Yucatan Itinerary – 3 Amazing Weeks on the Road in the Yucatan Peninsula
Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of those links, I may earn a commission at zero cost for you. Please see my disclaimer policy here and my privacy policy here.
The most common question I receive is what I can do in Mexico if I have 3 weeks to spend between Yucatan and the Riviera Maya? In this 3-week Yucatan itinerary, I will share my tips on the best things to see in the Yucatan Peninsula.
So buckle up, and let’s embark on a journey through spectacular archeological sites, refreshing cenotes, and colonial towns.
I always suggest renting a car to explore beyond the most tourist areas and experience the real Mexico. There is so much to see, but within 3 weeks, you can explore some of the most interesting places.
Driving around the Yucatan peninsula is not dangerous at all, and the car will take you to places that are difficult to reach by bus.
If you are concerned about safety, in general, I wrote a lot about safety in Mexico in a very detailed post, which sums up to this: Yes, Mexico is safe to travel, but you need to be wise and follow some easy common-sense rules.
After these articles, you will feel like you have been living there forever and know all the tricks and tips on how to move around like a local.
Here is my suggested itinerary.
3-WEEK YUCATAN ITINERARY MAP
DAY 1 – ARRIVING IN CANCUN
You will want to pick up your car at the airport after you manage to get through all the airport formalities so that you are free to move around from the very first day.
You can either decide whether you want to stay on the beach or in town.
If you love the beach, I suggest you spend the first two nights at a hotel on the beautiful beach of Cancun.
It’s totally worth it. You have plenty of choice in terms of hotel, although the majority offer all-inclusive service, but you will also have the option for room-only accommodation and decide on where you want to go to eat, in or out of your hotel.
If you love luxury and you don’t have any budget limits, here is my suggestion.
You can spend a day relaxing on the beautiful beach in Cancun and get fully recharged for your adventure.
Suggested hotels on Cancun beach:
CANCUN’S TOP LUXURY HOTEL
CANCUN’S BEST ALL-INCLUSIVE FAMILY RESORT
CANCUN’S BEST ALL-INCLUSIVE COUPLE RESORT
DAY 3 – EK BALAM AND RIO LAGARTOS
Drive to Ek-balam and Rio Lagartos where you will spend the night.
If you take the regular road (LIBRE) instead of the highway, you will pass through local villages and start to get the feeling of Mexico, but most of all, you will have the chance to visit one of the most beautiful cenotes that I have ever seen. Cenote Choj-ha is located a few kilometers before the turn towards Ek Balam.
After this stop, you will fall in love with Mexico even more. I would suggest you not go on a weekend if you wish to enjoy the cenote all for yourself or with a few visitors. It’s magic.
You will then move on to Ek Balam, where, besides visiting the interesting archeological site, you can rent a bike and ride for 1 km to reach another cenote.
This one is open, not in a cave, less of a visual impact, but certainly a great option to cool down after the walk around the Mayan ruins.
You will then proceed to Rio Lagartos where you will enjoy a stunning sunset while dining in a local restaurant on the coast.
Where to stay in Rio Lagartos
In Rio Lagartos you won’t find luxury properties, but very modest small hotels just for you to spend one night and leave for the tour early morning.
Here there are a couple of hotel options that I suggest. I didn’t stay there but I checked them out during my visit.
Both of them are very simple but with great reviews and awesome views.
DAY 4 – RIO LAGARTOS TOUR
I would wake up early in the morning and take a tour of the lagoon in one of the fishermen’s boats. You can arrange it on the previous day or do it directly on the very same morning. All the fishermen will be there. If you’re looking for a professional experience, consider checking out the amazing tours by William Ramon Cruz.
He’s a real expert in the area, a bird watcher and photographer. You will see the gracious flamingoes and other local fauna.
I don’t have any business partnership with William, but I would really like to highlight the difference between any fisherman who can take you around but doesn’t have any specific knowledge about local flora and fauna and the territory in general and a professional like William who knows every single piece of this land and its animal population.
