Riviera Maya Attractions

This eco-adventure company has won awards for developing sustainable tourism that involves the local Maya community. On the Jungle Crossing tour, you bump along dirt paths in off-road vehicles, driven by guides, until you reach the small Maya community of Rancho San Felipe. You'll also stop at the entrance to Nohoch Nah Chich cenote, rated as one of the most beautiful underground rivers in the Riviera Maya. (It's also the longest.) You can snorkel through the cave, rich with stalactite and stalagmite formations. The trip includes a traditional Maya lunch (kids can eat the rice and beans) and more snorkeling and swimming at Yax-muul, a natural pool. The minimum age is 6 years old.

Strolling Playa del Carmen's shopping and restaurant area -- especially along Avenida 5 (Fifth Avenue) and its side streets, which turn into pedestrian walkways in the evening -- is de rigeur. Especially on holidays and weekends, throngs dine in the cafes and browse the shops for silver jewelry, T-shirts, pottery, Cuban cigars and Maya textiles. Playa del Carmen's shopping area merges into Paseo del Carmen, another open-air, pedestrian mall. The Paseo features some upscale stores, as well as additional shops that sell Mexican artifacts and clothes. Haagen-Dazs sells cones in both areas, but leave room for the local treat -- churros, pastries made from deep-fried dough and sprinkled with cinnamon -- sold by the street vendors.

From Playa del Carmen, a 40-minute ferry ride lands you in quieter, but still lively, Cozumel. You can swim with dolphins at Chankanaab Park. At Faro Celarain Eco Park (formerly Punta Sur Park), stroll secluded beaches (most are NOT suited for swimming), climb to the top of the lighthouse, and boat through the mangrove lagoons. Since the park is situated at the tip of the island, it's best to rent a car in downtown Cozumel and also to reserve a tour in advance.

To enter most cenotes, you must typically shimmy down ropes that dangle above the sinkholes and then jump into the cold water. However, visitors can walk right into Rio Secreto, a big plus. You can cross over, walk through streams and sometimes swim across them, heads about one foot from the cave ceiling. In the cave, stalactites and stalagmites grow in thick columns and wide, drapery-like formations, as well as form clusters called "popcorn." You'll also note colorless fish in the ponds. The tour is a memorable, underground river experience. Children must be at least 6 years old and be able to swim.

This UNESCO World Heritage site sprawls on 1.3 million acres and contains ecosystems that include lowland forests, flooded savannahs, mangroves and coastal barrier reefs. On the Muyil Forest and Float, walk through the jungle (bring bug spray) to view several Maya ruins, including the impressively tall El Castillo. Afterward, board a boat for a ride through the canals of the flooded savannahs. When you reach the mangroves, jump in the canal for a fun float behind your boat. Community Tours' guides are naturalists from the local Maya communities. Reserve ahead.

One of the Riviera Maya's treasures, Tulum, a sizeable excavation on 60-acres, is a doable one-hour drive from the Riviera Maya's resorts. In this once-major sea port, the Maya loaded feathers, jade, herbs, salt and honey into canoes and transported these items inland, via a network of canals. Our guide demonstrated how the Maya created "sundials" by aligning small openings in the limestone walls of two structures. When a shaft of light aligned so that it pierced both openings, the Maya knew it was a particular season. You'll also enjoy the sea views from the cliffside Castillo (castle).

Getting wet at Xel-Ha, another eco-adventure park, feels good after a walk through Tulum, eight miles away. We swim in Xel-Ha's lagoon; float on inner tubes, down a river that winds through a mangrove forest; and then relax in a hammock on the beach. Kids can practice snorkeling in the calm lagoon, although there's not much to see. At Children's World, kids splash in a wading pool, cross a rope bridge and play on the swings. Avoid the park when big ships are in port.

This new theme park, a $20 million venture that opened in spring 2009, is best for 'tweens and teens and active parents. You glide along two miles of zip lines (minimum height and weight: 55 inches, 88 pounds), swim or raft along an underground river, and drive amphibious vehicles through tunnels and caverns (18 years old to drive; vehicles seat two). To beat the crowds, arrive early, and be sure to bring towels and wear water shoes.