Mexico Vacation Travel Pics, Hotel & Resort Reviews, Packages, & More!

The aquarium in Veracruz city is considered as one of the most important and complete in all of Latin America because of its moder technology and functions. The Veracruz Aquarium shopping mall, where the aquarium is housed, has about 200 aquatic organisms arranged in three rooms: the fresh water gallery, the salt water gallery, and the ocean tank. It also has a shark section, a manatee section, and a pool where you can pet the animals.

With 3,492 square meters, the aquarium consists of 80% natural habitat and the remaining 20% is artificial. In the fresh water gallery, you will see numerous turtles, boas, crocodiles, and colorful toucans flying from one branch to another. In the salt water tank, you will see more than 90 species among them fish, reptiles, octopus, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and sea horses from the gulf of Mexico, arranged in 15 different sizes of tanks.

The shark section will make your heart beat as you experience the emotion and adrenaline that these intimidating animals will make you feel. Your kids will love the manatee section because they can interact with these animals. So I recommend you to visit the Veracruz aquarium. It’s the best way to go and dive into this fascinating world with a little fun, science, and culture to boot. Do not miss the opportunity to live this wonderful experience.

The aquarium is located in the Avila Camacho boulevard, playon de Hornos, in the port of Veracruz. It’s open from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The entrance fee for adults is $6 USD and for kids under 12 years old costs only $3 USD.

View More Pictures…

Boca del Rio is situated 107 Km. to the southeast of Xalapa in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Boca del Rio is characterized because of its beautiful beaches. This is a picturesque town of fishermen, famous due to its gastronomy based on seafood. Its origins date back to the V and XI centuries, when Totonaca and Olmeca groups, who were displaced by the Mexicas in the XV century, populated the zone. They named the place Tlapaquitan or broken land.

The town has an efficient tourist infrastructure with modern hotels and shopping malls. It is 10 kilometer away from Veracruz, although it seems to be part of the city due to the urban growth that devours distances. There are strolling musicians during the weeks, and other weekends, there are dance groups. It’s a great place to have lunch when you want to get out of the city. During the day, you can watch people working on their little fishing boats just preparing to go out to sea at night.

Visiting this town is a really great experience because of its architecture as well, and because of being close to the port of Veracruz. There are other different activities available at this town. Among others are fishing, swimming, and other water sports. If you ever get the chance to come to this beach town, you will have a really good time in company of your family or friends

View More Pictures…

Chaccoben Mayan Ruins, is located 73 km west of Costa Maya, in the south section of the state of Quintana Roo. This site takes its name from the village located 11 km away that keeps the same name.

For many years Chaccoben Mayan Ruins, remains silent as evidence of the greatness of one of the most brilliant civilizations of the world. Today, it has become the most visited site by tourist visiting Grand Costa Maya, only six years after it was opened to the public. In 1994 The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) excavated and restored the site, which was closed to the public to the public until 2002.

Today visitors walk in a circular path that includes three excavated and restored pyramids, as well as many walls and staircases. Excavation is continuing on several months which are known to contain further buildings. Some structures still bear traces of the red paint with which they were originally coated, and the INAH has set up shaded areas to prevent further degradation of this pigment by the sun. Also notable at the base of the largest pyramid is a large stone slab called a stella with Mayan Hieroglyphic inscription.

I really recommend to bring comfortable walking shoes, a hat, and sun block lotion because visitors are allowed to climb all of the temples. However, visitors are allowed to climb only a few steps of the temples. All over the site there are yellow ropes marking how far visitors can climb. I recommend you to respect the limits. You should also consider bringing extra film (or and extra memory card) and batteries for your camera. You should also make sure to bring extra cash for shopping souvenirs or something because no credit cards are accepted in this archaeological site.

View More Pictures…

The Mayan ruins of Becan which means “trench” were discovered in 1939 by archaeologist Karl Ruppert and John Denison. These archaeologist named the site Becan after the conspicuous system of moats that surround significant portions of the site. The ancient Mayan name is not known. From 1969 to 1971 archaeological excavations were made at Becan, sponsored by Tulane University and the National Geographic Society.

