Cancun Things to Do

Think that you’ve seen it all in Cancun? Think again. Though this glittering jewel of a resort town does seem to have everything a tourist could want – white sand beaches, palm trees, night clubs, and underwater activities, there’s a whole lot more going on just outside Cancun’s borders. If you’ve never been beyond the reaches of Cancun, now’s a good time to start.

From December through April of every year, Mexico’s El Vizcaino Whale Sanctuary and  Mexico’s largest protected area, attracts tourists and researchers from all over the world to the central Baja Peninsula. The 2,546,790-hectare (9833-square-mile) reserve protects a broad swath of the Baja, as well as marine areas in both the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez, along 450km (279mi) of shoreline. Desert scrubland, pine forests, coastal dunes, and mangrove forests are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including 120 bird species, more than a dozen reptiles, and 44 mammals, including big horn sheep, kit fox, mule deer, and big cats, as well as 39 endemic flowers.

Semana Santa, in the Catholic religion, consists of the last week of Lent, otherwise known as the last week before Easter or Holy Week. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are the culminating holidays of the week, and in Cancun, the event takes on special significance. Being a catholic town, Semana Santa is a seriously observed holiday and all of the churches will be celebrating in their own fashion. That sounds serious, doesn’t it? It isn’t. Semana Santa is Cancun’s second busiest time of the year, next to New Years Eve. Everything is open and so be on the lookout for deals where you can find them.

Often referred to as the little brother to bigger Cancun, Playa Del Carmen has its origins as a sleepy little fishing village that started small. Still smaller than the comparable Cancun, and still full of local character, today Playa del Carmen is a vacation hot spot for those who are looking for the white-sand beaches and blue waters of Cancun without all the high-rises and people. And though Playa del Carmen still retains the character of the sleepy village of its roots, there are still plenty of exciting things to do here.