In fact, he also organizes night trips to see crocodiles, bird-watching tours, and sports fishing. He’s quite popular, so if you wish to have a tour with him, you should contact him beforehand.
He speaks English, of course. His number is 0052.9861138918, and his email address is rawi35@hotmail or check out his Facebook page
Read more about visiting Rio Lagartos.
Day 5 – VALLADOLID, THE GETAWAY TO THE COLONIAL YUCATAN
After the tour, you will want to drive to Valladolid and spend the night there. Here you will find a beautiful colonial city, and it is the first gateway to the Yucatan. One of the “Pueblos Mágicos”, you cannot go anywhere without stopping in Valladolid.
On arrival, you will have time to take a dip in Cenote Zaci, located 2 blocks from the center, which will cool you off and get you ready and refreshed for the hotter part of your day.
The second, essential stop is the main square with the cathedral of San Gervasio which is well worth a visit; from there you can continue towards Calle 41 and then Calzada de Los Frailes, where you can walk past the typical brightly-colored houses, explore high-quality artisan shops, and stop by the famous Jardin de Los Frailes for a delicious local lunch.
You can split all these visits between the day you arrive and the following day. No rush.
Where to stay in Valladolid
I’ve been going to Valladolid for several years now and I notice that the level of Hotel quality in Valladolid has increased quite a bit, especially in recent times.
Here is my choice for each category:
Budget hotel but with great quality
Mid-range price for cozy boutique hotels
DAY 6 – CHICHÈN-ITZÀ
If it is your first time in Mexico, you will want to see Chichen-Itza and its majestic pyramids and history. I need to warn you it’s going to be a very tiring visit, not only for the huge site but for the number of people visiting and the tiresome insisting vendors.
I must confess that after the first time I went, 15 years ago, I never went back, while I visited Uxmal 3 times.
I am encouraging you to check it out at least once in your life, though. You should probably plan to be at the gate by 8 am when it opens so that you might avoid the crowd.
Close to Chichen-Itza, there is one of the most visited and photographed cenotes, Ik-Kil. It’s beautiful indeed, but there are others less known and still amazing. I enjoy cenotes when I am not surrounded by a huge crowd.
After the visit to Chichen Itza, you can drive to Homun, where you will be ready for the next day for a full cenote tour.
Homun is a small town in the heart of the Ruta de Los Cenotes. I would spend 2 nights there so that you will have 1 full day to visit all the possible cenotes.
Homun is a tiny town where there is nothing else to do or to see, and it is not particularly charming.
The hotel option goes down to 1. Hotel and Restaurant Santa Maria, it’s really modest and simple but clean and decent. The restaurant is great too, and the staff is very friendly and helpful.
The area is full of cenotes to keep you busy for one entire day, and you can decide whether to go by car on your own or rent those local taxi-bikes that are typical of Yucatan.
The cost is relatively cheap, around 400 Mxn ( about 22 USD) for the entire day, although the price varies, and it is always negotiable.
As I love to support the local communities as much as I can, I would rent and give them what they ask, especially if you stay with them all day, this will represent their only income for the day or some of it, as they might have to pay for the taxi rental.
They will be able to take you around and show you the best cenotes of the area with some information, while you relax and enjoy the views.
If you decide to choose a luxury option, not so far away, in Acanceh, you will find the hotel Hacienda Sac-chich and you will thank me forever :).
It’s located only 20 minutes drive from Homun, so you can easily enjoy the full day and then go back to your luxury accommodation.
DAY 8 – IZAMAL
Drive to Izamal and spend 2 nights there. In this way, you will have the time to browse around the town and enjoy its colonial feeling and try the local restaurants.
