DK Travel : Cancún and the Yucatán : Outdoor

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Reefs around Cancún

Despite busy beaches and the relatively small size of the closest reefs, there’s still lots to see here. “Jungle” snorkeling tours take you through man-groves in Laguna Nichupté and to the reef off Punta Nizuc (seeCancún).
Río Lagartos

No well-organized facilities, but boatmen here will show you their fishing grounds as well as the flamingo lagoons.
Río Lagartos

A huge, long, narrow lagoon of creeks, mangroves, and mud-and salt-flats along the north coast of Yucatán that is tinged pink with colonies of 20,000 flamingos in the peak August breeding season. Fascinating, great-value boat trips are run from Río Lagartos and nearby San Felipe.
Sacred Cenote, Chichén Itzá

The most celebrated cenote in the Yucatán, the giant sacred well at Chichén (see Sacred Cenote), has long been said to have been a place of human sacrifice. The cenote was used only for ritual purposes, perhaps as a channel to the Underworld, since the city’s drinking water came from the Xtoloc Cenote, near the Caracol.
Sailing, Windsurfing, and Kayaking

The best places to rent boats are Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. Hotels may have dinghies for guests. Windsurfing is at its finest around Isla Mujeres and Akumal, and the best kayaking is around Puerto Morelos, Punta Solimán, or Tres Ríos (see Eco-Parks and Theme Parks).
San Felipe Tours

The boatmen’s cooperative here is a bit less organized but also has a waterfront hut, in San Felipe village. Rates are similar to those in Río Lagartos, but boatmen here will be more ready to take you to the Bocas de Dzilam and Río Lagartos lagoon.
San Gervasio, Cozumel

The ruins of the Mayan capital of Cozumel, conquered by Cortés and his Spanish soldiers in 1519, are in the middle of the island. Its buildings are small compared to the great Mayan cities, but there are many of them – and discovering them, through woods full of scents, flowers, and birds, involves a lovely walk (see Cozumel).
Sea Cucumbers

Tube-like creatures with a tough, spiny skin that can be seen lying motionless on the seabed or in clefts in the coral.
Sergeant Majors

Bright, darting, little fish, recognizable by their black and yellow vertical stripes.
Sian Ka’an

Mexico’s largest wetland nature reserve, Sian Ka’an brings the Riviera to an end just south of Tulum. Its vast area of nearly-untouched mangroves, jungle, and beaches contains an extraordinary range of birds and wild-life, and the one-day tours run by local organizations give a glimpse of the intricate, constantly surprising interplay of nature in this rare environment. The few inhabited spots along the coast are wonderful for fishing, and have a feel of tranquil isolation (see Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve).