Tdiddy12

We are getting ready for a month long trip to Yucatan in January 2025. Flying to Cancun to take advantage of Alaskan Air miles and then taking the ADO to Merida where we plan on spending a week. After that, we are thinking of renting a car and driving on the following itinerary:

Leave Merida and visit Uxmal / Kabah and end up in Campeche for 2 - 3 nights. Maybe stay for a night in Santa Elena after Uxmal and before Kabah, then to Campeche.

Travel to Celestun from Campeche for 2 nights, one being a travel day.

Back to Merida and head toward Progreso. I have a question here, is it worth it to stay in Progreso or travel along the coast and stop somewhere near Telchac Puerto. Has anyone done this drive?

Next stop would be Rio Lagartos for a few days and then head to Valladolid for maybe 4 - 5 days. We don't mind spending some down time here, even if there isn't a lot to do.

After Valladolid, we are thinking of two nights at Chichen Itza. One day to drive over there, find a hotel, and then hit Chichen Itza really early, spend half a day then back to Merida to fly Mexico City.

Again, looking for people who have done these places. We've done a fair amount of research and know what to see but not sure about hitting the upper coast around Progreso. I know we should do Holbox but it's not in the cards this trip. Thanks for any and all input.

Fra_Diavolo

Just a few notes -- Uxmal will take a good chunk of your day. I would stay over in the area and devote the next day to the entire Ruta Puuc,l not just Kabah, You'll have many of the sites to yourself. Finish up at the caves.

When in Valladolid make time to visit Ek Balam, about ten miles north. There are some highly figured sculptures there, possibly unique in Mexico. You're not far from Chichen Itza in Valladolid -- less than an hour's drive, so you might avoid another hotel change by visiting from there.

Unfortunately I've never visited the coastal areas you mention.

Make sure your time in Merida includes a weekend.

Tdiddy12

[QUOTE=Fra_Diavolo;17552920]Just a few notes -- Uxmal will take a good chunk of your day. I would stay over in the area and devote the next day to the entire Ruta Puuc,l not just Kabah, You'll have many of the sites to yourself. Finish up at the caves.

When in Valladolid make time to visit Ek Balam, about ten miles north. There are some highly figured sculptures there, possibly unique in Mexico. You're not far from Chichen Itza in Valladolid -- less than an hour's drive, so you might avoid another hotel change by visiting from there.

Unfortunately I've never visited the coastal areas you mention.

Make sure your time in Merida includes a weekend.[

We will spend a lot of time at Uxmal then hit Kabah in the morning. I will investigate the Ruta Puuc, that takes us further south correct? Planning on Ek Balam. I guess we could get up early to head to Chichen Itza from Valladolid, but we aren't morning people per se, so thought it might be better to already be there when we wake up.
Thanks for the tips

Faedus

A different angle here: as there's still a lot of time before your trip, you may want to consider, if you're so inclined (and if you haven't done so), reading "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," an account of a journey the American diplomat and explorer John Stephens and his companion, the artist Frederick Catherwood, undertook in 1841. Of course the book will not answer your modern travel questions; I mention this because it may be interesting to compare the Yucatan you visit, to the one Stephens saw 180 years ago. Before my first trip to Copán, in Honduras, I had read Stephens' account of his 1839 visit there, and I carried a copy along on my visit; I enjoyed comparing my experiences to those of Stephens, and the structures I was looking at to Catherwood's expert drawings. (If you do decide to get a copy of Stephens's book, make sure it includes Catherwood's illustrations. I would recommend the Dover edition, if it's still available.)

Fra_Diavolo

I have the Dover editions myself. When I photographed the arch at Labna I noticed there was a good deal less of it than Catherwood drew. I was pleased with the photo at the time, but came to see that the depth of field was insufficient. I'll have to return and try again!

Faedus

I can believe it; the diligent Catherwood wasn't likely to miss much!

Fra_Diavolo

No. I’m afraid the structure had been compromised since his day. By the way, both volumes are still available.

kja

I visited Celestun, but not Progresso. As a rule, the flamingoes — if that’s what interests you — are in one place or the other. It’s seasonal; I don’t remember when the flock is at which location.

Like others, I urge you to stop one night along the Ruta Puuc.

Nelson

Check out these photos, the lodge we recently stayed at in Guatemala had a copy of the book. The author followed 19th century photographer Teobert Maler.
https://issuu.com/peytonwrightgaller...uins_revisited

Go full screen if you are on a computer.

Fra_Diavolo

Stunning photos, Nelson. I also ended up going down a rabbit hole reading about the photographer and even olde Teoberto. All new to me. Thanks!

mlgb

Hi Tdiddy, the flamingoes are flocking in winter near Celestun. We saw them from Celestun in December (it was still early). January should be fine.

Google turns up this blog with a March 2024 update
https://www.thetravellinglindfields....un-mexico.html

Progreso is a cruise port and we didn't go there.

Celestun is a charming fishing village, palapas on the beach, fresh fish, etc.

I would agree to spend at least a night near Uxmal for the sound and light show (in Spanish) and consider a few of the other sites along the Ruta Puuc.. I probably also recommended our good value hotel, Uxmal Resort Maya. Since you plan to drive I assume you can also stay a bit farther away. I did like the pool and view at that hotel.

I've probably mentioned our excellent bird guide, Alex Dzib who lives in Celestun. Since winter is heavy duty birding season, he's probably busy with tours but you can find him on instagram @ alexdzay
A wide range of Airbnb places there. I think I mentioned Alex and his Airbnb guest room on someone else's planning thread. If you are just going for a night or two, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there.

Search for Casa de Los Flamencos Celestun and it should popup.

itravelnaked

Hey there. I've travelled to most of the destinations, some recent some not. You have some travel options. Rent your car at Cancun to save money on no-return rental fee. If renting a car in Cancun is not possible then skip the ADO and take the train from Cancun to Merida. The train maybe be operating as far as Campeche by 2025.
Progreso is nothing special, the pier is cool. It has been a few years since I drove the Progreso/ Dzilam de Municipality route. The road was a little shabby but a fun drive.
My itinerary would be: rent a car in Cancun travel to Valladolid (overnight or more), day trip to Chichen-Itza onward to Izamal (overnight or more), on to Merida then continue with your south Merida schedule. The Progreso east route as stated above was fun but not life changing. There a few hotels along the way none that I stayed at. If Rio Lagartos is not a "must" destination may I suggest San Felipe, a very, very very quiet sleepy fishing village, I would continue on to Valladolid. Depending on time an overnight in the hotel in Uayma, a small town outside of Valladolid is a glimpse into Mexico. The hotel "Casa de los Pianos" is wonderful. Warning Uayma is very small. The hotel is not.
Then back to Cancun. I would mention that one week in Merida may be lengthy.

yucatan360

Progreso has improved their infrastructure since then. Other nice beaches that are close by are Chuburna and Sisal. Very calm and not as congested as Progreso. You can easily rent a house by the beach and even go for a boat ride if you ask around with the locals.

crellston

Hi Tdiddy, Currently in CDMX after spending a week in Merida. In the end I decided not to rent a car to explore the Yucatan but simply to hire a driver for a couple of trips out from the city. I was happy with that choice.

Reflecting upon my time in Merida , I have to say I was not especially impressed. It was the least favourite location of all the places we have visited in the country. I found it very expensive in comparison with other places, very touristy and the least "Mexican" of anywhere we have visited, possibly due to the large expat community. For us at least, a week was too long. The highlight for us was the Hanal Pixan celebrations which were pretty special. We also found a great jazz/blues club and spent a couple of evenings there.

Of the two day trips we did Izamal was a huge disappointment. The whole place seemed very down at heel and I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. Uxmal, by contrast was very impressive only saw a couple of other places on the Ruta Puuc as neither of us were feeling too great at the time (some sort of virus) , Kabah was one which was nice. Did consider spending a night near Uxmal but decided against it and it was the right decision for us.

Spent 3 days in Campeche in a fantastic apartment which we enjoyed. Loved the city and enjoyed hanging out there. An interesting town, great restaurants and bars and some terrific architecture.

Sorry if this sounds unduly negative, but I do believe in telling it "warts n all" and Merida just wasn’t for us . We enjoyed our time in Oaxaca and Puebla and here in CDMX I am sure there are other great parts of the Yucatan , but if we return we would skip the peninsula and head back to the north of CDMX.