Where to stay in Izamal
Budget hotel, but with great quality
Hotel San Miguel Arcangel – Booking.com
Mid-range price for cozy boutique hotels
Hacienda Santo Domingo – Booking.com
DAY 10 – MERIDA
I would certainly spend one or 2 in Merida, the white city. Especially if you are interested in history and art, the city has a lot to offer. As for accommodation, you can choose to stay either in the city, where there are a lot of lovely properties in the central plaza.
Otherwise, you can decide to stay in one of the beautiful haciendas on the outskirts of Merida and do daily visits from there.
They are located near Merida and the archeological site that I recommend visiting in the next few days.
In Merida, remember if you wish to enjoy the local folklore, they have an excellent nightly program of shows on history and tradition that happens every night, but the most colorful and interesting day is Sunday, when everything happens around the central plaza. In my dedicated post on Merida, you can get more info.
Where to stay in Merida – Suggested Hotels
Hotel Rosas y Chocolate – Booking.com
Check out more hotel options in Merida in my dedicated post.
DAY 11 – VISIT UXMAL
Visit Uxmal and the other archaeological sites on the Ruta Puuc and stay in the amazing hotels in close to Uxmal ( 3 or 4 days).
I haven’t written a full article on the Ruta Puuc, but if you are interested in archeology and Mayan history, this is the place to visit. Uxmal, Labná, Sayil, Xlapak y KabahUxmal.
Except for Uxmal, which is the biggest and will take most of the day, the others are doable in one day altogether.
I would stay in the area for 3 nights, dedicating 1 full day and a half to visiting all the sites and the Loltun caves (Grutas de Loltun).
It’s a great opportunity to see the underworld in the Yucatan Peninsula. The rock formation, stalactites, and stalagmites are of incredible beauty, and you will witness human settlements 7000 years old. The visits are organized and accompanied by a local guide.
They have fixed times of visits 9:30, 11, 12:30, 14, 15 y 16 h. and the cost is about 150mxn per person.
The caves are close to a very characteristic town, Oxkuztcab, where you can enjoy a visit to the colorful local market and try local specialties right in the market.
DAY 13 – CAMPECHE
Drive to Campeche and spend 3 nights there. I love this city, but you don’t need more than 3 nights to visit. One day to enjoy the city and one to visit the majestic archeological site of Edzna.
Driving from the Ruta Puuc to Campeche is quite a drive for about 4 hours, but really pleasant. You will pass through Maxcanu and then follow the indication to Campeche.
I would suggest you stay in one of the haciendas of Uayamon ( outside the city) or Puerta Campeche within the city’s ancient walls ( stunning). Or if you are traveling on a budget, there are a lot of lovely hotels in the city of ancient walls.
Suggested hotels in Campeche
Hacienda Puerta Campeche – Booking.com –
DAY 15 – MIGUEL COLORADO
I would leave early in the morning and drive to Xpuhil, stopping in Miguel Colorado to visit the Cenote Azul. This a great natural place to visit off the beaten track.
It’s an open cenote where you can swim, kayak, or enjoy a zip line trip. You can spend the night there if you like an adventure.
There are nice cabañas, but they are a bit isolated, with an external bathroom, not for everybody. If you decide to stay, ask the owner of the cabañas how to see the bat shows. This is something that happens every night, right after sunset, in a cave close to the cabañas. Millions of bats are flying out in search of food, forming a vortex. amazing.
If there is a full moon and clear sky, you will be able to see them more clearly. Also, the fact of being in the forest in the middle of the night is scary and exciting at the same time. Remember to bring a torch, long pants and hiking shoes. If you want to just stop for the cenote and leave, you will be heading to Calakmul.
DAY 16 – CALAKMUL
Suppose you decided to just drive through and reach the next stop the same day. Campeche – Miguel Colorado is about 2h 30′ drive and so is Miguel Colorado to Calakmul. Here I would sleep at Puerta Calakmul, an oasis in the jungle, which I call laid-back luxury. It’s right at the door of the biosphere of Calakmul.
