Everyone talks about Cancun….but the introvert in me didn’t want to be in a crazy party city, although the beaches and the Mayan ruins in the area sounded tempting. My husband and I stumbled upon Akumal, a village about an hour and a half south of Cancun, while looking for an easy vacation spot back in 2003. Everything fell into place, and we fell in love with the quiet and lazy beach village of Half Moon Bay, and the amazing snorkeling in Yalku Lagoon. We traveled to the spectacular ruins of Chichen Itza and Coba, and went to Xcaret Park (sidebar on that….even back in 2003 it was very touristy and it looks like it has gotten even bigger).
It was a wonderful vacation in a great location. My husband and I decided “one day when we have kids, we should come back here and let them experience it.
2018
Fast forward to 2018, and two kids later who were at that time 6 years and 10 years old, we went back to Akumal. One of the reasons we liked Akumal, besides being perfect for an introvert, was also that it was fairly centrally located to the places we wanted to go to.
This journey hinged on a trip that as a family we were taking to Colombia, South America, for a family reunion. My husband is Colombian, and has a LARGE family, with aunts/uncles, cousins, and his abuelita that lived in Colombia. This was for his abuelita’s 97th birthday. While discussing plans to go to Colombia, my husband came up with the idea of having a side trip since we were already flying south. To add a stop in Cancun/Akumal, it only added about $100 more per person to the airfare. We thought with all the savings, we couldn’t afford not to go!
We arrived in Akumal in the midst of tropical storm Bud…which put a damper on things…literally. It rained almost straight for three days. But, hey! It’s Mexico, so even in the rain it was pretty warm. We decided to make the most of it.
Yal-ku Lagoon, Akumal
We had found a VRBO in Akumal that had private access to Yal-ku Lagoon. Win!!! We could snorkel for “free” and arrive before it was opened for tourist in the morning, and after it was closed to tourists in the evening. The snorkeling wasn’t as amazing as I remembered it. This was likely due to the tropical storm, which also had blown in loads of sea weed-like plant. By our last day, there were a few more fish back in the lagoon.
Our family rented a car, as we typically do. This way we can go where we want to go, when we want to go, make stops where we want, and skip others stops that might not be on our list if we traveled in a tour….plus less people.
Mayan Ruins
Cobá
Our first venture out was at the ruins of Cobá, which was approximatley an hour drive from Akumal. Cobá has one of the tallest pyramids (138 ft) in the Yucatan Peninsula.
My husband and I went to Cobá in 2003. Although not as impressive as Chichen Itza, it was less populated. Cobá felt more intimate than Chichen Itza, probably because it is less well-known. Not including the dreary weather (definitely nicer when it isn’t so wet), it was still a little disappointing this time (2018). Almost all the ruins were roped off. The tallest of the ruins we were able to climb, however we were told that a month or so later, they were closing that to the public as well. We did find a path that was farther away from the main groupings of ruins, and we were able to do more exploring.
On our way back from Cobá, we went to Cenote Tankach-Ha. This cenote had super clear water, and we could jump off a platform. The water was very refreshing (i.e. cold), which would have been nicer if it had been a hot day. It was not super “private” however not real crowded either. Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures.
Tulum
The next day we ventured to Tulum Archeological Zone. It was only a half hour away from where we were staying in Akumal. I had not visited Tulum previously, so this was a new adventure. It was still rainy and windy, but the temperature was pleasant. Many tourists tried to brave the storm and wind, and headed out with their umbrellas. We found broken and discarded umbrellas piled into trash cans along the sidewalks. The beach areas at Tulum I heard were beautiful and you could take a dip when you got too hot. Unfortunately the beach was closed due to large waves from the tropical storm.
The ruins at Tulum were not to be explored, but they were beautiful to look at. There were quite a few people near the ruins at the coast, but we were able to find areas at Tulum that were not crowded. I can only imagine how crowded it would have been if it had been a beautiful, sunny day!
Half Moon Bay, Akumal
We spent the next day at Half Moon Bay, Akumal. We were trying to wait out the weather before we headed to other ruins. Although there wasn’t much rain, it was still quite overcast. The beach was pretty desolate of people, but there were mounds and mounds and mounds of seaweed covering the beach. The seaweed did not smell pleasant, and it felt somewhat disgusting to walk through. We found some places that were cleared of it, and took a stroll down the beach. We stopped at La Buena Vida for lunch, and the food was delicious. After we finished eating, we hung out on their grounds. They had swings and hammocks, and a pool we could use, as well as being beachside.
