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My upcoming cruise is approaching and like many travelers research before visiting a foreign country is key. One of my upcoming cruise post visits will be Costa Maya Maxico. Although i have visited Mexico several times with and without my family I like to know what to expect when traveling especially when I am traveling aboard a cruise ship. Since time is limited on port days I thought we would share some important information about you need to know before visiting Costa Maya.
Are you planning a trip to Costa Maya Mexico? What do you know about this gorgeous area? Before you go, there are a few things you might be interested in knowing. Check out these tidbits of helpful information.
Location
Costa Maya is a tourist region that is located in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It is the home to the closest port that provides access to several Mayan ruins in the Yucatan region.
Popular Destinations
Costa Maya is home to two main villages that are known to be tourist sites: Mahahual and Xcalak. Cruise ships often put into port at a special pier built just for cruise ships, located between the fishing village of Mahahual and Xcalak. Mahahual is roughly two miles from the pier while Xcalak is situated about 37 miles south of the cruise port.
Attractions
If you visit Costa Maya, you can choose from a number of attractions and activities. From snorkeling adventures to ATV outings, your visit to Costa Maya can include a variety of fun events. Perhaps you want to visit Mayan ruins or charter a private boat? How about a sailing excursion on a catamaran? Yep, there are companies that specialize in helping you achieve all of these types of activities.
While you are in Costa Maya, be sure to check out the lesser known Mayan ruins of Kohunlich, Chacchoben, Dzibanche, and Kinichna. You can experience the lushness of the Mexican jungle as you explore these awe-inspiring ancient civilizations left behind by the Mayans.
Popular Cruise Destination
Costa Maya is a very popular cruise destination with companies such as Celebrity, Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland American, Princess, and Norwegian making stops at the Costa Maya port.
Details About Costa Maya
If you visit Costa Maya, keep in mind it is in the Central Time Zone and yes, daylight savings time is observed in the region. Expect average temperatures during most of the year to be around 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter will visit Costa Maya starting in December and lasting through February. During that time you can expect the temperatures to drop down to around 60 degrees.
Costa Maya uses the metric system, so be thinking in terms of kilometers, Celsius and the like instead of miles and Fahrenheit. Mexican pesos are the currency in Costa Maya, but like most places in Mexico, American dollars are gladly accepted. Bring cash with you as there aren’t a lot of banks or ATM’s available in Costa Maya and credit cards and traveler’s checks are not widely accepted.
Costa Maya is a beautiful area to visit and enjoy some relaxing down time. If you do visit, you will notice that there are friendly faces at every turn. If you speak a little Spanish, great, but if not, English will get you around quite well. For a destination, Costa Maya is big enough to deliver, yet small enough to make you feel at home.
Are you planing an upcoming visit to Mexico? Have you visited Costa Maya in the Past?
Thanks for all the great information.
I have always wanted to visit the Yucatan Peninsula and see the Mayan ruins. NOT by cruise ship –I want to be able to just spend a week or two or three really checking it out! I almost got there once (with a tour group) but stuff happened and I never made it–Oh well–maybe some day.
This sounds beautiful! I would love to take a cruise there, especially at this time of year! It would be a great escape from the cold.
It sounds like a lovely place to stop over on a cruise. I’d like to see the Mayan ruins!
I was there last January (2014). It’s a work in progress. The port town looked run down and poor. You can’t really swim in the waters near the port except further down. I had a Jeep excursion through the jungle to a small town with shops and a restaurant. The people there were nice. There were many vendors who reached out for your business. They were not obnoxious. If you refused, they did not try again. All in all, it was OK. Like I said, a work in progress. It should be interesting to see how they build it up. Will they preserve the ancient appeal or go completely like other Mexican resorts? Looking back, I would have went on the Mayan ruins excursion. The Jeep excursion was a bumpy, painful ride and seemed to take forever. I got pretty bad sunburn on my somewhat bald head because the jeeps tops were down.
hope that helps.
I’ve had Costa Maya as a port stop a number of times, there’s always something new to see there. I loved the trip to the ruins, the tour guides there are great, and you learn so much about the ancient Mayan’s and the culture.