No. 337 Hiking along the International Boardwalk in Progreso

One of the best options to enjoy the beach environment of Progreso Port is by visiting its Boardwalk, there, you can find all kinds of shops, restaurants, and some activities you can do to complete all the experience. This wide variety adjusts to the different budgets of visitors.

No matter the time you decide to visit Malecón de Progreso (Progreso Boardwalk), it always has something to offer, there are several restaurant options to enjoy a pleasant moment during your visit. Besides, it is a beautiful place to take pictures, it even has diverse picture look-outs which ornament the place.

Some tips are: taste traditional candies from the street vendors, rent or have a meal in a restaurant with a palapa to enjoy the beach, locate restrooms and showers so that you can use them, and if you want to practice a water activity, find the banana or the flyboard, if you want to relax, there are sunbeds and massages.

The current landmarks at the Boardwalk are: the cake house, the huge letters reading “Progreso”, the amusement rides, the fiscal pier, and in the distance, the lighthouse.

Remember that at the start and at the end of the Boardwalk there are maps with the main attractions in the central street, so that you can locate and visit the places that you like the most.

Come and visit the beautiful Magic Town of Izamal in a different, clean, calm, and fun way: through the biking city tour. It is an excellent option for the whole family. The tour lasts a little more than one hour, and you will visit the most important places in the city, like St. Anthony of Padua Convent.

During the tour, the local guide will take you along the charming streets with colonial façades painted in yellow, where you will have the option to stop to take wonderful pictures. The tour is shared with at least three people, so that it operates, or it can be private with a minimum of five bicycles.

The explanation during the tour is in Spanish, so if you want it to be in English you need to bring your own guide with your group. It is important to make a prior reservation for the tour, starting time is at 8 am with tours every 2 hours, being the last one at 4 pm. If you do not want to take the tour, you can also rent a bike per hour without a guide, an excellent option to bike around Izamal at your own pace and preference.

It consists of an ATV tour along the main tourist attractions in the municipality like: La Pirámide, a Mayan building located at the center of the municipality, which is 36 ft high and has stairs to access and admire the Puuc style stucco masks, as well as some other foundations located there. Another building you will visit is Palacio de los Estucos, which is few blocks away from the city’s downtown, and where you can see a frieze painted with several colors and with engravements. Another stop on the tour is municipality’s downtown, where you can see the Nativity’s Church, a colonial construction from the 16^th century devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe, being one of the longest festivities in the state; you will also visit the park where you can find a monument to the pyramid at the center, as well as a deer which gives the name to the municipality.

As part of the tour, you will have the opportunity to visit local artisans devoted to embroidering in cross stitch and weaving hammocks, so that you can learn about their work. The tour continues through some paths which anciently were truck roads to connect to other municipalities and which took you to henequen plantations.

In this tour you can experience adrenaline and also be in contact with nature, as you will have the opportunity to watch the flora, birds, and also the fauna, as well as some cornfields, henequen plantations and sascaberas (Mayan artificial caves). Finally, you can taste traditional food prepared by community’s people.

Once you are ready, wearing a swimming suit, you can start this truck adventure to visit three cenotes, one of them is called Ayuso. It is a cave-type cenote, and its name comes from the colonial times (it is a Spanish last name), it does not have a meaning, but refers to the place used for henequen plantations which were part of Yucatán’s henequen industry. Illuminated artificially, it has the aspect of a cave with impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations. The water is sky blue, and the water mirror is 32.8 ft long and 32.8 ft wide, it has a depth of 55.7 ft. Even though it is small, it is gorgeous. It has stalagmites on the vault and has a small cave taking you to another internal cenote, but to get to this second cenote, it is necessary to dive, but, because it has Mayan vestiges, it is not allowed.

The Organic Vegetable Garden Tour has the main objective of providing environmental education. It is a place where visitors are in full contact with nature, guided by an expert you can appreciate the diversity of crops, and you can also harvest. You will also receive an explanation about the Melipona bee and its importance in the preservation of life. It has a resting and eating area.

It is important to point out that some of the cultivated products like vegetables, fruits, and spices are harvested to be included within the Yucatecan Gastronomic Sample, which is offered at the restaurant and many of its varieties include aromatic herbs used in rituals like temascal and massages.

It is located just 55.9 miles from Mérida, at Maní municipality, recently appointed as Magic Town.

The museum consists of twelve panels containing information about the world of bees and their environment. These panels are distributed along the guided tour, within the Mayan solar. During your visit, you will make a tour through bees’ history, divided in four main topics: the earth, plants, bees, and human beings.

In this beautiful experience you will have the opportunity of tasting honey directly from the beehive, and meet five out of the 17 native bee species living in Yucatán, and you will understand the importance of preserving these small local pollinators.

