Yucatan & Beyond: Ultimate 30-Day Road Trip Through Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize in the Heart of the Maya

This is my personal favourite road trip. An unforgettable journey of Central America exploring the serene beauty of the Yucatan Peninsula, through Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. This is a "Mayan ruins expedition" where ancient cities and majestic temples stand within remote jungles. Outside, colorful pueblos await with their iconic charm. When the heat becomes too much to handle, refreshing cenotes and the beautiful Riviera Maya offer a well deserved rest and relax. It doesn't get any better than this.

With scenery that ranges from lush jungles with ancient Mayan ruins poking from the tree canopy to pristine beaches and arid plains in between, the Yucatan Peninsula has it all. Here, the joyful and laid-back vibes, the colors, music, and food that make Mexico famous all around the world are showcased in their best representations.

The Riviera Maya and, in general, the Yucatan Peninsula are also the most touristic parts of the country. This means that it is very safe to drive around, and everything is generally in top condition while still maintaining its own characteristic Mexican charm.

With famous sites such as Chichen Itza or the immense complex of Tikal in Guatemala, coastal towns such as Campeche, resort cities like Tulum and Cancun, and laid-back towns such as the island of Holbox or the fishing town of Rio Lagartos, this trip certainly quenches any thirst for exploring the wonderful country of Mexico.

This road trip is quite extensive and spanned a little more than one month and around 2,500 km. It can easily be shortened by spending less time in beach towns and in resorts, and pueblos, which is what organized trips by bus usually do, with longer drives between the different sites.

However, the beauty of a road trip lies in the different environments and locations that one can see. By taking your time and stopping for a few days, the journey becomes definitely more enjoyable and varied, as it is easy to become quickly “saturated” by seeing only ruins every two days.

In this guide, you will find everything you need to know to plan for this epic journey. It is aimed at all travelers and includes also some basic information on the country, driving, the best time to visit, flora and fauna, and other tips. 

Skip ahead if you are interested only in the itinerary; otherwise, read on.

• Language: Spanish is the official language.
• Population: 131+ million (2019 est.)
• Timezone: [UTC -7, UTC -8]
• Ethnic Make-up: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
• Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
• Political System: Federal republic
• Currency: Mexican Peso (abbreviated as $ which can be misleading at first)
• Credit Cards: Even in some highly touristic areas, such as the Riviera Mayam, cards are not always accepted.
• Electricity: Socket types A and B, 127 volt / 60 hertz
• Tipping Customs: 10-15% in restaurants, taxis, and hotels
• Haggling Culture: Common in markets and street vendors
  

Cross-Border Travel

There are only a few rental companies in Mexico that allow international border crossing, namely Europcar and America Car Rental (the one that I used). Also, the rental pickup can be only in specific offices in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Merida, or Chetumal.

These companies arrange for you the required paperwork which consist of an authorization letter from the rental company to take the vehicle outside of the Mexican border, and the importation permits for the various countries.

Pay attention that you have all the necessary car documentation when retrieving the vehicle (rental agreement, vehicle registration, etc) as these will be checked by customs at the borders.

Generally speaking border crossing consists of the routine immigration checks: leave the car at the exiting customs to have your passport stamped, enter the destination country and proceed to customs for passport checks. In addition to this, your vehicle and luggage will be checked by customs, followed by a brief stop at a fumigation station.

For Guatemala there is an additional tourist tax and a Vehicle Importation Permit (if it was not arranged prior by the rental company) that needs to be purchased. All this needs to be paid in local Quetzals, but there are currency exchange shops in the town that lies just at the border.

In the case of Belize there is car processing fee (to be paid in Belize Dollars) and a mandatory insurance valid for Belize.

In my experience the border crossing with Guatemala was the most troubling since El Ceibo is a small border without offices, and the customs officers where particularly slow and uncooperative (took me over 3 hours). Also there are tensions between the two countries due to organized crime so the checks are more thorough. The crossing between Guatemala and Belize was much smoother, and going back from Belize and Mexico was a breeze and almost immediate.