Also, about the areas and the Calakmul biosphere, I have written a long and comprehensive post on my Mexico site.
There is so much to see in the area that you could spend the entire week, as I did. However, since you have limited time, I would suggest you at least spend 2 nights and 1 full day in the Biosphere.
Here, you really need to hire a guide in order to appreciate it fully.
Since you will arrive late afternoon, you can pay a visit to the Calakmul tourist office and ask them to organize a guide for you who would wait for you at the entrance of the Biosphere at 6 am or even earlier.
That’s the best time to enter and see many species of fauna before entering the archeological site.
Where to stay in Calakmul
Hotel Maya Balam – Expedia
Hotel Mundo Maya (right close to the ruins) – Check Rates and Availability on Booking.com
If you’re interested in learning about other types of accommodations, you can check out this detailed post.
DAY 17 – BACALAR
You will drive all the way to Bacalar, the charming, magical town on the coast of the Lagoon of the 7 colors, for the shades of blue of its water. You will fall in love with this place, I assure you.
You will want to stay longer after reading the guide, but we need to move on, as I wanted to show you other beauties of the region. I would spend the full day between a boat trip and a visit to the rapids, my two favorite places in Bacalar.
Where to stay in Bacalar
I have also written a complete guide on many hotel options in Bacalar
DAY 19 TULUM
You will arrive in Tulum, where there are tons of other things to do, or you can just stay in your fancy hotel on the beach and chill.
I’ve written numerous posts about Tulum to help you make up your mind.
DAY 21 – TIME TO GO HOME
Remember you have a flight to go back home…
Now you will notice that I have left little beach time, and you will want to spend a full week in Tulum instead, also because you will see there are thousands of things that you can do while staying in Tulum.
There is no problem because you can easily modify the itinerary as you please, cutting and adding at your pleasure.
This is one example of an itinerary, but there are thousands more, and I will write more to give you ideas.
If you want to ask me for specific information, please do not hesitate to write in the comments below or send me an email. I will be pleased to help you out and do your personalized itinerary.
Bye for now and safe travels!
Hello, great guide! I will be visiting Mexico this October 8-26. I am thinking of staying in Tulum for 1 week and the rest travelling. Which destinations would you suggest to cut? We will also rent a car 🙂
And I was also thinking of skipping Cancun.
Sure, you can do that too.
Hi. Great post. We are going in December have 3 weeks to spend. But I want to include Holbox and IM. IM as a starter and then end in Holbx. Did you go?
About RIO LAGARTOS – where did you stay? We are a party of 5, 3 kids age 9, 12 and 15.
And I would love to have time to go to Calakmul in stead of Chichen-Itza. Would this be ok or should you visit Chichen-Itza when in Mexico/yucatan?
Hello Tenna,
thank you so much for your message. I am glad the post was helpful. You made me realize that I didn’t include any suggested hotels in many places so I have just updated the post, including hotels in Rio Lagarto as well. You can have a look. I hope it helps.
About Holbox, I went a while ago but just for a couple of days. that’s why I didn’t write anything yet. I will go again soon and I will write a post about it. I know a few nice hotels though if you need suggestions on hotels. Let me know.
As for your question on Calakmul vs Chicheniza, I would choose Calakmul without a doubt, but that’s just me. The thing is for me the Mayan Archeological sites are mystical places and seeing all those vendors taking over the place and the multitude of people in Chichèn-itzà breaks my heart. It just totally spoils the spiritual atmosphere of the Ancient Mayan city. I just can’t appreciate it anymore. Calakmul is still quite unspoiled and spectacular. I went twice and I could go again and again. I just can’t get tired of it. However, I understand that if you have never seen it you might want to check it of your must-see-places list. It’s definitely your call, depending on your priority. But I hope I was able to give you food for thoughts. Please, should you have further question, ask away :). Cheers and happy travels.
How can you leave out the cultural hub of Merida?