When the tour finishes and to ameliorate the hot weather of the gorgeous Yucatán, you will have the opportunity of enjoying a hand-made pollen ice-cream with honey, as well as you can also buy honey and other by-products of Melipona honey.

X-cajum, the place where you can find this experience within the Yucatecan jungle. This adventure starts by choosing a helmet, then locating the ATV you will drive, then you will be told the instructions from an experienced guide about the signs for coming to a halt, continue, lower speed, among others.

The tour starts on a dirt road, under the jungle canopy, there are some areas shaded by the trees from the region, like the dzidzilché, there is a small section with rocks so that you can show your skills until getting to the surprise, X-cajum, a semi-open cenote of crystalline waters;  on your way, you will also have the opportunity of seeing strategic places surrounded by marvelous landscapes to take pictures as a souvenir of this adventure.

An interactive experience in which you will have the opportunity of being in contact with the crocodile, learning interesting things about its cycle of life and its importance in nature. You will have the opportunity of watching the eggs, its hatching times, the management of eggs in captivity, you can hold a crocodile, and feed some of them in the growing areas. With caution and following safety measures, you can touch a 15-year-old crocodile, experiencing a unique moment and having a wonderful souvenir picture of this incredible reptile. This experience takes place outdoors, surrounded by nature. This way you will understand the importance of the existence of these formidable creatures, accompanied by trained guides who will take care of you all the time.

Dare to live this experience with us, come an interact with the king swamp predator in a unique activity.

Explore and learn all you can about the mysterious world of mangroves near Mérida. Come with your family and enjoy this awesome experience. One of our guides, expert in nature, will lead you through the mangrove’s pathways to tell you about its secrets. You can learn of all kinds of plants, animals, and you would even see a crocodile or a boa constrictor, remarkably close, while you are in their natural habitat. The expert in nature guide will tell you about these species, you can see their colors, texture of their skin, and even take a picture. On your way, you will listen to nature, as well as you can see small eagles, the great horned owl, the boat-billed heron sanctuary, and many more species. Discover the beauty of these species in freedom. We invite you to visit us and learn more about this ecosystem. We are close to the entrance of Celestún, famous for its reserve and the species living there. When you arrive, you will find the entrance to the village on the left side.

Acanceh is located 30 minutes away from Mérida, it is one of the few villages which have Mayan pyramids within its streets, preserves their traditions like guilds, jaranas, among others. It is possible to take Yucatán with you at all times when you visit Tut family, who work the art of “counted threads” using their own designs and they can also adjust any Yucatecan design you have in your mind, with the variety of traditional colors of the state. You can buy bags and traditional garments of the state. All these works are done at home, which is also the only place to get and look for the perfect trip’s souvenir. The result of all this is aimed through the family’s tradition of inheriting knowledge from generations.

Chablé Yucatán, located in Chocholá, 30 minutes away from Mérida. It is a hacienda from the 18^th century, a luxury resort in the heart of the Mayan jungle which recovers the splendor of aristocracy and the basis of Mayan wellness.

Today, luxury is not only being surrounded by fine objects, but also a way of watching the world, of living in harmony, of receiving through the door of senses the world’s present. Luxury is living authentic experiences, recovering those comfort and magnificence peaks without forgetting the physical and spiritual wellness. The offer of the resort consists in villas, huts, wellness areas, gastronomy, events, weddings, and exclusive experiences like wellness golf.

Wellness golf is an attractive and current concept of Chablé, defining freedom of playing in a quiet place of unparalleled beauty, being in contact with nature and love for the golf. The redefinition of wellness through golf. With an exclusive 9-hole par 3 golf course, they bring you the opportunity of playing like a pro, with all professional equipment necessary for a fun moment and being in one of the best places in Yucatán, peaceful and private.

It includes greenkeeper, tailor-made golf clubs, bottles of water, towels, golf club, equipment store and souvenirs.

It is recommended to make a previous reservation by e-mail, phone call, or social media. Bring a cap, comfortable clothing and footwear.

This supplier is pet friendly, contact them for more information.

Walk around the streets of Maní Magic Town to learn about its history, traditions, culture, architecture, and history of the St. Michael the Archangel Convent, from the 16^th century.

The activity starts at the information booth, where you will receive an explanation of the tour and will find the first five interest points. The first stop is at Ermita de Santiago, which has a 16^th century chapel and colonial architecture from the Spanish conquest; the second stop is the U Naaji Yuum K’iin Melipona bee beehive, where you will learn about the elaboration process of honey and by products like soaps, candies, among others; the third stops is Xcabachén cenote, where you will tour inside the cenote to learn about its history and legends; the fourth stop is a handcrafts and traditional garments shop from village’s artisans, and the last stop of the tour is the ice-cream shop Atelie, a place to delight your palate with a delicious ice cream or frappé, in a pleasant environment to rest after the tour.