Riviera Maya is a Caribbean tourist area that’s located on the east side of the Yucatan Peninsula, just south of Cancun, Mexico. The Riviera Maya tourist area includes Akumal, Puerto Morelos, Cozumel, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and other cities/attractions.
People from all over the world come to the Riviera Maya to enjoy one of its large-scale all-inclusive resorts. The area has more than 400 world-class hotels, including small boutique hotels. You’ll also find many fine-dining restaurants on the Fed 307, on the 62+ mile beach, and near the beach.
Spanning basically from Cancun to Guatemala, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (Belize Barrier Reef) is the second longest barrier reef system in the world. The Riviera Maya area’s popular coastal and reef aquatic activities are dependent on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System as well as the beaches and coastal water.
Nearby Cancun’s hotels, beaches, shopping, and tourism areas are world-class. Sixty-two miles south of Cancun sits the small beach-front tourist resort Akumal. Interestingly, Akumal was built on the location of a former coconut plantation. Akumal is where you can go snorkeling and swim with green sea turtles. Puerto Morelos is a small town and seaport located north of the resort city of Playa del Carmen.
Playa del Carmen’s beaches of white coral sand have no crowds. You’ll enjoy the beach clubs and restaurants there as you look out on the turquoise-blue sea. Playa del Carmen is also known for its coral reefs, balnearios, and the surrounding rainforests. Inhabited Caribbean island Cozumel is located opposite Playa del Carmen.
You can swim in the cenotes, which are sinkholes that contain permanent water. Other available aquatic activities in the Riviera Maya area include swimming with captive dolphins, scuba diving, jet skiing, and sailing. Luxury travel companies provide yacht charters and luxury villa rentals.
Xcaret is a water park, but it’s also a theme park, amusement park, eco-archaeological area, and more. Because of the inlet there, the ancient Mayans used this spot as a merchandise port. Xcaret contains so many forms of entertainment in one place, many people make it their sole vacation destination when visiting the Yucatán Peninsula.
Archaeological sites reflecting the ancient Mayan civilization are located throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. Nearby Cancun has some famous Mayan ruins. Tulum is a small Caribbean coast city that boasts the Mayan ruins of ancient Tulum. The Mayan ruins of ancient Coba are located 29 miles northwest of Tulum. As with Tulum, modern Coba bears the same name as that of its adjacent ancient ruins.
The mean annual temperature in the Riviera Maya area is around 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Groundwater and cenote water remains at 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Coastal waters are about 77 degrees Fahrenheit in January and 84 degrees Fahrenheit in August. The Riviera Maya side of the Yucatán Peninsula receives about 59 inches of rainfall between May and November. Tropical storms and hurricanes frequently strike the Yucatán Peninsula’s Caribbean coast; however, they usually don’t make landfall within the Riviera Maya area. January and February bring dry and windy weather.