Turquoise waters along the coast of Costa Maya, Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.Costa Maya is a stretch of Caribbean coast on the eastern part of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. As the only state in Mexico bounded by the Caribbean ocean, it is a popular stopover port for numerous cruise lines. Costa Maya’s beautiful beaches, coral reefs and Mayan temple ruins draw in hundreds and hundreds of visitors everyday.
The cruise port is the main attraction in Costa Maya, with hundreds of souvenir shops, fastfoods and bars offering tourists souvenir items, clothing, jewelry, local arts and crafts, entertainment, spa and massage treatments–name it and it’s there.
If you want to get to immerse in the culture and get a glimpse of the life and the people in Costa Maya, go beyond the tourist traps at the cruise port terminal, get on a bus, rent a bike or a golf cart and drive to the villages. Check out the fishing village in Mahahual about 30 minutes away from the port, explore the Mayan ruins of Chacchoben, tour a Spanish fortress in Bacalar, or just head out to the nearest beach and relax.