Camping on the Yucatan Peninsula

Everybody thought I was crazy when I said I was going camping in Mexico. "What about the Bandidos?" was the general question. But my mind was made up, and off I went one Saturday in February.

On arrival in Cancun I rented a red VW Bug, stowed my bag and tent under the hood and headed south. I enjoyed Puerto Morelos, an authentic fishing village with a great restaurant - Los Pelicanos - right on the beach. The further south I went, the smaller these restaurants became, but the food was always delicious. The most memorable eating establishment had only 4 tables in front of a hut overlooking the aquamarine Caribbean Sea, but it also boasted a Cenote - a sinkhole, almost like a fresh water aquarium. It had been discovered by scuba divers, who were enjoying the feast of colors put on by mother nature.

First I pitched my tent in Xac-Cel, a campground on the beach. As I hadn't brought cooking utensils, my main criterium was a restaurant. After a dip in their cenote and a long walk on the beach I made it back to camp just in time. This kitchen closed at 5pm! But the best thing about the place was the freshly baked croissants, etc. which were delivered to our tents every morning!!

I also camped on the beach in front of 'Villa Rosa' in Tulum. They have five or six cabanas and space for 3 tents. What makes it special is their outdoor bar with 3 stools and a restaurant with no more than 6 or 7 tables - the only one amongst all the little 'hotels' along the bay. It was the gathering point for guests - so every night was very festive. The couple in the other tent were spending the entire Canadian winter there - I was so envious.

Punta Allan was my next destination. It's a fishing village at the tip of a peninsula, in a biosphere and the only access is a dirt road, littered with potholes big enough to swallow my Bug. It took me over 3 hours to travel about 40 kms. Once I got there, I hired a boat and driver for a day and went to see the beautiful mangrove swamps filled with exotic birds such as spoonsbills, pelicans and a whole colony of roosting frigate birds. That definitely made the long drive worthwhile, but Punta Allan is basically caters mainly to the avid fisherman.

This part of the world is well known for its Mayan ruins, and I spent some time in Tulum as well as Coba. The latter site was still being excavated and is scattered over a large area. Coba is about 60km inland and not that well known yet. It's definitely worth climbing up one of the large pyramids - the view was wonderful.

My last stop was Playa del Carmen, a busy fishing village and ferry terminal for the island of Cozumel. I stayed in a pension between the beach and the pedestrian zone and enjoyed the Mexican flavour of the town. Playa is a 'travellers town' as opposed to Cancun and Cozumel, which exist mainly because of tourism.

On the whole I enjoyed this trip and February was hot enough for me. Once you get away from the beaten track, life is very simple and the people are friendly.

Click here for your own great journey to Yucatán

For more information on the Yucatan Peninsula e-mail Chris Boecker