Location: Playa del Carmen
Top Things to do in Playa del Carmen
Countries
What to do and see in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo: The Best Nature & Parks
Playa del Carmen is one of the top diving destinations in the world, thanks to vibrant sea life and dazzling underwater caverns. On dry land, Playa is a hipper and more modern version of the fishing village it once was. Spend some quality time on the golf course or wave hello to the playful spider monkeys at The Jungle Place sanctuary. Explore the ancient ruins of the Coba Mayan Village, or get in some quality people-watching as you shop and stroll along 5th Avenue.
Restaurants in Playa del Carmen
1. Cavernas Chaaktun
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 145 reviews
Reviewed By S2997DUpaulm
Words can't describe the awesome beauty of these caves. My wife and I were guided by Rene and he did a fabulous job describing this natural wonder. Everything was provided that you need such as the water shoes, wet suit, snorkel and flashlight. Just bring swim gear and a towel and you are supplied with a locker for your personal items. There is a photographer that takes pictures and we were glad we paid the modest price ($30 USD) for them at the end of the tour. There was also a tequila tasting at the end. We did not visit this as part of a tour group, we just took a taxi from our resort and they accommodated us gladly. Do it, you won't regret.
2. Riviera Maya
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,292 reviews
This term is used to refer to the Yucatan coast now popular among tourists.
Reviewed By BackinBracknell - Bracknell, United Kingdom
Have been twice now to this part of Mexico and loved it! The area stretches all the way down from Cancun to Tulum and the beaches are amazing. Very little seaweed when we were there (April 2019). There's loads of other stuff to do as well - Eco Parks / Adventure Parks, numerous cenotes for swimming, Mayan Ruins at Tulum, Snorkelling/Diving and fantastic wildlife (we saw monkeys, coatis and agoutis in the hotel grounds). Would definitely go back.
3. Mayakoba Beach
4. Rio Secreto
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8,530 reviews
Mexico reveals its newly-discovered underground river: Very few places in the world boast conditions that make it possible to witness the extraordinary beauty of an underground river. Rio Secreto is a fantastic journey into a unique system of underground rivers and ancient caverns that reveals both the astonishing interaction of time within the interior of our planet and the miraculous existence of our lives. Come and experience this magical journey with us on your next vacations in Mexico.
Reviewed By Matina28 - Laval, Canada
Secret River My husband and I visited Río Secreto on November 4. For me, enter to those caves was something magical, what a beautiful place, I hope they keep it as it is, a natural jewel. Our guide Joshua was excellent, he gave us a lot of information about the place, besides being patient, kind and attentive to each one of the group. Eduardo (the little one) our photographer is an excellent professional. The photos were beautiful. I liked everything, the rappel, the visit to the river on the Alegria road, and the visit to the dry route. It is a trip to wonderful place. Visiting these caves with stalactites, stalagmites and swimming in that crystal clear water is something we should experience even once in a lifetime. The buffet at the end was very good. I congratulate the staff of Rio Secreto for taking care of this place and for making the visitor aware of how important it is to keep this place in its natural state.
5. Cenote Chaak Tun
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,157 reviews
Reviewed By mrs_edinburg - Claymont, United States
We did the guided snorkel tour and it was amazing! For only 30 US dollars, you get the guided tour including rental of your snorkel and wet suit. This is a unique adventure that you won’t forget. Our guide Felipe taught us about the Mayan culture, the fossils and skeletons found in the caverns, and about the formation of the stalactites and stalagmites. We loved seeing the bats swooping around inside the cavern and swimming in the clear water. We would recommend this experience to anyone visiting Playa Del Carmen. A bonus at the end was the included tequila tasting!