Driving

• First and foremost, the basics: in Mexico, driving is on the right side, and all common driving requirements are followed (i.e., mandatory seatbelts, it is illegal to drive under the influence, and the driving legal age is 18).
• An IDP is not required to drive in Mexico, Guatemala or Belize. That being said, a general rule is that the license must always use the characters that are used in the country, so in the case of Mexico latin characters so if your drivers license is written with Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, or others you will need to an IDP.

Driving is reasonable but somewhat out of control in some places. For example, in Cancun, the speed of cars is huge considering the urban area.

Outside, in rural areas, there will be many sudden speedbumps (each with its own street vendor standing nearby) near small towns and settlements. These speedbumps (topes) are tall as mountains, mostly invisible, and sometimes without warning signs or signs placed too late. They will wreck your car if you do not spot the somewhat hidden houses and cabañas (or dogs and chickens) on the side of the road beforehand. In the smaller towns around Mexico City, I realized or imagined that the speedbump yellow strips are scraped off by locals to make them less visible to foreigners, as one of the most common shops in rural pueblos are car mechanics.

Speed Limits

Speed limits range from 70–90 km/h on rural two-lane roads and 90–100 km/h on two-lane highways. In urban areas, it is 40 km/h, which in small rural towns should be much lower as it is common to encounter local farm animals crossing the roads.

Speeding is common, as are vehicles that travel at a snail’s pace. Speeding limits and checks are not enforced so much.

Roads

The paved roads outside of the major highways are generally in bad shape, with hundreds of immense potholes that go to the center of the earth. Unpaved roads pose their own challenges depending on the season, and if traversed during the rainy season, they could be completely flooded, transformed into slimy mud, or filled with debris such as fallen trees. Also, there are frequent roadworks almost everywhere (presumably to fix the potholes), which slow down the traffic a lot. This should be kept in mind when predicting the time needed to traverse a certain area.

Highways have left hand side exits, on top of the “normal” right hand side exits. These are small bays that are used to make u-turns and are quite common. This allows to quickly change course, but you should also stay vigilant as a slow turning car might get into your side of the road (on the fast, overtaking lane).

Toll Roads

Depending on the region, highway tolls can get quite expensive, relatively speaking. Almost all toll booths do not accept credit cards and payment must be done in cash (and in Mexican pesos, other currencies such as US dollars are not accepted).

Fueling

All gas stations in Mexico are serviced. Mexico does have a culture of tipping, so leaving a tip is common. Generally speaking, gas prices are in line with those of the continent, so they are comparable to those of other South American countries in the US and twice as cheap as Europe, for example.

Depending on the area not all fuel petrol stations may accept credit card so it’s always best to carry cash with you (which is an advice that you should follow in general anyways). In case you find yourself in a bad situation petrol-wise, you can also always find some fuel in grocery stores and buy a small essential tank to get you further on.

Wildlife & Roadkill

Contrary to Australia, where this is a serious issue that needs to be accounted for when driving, I did not encounter any major wildlife on the roads. However, roads are rarely safeguarded on their sides, and animals do roam the countryside, especially at night. Crossing the small pueblos, there would often be dozens of dogs, each with their own character: some would closely follow your car, others would move out of the way, and others would rest on the hot asphalt baking in the sun and not move no matter what.

In pueblos, it is also common to see several chickens on the side of the roads, but they have a good sense of vehicles and traffic and move out of the way, unlike some other animals (I’m looking at you, Australian Kangaroos). In more remote and jungle-ridden areas, such as those leading to archaeological sites, there are many signs informing people about crossing wildlife, ranging from monkeys, turkeys, and jaguars, but these are well aware of the dangers of the roads and tend to remain hidden during the day. Also, monkeys use the road overpass nets to cross from one tree to another.

The only animals that will probably be encountered and possibly run over are the huge black tarantulas, which simply cross slowly. They can be seen from far away and are much more visible than the speedbumps, which should give an idea of their size.

Police

Mexico isn’t the safest country in the world, and when it comes to law enforcement corruption, it isn’t the most transparent either. It is common to encounter police roadblocks or military police driving around. Usually, these have very specific targets related to organized crime and won’t bother a tourist, especially if a large rental car sign is present on the vehicle. However, as in many places, a police roadblock is mostly a matter of luck, and if the officers have to stay there all day and haven’t done much lately, they might focus on you just to do something.

