What to do and see in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo: The Best Nature & Parks

October 19, 2021 Major Galusha

Playa del Carmen is one of the top diving destinations in the world, thanks to vibrant sea life and dazzling underwater caverns. On dry land, Playa is a hipper and more modern version of the fishing village it once was. Spend some quality time on the golf course or wave hello to the playful spider monkeys at The Jungle Place sanctuary. Explore the ancient ruins of the Coba Mayan Village, or get in some quality people-watching as you shop and stroll along 5th Avenue.
Restaurants in Playa del Carmen

1. Cavernas Chaaktun

Playa del Carmen Mexico
Excellent
78%
Good
21%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 145 reviews

Cavernas Chaaktun

Reviewed By S2997DUpaulm

Words can't describe the awesome beauty of these caves. My wife and I were guided by Rene and he did a fabulous job describing this natural wonder. Everything was provided that you need such as the water shoes, wet suit, snorkel and flashlight. Just bring swim gear and a towel and you are supplied with a locker for your personal items. There is a photographer that takes pictures and we were glad we paid the modest price ($30 USD) for them at the end of the tour. There was also a tequila tasting at the end. We did not visit this as part of a tour group, we just took a taxi from our resort and they accommodated us gladly. Do it, you won't regret.

2. Riviera Maya

Playa del Carmen Mexico +52 998 881 9000 http://www.sectur.gob.mx/programas/gestion-de-destinos/productos-turisticos/mundo-maya/riviera-maya
Excellent
68%
Good
19%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
3%
Terrible
4%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,292 reviews

Riviera Maya

This term is used to refer to the Yucatan coast now popular among tourists.

Reviewed By BackinBracknell - Bracknell, United Kingdom

Have been twice now to this part of Mexico and loved it! The area stretches all the way down from Cancun to Tulum and the beaches are amazing. Very little seaweed when we were there (April 2019). There's loads of other stuff to do as well - Eco Parks / Adventure Parks, numerous cenotes for swimming, Mayan Ruins at Tulum, Snorkelling/Diving and fantastic wildlife (we saw monkeys, coatis and agoutis in the hotel grounds). Would definitely go back.

3. Mayakoba Beach

Playa del Carmen Mexico
Excellent
50%
Good
50%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 2 reviews

Mayakoba Beach

4. Rio Secreto

Carretera Federal Libre Chetumal _ Puerto Juarez Km 283.5 Ejido Sur, Playa del Carmen 77712 Mexico +52 984 147 6050 [email protected] http://www.riosecreto.com/
Excellent
80%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 8,530 reviews

Rio Secreto

Mexico reveals its newly-discovered underground river: Very few places in the world boast conditions that make it possible to witness the extraordinary beauty of an underground river. Rio Secreto is a fantastic journey into a unique system of underground rivers and ancient caverns that reveals both the astonishing interaction of time within the interior of our planet and the miraculous existence of our lives. Come and experience this magical journey with us on your next vacations in Mexico.

Reviewed By Matina28 - Laval, Canada

Secret River My husband and I visited Río Secreto on November 4. For me, enter to those caves was something magical, what a beautiful place, I hope they keep it as it is, a natural jewel. Our guide Joshua was excellent, he gave us a lot of information about the place, besides being patient, kind and attentive to each one of the group. Eduardo (the little one) our photographer is an excellent professional. The photos were beautiful. I liked everything, the rappel, the visit to the river on the Alegria road, and the visit to the dry route. It is a trip to wonderful place. Visiting these caves with stalactites, stalagmites and swimming in that crystal clear water is something we should experience even once in a lifetime. The buffet at the end was very good. I congratulate the staff of Rio Secreto for taking care of this place and for making the visitor aware of how important it is to keep this place in its natural state.

5. Cenote Chaak Tun

Avenida Benito Juarez, s/n Ejido., Playa del Carmen 77723 Mexico
Excellent
79%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 3,157 reviews

Cenote Chaak Tun

Reviewed By mrs_edinburg - Claymont, United States

We did the guided snorkel tour and it was amazing! For only 30 US dollars, you get the guided tour including rental of your snorkel and wet suit. This is a unique adventure that you won’t forget. Our guide Felipe taught us about the Mayan culture, the fossils and skeletons found in the caverns, and about the formation of the stalactites and stalagmites. We loved seeing the bats swooping around inside the cavern and swimming in the clear water. We would recommend this experience to anyone visiting Playa Del Carmen. A bonus at the end was the included tequila tasting!

