8 of the best Cancun adventures

Samantha Shillabeer

Samantha Shillabeer

Set on Mexico's spectacular Caribbean coast, the popular resort of Cancun specialises in year-round sunshine, palm-studded beaches, and luxurious hotels.

Expect a blue-sky welcome in Cancun, Mexico
Expect a blue-sky welcome in Cancun, Mexico © Arturoosorno - Dreamstime.com

It's oh-so-easy to spend a week or two here glued to a sun lounger, but prise yourself away, and you'll discover endless opportunities for adventure.

From zip-lining through the jungle to snorkelling with whale sharks, here's just a handful of experiences you can look forward to trying in and around Cancun.

Getting to Cancun: as a leading holiday destination (for many of the following reasons!), there's a lot of choice when it comes to booking your Mexican escape. Check out Love Holidays*, which proudly offers a little something for everyone and every budget.

1. Try a new water sport

You'll find every watersport under the sun in Cancun, from low-key favourites like snorkelling and paddleboarding to more daring, up-tempo options like jet-skiing and kite-boarding.

If you want to try something completely different, give flyboarding a go. The latest craze in the watersports world, flyboarding lets you fly, hover and flip above the waves thanks to jets of water that propel your board up to six metres into the air.

You'll have a qualified instructor on-hand the whole time, who will help you control the jets until you're good to go on your own.

2. Explore downtown Cancun

Most of Cancun's tourist-friendly hotels, bars and restaurants are situated on a promontory of land known as the Zona Hotelera.

If you want to see a more traditional side of the resort, you'll need to take a bus or a taxi to the nearby downtown area (the journey takes about 15 minutes).

Here, you'll find ramshackle bars packed with locals and colourful streets lined with taco carts. If you're in the mood for a bit of shopping, there's a popular flea market called Mercado 28, where you can pick up all sorts of souvenirs at bargain prices.

3. Have a night out at Coco Bongo

Part nightclub, part live show, Coco Bongo is legendary in Cancun. Prepare to be wowed by flying acrobats, remarkable musical tributes and a non-stop party atmosphere that carries on until the early hours.

Prepare for a show like no other at Coco Bongo, Cancun
Prepare for a show like no other at Coco Bongo, Cancun - photo courtesy of Coco Bongo

All tickets include unlimited drinks, plus you can upgrade to a VIP ticket, which includes extras like reserved seating and access to an exclusive part of the club. Trust us, this is a night you won't want to miss.

4. Spend the day at Xel-Ha

An hour and a half's drive down the coast from Cancun, Xel-Ha is easily doable in a day.

This all-inclusive waterpark and ecological reserve lets you experience Mexico's natural environment in all its glory. You can swim and snorkel alongside neon-coloured fish, cycle scenic jungle trails and explore the depths of underground rivers and caves.

5. Take a boat to Isla Mujeres

Just a 20-minute ferry ride from Cancun, Isla Mujeres is a great day trip. This miniature island is only 7 km long and 650 metres wide, so it's really easy to get around on your own.

Spend a few hours exploring on foot or by golf buggy, before setting up camp on one of the pretty sandy beaches. You can get into the water for a spot of snorkelling or scuba diving, or opt to view the underwater world from the comfort of a glass-bottomed boat.

Another popular attraction is the island's turtle sanctuary and rehabilitation centre. Here, you can hang out with the cute creatures and learn all about the island's efforts to protect them.

6. Go zip-lining through the jungle

Cancun is surrounded by lush jungle, and there's no better way to get among it all than on a zip-line. Selvatica adventure park boasts 10 different zip-lines, which will see you soaring through the jungle canopy and enjoying amazing birds-eye views of the scenery below.

Zip-line adventure at Selvatica, Cancun
Zip-line adventure at Selvatica, Cancun - photo courtesy of Ventura Entertainment

There's even a new aqua-zip that submerges you in water; it's the perfect way to cool off from the Mexican heat. If you like, you can also combine your zip-lining experience with a snorkelling session back on the coast.

7. Set sail on a catamaran cruise

All glitzy high-rise hotels and palm-dotted swathes of sand, Cancun's coastline is a pretty impressive sight, and you can see it all in style on a catamaran cruise.

There are plenty of different cruises to choose from, depending on what you're in the mood for. Lots offer snorkelling sessions, which give you the chance to get up close to Cancun's diverse marine life.

Others come with open bars and cater to the party crowd. If romance is on the cards, sign up for a dinner and sunset cruise and sail out to sea in time to watch the sun slip below the horizon.

8. Snorkel with whale sharks

Visit Cancun between June and September, and you can tick snorkelling with whale sharks off your bucket list. These gentle giants come to the waters off the coast of Cancun to feed and mate during the summer months.

Snorkelling with a giant of the sea off Contoy Island, Cancun
Snorkelling with a giant of the sea off Contoy Island, Cancun © Image Source Limited - Alamy Stock Photo

The largest fish on the planet, adults can grow to be between 25 and 40 feet in length and can weigh up to 20,000 pounds. Snorkelling groups are kept deliberately small, to maximise your chances of close-up sightings - just remember, look but don't touch!

Weather in Cancun, Mexico

The weather in Cancun is deliciously hot and sunny all year round, which means you can, in all reality visit at any time. Summer months are at the mercy of the rainy season but these are often showers that move on swiftly, leaving cloudless skies in their wake.

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Maximum daytime temperature °F
Hours of sunshine (daily)
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Statistically speaking, we say that March is the very best time to go but don't let this rule out a holiday at another time of the year.

Ready to start planning your own Mexican adventure? Check out the variety of offers from Love Holidays for a fully-protected break to the Yucatan for less than you might expect.

Love Holidays: Low deposits from £25 per person

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Samantha Shillabeer

Samantha Shillabeer

Posted on Friday 15th March 2019 in: Caribbean Excursions Winter sun

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