Puerto Morelos

Introducing Puerto Morelos

Halfway between Cancún and Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos retains its quiet, small-town feel despite the building boom north and south of town. While the village offers enough restaurants and bars to keep you entertained by night, it’s really the shallow Caribbean waters that draw visitors here. Unfortunately, Hurricanes Wilma and Emily knocked down most of the beach’s lovely palms – those naughty girls. In their munificence, they did leave behind the sparkling sand beaches. One of the best reasons to come to Puerto Morelos is to hit the artisans’ market, one block south of the plaza’s west corner.

Two kilometers south of the turnoff for Puerto Morelos is the Jardín Botánico Yaax Che (admission M$70; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat; ), a 600, 000 sq meter nature reserve with nearly 3km of trails through several native habitats.

For chilling cenote action, check out the ‘eco-park’ Boca del Puma (577-64-20; www.bocadelpuma.com, 16km west of Puerto Morelos, near the village of Vallarta; ) or Siete Bocas (13km west of Puerto Morelos, M$50; ), which has seven mouths and some serious tourism development going on.

Last updated: Oct 20, 2009