Western Caribbean Destinations: Costa Maya

Do you feel like you’ve been visiting the same Caribbean cruise ports over and over? Perhaps it’s time to look for itineraries that feature unusual ports, or a small ship experience which will allow you to visit ports where the big ships simply don’t fit.

Mexico has always been a popular tourist destination. Costa Maya, Mexico is a beautiful port that gets upstaged by Cancun and other, more popular areas including the cruise destination of Cozumel, just 130 miles away. However, the port has been gaining popularity in recent years and is set to boom when Royal Caribbean soon unveils "Perfect Day Costa Maya", a Western Caribbean sister to Perfect Day Cococay in the Bahamas.

Once a sleepy Mexican fishing village, Costa Maya sits just south of Cancun about 80 miles. Construction on the Puerto Costa Maya port started in the 1990’s, although tourists didn’t start arriving until the early to mid-2000s. Now it boasts a healthy influx of tropical cruises and tourists.

Some suggestions for your port day in Costa Maya:

Meso-American Barrier Reef

The Meso-American Barrier reef extends past the city, and one of the best things to do in Costa Maya is to go snorkeling. The reefs here are lively, and with clear water, there’s plenty to see. Most snorkel tours will go to two or three of the best sites for schools of fish and sea turtles before returning to a beach for an hour or two of lounging in the sunshine.

Bacalar Lagoon

Nature is the name of the game in Costa Maya, so consider taking a trip to the Bacalar Lagoon. Also called the “lake of seven colors,” owing to how much the hue of the water changes throughout the day, the lake can be turquoise, navy blue, sky blue, or even forest green, depending on the weather and how the sun hits it. Keep your eyes peeled for crocodiles lazing in the sun here and there in the distance.

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