When it comes to police corruption, I did not experience any directly (this is also due to the regions that I visited, which are very popular and tourism-oriented). However, it is a sad reality, and all advice reinforces the idea that it is better to give a “tip” or pay whatever fine on the spot rather than be harassed longer by the authorities.

Driving quirks

• The use of turn signals is somewhat “altruistic” rather than referring to the owner’s vehicle. A left turn light usually indicates that the driver wants to be overtaken and sees no obstacle or danger ahead, instead of indicating that they are about to turn left. Four emergency lights indicate (to the opposite lane of oncoming drivers) that something was spotted on the road and needs attention. Because of this, lights must be interpreted somewhat in the opposite way: if you plan on turning left, do not put your left turn light on, as other drivers will overtake you on that side.
• Most roads are single-lane but there is a half-lane emergency on the right. This is where everybody drives. The center of the road is reserved for overtaking in both directions. With all sorts of vehicles on the roads, the speed differences between the fruit truck and the overtaking cars can be huge.

General info & tips

Seasons & Best Time to Visit

Depending on the season, the weather on the coast can be wonderful and dry or beaten by the rain. In the central parts of the peninsula, the heat is very strong, although it is not at “Asian humidity” or “Australian sunburn” levels.

As in other regions of the tropics, seasons are split more between the rainy and dry seasons, rather than the four commonly known seasons.

Autumn and winter all the way to early spring (March, April) are the months that are favored by tourists, with temperatures remaining high and a drier climate.

Late spring, summer, and early autumn are the rain and hurricane seasons, although there can be weeks with clear skies. Prices everywhere are much lower in this period and the occasional rain also brings out the colors and “washes” away the smog from bigger cities.

Safety

Depending on the region, safety in Mexico can be a major issue. Regarding specifically driving around, roadblocks by corrupt police or other self-governing organized groups can create problems. On the Riviera Maya and Yucatan Peninsula however, this is not an issue, however, as the whole region is heavily controlled and also highly aware of and watched over regarding police corruption.

For tourists major issues in the region go as far as pickpocketing. There is a presence of more serious organized crime that can lead to debt settling murders but it usually remains isoleted to locals.

The same goes for the Peten region in Guatemala and in general the small country of Belize. As tourists you will not be bothered or stopped by gangs or fake police.

Natural risks: Central Mexico is more prone to earthquakes, but the coastal regions are prone to large storms and hurricanes, which regularly occur during the wet season.

Emergencies number: 911

Safety Indices

Entry Requirements

Most nationalities can enter Mexico without a visa although there are many that require a visa (see map below).

All entries require filling out the Forma Migratoria Múltiple, and there is a small fee (~400 MXN) for staying more than 7 days.

Click the map to see details on visa requirements for each country.

Alternatively, input your passport citizenship and quickly see the requirements that apply to you:

Flora and Fauna

• The major “threat” and annoyance are the mosquitoes. Western tourists can be easily identified, apart from their skin color and general cluelessness, by the utter devastation of their legs. Depending on the area, the biting mosquitoes range from minuscule insects that simply feast in swarms during the evenings to large flies that attach to your limbs and do not let go.
• Especially in the northern parts of Yucatan, the archeological sites and the cities themselves host many black iguanas.
• I need to mention, because of my dislike for them, some ultrasonic birds. Especially on the coasts, Yucatan Jays can be found everywhere. With their beautiful blue plumage and beaks perpetually tilted towards the sky, they will go absolutely ultrasonic with no warning whatsoever. Anyway, this is nothing when compared to Australia.

Etiquette

• Service, despite being excellent, is relatively slow. However, the whole region is a vacation destination and the appropriate, laid-back attitude should be embraced without going into entitled rants if something is not absolutely perfect.
• Tipping: The Propina is expected in many places that have a touristic vocation and should be around 15%. US level of tipping such as 18 or 20% is uncommon, but clearly highly appreciated.
• Society and business are highly hierarchical therefore authority must be respected at all times.
• For female travelers, Mexico has a long-standing culture of machismo. As such, it may be commonplace to receive remarks and these signs of stereotypical males should not be interpreted as harassment.
• Marigold flowers are a symbol of death and this can be observed during the Day of the Dead festivities. As such, it is not an appropriate flower gift.