6. Piste Cyclable sur Paseo Xaman-Ha

rue Xaman-Ha, Playa del Carmen Mexico
Excellent
49%
Good
34%
Satisfactory
15%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 79 reviews

Piste Cyclable sur Paseo Xaman-Ha

7. Chikin Ha

Carretera Federal 307, Km. 265 Carretera de Cancún a Chetumal, Playa del Carmen 77728 Mexico +52 1 984 181 7519 [email protected] http://www.chikinha.com.mx
Excellent
69%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,206 reviews

Chikin Ha

Reviewed By amgoddard - Laguna Beach, United States

We were actually planning to go to the park right next to Chikin Ha, but after talking to the person in the ticket booth at the entrance of this park, I was convinced that this was the better option. And I was right! $45 per person got us a great guided tour for about 3 hours, zip lining, a short bike ride to the caves, lunch, and swimming in the beautiful Cenotes. I can't exactly remember our guide's name, I think it was Amaretta, but she was awesome. It was actually very educational to learn about the caves and the cenotes, as well as being part of a Mayan Ceremony. You won't understand a word he says, but it does get explained by the guide, and it's actually super cool to experience. Everybody's bad energy goes "up in smoke" through hole in the cave, and good energy will fill you back up :-) Can't beat that! The food and drinks were very good, and it was overall a really fun filled day. We've been to the bigger parks like Xplor, Xelha etc. This is more "organic", and has way less people. There's no wait to get your ziplining gear on, no wait for lunch, it's much more private, the Cenotes are amazing, and the whole staff is there for you. A photographer was taking pictures of us, but not in an obtrusive way. In fact, there were a lot of pictures I didn't even know were taken, and they were awesome. We ended up buying the photo package as it priced really well for a ton of photos. Since I'm always the one taking pictures, it's nice to actually be in them as well! I definitely recommend this park, well worth the entrance fee.

8. Cenote Cristalino

Carretera Fed. Tulum-Cancun km 269.5 A lado del Ecopark Kantunchi, Playa del Carmen 77710 Mexico [email protected]
Excellent
54%
Good
37%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 629 reviews

Cenote Cristalino

Área natural con cenotes, vida silvestre. Es un espacio familiar y contamos con todas las medidas necesarias para el COVID-19 para brindarte un buen servicio.

Reviewed By 419catherinee

We visited many cenotes whilst staying here in Mexico this one is beautiful, it’s very cheap entry easy to get to. It has a small cliff to jump from and a small cave to swim through, a lovely little shop that sells ice lollies and snacks/ drinks the staff were friendly highly recommend a visit here.

9. Punta Venado Bike Park

Cancun-Tulum Highway, Km. 278, Playa del Carmen 77790 Mexico +52 998 206 3145 [email protected] http://www.pvbikepark.com
Excellent
70%
Good
21%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 119 reviews

Punta Venado Bike Park

Punta Venado Bike Park, is the first specific park for mountain Biking (XC) at the Yucatan Peninsula. We are located 10km form Playa del Carmen, 60km from Tulum or 60km from Cancun. With more than 25km of single track trails at three different technical levels: Green: The less difficult; Blue: the more difficult and Black the most difficult trails, we are in the heart of the Riviera Maya. We are located aside of Blue Venado Beach Club, in the land known as Punta Venado, that's why you'll find a beach club for your family meanwhile you're riding. We have Bike rentals.

Reviewed By travelandexplore99 - Calgary, Canada

I am an avid mountain biker and cycling guide from western Canada and have ridden some of the best trails in BC, which are known to be some of the best trails in the world. I honestly didn't expect much from this park but thought it would be cool to experience "mountain" biking in the jungle and so we went. I was pleasantly surprised! The fulll suspension bike rentals were decent (Giant Stances in fair shape), the trails well designed, well maintained and well marked and it was just plain cool to bike in the jungle! We saw monkeys and heard a "big cat" growl mid ride and when we mentioned this to the guys back at the Hacienda after they showed us a video of the resident jaguar they spotted on the trail yesterday. Cool! While I didn't find the black trails particularly challenging compared to what we have in our neck of the woods, they definitely had some technical features and we had a lot of fun on them. They had good punchy little climbs and descents with rocks and roots that required some skilled navigating- all part of the fun!- and some gap jumps and technical bridges/log rides Greens and blues were fun, fast and mostly flowy. We went early in the morning, for about 2 hours and did not find it too hot, found the bottled water they provided in the bike cage to be sufficient for us, but wish we would have bought/brought some bug spray (got a couple bites when we stopped to chat/drink/look at the map). Overall a fantastic experience and highly recommend!

10. Cenote Misterio Maya

Carretera Federal Tulum Km 244 A 5 Kilometros Del Cenote Dos Ojos, Playa del Carmen Mexico +52 984 113 3706 https://www.facebook.com/Cenote-Misterio-Maya-1456156584659802/
Excellent
72%
Good
22%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 157 reviews

Cenote Misterio Maya

Reviewed By 142dexterm - Camarillo, United States

There are several Cenote in this site, all are interesting, but unless you scuba, Cenote Dos Ojos is better for basic swimming. Mister in Maya is an incredible snorkel trip deep into the cavern! Flashlights required as you journey quite deep inside. The ticket includes both Misterio and Los Monos Cenotes. Los Monos is definitely our favorite. You journey deeper and the stalactites are more awe-inspiring! It can be a bit claustrophobic, as you need to climb through some tight areas but worth the effort!! Equipment is provided but reef shoes are a help. My girlfriend wore the wetsuit but the water was warm enough where I was fine without. The scuba dive available at Dos Ojos makes me want to get certified!! Really cool looking!!

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