Tdiddy12

Hey Crellston - Thanks for the "warts and all" report. We are committed to a week in Merida, so we will have to make due. Would love to find that jazz club! Interesting about the expat comment. Oaxaca has a fairly large expat community but they seem to blend in better than most places we have visited with expats, for example San Miguel. We are staying a couple of days in Santa Elena so we can fully explore, Kabah and Uxmal, glad to hear you enjoyed that. Also staying a number of nights in Campeche so looking forward to that. Puebla is on our list, maybe next year. We are also staying a week in La Condessa in CDMX and have friends from Edmonton, Canada visiting with us. We are really looking forward to getting back to Mexico even though it an annual thing for us. On a completely other note, we have booked a Rick Steves tour of England, June 1st - 14th ending in London where we will probably stay longer. If you are around in that time frame would love to see you and Carolyn again. All the best!

Fra_Diavolo

I'm surprised to read the above comments about Oaxaca. I found it overly gringo-fied on our last visit in 2018, at least compared to what it was like on our first, in 2001.

crellston

Hi Tdiddy - a link to that jazz club https://dzalbaycantina.com . Apparently it was set up by some guys from the Merida orchestra. We went a couple of times as it was close to our hotel. The jazz was first rate as was the blues (my passion!) the food and cocktails were also pretty good. Get there early as it gets busy. I may try posting a short video if that is possible.

Would love to get together when you are over here. Timing wise, I haven't got exact dates for next year sorted out year but we are usually in London from mid June through to September so if your are around after that then I am sure we can sort something out. Would be great to catch up. Early June we be in Oxfordshire so if you are heads that way then that's a possibility too. Take care

mlgb

I had speculated on another thread whether the Tren Maya which now connects Cancun Airport to Merida might have affected the level of visible tourism. We never had a chance to get out of the car, just a drive through on the way to other places. Maybe they drove us through the old hennequin factory in Izamal but it was not memorable, certainly not compared to the major Mayan ruins (Palenque, Calakmul, and Yaxchilan in addition to Uxmal). But it is a matter of "so many ruins so little time" and you can just as easily get "ruined out".

I endorse an overnight in (or near) Uxmal to be able to attend the evening Sound and Light show. Even in December it is hot and humid and nice to take a mid day break (we had a great pool at our inexepensive hotel in Uxmal).

Be sure to say "Codz Poop" when you visit Kabah
https://mayaruins.com/kabah/j1_1647.html

crellston

We went to that old henequen factory for a quick look. We aimed for the attached hacienda but there was a wedding about to happen. The owners were there and were happy to show us around in the 20 mins before the wedding started but the wedding planner and the priest were not best pleased and were shooting us dirty looks the whole time. I thought it best to make a quick exit before the bride and groom arrived lest we upset anyone else. Loved the inside of the hacienda , a sort of living museum of a life gone by"faded grandeur" best described it.

As you know, my original plan was to follow your route through the Yucatan but for a variety of reasons we decided on less travelling. Turned out it was a good call as we both picked up some sort of flu bug on the plane coming over and that added to an ongoing shoulder problem meant I wasn't at my best for most of the trip (poor Carolyn !) . That may have tarnished by view of the Yucatan. Reflecting on the trip on the flight home, I think I came to the concluding that I am a most at home high up. Loved Zacatecas , Guanjuato etc. on our first trip and Mexico City is fast becoming one of my favourite cities ( though on our last day we wandered into areas I really wish we hadn't!.

As ruins go , really loved Uxmal, though much smaller and very different, I would put it on a par with Angkor. Our nieces went on to Palenque after they left us (where I know you have been) and sent us some stuff on Instagram - that looked amazing!

mlgb

Sorry that you were ill, crellston. I know that weather and/or not feeling up to par can make me like a place less, and I am definitely not a fan of the heat and humidity! I felt that the Mayan ruins and wildlife were worth the suffering though, and we did have a great guide and "fixer" (the famous much-wed Tino). Glad your nieces enjoyed Palenque.

I agree about Mexico City, how was the last minute lodging? Maybe time for an update on your blog so we can stop hijacking Tdiddy's post!