The primary section of Becan is ringed by a moat and there are remains of a wall, in some places almost 11 feet tall. The digging of ditches and construction of protective walls is very rare in the Mayan civilization. This man-made ditch is slightly over 2 Kms. long and was excavated in the late pre-classic between 100 and 250 AD. This trench is one of the oldest known defensive systems in Mexico.

Becan was the political, economical, and religious capital of the province known today as Rio Bec, to which the sites X Puhil, Chicanna, Channa, and Tzamonal belong. It is strategically located at the edge the center of the Yucatan Peninsula, on the route that unites the river and lagoon zone of southwestern Campeche with the territories of Chetumal bay.

As any other archaeological site in Mexico, Becan is a very safe place to stroll safely and undisturbed. I strongly recommend that you take good and comfortable shoes because there is a lot of climbing. The site is opened seven days a week from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and there is a watchman at the gate who will charge you the standard fee - currently approximately $4 USD - extra for video cameras.

View More Pictures…

If you like Mayan ruins, Quintana Roo has some of the best. 4 hours south of Tulum, down at the base of the Yucatan Peninsula, are some fantastic archaeological sites like Dzibanche.

Dzibanche, means “writing on wood”, It’s name comes from the fact that its temple VI contains a large lintel made of quebracho wood that bears 8 glyphs that date to 618 AD. Dzibanche was a major site in this Mayan area during the classic period 300 - 900 AD, and its inhabitants settled of some 40 Sq Kms. of hills surrounded by flat land. Throughout this area, they build homes and buildings for worship which were the center of their community’s social and economic life. The site’s most important complex is made of several plazas surrounded by palaces and platforms from which temples rise that are decorated with peten-style crests.

The most notable of these plazas are temple I and II, as well as a small acropolis called the unknown building. The Mayas tried to build their cities near water, and besides some natural water sources, this site contains several underground excavations that served as water collection structures. Dzinbanche is completely surrounded by the lush foliage of the tropical jungle. These time worn ruins have a mystical quality that is enhanced by a lack of tourist. For that reason it is frequented by all manner of tropical wildlife and exotic birds.

View More Pictures…

Mayapa is located 47 Kms. south east of the white city of Merida and it is considered the last great Mayan Capital, dating back to the beginning of the common era and reaching its golden age in the post classic period. It is believed that this city once had a population of 12,000 inhabitants. Mayapan’s ancient grandeur is still evident in its great buildings. There is a strong influence played by Chichen Itza, as seen in its main building, a smaller replica of the castillo of Kukulcan. The main square was bordered by government, administrative, and religious buildings as well as the homes of the ruling class. These constructions were built over foundations of rows of columns with temples, an altar at the back, and benches along the sides.

Although it is believed that Mayapan together with Uxmal and chichen Itza formed a triple alliance, recent archaeological excavations indicate that these two lasts cities actually flourished well before Mayapan. What does appear true is that the city had a centralized form of government similar to Chichen Itza. Mayapan continued to prosper between 1250 and 1450. In the mid-XV century, Mayapan was destroyed burned and abandoned. As more research and investigations are carried out in this area, it is becoming increasingly clear that this city was even more important than had been thought previously.

As many other archaeological sites in Mexico, this ancient city will really amaze you because of its beauty and splendor. Make sure you bring your camera and plenty of energy to walk around the site. Drinking water and comfortable shoes are very necessary so don’t forget to take with you any essentials to make your visit to this site enjoyable.

View More Pictures…

Creel is a town in the Sierra Tarahumara, located 170 km southwest of Chihuahua city in the state of Chihuahua Mexico. It is the second largest town. At the census of 2005 it had a population of 5,338 inhabitants.

Creel was historically a logging town, although tourism has become the primary job service over the last 20 years. There are many hotels, restaurants and a number of tours down into the canyons and throughout the surrounding area. Near creel is The Divisadero, perhaps the best know overlook of the “Three Canyons” area of the Copper Canyon, as well as Basaseachic Falls, one of the highest water falls in Mexico.

