Campeche State

Campeche is a historical fairyland, its walled city center a tight enclave of restored pastel buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, fortified ramparts and well-preserved mansions. Added to Unesco’s list of World Heritage sites in 1999, the state capital lacks a little of a 'daily life' ambience, as few people actually live in the historic center. But leave the inner walls and you’ll find a genuine Mexican provincial capital complete with a frenetic market, peaceful malecón (boardwalk) and old fishing docks.

Besides the walls and numerous mansions built by wealthy Spanish families during Campeche’s heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries, seven of the baluartes (bastions or bulwarks) have also survived. Two preserved colonial forts guard the city’s outskirts, one of them housing the Museo de la Arquitectura Maya, an archaeological museum with many world-class pieces.

Campeche is the perfect base for day trips to Edzná, the Chenes sites and neighboring beaches.

Lying at the heart of the vast, untrammeled Reserva de la Biosfera Calakmul (which covers close to 15% of the state’s total territory), the magnificent ruins of Calakmul are surrounded by rainforest, an endless canopy of vegetation. While wandering amid the ruins, you might glimpse ocellated turkeys, parrots and toucans among the over 350 bird species that reside or fly through here.

Edzná’s massive complexes, that once covered more than 17 sq km, were built by a highly stratified society that flourished from about 600 BC to the 15th century AD. During that period the people of Edzná built more than 20 complexes in a melange of architectural styles, installing an ingenious network of water-collection and irrigation systems. (Though it’s a long way from such Puuc Hills sites as Uxmal and Kabah, some of the architecture here has elements of the Puuc style.)

Isla Aguada is a large fishing town, although not quite an island as its name implies. It's known for its pretty, red-and-white striped lighthouse, which is over 100 years old. Boat tours on the estuary are the thing to do here. The standard excursion stops at three islands, including Isla de Pájaros, where thousands of herons, gulls and magnificent frigate birds converge at sunset. You're almost guaranteed to see dolphins along the way, and most trips end with a cruise through the mangroves for more wildlife-spotting. Morning and dusk are the best times to take these trips.

This sparsely developed stretch of seafront is fringed with usually deserted beaches that are ideal for watching pelicans, going on shell-searching expeditions and taking an occasional dip in the shallow aquamarine waters. Unfortunately, heading south from Campeche, the coastal highway passes behind it the entire way. It also passes through the city of Champotón, along with small fishing towns and small beaches, where you can stop for a cold beer and hang your hammock in a thatched shelter. Then you'll hit Laguna de Términos, a vast mangrove-fringed lagoon home to riots of migratory birds and a prime sea-turtle nesting spot. After all this, the shabbiness and noise and bustle of Ciudad del Carmen will seem like a culture shock.