Other Tips

• Language: English is quite common, with the obvious exception of the small towns. Also, there is a sort of common understanding that somehow Spanish is simple, so the people simply talk slowly and with simpler words to let themselves be understood rather than switching to English.
• Bars and restaurants: No matter the type of place, service is always attentive and good. Mexican cuisine is world-famous, and this is the right place to completely satisfy your desire for tacos.
• Connectivity: Connectivity is pretty good all around, except in rural areas, as would be expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Itinerary

With all that said and done, let’s move on to the itinerary.

The sections below cover major stops and the amount of time to spend in each place is up to you. You can dedicate more time to beach destinations such as Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Isla Holbox, or spend time in cities and pueblos like Merida, Campeche, and Valladolid

Drive Times Overview

This is more or less a breakdown of the stops with indicative distances and drive times.

Cancun is one of the top travel destinations in the whole country. A recently developed city, it lies in the heart of the Mexican Caribbean. Famous for its resorts, wild nightlife that never ends, and luxury environments, the city is composed of two separate parts: the Zona Hotelera, which comprises large resorts entirely aimed at tourism, and the older town of downtown Cancun, which maintains the typical characteristics of a Mexican town.

Impressions

The hotel zone has clear American vibes and is highly touristic, with large shopping malls, high-end restaurants, and immense resorts. Downtown Cancun instead immediately strikes with a slightly more genuine and somewhat more chaotic environment.

I found this separation very striking, especially driving around, with the large coastal road in the hotel zone having high-speed traffic as they move from one large building to another and the small interconnected roads bustling with people going about their business, smaller shops, pedestrians, etc.

Cobá hosts Ixmoja, part of the Nohoch Mul complex. At 42 m, it is one of the tallest stone-step pyramids in Mexico.
The site is famous for having an extensive network of sacbes—stone roads built to connect to various city areas. It is also much less famous than the nearby complex of Chichen Itza, thus allowing for a nicer exploration of the ruins.

Impressions

Walking within the jungle and seeing these stone monuments appear out of the canopy was wonderful and the experience was strikingly similar to the Angkor ruins in Cambodia.

Structures

All eyes and attention are clearly on the main El Castillo pyramid or temple of Kukulkan, which, despite being relatively short, does have an imposing presence on the whole area. Its construction is heavily based on timekeeping references, as it is well known that the Mayans were maniacal (“maya-cal?”) when it came to their calendars and timekeeping. The 4 sides represent the seasons; the 91 steps climbing each side add up to 364 (+ the top central chamber); the larger steps of the pyramid are 9, and if considering the central staircase that splits them, they become 18, as the number of months in their “non-sacred” calendar. But it could also be a reference to the nine nights and the nine gods that rule them; I don’t know and will not look it up. I did not catch or see any references to the numbers 13 and 20, which were of high importance to them, but I could have probably missed some details. Disadvantages of never getting a guide and going alone, winging it with only some basic information gathered beforehand.

Speaking of calendars, the non-sacred calendar has 18 months and 20 days, which does not add up to 365. So they had an additional month made up of five “nameless days”—unlucky days where the barriers with their nine underworlds would dissolve. I really like this. We should also have this in modern times. After all, with all the leap years (and being a computer scientist, I have to add the infamous leap seconds), our Gregorian calendar is also a construction. We should have a week of “shit hits the fan” days. A sort of prolonged Halloween. It would certainly make us appreciate the passage of time more than a New Year’s Eve with wishes and partying.

The main pyramid was built not only with references to astronomical coordinates and timekeeping aspects but acoustics as well. The famous “Chichen Itza Chirp” occurs in response to loud claps done at the base of the pyramid, which echo back from the top chamber down through the stairs, resembling a ghostly bird chirp. If done repeatedly, it really sounds like birds. Because of this, one can imagine the sheer amount of noise made by large tour groups when their guide explains this to them, making the entire place a big, noisy playground mess.

