Cancun Attractions, Excursions and Tours

Cancun attractions can make a vacation memorable thanks to dolphins, ancient Mayan ruins and modern-day fun.

Many destinations on ocean shores have standard attractions such as swimming, golfing and cycling. But what makes a vacation more memorable are the things to do that are hard to find elsewhere.

Cancun is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean because it has numerous high-rise hotels packed together on the strip of land surrounding Nichupe Lagoon and facing out to the sea. Inexpensive public buses make it easy for tourists to travel up and down the strip to restaurants, shops and other activities to fill a day.

But it's the attractions outside of the city that make Cancun unique for tourists, starting with ancient Mayan ruins.

One of the largest and most famous ruins is located at Chichen Itza. The site contains numerous giant stone buildings in excellent condition. The most dominant is the Temple of Kukulkan or El Castillo (the Castle), a step pyramid rising from the the center of town. Other major buildings include Temple of Warriors, the Great Ball Court and the "El Caracol" observatory temple.

Other Mayan ruins located near Cancun include Calakmul, Palenque, Tulum and Uxmal.

Anyone with an interest in nature will want to visit Isla Mujeres, which is located across the water from Cancun. Visitors can boat to the island for snorkeling opportunities, a turtle sanctuary and the Garrafon National Park. While there they can go swimming with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery.

Ecotourism is a major part of other attractions in the area including the open-sea aquarium and water theme park at Xel-Ha, the eco-tourism and education attraction at Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, and Xcaret, which has Mayan ruins, a snorkeling lagoon and an underground river through which visitors can float.

If nature and ancient history aren't enough, visitors also can take advantage of modern-day activities. They include a unique boat ride called The Rocket, a visit to The Plaza de Toros bullfighting ring or the Parque Nizuc water park.