6. Piste Cyclable sur Paseo Xaman-Ha
7. Chikin Ha
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,206 reviews
Reviewed By amgoddard - Laguna Beach, United States
We were actually planning to go to the park right next to Chikin Ha, but after talking to the person in the ticket booth at the entrance of this park, I was convinced that this was the better option. And I was right! $45 per person got us a great guided tour for about 3 hours, zip lining, a short bike ride to the caves, lunch, and swimming in the beautiful Cenotes. I can't exactly remember our guide's name, I think it was Amaretta, but she was awesome. It was actually very educational to learn about the caves and the cenotes, as well as being part of a Mayan Ceremony. You won't understand a word he says, but it does get explained by the guide, and it's actually super cool to experience. Everybody's bad energy goes "up in smoke" through hole in the cave, and good energy will fill you back up :-) Can't beat that! The food and drinks were very good, and it was overall a really fun filled day. We've been to the bigger parks like Xplor, Xelha etc. This is more "organic", and has way less people. There's no wait to get your ziplining gear on, no wait for lunch, it's much more private, the Cenotes are amazing, and the whole staff is there for you. A photographer was taking pictures of us, but not in an obtrusive way. In fact, there were a lot of pictures I didn't even know were taken, and they were awesome. We ended up buying the photo package as it priced really well for a ton of photos. Since I'm always the one taking pictures, it's nice to actually be in them as well! I definitely recommend this park, well worth the entrance fee.
8. Cenote Cristalino
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 629 reviews
Área natural con cenotes, vida silvestre. Es un espacio familiar y contamos con todas las medidas necesarias para el COVID-19 para brindarte un buen servicio.
Reviewed By 419catherinee
We visited many cenotes whilst staying here in Mexico this one is beautiful, it’s very cheap entry easy to get to. It has a small cliff to jump from and a small cave to swim through, a lovely little shop that sells ice lollies and snacks/ drinks the staff were friendly highly recommend a visit here.
9. Punta Venado Bike Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 119 reviews
Punta Venado Bike Park, is the first specific park for mountain Biking (XC) at the Yucatan Peninsula. We are located 10km form Playa del Carmen, 60km from Tulum or 60km from Cancun. With more than 25km of single track trails at three different technical levels: Green: The less difficult; Blue: the more difficult and Black the most difficult trails, we are in the heart of the Riviera Maya. We are located aside of Blue Venado Beach Club, in the land known as Punta Venado, that's why you'll find a beach club for your family meanwhile you're riding. We have Bike rentals.
Reviewed By travelandexplore99 - Calgary, Canada
I am an avid mountain biker and cycling guide from western Canada and have ridden some of the best trails in BC, which are known to be some of the best trails in the world. I honestly didn't expect much from this park but thought it would be cool to experience "mountain" biking in the jungle and so we went. I was pleasantly surprised! The fulll suspension bike rentals were decent (Giant Stances in fair shape), the trails well designed, well maintained and well marked and it was just plain cool to bike in the jungle! We saw monkeys and heard a "big cat" growl mid ride and when we mentioned this to the guys back at the Hacienda after they showed us a video of the resident jaguar they spotted on the trail yesterday. Cool! While I didn't find the black trails particularly challenging compared to what we have in our neck of the woods, they definitely had some technical features and we had a lot of fun on them. They had good punchy little climbs and descents with rocks and roots that required some skilled navigating- all part of the fun!- and some gap jumps and technical bridges/log rides Greens and blues were fun, fast and mostly flowy. We went early in the morning, for about 2 hours and did not find it too hot, found the bottled water they provided in the bike cage to be sufficient for us, but wish we would have bought/brought some bug spray (got a couple bites when we stopped to chat/drink/look at the map). Overall a fantastic experience and highly recommend!
10. Cenote Misterio Maya
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 157 reviews
Reviewed By 142dexterm - Camarillo, United States
There are several Cenote in this site, all are interesting, but unless you scuba, Cenote Dos Ojos is better for basic swimming. Mister in Maya is an incredible snorkel trip deep into the cavern! Flashlights required as you journey quite deep inside. The ticket includes both Misterio and Los Monos Cenotes. Los Monos is definitely our favorite. You journey deeper and the stalactites are more awe-inspiring! It can be a bit claustrophobic, as you need to climb through some tight areas but worth the effort!! Equipment is provided but reef shoes are a help. My girlfriend wore the wetsuit but the water was warm enough where I was fine without. The scuba dive available at Dos Ojos makes me want to get certified!! Really cool looking!!
