Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture and customs. Below are some of our recommended highlights. Some tours and packages can be organized when booking your program, please see the program price page for more information.

Distances From Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is centrally located, making it easy for travelers to visit many other interesting destinations:
To Xcaret: 7 kms / 4 miles / 7 minutes / Taxi $6 US
To Puerto Aventuras: 19 kms / 11 miles / 18 minutes / Taxi $11 US
Distances From Playa del Carmen
To Akumal: 32 kms / 20 miles / 28 minutes / Taxi $17 US
To Xel Há: 49 kms / 30 miles / 43 minutes / Taxi $21 US
To Tulúm: 62 kms / 39 miles / 55 minutes / Taxi $27 US
To Valladolid: 160 kms (Playa-Tulúm-Cobá-Chemax) / 99 miles / 2 hours
To Puerto Morelos: 32 kms / 20 miles / 28 minutes / Taxi $17US
To Cancún: 67 kms / 42 miles / 1 hour / Taxi $30 - 35 US
To Paamul: 17 kms / 10.5 miles / 15 minutes / Taxi $10 US
To Coba: Taxi $50 US

The travel times are those which it normally takes, based on an average speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the maximum limit authorized, and on the current conditions of the highways.

Cancun
Cancun perches on the western tip of the Yucatan peninsula and boasts some of the most spectacular beaches in the Caribbean. The resort zone, built on a 14-mile-long barrier island just off the peninsula, is the center of tourist activity, with hotels, nightclubs, air-conditioned shopping centers and restaurants. The beaches are the primary draw and the water sports are unlimited; including scuba diving, windsurfing and sailing.

Cancun has major numbers of nightclubs, discos and bars. The discos go all night, the bars range from fancy to downright funky. Live music and Karaoke, to ultra loud disco music, it just depends on your mood. Mini skirt and bikini contests, along with other promotions, are numerous.

Cancun is naturally a haven for water sports of all kinds. Just about every kind of water sport is available here. Almost every beach has vendors that offer parasailing, banana rides, jet skis and other varieties of small water craft. Parasailing is offered in different forms for one or two flyers, one of the variations offered here resembles a small flying boat that is perfect for the less adventurous.

fishing and diving
Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the surrounding area offer some excellent sportfishing, deep sea fishing in the outer Caribbean for sailfish, marlin, dorado, wahoo, grouper and bluefin tuna. The many nearby inlets, flats and lagoons give anglers a chance to try their luck at catching tarpon, snook, permit and some hard fighting bonefish. If diving or snorkeling is on your agenda you have certainly come to the right place.

The waters of the Caribbean are noted for their clarity. Some of the worlds most famous reefs are just a short distance from your hotel. There are underwater national parks and many, many dive sites that are easily accessible from many of the nearby beaches or islands.

excursions isla mujeres
Isla Mujeres is one of those great peaces that defy description, the name means "Island of Women". A small island, just a 45 minute ferry voyage from Cancun.

This is a great place to kick back and forget everything but the urge to relax. Rent a motor scooter and tour the island, have a massage, dive or snorkel in the national park, take in a Dolphin show or even swim with them, visit the turtle park. Or just relax on a beach and read a book. The beaches on the north end of the island are very calm and vendors will pass by and offer you coconuts and tropical fruits. There are a some charming restaurants right on the beach.

cozumel
Mexico's largest island is also the scuba diving and snorkeling paradise of Mexico. This kicked back island could be the perfect South Seas retreat, except that it is just 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula. If your a diver, this is where you will want to go. But the island offers much more to the tourist than just being a divers paradise. Great shops, selling almost everything, are everywhere.

There are many open air bars offering up relaxing tropical drinks, Mayan ruins and endless miles of deserted beaches that all play a part in the mystique that is Isla Cozumel. Many sportfishing charter operators are located in the small marina located just north of town. Accommodations range from very luxurious to very basic with a little of everything else thrown in.

All accommodations are located within a short distance of, or in San Miguel, the only town on the island. The good beaches are just a short taxi ride from San Miguel, so it is easy to plan your time on this island. The best reef diving is along the coast just south of town, with many reefs for different diving skills. Rent a buggy, car or motorcycle and drive around the island to discover what this island is all about. Be careful, you may not want to leave Cozumel once you have discovered it's charm.