Hello William,
Thank you so much for your comment. I didn’t actually leave Merida out. Read it again 😉
This was so helpful!! I’m using this as my template for a trip this winter… I love all the cenotes and caves you added in particular. We have up to 2 months in the area but are slow travellers — anything else we must add? And is the whole area safe for us to drive (in the daytime)?
Hello Kristel! Thank you so much for writing in. I am really happy this post was helpful. You have actually made my day;).
As for the cenotes, I have just written different articles on them, with more detailed information. Here I will leave you the links
http://www.boundlessroads.com/best-cenotes-yucatan-homun-cuzama/
http://www.boundlessroads.com/the-cenotes-of-the-yucatan-peninsula-history-geology-and-mystery/
Here is a post on tips on how to drive in Mexico. It’s safe, you just need to know a few things about driving in Mexico which I have talked about in this post http://www.boundlessroads.com/driving-mexico/ . Yes as you mentioned I wouldn’t drive at night for many reasons. Other than that, if you have 2 months and you want to stay strictly in the Yucatan Peninsula there is much more to see. I haven’t written everything yet but I will in the next weeks. I also believe you have enough time to see Chiapas as well ( I am a slow traveler too, but you can make it) I will be happy to help you build your full itinerary, if you wish. You can email me at [email protected] . Have a great evening! Cheers.
Sorry Isabella, I hadn’t seen the notification of your response — but my husband and I just sat down to plan and he noticed my comment and your response! He agreed that this post was perfect, exactly what we were hoping to find on the good old internet. 🙂 Thank you so much for all the information. I’ll look for more information on Chiapas. We went to Oaxaca just over a year ago but would like to return and it’s possible we could drive there, rather than fly. Do you have any thoughts on that? I heard from a friend that driving over the mountains from Huatulco to Oaxaca City was a nightmare.
Hey Kristel!
Thanks for your reply. I am glad my post was useful. As For Chiapas and Oaxaca I am just going there in a couple of weeks and will be staying for a couple of months there I will be writing all about it. In the meantime, I have asked about your questions on driving to Huatulco from Oaxaca city and I was told by different people who have done it (I haven’t yet) that the road is safe (in terms of security) in itself, but there are lots of curves and holes. Therefore if it rains there can be dangerous washouts and mudslides. Just drive slow if you want to do it. If you are planning to do it in winter there should be less rain but you never know. Just be careful. I hope I have answered your question. Please do not hesitate to ask again should you have other questions. Have a great week end. Cheers. 🙂
You definitely did! The friend of mine who advised against it ended up flying back rather than driving because it was so scary! She said they were all single lane roads but on a cliff with no guard. She’s a confident driver who’s driven alone through the US and Canada in all types of weather (eg. Banff in the winter) but she said it was the only time she’s gotten sick! Maybe something to keep in mind for your long journey, perhaps there’s a much more roundabout way closer to the bottom of the mountains or something. It’s always nice to have a car, though the insurance is so high for us as tourists. Hopefully this trip will convince my husband we need to make a permanent move. 🙂
PS. We’re big food lovers and if you are too, let me know and I can tell you some of our favourite spots in Oaxaca (the ones that we’re so good, we’ll make the trip back).
Yes, in fact, everybody I asked was mentioning it’s not the easiest drive. One guy just told me it’s one of the most difficult mountain roads in Mexico BUT, he says, there are guard rails, and it is not a single lane. It is two lanes but often many hazards; i.e. fog, rain, rocks in the road, and many local that drive the road much faster than you would expect”. So probably your friend has a point. I don’t think I will be driving there, for expenses reasons ,I will travel by bus but still, I will have an idea about the road too. Yes, insurance is always high but check with your bank as I know many US credit cards ( American express almost sure) would cover your car insurance abroad as well. I am a food lover but I always look for vegan places 😉 trying to stay healthy on the road. Although Oaxaca is very popular for its food so I might check out vegetarian dishes as well. 😉