take a boat ride. To see them in Uaymitun, you can visit the lookout tower that is right next to the road. Admission is free and the caretakers will lend you some binoculars.
Flamingos are funny birds the way they stand around on one leg in shallow water. To eat, they turn their heads upside down
and drag their beaks along the bottom, inhaling the mud that contains the shrimp, fish and minerals that they eat. The minerals give them their unique color
Flamingos are nervous birds, so we ask that you don't scare them or try to make them fly. If you are lucky enough, you'll get to see them in natural flight early in the morning or at sunset. It's quite a sight. Enjoy them in silence .
If you are looking to do something different, something the whole world has not done yet, and you have already visited Mayan ruins, Merida's Centro Historico, and the downtown market, the coast of the Gulf of Mexico should be your next stop.
San Crisanto, a beautiful coastal village 18 miles east of Progreso is a place where there are very few tourists, no lines, no buses and only the noise of the ocean, the wind and the sea gulls.
A visit to San Crisanto now offers the mangroves swamps of the Yucatan, the gulf waters, the cenotes, the fresh water springs, and all the beautiful birds. With machetes miles of trails through the mangrove forests have been cut out , connecting crystal clear cenotes. Until now, only one of these cenotes has been open to the public. Paddling quietly through these light-dappled groves is like traveling through a tropical Venice. You and your friends and family can relax and enjoy the songs of the birds and the sights of the beautiful surroundings while your gondolero poles quietly through the shallow canals.
After about 25 minutes of pleasant travel through the mangrove groves, you will get to a cenote where you will stop for a swim, and maybe even a swing on the vines hanging over the water.
The natural habitat of the Yucatan is a site not to be forgotten.
The natural wonders of the state of Yucatan are innumerable and some of the most important and unusual are the cenotes (say-NOH-tays) or sink holes. In the Yucatan there are over 3000 cenotes, with only 1400 actually studied and registered.
There are four different types of cenotes - those that are completely underground, those that are semi-underground, those that are at land level like a lake or pond, like the one at Dzibilchaltun and those that are open wells, like the one in Chichen Itza. Some of them are accessible for swimming and cave diving
DZINUP CENOTE
Located 4.3 miles southeast of Valladolid, this cenote is underground with a hole in the ceiling. It is probably one of the most photographed cenotes in the Yucatan. Deep, refreshing, crystal clear waters await you and it is a great cenote for swimming.
CUZAMA CENOTE
The town of Cuzamá is becoming well known for the large number of cenotes found there. Especially unique is a tour that you can do in this area where you will visit three cenotes. If you go to the hacienda in Cuzama, you can hire a guide who will put you on a platform buggy pulled by horses. You will travel this way for 4.5 miles on interesting paths through the surrounding countryside. The main cenotes are: Chelentun (laying down rock), Chansinic'che (tree with small ants) and Bolonchoojol (nine drops of water). The Chelentun Cenote is located about 1.8 miles from the Chunkanan hacienda and about 1.8 miles south of Cuzama. The water is incredibly blue and clear with excellent visibility. Stalagtite and stalagmite formations add to its unique beauty
CENOTE IK KIL
Located in the Eco-archeological Park Ik Kil, just 1.8 miles from Chichen Itza and Pista. Called the "Sacred Blue Cenote," it is a perfectly round well-type cenote with exuberant vegetation and waterfalls. This is another ideal place for swimming in the clear blue water. 196 feet wide and about 130 feet deep, it is an open cenote about 85 feet from the surface. A grand stairway leads you down the steps into the water.
CENOTILLO
This village gets its name from the large number of cenotes located within the town and the outskirts. According to locals there are more that 150 cenotes, some of which are located in open fields. It is necessary to ask a local to take you. The main ones are Kaipech, Xayin and Ucil.
CENOTE XCALAH
This cenote is located at the Mayan site of Dziblichaltun, just north of Merida. Meaning "old village," it is an open ground level cenote, great for swimming. It is more than 140 feet deep at one end.
CENOTE ZACI
Located in the heart of Valladolid, this is a semi-open cenote that has a diameter of 150 feet and is 260 feet deep. This is a popular cenote for swimming in the refreshing turquoise waters. You will see a rare species of eyeless black fish known as "lub." A third of the cenote is covered with stalagtites and stalagmites and there is a walkway around the entire cenote.
The state of Yucatan has about 250 miles of beach front property. Many people from Merida and other inland towns come to the beach in Jly and August to beat the summer heat
Near Merida, the most popular beaches are at Progreso, Chelem, Yucalpeten,Chicxulub, Cocal Josefina, San Miguel, Uaymitun, San Benito, San Bruno (both these are not really towns, but they do have signs), Telchac Puerto, San Crisanto, and Dzilam Bravo.
Let's start the farthest west with the town of Chelem (Cheh-lem'). This is a quaint older town, with full services - stores, shops, restaurants, taxis, buses, telephone. The homes, that are pretty much wall to wall, are modest.
The next area east is Yucalpeten. To get here you do go through Progreso. This is an area just 4 miles from Progreso with full services. The homes are mostly modest, and the beach is quite wide.
Playa Progreso is the center of the beach territory displaying a great , safe beach along the malecon(boardwalk) right in town.
Chicxulub (Chick'-shoo-loob) beach, for which the famous crater is named is a very popular area with the snowbirds and located just to the east of Progreso.
Right beyond Chicxulub, the areas with names such as Colonia Doctores, Cocal Josefina, San Miguel and Uaymitun (Why-mee-toon'), home of the flamingos are located.
The next area going east is San Benito, followed by San Bruno. Here you will find wonderful stretches of open beach, and few or no neighbors.
The next area east is Telchac Puerto (Tell'-chock Pwair-to). This quaint fishing village has a harbor, stores, market, plaza, restaurants and telephone.
San Crisanto and Dzilam Bravo (Zee'-lom Bra-vo) are tiny towns to the east of Telchac Puerto.