Anyway, in the complex, there is also the largest and best preserved ball court in all of Mexico. The ancient Mayans were supposedly fond of playing this team game, where the rubber ball wasn’t supposed to touch the ground and could be controlled only through elbows, knees, and hips. These courts also have stone hoops on the two sides where the ball had to be thrown through using only hips. The whole court really felt like a stadium, were it not for the fact that the losing team’s captain would often be beheaded, as the game was actually used to manage disputes and a sort of confrontation between champions instead of going to war, rather than as entertainment.

The complex has two cenotes: the natural sinkholes filled with water, which were seen as sacred by the ancient Mayans and are nowadays used as refreshing pools (not these ones, of course). The sacred cenote is impressive in the vertical drop of the sinkhole and becomes even more impressive when imagining the sacrifices that used to be performed there. This whole section, with the ball court, the nearby basreliefs of skulls impaled on poles, and the sacrificial cenote, gave a sudden grim twist to the visit.

The other main structure is the temple of the warriors behind the main pyramid, and El Caracol is the observatory. Other than that, there are a dozen other structures and ruins of lesser importance and fame.

I was able to find a relatively quiet spot near the Osario pyramid in the company of yet another black iguana and a priceless moment of shade and solitude in front of the Caracol.

Impressions

The impression that I had was mixed. Being very easily annoyed by crowds, I knew that it would have been slightly disappointing. There were actually fewer crowds than when I went to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but they seemed more stupid. Maybe it was the effects of the Khmer temple being still considered sacred and used by Buddhists to this day, but here my attention was constantly removed by people taking ridiculous selfies, jumping in the air, making poses, acrobatic stances, shouting, clapping, running around, etc.

Also, as expected, the roads leading up to the various temples are littered with locals selling souvenirs, water, guides, etc., like in every big tourist site, but here, unfortunately, the vendors are also allowed within the archaeological site, making the whole experience a cacophony of vendors trying to sell their crafts for 1 dollar. On top of that, every stand seems to have a dedicated person using a jaguar whistle (which imitates rather perfectly the growl of a jaguar, I guess), and this all contributed to the general noise taking away a bit of the atmosphere.

Impressions

Now we’re talking. This is what an ancient Mayan archeological site is supposed to be. Oozing antiquity from the pores of the stones.

The ruins of Ek Balam outside Valladolid are literally deserted. And overrun by lizards. At first, it was nice to see “my” totemic lizard also here. After every step I took, I would hear leaves rustling, trees scratching, and rocks being moved by these scurry reptiles.

I have to say, however, that, like in Chichen Itza, the ruins have been renovated too much. The smooth rocks kept together with concrete take away slightly from the authenticity, but I guess it’s either this or nothing at all.

Impressions

Fortunately, when I left and headed for Campeche, the weather was bearable and I was able to go to Uxmal, one of the most important Mayan sites, together with Chichen Itza (check), Calakmul (in 2 days) and Palenque (next week).

Not only were these famous ruins within the forest allowing people to actually stop and see the buildings without being incinerated, but there were strangely very few visitors. Also, all the grass had been freshly cut, giving the characteristic wonderful smell and “golf course” landscape, which just asked people to sit on the grass and admire the ruins.

I met another huge lizard companion who was happy to take part in my pictures and enjoyed the silent walks among the ruins.

The city was built in the 8th century and there are several hills making the climb and subsequent opening on new plateaus with buildings and smaller temples a sight to behold.

That being said, after seeing four different sites, I am starting to realize that archeological restoration is done a bit too much here.

In any case, the two main structures—the pyramid of the magician, unusually containing curved sides instead of squared—and the governor's palace dominate the landscape. There is also the ever-present ball court and an interesting house of turtles with turtle bass reliefs.

Impressions

After so many days in the central areas of the region with jungles, mosquitoes, and oppressive humid heat, the coastal city of Campeche feels like a breath of fresh air. Literally

Impressions

Another wonderful, albeit highly restored, archeological site. Here I was literally the only visitor and also here the grass had been freshly cut, creating a wonderful visit.

Unfortunately, there is always something and the sheer number of mosquitoes was incredible. These do not seem like the typical timid but stealthy mosquitoes. They are the size of flies and just don’t care. I guess their strength is in numbers and they just swarm you and don’t let go. Their bites actually sting during their “attack”, much like small spider bites and the walk through the jungle to reach the site was simply unbearable.

