Located in Mexico and comprising the Mexican states of Yucatan, Campeche, Guatemala’s Peten Department, and Quintana Roo, the Yucatan Peninsula is an amazing place to visit. This vast coastal region is a spectacular place to visit. It is home to breath-taking tropical beaches, exotic wildlife, ancient Mayan ruins, small villages, and plenty of activities for adventurous people.

The whole Yucatan Peninsula offers plenty of things to do and see, from visiting Mayan ruins to caves, pink lakes, swimming next to whale sharks, and trying out delicious local food. It’s also a place where you can see lush green forests, colonial-era architecture, and impressive sea life.
Here are the five most amazing things you can do here:

1. Visit Chichen Itza
A UNESCO world heritage site, Chichen Itza is the centerpiece of the Mayan archeological scene across entire Mexico. This place gets around 1.4 million visitors annually, and it is the second most famous Mayan ruin.

You can take a Chichen Itza tour to visit this place because you’ll have an organized and very informative experience with a guide next to you.

2. Visit the pink lakes
Yes, you’ve heard that right! Lakes are pink in the Yucatan. Or, more precisely, they turn pink.

About 3 hours away from Cancun, but definitely worth the drive to there, in the corner of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, you’ll find a spectacular spot where the seawater turns into pink due to salt production.

The Las Coloradas pink lakes are used by companies in the area for industrial-scale sea-salt production, which eventually turns the water into a spectacular shade of pink.

3. Swim alongside whale sharks
If swimming in the emerald-colored water in the Yucatan Peninsula isn’t enough of an experience for you, find out that there’s more to this experience. You can swim alongside whale sharks. They are the largest fish in the ocean, reaching lengths of 40 feet and weights of about 20,000 pounds. But, the best part is that even if their size, and the “shark” word in their name, may seem intimidating, you don’t have to worry that they might eat you. Whale sharks prefer plankton.

So, yes, in the Yucatan Peninsula, you’ll be able to swim alongside a 30-foot long sea creature, which is going to be a spectacular wilderness experience.

4. Take a bath in underground caves
Another absolutely spectacular experience you can get by visiting the Yucatan Peninsula is swimming in cenotes. If you’ve never heard about this term, cenotes are underground caves filled with freshwater. And, you can find plenty of such underground caves in the Yucatan Peninsula, about 2000 of them actually.

These sinkholes open up into underground rivers that feature the most transparent water that you’ve ever swim in. These underground caves are the perfect place to cool off on a hot day after visiting other attractions around the Peninsula.

5. Go sunbathing in Tulum
Some of the most impressive beaches in the Yucatan Peninsula can be found in Tulum. This area used to be a significant port back in the day. Now, it is a place full of hippies, backpackers, and famous celebrities looking to relax away from the paparazzi. This place is filled with fancy resorts, vegan restaurants, wellness spas, and yoga studios. If fancy is your idea of relaxation, you need to visit this place.