Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Cancun tours and experiences. You can browse the options here.
Cancun is famous for its stunning white beaches, crystal clear water, and all-inclusive resorts.
However, there’s so much more to this destination than sun, surf, and cocktail umbrellas. The Belize Barrier Reef — the second largest coral reef system in the world (after our own Great Barrier Reef) — sits on Cancun’s doorstep, and offers exceptional diving and snorkelling. Ancient Mayan ruins lie within easy reach, and incredible Mexican cuisine will assail your senses with flavours that are a far cry from the cliched takeaway back home.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in Cancun on a first visit.
1. Skipper a speed boat out to the reef
Get behind the wheel of your own personal mini speed boat (which seats two) and cruise out to the reef at Punta Nizuc with Jungle Tour Cancun for some quality snorkelling. You’ll travel through the mangrove forests of Nichupte Lagoon en route, which are alive with sea creatures. No boat licence is required — just a desire for adventure and some common sense!
2. Spend a day at Xcaret Eco-Park
Located an hour’s drive south of Cancun, Xcaret is water theme park, ecological nature reserve, and archeological site all rolled into one — and offers a great day out for all ages. To get there, take a public bus (colectivo) for about $3 USD or fork out $100 USD for the return taxi fare. The other option is to book an organised day tour, which will include transport and your entrance fee. You’ll soon be swimming through underground caves, walking in the footsteps of ancient Mayans, and admiring colourful birdlife and butterflies. Stay for the Mexico Espectacular — a vibrant showcase of local culture.
3. Visit Isla Mujeres
Tour boats skim out daily from Cancun to beautiful Isla Mujeres — 13 kilometres off the coast. Spend your day swimming in the impossibly blue ocean, relaxing on the beach, or cycling around the island. A buffet lunch is included in the cost of most tours, and some even offer open bars (dangerous!). Don’t miss seeing Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA) — a collection of sculptures fastened to the sea floor. It’s an ambitious attempt to promote coral growth and provide visitors with an alternative to snorkelling on the increasingly fragile reefs nearby.
4. Travel back in time at Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site back in 1988. It’s an obvious must-see and is situated 200 kilometres inland from Cancun. The ruins of this ancient Mayan city cover about ten square kilometres and encompass the impressive El Castillo pyramid. Visiting Chichen Itza is a big day out, so get going early to beat the heat and at least some of the crowds.
5. Take a cooking class
If you think making the perfect guacamole means mashing a few avocados, think again. In Mexico the cuisine is incredibly nuanced and impossible to separate from history, culture, and family. To find out more, join Mexico Lindo Cooking on a journey of culinary discovery. Ecologically responsible businesses thrive in Mexico and Mexico Lindo Cooking uses only solar power and organic produce (most of which they grow themselves). You’ll delete Taco Bill from your speed dial forever.
6. Feast on fish tacos
Speaking of which, don’t bother looking for ground beef in a crunchy taco shell on a menu in Mexico. Tacos here are served in soft corn tortillas with delicious fillings of pulled pork, refried beans, chicken, and yes, minced beef — but not as you know it! Fish tacos are a taste sensation not to be missed. They come topped with tangy salsa and drizzled with chipotle (chilli) sauce, as hot as you can take it. Prepare to get messy!
7. Ride the waves with jet power
There are endless water activities on offer in Cancun, but Jetpack Adventures’ flyboards, jetpacks, and Seabreacher are in a league of their own! Fly high as water pressure propels you into the air, or strap in, close the hatch, and hold on tight as an expert takes the reins of the Seabreacher. This mini submersible (shaped like a shark) dives and breaches at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour. It’s insanely good fun and will leave you buzzing for hours.
8. Swim with whale sharks
Every holiday should include one experience that guarantees you bragging rights, and in Cancun it’s swimming with whale sharks. During summer these gentle giants migrate past the Yucatán Peninsula, and the experience of joining them in the water is extraordinary. Watch in awe as they glide effortlessly through the ocean depths, their huge mouths gathering tiny plankton along the way. How close will you get? That’s up to the whale sharks. At between 12 and 20 metres long, they definitely call the shots!
9. Hang out on the beach
Despite Cancun’s many attractions, it’s the beach that brings all the tourists to the yard — and what’s not to love about lazing your days away on these glorious stretches of white sand framed by azure water. One piece of advice: the sun is hot here, so slip, slop, and slap as needed. If you’re staying at a resort in the Zona Hotelera (the narrow strip of land known as the ‘Hotel Zone’), it will likely offer impressive beach facilities; if not, make a bee-line for Coco’s Beach Club. Cool Latin house tunes set the mood and attentive staff keep the refreshments flowing.
10. Enjoy a night on the town
And finally, no visit to Cancun would be complete without a night out at Coco Bongo — and this is not your usual nightclub! With performers dangling above you on the dance floor, it’s a bit like being at (and in!) a Cirque du Soleil show.
For more travel inspiration, visit www.visitmexico.com.
Browse our range of Cancun tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of top things to do in Cancun on a first visit? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Additional images: Depositphotos, Bigstock, and Envato
About the writer
As a travel blogger and photographer, Neil Brook travels the world looking to meet interesting people, taste great food, and find different angles from which to write about his adventures. He is privileged to have lived in Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom. More a traveller than a tourist, Neil prefers to mix with the locals, learn their history and culture, and walk the backstreets to uncover hidden gems worthy of praise in words or quiet moments of private reflection.