Edzna was inhabited as early as 400 B.C. and remained populated until 1500 A.D. The main acropolis and the main castillo of Cinco Pisos are a wonder to behold. Much like Chichen Itza, the main plaza has been built with attention to astronomical events and acoustics, so here the shadow of the sun follows a specific illuminating path on equinoxes, and standing in the central plaza creates a chirping echo with the surrounding structures.

The Site

Calakmul was a major city and center of power and has ancient roots dating back to the preclassic Mayan period (so between 1000 and 400 B.C.).

The site is littered with stelae, apparently 117 scattered among the ruins and at the bases of each major structure. I was surprised to not find the ever-present ball court.

The main “attraction” is the grand plaza surrounded by several pyramids, one of which, Structure 2, is massive, measuring 120 m by 45 m, making it one of the largest Mayan structures ever built, and is absolutely immense to look at from below.

I climbed it on the side just to reach a dead end and had to literally climb on the side of the pyramid to reach another set of steep steps, which was followed by another and another. But the view was definitely worth it.

Structure 1 is slightly higher but less imposing. I climbed another large pyramid and spent quite a long time just immersed there, overlooking the vast expanses of green jungle.

Impressions

Reaching the ruins of Calakmul is quite a long 2-hour drive, which nonetheless was enjoyable despite some intense personal flooding moments on the way. Also, due to my lack of sleep, I was in the car at 8 in the morning so when I reached the ancient city, I was able to enjoy both the cool temperature and solitude among the ruins.

I saw several turkeys on the way, no jaguars despite the signs (which, by the way, have to be the best animal crossing signs in the whole world), and the ever-present tarantulas, calmly and slowly crossing the street without a care in the world.

Impressions

I went to Palenque, another very famous archeological site in the Mayan world. The small city had a rivalry with Calakmul and was rebuilt multiple times. The whole area is scattered with 1700 temples, most of which are apparently still covered by the jungle. I skipped, as usual, the guides but could have actually taken one since there is a whole section within the jungle accessible only if accompanied.

It is an old city from the preclassic period so 400 A.D., which was reigned by Pakal, arguably the most famous king in Mayan history and who, with his 68-year reign, is one of the longest reigning monarchs in history.

I was offered four times a guide and six times mushrooms.

The site is the most immersed in the jungle I have seen until now and reminds me a lot of Cambodia but with a much more damp and humid flora. It’s beautiful but suffers from the same problem as Chichen Itza, namely souvenir vendors everywhere. Seeing the jungle colors and ruins dispersed by a rainbow of colors from all the plastic souvenirs and cloths used to showcase them takes away a bit of the atmosphere.

Impressions

I went to the Agua Azules waterfalls. 70km from the city but the navigator said 2 hours. Now I know why, although I don’t know how Google knows; I guess statistics. The road is littered with dogs just sleeping under the sun on the concrete road and mad chickens just jumping out of the “sidewalk” at the last minute.

The waterfalls were wonderful. There is a nice walkway (mandatorily covered in souvenir shops) that runs along the falls and ends in a small basin where it is possible to take a swim (which I didn’t).

Mexico towards Guatemala receives extensive border controls and I spent 3+ hours having my papers and rental car checked

The Site

The city of Tikal dates as far back as 400 B.C., but like most Mayan cities, it reached its peak during the classic period (200–900 A.D.). It is commonly accepted amongst archeologists that the most significant event of the classic period was the war between Tikal and the rival, allied cities of Caracol and Calakmul, who defeated it in 562. In the post-classic period, all of these cities collapsed and it is generally considered a period of decline before the resurgence of Mayan centers of power such as Chichen Itza or the rise of other powerful Mesoamerican civilizations (i.e., Aztecs and Incas). Tikal was never discovered by Cortes during the conquista and at its height, it is estimated to have housed up to 100,000 people.

The complex has six major pyramids, altars, and stelae everywhere. There are 4 main areas to the city: the great plaza, with two pyramids overlooking it and surrounded by two acropolis; the plaza of the 7 temples, with several offspringing paths leading to smaller twin pyramid plazas; temple IV (highest and rising 70 m above ground) at the end; and the lost world, which was my favorite area, with the lost world pyramid (31 m), where I spent most of the early morning just admiring the structures rising from the jungle canopy.