Playa/Cozumel Ferry Schedule: (EVERY DAY)

PLAYA DEL CARMEN TO COZUMEL
5:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 A.M. - 1:00 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 P.M.

COZUMEL TO PLAYA DEL CARMEN
4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 Noon 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 8:00,10:00 P.M.

Approximately 40 Minutes $7.50 (USD) / 73 Pesos - Each Way. Schedules and Rates are subject to change.

xel ha
Xel Ha (pronounced Shell-Haw) national park seems like the largest aquarium in the world, only you are in a natural environment and it is a park, with many other attractions. Swimming and snorkeling in the warm protected lagoons and canals offer even the novice a chance to enjoy thousands of brightly colored tropical fish. This can be combined with walking trails and even a small museum.

There are parrots, dolphin shows, hammocks and music, ice cream vendors and of course - rolling beer bars. Everything you need can be rented, there is even an all inclusive entry package that includes meals and drinks along with your snorkeling gear. Xel Ha is a really great place to spend the afternoon after a early morning trip to see the ruins at Tulum.

xcaret
Xcaret, 50 miles south of Cancun, is an all day family adventure built around natural grottos, fresh and saltwater pools and underground rivers that run to the sea. A tropical "island like" ecological amusement park with dive sites, horse back rides an exotic zoo, museums and a few archeological sites thrown in for good measure. You can walk around on the bottom of a Caribbean lagoon with a dive helmet or glide down a jungle river, both above and below ground. There are turtles, monkeys, dolphin shows and encounters, snack bars and palapa restaurants with roving regional musical groups. Aspectacular evening Mayan themed light and sound show that starts at dusk and ends with the Papantla Indians swinging by their feet from a tall pole in a ritual that dates back through the ages.

tulum
We cannot do justice to the magnificence of the archeological sites of the Yucatan peninsula in this small space. Tulum is the only oceanfront city the Maya ever built, also the only one that is walled. Located on incredibly beautiful Caribbean beach, whoever it was that picked this site had some real estate experience. Tulum is small, it can be toured in about two hours, but offers some incredible insight into the life of the Maya.

Tulum may lack some of the grandeur of Chichén Itzá, it contains 60 buildings, which are thought to be about 10 percent of the original city. It stylized designs and the incredible setting more than make up for the lack of major pyramids. Up until the 1960s the only way to get to Tulum was by boat.

Now it is one of the Maya world's most visited sites, visit early if possible, to avoid the crowds. A small admission fee is charged. Multilingual guides are available. An early trip to Tulum, combined with lunch in Playa del Carmen, and an afternoon spent at Xel Ha makes for an great full day trip from Cancun.

coba
Coba is the largest of Yucatan's archeological sites, it is also the least excavated of all the major sites on the Yucatan peninsula. Coba is none-the less important, to many Coba is simply put, AWESOME. Containing 20,000 structures, Coba once was home to as many as 40,000 Mayans.

Coba, which means "Ruffled Water", was built along the shores of five shallow lakes. Coba is a striking site with magnificent pyramids and incredibly detailed stelae. The Nohoch Mul pyramid, the tallest on the peninsula, reaches 140 feet into the sky.

Many experts say that the pyramids here rival those of Tikal in Guatemala. Multilingual guides are usually available, a good investment, considering the size of this site. Leave early, as this is an all day trip from Cancun. These ruins are considered a favorite stop for the more adventurous traveler. In the summer the heat and humidity here can be overwhelming.

chichén itzá
Chichén Itzá is undoubtedly one of the wonders of the archaeological world. Founded in 495 AD, Chichén Itzá has been meticulously restored and this incredible site, with it's columned structures and warrior images, is reminiscent of ancient Rome.

The entrance to Chichén Itzá features a large visitors center and museum where you will find many of the best preserved sculptures and artifacts, on display. The ruins at Chichen Itzá are well grouped and although very large, it is fairly easy to get around and to see the most spectacular attractions. On the other hand, you could easily spend a week in Chichén Itzá and not have seen everything there is to see.

For that very reason it might be best to take a tour to visit Chichén Itzá. Many tours leave daily from Cancun. Another idea is to plan ahead, rent a car and spend one night in Mérida, a charming city about an hour and a half drive west of Chichén Itzá. You could then return the next morning, on your way back to Cancun. The archaeological zone itself is approximately a two and a half hour drive from Cancun. There are several "more than adequate" accommodations and restaurants close by.