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| Why Visit the Yucatan Peninsula? An Exciting Vacation Travel Itinerary for Sightseeing Yucatan Mexico |
Dear Friends and Guests:
Airports for access to the Yucatan Peninsula are:
- Cancun;
- the international airport in Merida, (closer to Uxmal and Flycatcher Inn than Cancun);
- also there are fair sized airports in Chetumal and Campeche City;
- outside of Yucatan, Mexico City airport has connecting flights, rental cars and bus to Yucatan.
Why Visit the Yucatan?
Many of you, perhaps most, think of the Yucatan as Cancun, Playa, beaches, and white sand. But years ago, when I first came here,
it was not the main reason to visit. It was the Mayas. Their culture, their ancient temples and pyramids, their small villages, and
their gentile ways. It 's why I came. And it is still here. So perhaps once again, you might like to go back to the real Yucatan.
Where the people I first met still are. Permit me to show you a different Yucatan, still complete with white sand beaches.
Suggested General Itinerary for Sightseeing the Yucatan Peninsula:
(For a specific 7 day itinerary click here).
I won't detail you with the area around Chichen It'za, nor Merida, although they are in fine shape also. They are already well known,
so let's go north from Merida and start with Progreso, on the Gulf. Stop on the way and see the Temple of the 7 Dolls, perfectly
aligned with the 4 cardinal points, at Dzibilchaltun. Jump in the cenote there, visit the museum and see how life used to be. Then
continue on to Progreso.
Years ago Progreso wasn't on any tourist list. It was a place for locals to go and enjoy the coast, the beach for a day, eat great
seafood. But now it has been spiffed up. New malecon, clean sand beaches, and great restaurants, as well as new places to stay.
A very pleasant place to go for the day from Merida, or maybe stay overnight at Casa Quijote. There are pleasant drives either
way along the coast.
Then let's go west and south around the Gulf to Celestun. There is a permanent flamingo colony here, along with many other
migrating birds, for the visitor to see on well arranged launch trips. Celestun is a shell beach, as well as a clean beach, and offers
several places to stay, from simple to deluxe, as well as good seafood restaurants.
Wind back through Uman, and check out the market there, plus the bakeries. You might be surprised at how interesting it is.
Continue on Hwy. 261 to Yaxcopoil and visit the ex-heneken hacienda/museum of the same name. Stop for lunch at the restored
hacienda Ochil, just past tiny Xtepen, before continuing on to the fabulous ruins of Uxmal.
Did you know that the ruin site of Oxkintok, back behind the village of Muna, has the only underground labyrinth on the peninsula?
Be adventurous and go into the caves of Calcetok, and see the "crystal room".
Then come join us at the Flycatcher Inn, in Santa Elena, where you can spend the night, or the week, visiting everything in this region.
This is the village where John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood stayed while rediscovering the ruins of Uxmal, Kabah,
Sayil, and Labna, among others. They stayed in what is now the small museum, attached to the church. Uxmal is just 13K to the north;
Kabah and the Ruta PUUC Route ruins start just 6K to the south.
Or head out for a day to Mani and Mama, see the convent churches, with their Norias, where they obtained water. Bishop Diego de
Landa burned the written Mayan codice texts in Mani, thereby obliterating the written language of the Mayas. Have lunch at one of
the great regional restaurants in Mani, and check out the local ladies fine handmade clothing, and other crafts, in a fine new building
across from the restaurant. Drive up by the ruins of Mayapan, and on to Cuzama village where you can go by small platform heneken
rail cars, pulled by small ponies, into three special cenotes, one noted for its ease of swimming.
All of this is easily reachable from our village. Then take a day trip to Campeche City, now a world heritage site, and see the treasures
from Calakmul at the hill top fort of San Miquel. Visit the former governor's house, Montejo, at Casa Seis, right on the main plaza
square. Buy hats made from palms at the Casa de Cultura, or take home one of the special regional liquors made from local fruits like
maranon or nance. Have lunch at one of the many specialty seafood restaurants. Head back to the Flycatcher Inn, it's only an hour
and a half away, or stay overnight and continue on to the Calakmul and Rio Bec archeological area. Stop at the small hotel of Rio
Bec Dreams and have owner Diane fill you in on all the details of that area.
Then head on over to Laguna Bacalar and spend the night (or several) with Caroline at Casita Carolina, or the Kopelman's Amigo's
B&B, both right on the lagoon. Check out Sophie and Arturo's small resort at the north end of the lagoon, Ecotucan. Head up the
coast and you will see the way the whole coast used to be.
Or you might now want those sand beaches, snorkeling and diving. What better places than Majahual and Xcalak? There are many
fine small establishments along this southern part of the coast, most offering diving excursions. This is the way the coast was before,
small scattered individually run Inns. Sink into the solitude of doing nothing before returning to reality and the workaday world.
And you might see a Yucatan you have never seen before, and maybe didn't know existed.
Below are alternate suggestions for places to stay, by no means all of them, but just a place to start. Just ask if you need more
assistance.
Thank you for your business and we look forward to hosting you and your family and friends again, or for the first time. If you know
someone who may enjoy our internet photos and information, or is considering a trip to Mexico or the Yucatan, please share our
website address with them too. http://www.flycatcherinn.com
For a specific 7 day suggested itinerary click here.
