Located on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo offers the beautiful waters of the Caribbean Sea, top-notch tourist resorts, white-sand beaches, marvelous ecological reserves and ancient Mayan ruins.

Here you can visit Cancun, an important destination for national and international tourists, which has a 30-km (19-mi) stretch of beaches and an impressive hotel zone. Isla Mujeres offers all kinds of tourist attractions, including pre-Hispanic ruins, the remains of an old hacienda and a modern aquatic park where you can go snorkeling among hundreds of colorful fish that inhabit the coral reefs. Nearby lies Cozumel, Mexico’s largest island, where you can go kayaking through mangroves and scuba diving along the Great Mayan Reef, the second largest reef system in the world. The reef runs through the Parque Marino Nacional de Arrecifes de Cozumel and the Parque Natural de Chankanaab.

Along the Caribbean coast, in the direction of state capital Chetumal, you’ll find numerous tourist attractions in the Mayan Riviera, which is lined with luxurious resorts, exclusive spas and golf courses. In this region you can visit the archaeological zones of Coba and Tulum, a walled city overlooking the sea. At Playa del Carmen, the Mayan Riviera’s cosmopolitan city, you’ll find excellent tourist facilities at ecotourism parks Xcaret and Xel-Ha, and at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

Cancun
Cancun is Mexico’s most important tourist destination and one of the world’s most well known resorts. Located in the state of Quintana Roo in the Yucatan Peninsula region, it has a subtropical climate, with average temperatures ranging between 27º C (81º F) and 35º C (95º F) and sunny days throughout most of the year.

Cancun offers the unparalleled beauty of the Caribbean Sea’s turquoise-blue water and white-sand beaches. During your stay, you can do water sports or other activities: snorkeling, scuba diving, parachuting, or you can take a spin on a wave runner. You’ll also find plenty of time to relax and enjoy the fine services offered in the hotel zone. Along the hotel strip, which spans more than 30 kilometers (nearly 19 miles), you’ll find everything from villas and five-star hotels to exclusive resorts and spas. You’ll also find modern shopping malls, more than 500 restaurants offering the best in national and international cuisine, and numerous bars and discos where the parties rage all night long.

Nearby Cancun, you can tour the Mayan Riviera and check out Playa del Carmen, Xcaret and Xel-Ha, ancient Mayan ports that have been converted into modern-day paradises. Also nearby is Tulum, a fascinating archaeological zone by the sea. It was the only walled city built by the Mayans. Finally, you’ll want to visit Isla Mujeres and Cozumel to live the unforgettable experience of snorkeling and scuba diving along the coral reefs.

Cozumel
Cozumel, a Caribbean island 19 km (12 mi) east of the Quintana Roo coast, is Mexico’s largest island with a territorial extension of 647.33 km2 (258.93 mi2). The average temperature is 26º C (79º F) and the climate is warm and humid, with strong rainfall in the summer.

The island is covered with lush jungle vegetation and surrounded by rocky coastlines, white-sand beaches, lagoons and mangroves. The waters encircling the island have an impressive group of coral reefs that are part of the Great Mayan Reef, the second largest reef system in the world. Marine reserves of great ecological importance, such as Parque Marino Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel (Cozumel National Reef Marine Park) and Parque Natural Chankanaab