4 Riviera Maya Attractions You Won’t Want to Miss

The Riviera Maya is located on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

This Caribbean region offers many beautiful places to explore, including Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Akumal.

Although the Riviera Maya is primarily known for its pretty turquoise waters and white-sand beaches, there's much more to do here.

Eco-tourism parks, cenotes, and ancient ruins, among many other places, are just some of the different activities and sites you can visit when traveling to the Riviera Maya.

Here are four specific spots to consider when planning your trip.

Playa Delfines

South of the Cancun hotel zone is Playa Delfines (“Dolphin Beach”), which is notable for the lack of development around it. 

Unlike the beaches closer to the city, you won't find hotels towering over everything. A blue flag indicates the availability of WiFi and free umbrellas for visitors. 

One of the significant disadvantages of Playa Delfines is that it is somewhat far from the city, so it isn't as easy to buy supplies for your stay. But it is always an option to rent a car in Cancun with City Car Rental.

Having a car makes getting to Playa Delfines, as well as the other places on our list, easier. 

Tulum Ruins

Two hours south of Cancun are the town, beaches, and archaeological zone of Tulum, one of the most visited places in the Riviera Maya.

Today we refer to the ruins as Tulum, which means “wall” in Mayan; however, this site was initially known as Zamá, which meant tomorrow or dawn.

This may be due to the importance that the north, south, and west zones have since they practically seem to wall off the central zone, while the east side borders the breathtaking Caribbean Sea.

The ruins of Tulum are a popular tourist destination, in part because the lower part of the archaeological site faces the sea. 

El Cielo beach at Cozumel

El Cielo Beach (“The Sky Beach”) runs for about 800 meters along the coast of Cozumel, an easy-accessible island in the Riviera Maya.

This gorgeous spot offers turquoise waters where you can take part in various water activities.

Snorkeling, diving, and swimming are some of the options. The water's clarity makes it easy to observe fish of different colors, sea turtles, stingrays, and starfish of various sizes.

Xcaret Eco-Park

The Xcaret Eco-Park is one of the best eco-tourism parks not just in the Riviera Maya, but in the whole of Mexico.

This park allows you to get in touch with nature through activities such as snorkeling, diving, and swimming with stingrays.

The park's unique ecosystem is also home to many interesting and beautiful plants and flowers.

An all-inclusive ticket allows you to taste an incredible buffet with the best traditional dishes of the region, as well as natural waters or juices to stay hydrated and enjoy the activities of the park healthily.

How to get there? One of the best options to visit this site is to hire a Playa del Carmen car rental and drive to it since it is relatively close.

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This story is published in partnership with Car Rental Cancun.