Kristine
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
15 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
Airports for access to the Yucatan Peninsula are:
- Cancun;
- the international airport in Merida, (closer to Uxmal and Flycatcher Inn than Cancun);
- also there are fair sized airports in Chetumal and Campeche City;
- outside of Yucatan, Mexico City airport has connecting flights, rental cars and bus to Yucatan.
Why Visit the Yucatan?
Many of you, perhaps most, think of the Yucatan as Cancun, Playa, beaches, and white sand. But years ago, when I first came here,
it was not the main reason to visit. It was the Mayas. Their culture, their ancient temples and pyramids, their small villages, and
their gentile ways. It 's why I came. And it is still here. So perhaps once again, you might like to go back to the real Yucatan.
Where the people I first met still are. Permit me to show you a different Yucatan, still complete with white sand beaches.
Suggested General Itinerary for Sightseeing the Yucatan Peninsula:
(For a specific 7 day itinerary click here).
I won't detail you with the area around Chichen It'za, nor Merida, although they are in fine shape also. They are already well known,
so let's go north from Merida and start with Progreso, on the Gulf. Stop on the way and see the Temple of the 7 Dolls, perfectly
aligned with the 4 cardinal points, at Dzibilchaltun. Jump in the cenote there, visit the museum and see how life used to be. Then
continue on to Progreso.
Years ago Progreso wasn't on any tourist list. It was a place for locals to go and enjoy the coast, the beach for a day, eat great
seafood. But now it has been spiffed up. New malecon, clean sand beaches, and great restaurants, as well as new places to stay.
A very pleasant place to go for the day from Merida, or maybe stay overnight at Casa Quijote. There are pleasant drives either
way along the coast.
Then let's go west and south around the Gulf to Celestun. There is a permanent flamingo colony here, along with many other
migrating birds, for the visitor to see on well arranged launch trips. Celestun is a shell beach, as well as a clean beach, and offers
several places to stay, from simple to deluxe, as well as good seafood restaurants.
Wind back through Uman, and check out the market there, plus the bakeries. You might be surprised at how interesting it is.
Continue on Hwy. 261 to Yaxcopoil and visit the ex-heneken hacienda/museum of the same name. Stop for lunch at the restored
hacienda Ochil, just past tiny Xtepen, before continuing on to the fabulous ruins of Uxmal.
Did you know that the ruin site of Oxkintok, back behind the village of Muna, has the only underground labyrinth on the peninsula?
Be adventurous and go into the caves of Calcetok, and see the "crystal room".
Then come join us at the Flycatcher Inn, in Santa Elena, where you can spend the night, or the week, visiting everything in this region.
This is the village where John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood stayed while rediscovering the ruins of Uxmal, Kabah,
Sayil, and Labna, among others. They stayed in what is now the small museum, attached to the church. Uxmal is just 13K to the north;
Kabah and the Ruta PUUC Route ruins start just 6K to the south.
Or head out for a day to Mani and Mama, see the convent churches, with their Norias, where they obtained water. Bishop Diego de
Landa burned the written Mayan codice texts in Mani, thereby obliterating the written language of the Mayas. Have lunch at one of
the great regional restaurants in Mani, and check out the local ladies fine handmade clothing, and other crafts, in a fine new building
across from the restaurant. Drive up by the ruins of Mayapan, and on to Cuzama village where you can go by small platform heneken
rail cars, pulled by small ponies, into three special cenotes, one noted for its ease of swimming.
All of this is easily reachable from our village. Then take a day trip to Campeche City, now a world heritage site, and see the treasures
from Calakmul at the hill top fort of San Miquel. Visit the former governor's house, Montejo, at Casa Seis, right on the main plaza
square. Buy hats made from palms at the Casa de Cultura, or take home one of the special regional liquors made from local fruits like
maranon or nance. Have lunch at one of the many specialty seafood restaurants. Head back to the Flycatcher Inn, it's only an hour
and a half away, or stay overnight and continue on to the Calakmul and Rio Bec archeological area. Stop at the small hotel of Rio
Bec Dreams and have owner Diane fill you in on all the details of that area.
Then head on over to Laguna Bacalar and spend the night (or several) with Caroline at Casita Carolina, or the Kopelman's Amigo's
B&B, both right on the lagoon. Check out Sophie and Arturo's small resort at the north end of the lagoon, Ecotucan. Head up the
coast and you will see the way the whole coast used to be.
Or you might now want those sand beaches, snorkeling and diving. What better places than Majahual and Xcalak? There are many
fine small establishments along this southern part of the coast, most offering diving excursions. This is the way the coast was before,
small scattered individually run Inns. Sink into the solitude of doing nothing before returning to reality and the workaday world.
And you might see a Yucatan you have never seen before, and maybe didn't know existed.
Below are alternate suggestions for places to stay, by no means all of them, but just a place to start. Just ask if you need more
assistance.
Thank you for your business and we look forward to hosting you and your family and friends again, or for the first time. If you know
someone who may enjoy our internet photos and information, or is considering a trip to Mexico or the Yucatan, please share our
website address with them too. http://www.flycatcherinn.com
For a specific 7 day suggested itinerary click here.
Kristine
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
15 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
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