Resources

This will be a page of links to websites, Facebook groups, Flickr pages and… ?

Resources will have different levels of confirmation, which we’ll try to make clear, each with a color-coded note at the end. The note will tell you whether your YBR Admins have actually visited a site or used a service, or if a member of our Facebook group posted the information, or if we have no first-hand confirmation but the information is solid enough to warrant listing the service.

Routes

Services

  • Camino del Mayab headquarters Website — creators/operators of the Camino del Mayab project. YBR subscribed and uses service
  • El Camino mas Corto (the shortest road) Website–this page is a detailed description of these folks’ trip on the entire route. YBR uses Website
  • Grutas Usil Guides Victor Chim 997 113 3910 and Lourdes Canuche 999 214 1342 Spanish language (not bilingual)
  • YucatanCenote.com Eco-Adventures Website or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/YucatanCenote — Local company offerng guided tours of Maya Ruins and cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula. Posted by a YBR Facebook member.
  • Darwin Renan Sosa is a guide in Dzilam de Bravo. Phone/WhatsApp to 991-100-9736. Take a boat ride to admire the mangroves and walk to a cenote. Posted by a YBR Facebook member.
  • Mexiday Tours (link to Facebook page) does tours to locations all around the state. Posted by a YBR Facebook member.

Accomodations

  • Hacienda San Francisco Tzacalha is a huge historic hacienda with individual villas including A/C, patio, kitchenette and private back yard. There are miles of trails to explore and a restaurant on site. YBR stayed a night with meals–see Story 14.
  • Hacienda Santo Domingo de Yunku (link is Facebook page) Laid-back hacienda with beautiful grounds, two pools and an underground cenote UNDER the pools! There are several very nice air conditioned rooms or you can pitch your tent. They have a Day Use package for MX$180 with meals available at additional cost. (A plate of three huge panuchos was MX$95.) Note that there are (as of 3 Sept 2021) two locations shown on Google Maps; the correct one is a bit to the West and has the full name; it is NOT part of the Oyo chain anymore. (I’ve submitted the error to Google.) YBR visited and had lunch–see Story 2
  • Hacienda Temozón is not in the budget category! This is a luxury experience for a special occasion, but it is certainly on a back road! Rates vary widely on/off-season (summer being Low Season). YBR stayed a night with meals–see Story 2
  • Cenote/Hotel San Ignacio in Chocholá sells day passes with access to their cenote (full cave; steep stairs down) and swimming pool; see Web page for prices. YBR visited cenote and had lunch — restaurant was excellent in both food and service. See Story 4
  • Cabañas Pajaro Azul in Akil. 5 cabins on beautiful grounds surrounded by dense tropical forest. Located in the citrus-growing area near Oxkutzcab, and just east of the Pu’uc hills. YBR stayed the night–see Story 12.
  • Cenote San Isidro and Cabañas Quetzal in Homun. Very pretty cabañas, a huge pool and beautiful grounds! It’s a bit complicated because the cenote and 3 of the cabañas are at the eastern end of Homun, while most of the accommodations (and that big pool) are to the southwest. YBR stayed the night.

First-Timer Tips

New to Yucatán or México? A few things you should know that nobody seems to tell you:

  • Never drink tap water. Not just because you’re a foreigner, NOBODY drinks tap water, even though it is called “agua potable.” Bottled water–agua purificada–is cheap and available everywhere.
  • Never flush the TP. Mexican plumbing systems are not built for TP. There will be a small wastebasket next to every toilet you ever see; that’s where it goes. Get used to it. (The only exceptions to this rule seem to be high-end hotels and Costco.)
  • The “$” sign means PESOS. Mexico (and many other countries) use the $ sign for their currency. The exchange as of September 2021 is about 20-to-1 (your 100-peso note is like a US $5 bill).
  • Cash is king. Although credit cards are accepted in large stores and most hotels, you’ll need cash for any small business and even many tourist venues. Many places that do accept cards add a small percentage to recover their bank charges.
  • Our paper money is changing. Mexico is rolling out new bills. The most important thing to watch for is that the new $500 is blue and looks a LOT like the old $20! LOOK at any blue bill before you give it or accept it!
  • Mexico is Metric (mostly). Nearly all measurements are given in metric units. So the 80 speed limit sign is kilometers/hour (about 50mph).
  • Be careful walking! Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way in Mexico! Do NOT think you can step off a curb and a car will stop for you. The one very important exception the raise-pavement Paso de Peatones; if you are driving you MUST stop if a pedestrian is anywhere on the raised walkway.
  • Always dial 10 digits. There’s really no “long distance” anymore. To call ANY number in Mexico, from any phone, dial the full 10-digit number. To call the US or Canada, dial 00-1-area code-number.
  • This country runs on WhatsApp. Doctors, hotels, businesses, and everyone you see is messaging and even making calls using this Internet service. If you don’t have a free WhatsApp account for your cellphone, get one. Call anywhere in the world for free (via WiFi) or using the cellular data network. Your WhatsApp number is your cellphone with country code (USA/Canada: +1-987-654-3210, Mexico +52-123-456-7890, etc.).