Creel is also an important Chihuahua-Pacifico railway station. This train travels through The Copper Canyon to Batopilas town where you can visit the Neo-Gothic-Style Tarahumara Jesuit Mission, a lookout called las piedras where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the region, populated with pines and firs.

If you plan to visit the copper canyon, you must stop at this beautiful town to eat or buy some of the nice handcrafts made by the local Tarahumara indigenous people. Creel is a town that you will enjoy because it will take you back in time. This is so because the town does not have any modern facilities. You can also catch the train here that can take you to other parts of the Chihuahua mountains.

View More Pictures…

Yelapa is the most famous beach on Banderas bay in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. This tiny village is a true escape from civilization. It has a very informal laid- back ambiance. An interesting blend of a south seas island life style, an artist retreat and a hippie hangout. If you love outdoors and you want to spend time exploring venture, this idyllic spot is perfect for you.This tropical paradise is only accessible by boat.

The golden sand beach is a good place to snorkel, parasail, or take snapshots of your Puerto Vallarta beach vacations. A short hike or horse back ride will take you to the tropical forest above the village, where you can take pictures of Yelapa’s 150-foot waterfall. Please don’t forget your camera.

There are those, who find that a the day trip is not quite enough, and they choose to stay overnight. Accommodations are abundant, and prices vary to suit any budget. There are 3 hotels, many houses, or rooms for rent, by the day, week or month. you also will find some restaurants that offer you sea food, and other kind of dishes. Yelapa has limited electricity and it is suggested that you bring a flashlight, if you forget you can always buy one in the village.

Yelapa locals focus on artistic ventures nature and outdoor recreation. Lounging on the beach, swimming, snorkeling, hiking to one of the island’s jungle waterfalls or mountain biking are some of the things that you can enjoy here, in Yelapa.

View More Pictures…

This canyon is only four hours far from the town of Creel in the state of Chihuahua. The Sinforosa canyon is claimed by many to have the most beautiful views in all the cooper canyon system. It covers an area of 94,571 square miles.

Some of the most spectacular look outs of the whole mountain range are located in this canyon. Among the most admirable are those of the summits of Sinforosa, 18 Kms (11 miles) to the south of Guachochi town. From here, you will appreciate a sequence of narrow passes that end with the view of the green river in the bottom of the canyon. At the top of Sinforosa canyon, a well traced and easy to follow path descends to the bottom of the canyon.

The Sinforosa canyon can also be explored hiking throughout the bottom following a most abrupt and an spectacular section of the canyon floor. This is one of the most impressive tours of the whole Sierra Tarahumara, since it squeezes between narrow passes and gigantic walls of stone that can get higher than 1 Km. The hike is difficult so you need excellent physical condition and I strongly recommend to hire an expert guide in Guachochi town.

View More Pictures…

La Venta is located 150 km from Villa Hermosa and reached via highway 180, approximately 129 km down the 180 is the turn-off for la Venta Archaeological Zone.

Near the Tonala river in the District of Huimangillo, stands one of the oldest and most important centers of the Olmec culture that reached its peak between 600 and 100 AD. Several of the colossal head characterizing Olmec Culture were found here , although each one represents different rules, they have common features such as round faces, snub noses, thick lips and mouths turned down at the corners.

The most outstanding structure at La Venta is the Pyramid with its 140 meter height. The diameter and 34 meter height. The colossal heads that made La Venta famous and unique to the site, may have been portraits of its rulers.

The site is located on a natural elevation that rises 65 feet above sea level on the coastal plain of the Golf of Mexico.The first planned lay out of monumental architecture in ancient middle America was constructed here with an original extension of almost 500 acres. Its earthen constructions formed a ceremonial precinct buildings with civic-administrative functions and residential areas, groups of sculptures such as colossal heads, altars and Stella, were associated to specific edifices.

View More Pictures…