Article updated on 04.10.23
The Peninsula of Mexico - Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche
Our last destination in Mexico is the peninsula (Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo). We are a bit mixed about what to expect as it is a very touristy part of Mexico. But a surprise guest is joining us for 3 weeks and we are looking forward to visiting this region with him. 😀
Visit of Campeche
A small town on the waterfront with colourful streets. Unfortunately, we are a bit disappointed because apart from the pretty colours of the buildings, there is not much in this town. We stay one night and take advantage of the nice Malecon (waterfront) for a little jog for Audrey with Benji on skateboard.
Celestún
Several people described this small village as a small paradise with pink flamingos. So yes, we saw a lot of flamingos but the background was not very nice… unfortunately, there was a lot of rubbish 🙁 so we will only stay one night because we don’t feel good in this area.
The seaside town of Puerto Morelos
We drive to the other side of the peninsula because we have an important appointment. Benji’s best friend Tristan joins us by plane in Cancun for a 3 weeks roadtrip together. To organize the itinerary, we find a nice parking place with a view on the sea, we cannot complain 😉
Tulum and its region
Once the itinerary is set, we hit the road to our first cenotes. A cenote is a source of clear water often in a cave or in the nature where you can swim to refresh yourself. A very popular tourist attraction in the peninsula. Touristy means expensive… luckily we discover a village with 5 free cenotes. The boys have fun swimming in the underground caves while Audrey gets a pedicure from the fish 😉
The next day we visit the Mayan ruins by the sea in Tulum. The view is wonderful with these ruins so close to the water!
Heading to Valladolid
Some friends advised us to go to a lovely campsite in the middle of Valladolid and we were not disappointed at all. A beautiful swimming pool, a nice restaurant, an informative tour of their bees and a tasting of honey, just perfect!
In this place, we meet a French family who used to live in Saint-Gingolph with who we quickly became friends over a good apero 😀
The city of Valladolid is very pretty, all coloured with a beautiful central square.
Little dip ?
The beautiful swimming pool of the campsite
The Flamingo paradise
Las Coloradas is known for its pink and salty lakes with the particularity of being the habitat of thousands of pink flamingos. We are happily surprised to be able to drive into this place without having to pay an entrance fee like all the places in Mexico. We take our time to watch the birds and have fun with the camper 😉
We decide not to sleep there because we are victims of a mosquito invasion. So we drive to the village of Rio Lagartos. On the way, we see a traveller pushing her bike on the road. She has a flat tire and it is almost dark. We find a small place for her bike in our camper and drive together to the village. Chachi camps next to us in her tent. In the evening we see crocodiles in the water right next to us and raccoons visit us.
The next day we take a lancha ride on the lake. We see crocodiles, flamingos and birds. It’s a great experience!
Chachi's bike
Our night spot
Great meeting with Chachi
Little buddy who is 50 meters from the campsite
The ruins of Calakmul
The same friends who recommended the Valladolid campsite (the Vagabourls <3), also told us about the beautiful ruins of Calakmul. Based on their advice, we decided to go there. The particularity of this place is that the ruins are hidden in the middle of the jungle. It is a 60 km drive from the park entrance to get there. Unfortunately for us, our camper is too high, the trees above the road are very low… we had three choices. Cancel the visit, pay a very expensive taxi or hitchhike. We opted for the third option. A French couple on holiday took us in their rental car. Thanks to them, we were able to visit the beautiful ruins of Calakmul.
After the ruins, we drove just 10km to see an incredible show. Every late afternoon, thousands of bat emerge from a cave to feed just before nightfall. At exactly 4.55pm, they all came out of the cave. It was just incredible!
The Maldives in Bacalar
The Bacalar Lagoon is a freshwater lake in Quintana Roo. Its colour is turquoise, like the water in the Maldives. Our friends Seb and Olivia who are on a 6 month trip join us here. It’s the Martigny meeting in Mexico!
We go camping outside the city in a small beautiful place. We can rent kayaks and go for a ride in this lagoon. It’s just incredibly beautiful!
Mahahual
After this little paradise, the 5 of us hit the road with our camper. The goal of this destination is to dive in Mahahual. Benji and Olivia decide to take their Open Water. After 4 days of studying and diving in these waters, we have two beautiful SSI certifications!
One afternoon a nice surprise awaits us at our camp, our friends from Valladolid, Frank and Karelle arrive with their big motorhome! We also meet Julie and Guillaume, a French couple who travel with their yellow Iveco 4×4. We have a great evening with French speakers 😀
Unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye to our friend Tristan who is going back to Cancun to catch a plane 🙁 It’s been 3 weeks full of great memories !
Laguna Milagros
Our last destination in Mexico after almost 6 months in this country is the Milagros laguna. We are spoiled for this last spot. A beautiful green lawn under coconut trees with a fresh water lagoon in front of us. The highlight is that we spend our last days with our friends Frank and Karelle and the Pascaux. Good people with whom we enjoy good apero 😀
Our last tacos 🙁
Karelle and Franck with their big motorhome
After almost 6 months in Mexico, it is time for us to discover another country. We never thought we would stay in Mexico for that long. We have seen incredible landscapes and met extraordinary people.
Hasta pronto México!