Chichen Itza
The next day the weather had cleared up enough we decided to make the trek out to Chichen Itza. This was about a two hour drive from Akumal. We left early to try to make it before all the tour buses, and we were partially successful.
Chichen Itza has impressive ruins and a lot of them, so it was worth the trip. However compared to when we went in 2003, we were slightly disappointed. No longer could you explore any of the ruins. In 2003 you could climb up “El Castillo” (the large pyramid), and go inside to the inner pyramid. It was also disappointing to us that Chichen Itza had become so commercialized. There were vendors lining the walkways between the sites, and calling after you to come buy their wares. Not specifically my thing, but my son bought a carved stone turtle, that to this day he considers a prize.
Cenote Ik Kil
On way back to our VRBO from Chichen Itza, we stopped at Cenote Ik Kil. I had mixed feelings about going there, because I had heard it typically was very crowded. It was, but I was lured by some of the beautiful pictures I had seen. It was also nice and refreshing after a hot day at Chichen Itza. Also, we were there until closing time, so the crowds thinned out, but it never quite felt peaceful or like we were the only ones there.
Our final day in Mexico, was the one I was most excited about, partially because I hadn’t been there on our previous trip, but because I had seen pictures of the pink waters at Las Coloradas that just drew me to want to experience it myself. We were warned that the pink water might not be very vivid due to murky waters caused by the tropical storm. My husband tried to talk me out of going since from Akumal it would be a three hour trip one way.
Ek Balam
It turned out to be a beautiful day and we started it early. We had decided to stop at the ruins of Ek Balam on the way. It was only about 20 minutes out of our way, and it would help break up the drive. I was SOOOOO happy we did as Ek Balam ended up being my favorite of all the ruins we went to. We got there fairly early, and there were only maybe three other people at the site. By the time we left there were about 20-30 people. We could climb up on almost all of the ruins, and the largest ruin had some phenomenal carvings and preserved details. Ek Balam isn’t as big of an archeological park as Chichen Itza and doesn’t have as many ruins, but a definite must on my list!
Las Coloradas, Rio Lagartos
We then continued on our was to see the pink waters of Las Coloradas, and we were not disappointed…well, except we were going to take a private boat tour to see flamingos, but they didn’t take credit card and we didn’t have enough cash, so we were unable to go.
We were initially told that you had to take a tour to go see the pink waters, but you weren’t allowed to swim in them as they mine salt from the waters and didn’t want the waters to become contaminated. So we stopped at the cross road that led back to the pink water, and took a few pictures. Some locals came over to try to get us to hire them for a tour. We told them we didn’t have enough money, but my husband asked if we could drive in ourselves. They told us that we could and that there were many ocean beaches that we could stop and enjoy. So we headed off to see what we could see.
Mining Salt, Pink Water and the Beach
Anyway, we were initially told that you had to take a tour to go see the pink waters, but you weren’t allowed to swim in them as they mine salt from the waters and didn’t want the waters to become contaminated. So we stopped at the cross road that led back, and took a few pictures. Some locals came over to try to get us to hire them for a tour. We told them we didn’t have enough money, but my husband asked if we could drive in ourselves. They told us that we could and that there were many ocean beaches that we could stop and enjoy. So we headed off to see what we could see.
We saw huge mounds of salt, and enjoyed the scenery. Then I saw a pink “river” headed away from the pink water of the salt mining. The pink river flowed under the road and into the ocean. It wasn’t on private property, so we pulled into the small sandy drive on the side of the bridge. We could “swim” in pink water! The water is very buoyant due to high salinity, which also means if you have any open cuts it stings!!!
Why is the water pink?
The pink color is from red-colored algae, plankton, and brine shrimp. As the water evaporates for the salt mining process, the organisms become more concentrated.
It was a fun, unique experience, and we could go from pink water, to the ocean, to the beautiful sand. We hung out there for a couple hours. This was really our only beach day since all other days were so rainy. While we were there, a few other cars pulled in, but for the most part, we had it all to ourselves.
Caution!
A note of caution for anyone who might want to go, one of the cars that pulled in, drove too far in and got really stuck in the sand. We were able to help them push it out, but considered yourself warned!
Overall all, our trip to Akumal, Mexico was amazing despite the tropical storm that tried to dampen our spirits. So many beautiful places and memories, and still a nice hide-away from the world!
To see a video of our trip to Akumal, go to https://youtu.be/KFEReoo0B7M