Due to the rain in the middle of the morning, I also got to appreciate the sacbe—the limestone roads that are present in every Mayan city and that allow transport across the rainforest mud.

As far as fauna is concerned, there are the ever-present black howler monkeys (aka hellspawns), which howl in the morning and late afternoon, several turkeys, and white-nosed coatis (basically racoons) roaming around. No iguanas, though.

I already know that when I visit Caracol, I will either be disappointed or “against” the ancient city site just because I “have taken sides”.

Impressions

This. I’m never enthusiastic for anything, and after so many temples and ruins, I have come to realize that “there is always something” to ruin (no pun intended) the experience. But this is what I was looking for: massive in a way that inspires awe, incomprehensibly ancient in it’s roots, and clearly touristic but just enough to maintain a sense of genuineness.

There are no vendors inside the ancient city; some mosquitoes are bearable; rain is manageable. The thick morning fog wasn’t good for pictures, but it was beautiful to climb all of the major structures and stand over the rainforest with a fresh morning breeze and the sounds of nature.

The city of Chetumal right after the Mexican border is a large city and the capital of Quintana Roo. It is a good base to explore the surrounding but the city in itself doesn't offer much tourism-wise. It is hower a good stop to break up the drive towards Tulum which otherwise would amount to roughyl 5 hours.

Impressions

As anticipated, the island is completely flooded. I brought with me only a backpack and was supposed to walk for 10 minutes to my cabaña but it took me half an hour in knee-deep water, losing every 10 steps my flip-flops in the sucking mud and scrambling around the murky waters of the streets trying to recover them.

The next day I wanted to go to the northern part of the island to Punta Mosquito, a shallow area with sandy islets. There are two routes: either through the sandbags in the water some hundred meters out, or coasting the beach through the natural reserve and passing by rivers that lead into the Laguna. Since I went rather early in the morning, the tide was high, and I did not want to be bogged down walking another day in the mud, so I went with the second approach. However, after a couple of river crossings, I reached a major and deeper river. Eerily still, without any birds or markers to gauge its depth, and with another danger sign of crocodiles, which this time I took seriously.

Two days later, I moved to the opposite side of the island. 40-minute walk. So, 2 hours. This time I lost completely my flip-flops in the “shoephage” mud, but found two left-footed ones lying around, lonely orphans left behind by other unlucky souls who had also been devoured by the engulfing mud. I stayed for two nights at Hotel El Nido, near Punta Coco.

Here, the mosquitoes reign supreme and unchallenged. The hotel doesn’t have a cat but a super-fat, asthmatic French bulldog, which desperately and unsuccessfully tries to catch the geckos at night. Speaking of French, it seems there are only people from France on this island. I’m probably biased but they aren’t the best tourists and travelers in the world. Either they are lonely people who “giust wanto tak" clueless couples searching for the beach on their iPhones while standing on it, or noisy groups who just get drunk and shout putain at the sunset.

In the evenings, I would take the beaten-up bike from the hotel and cycle around either to the beach to see the sunset (Holbox is one of the few places on the Riviera Maya that faces the sunset) or to town to eat something.

This side of the island is very undeveloped from a tourism point of view and despite getting bogged down in the meter-deep “puddles” at night, it was nice to ride around in complete darkness and silence under the stars.

Closing Thoughts

What an amazing road journey! After this one-month trip, I followed up by moving to Mexico City, down south to Puebla, Oaxaca, and Mazunte, and then back up. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

After having traveled nonstop for more than six months, homesickness creeps up no matter what, but most of all, it is easy to fall into travel fatigue. But Mexico washed away any travel fatigue that I may have experienced earlier, such as in Australia, the US, or Canada. The different scenery, warm people, wonderful towns and larger cities, and the ruins would always have something new for me. Mixing beach destinations, barren and jungle-covered landscapes, and amazing pueblos meant that as soon as I would get fatigued from a specific scenery, something completely different would be thrown at me. The food, competitive prices, warmth of people, and pristine locations Everything was just a feast to take in.