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It is the most northern isle in Yucatan Peninsula. Home to the rare sea turtle and a whale-shark observation site. The many shades of the waters graze at the quiet, sugar-like beaches of Holbox. You're able to go to Isla Holbox on a day tour. Visiting this beautiful island takes less than an hour, and you're able to enjoy the trip by launch, admiring the coastal scenery and having a refreshment and snack along the way. Before arriving to Holbox Island, you can stop at the Yalahao lagoon. This amazing place can be reached by boat from El Cuyo bordering on the coast. Yalahao lagoon opens up as a flower and fruit garden surrounded by mangroves, on one brink, lays a water spring that gives the place a unique characteristic. Dolphins, as well as flamingoes come to this place to frisk in these waters. From April to October flamingoes satiate their hunger with the many fish that dwell here, such as the horse mackerel, the couch's sea bream, the dogfish, and the Mediterranean grouper, among others. During your visit to Holbox Island, you can enjoy fresh and delicious seafood at one of the small restaurants of the village. If you come to El Cuyo between July and September you can be taken to see the whale sharks that arrive near Isla Holbox this time of year - truly a remarkable spectacle. You might even snorkel amongst the sharks, which actually are accustomed to people and not aggressive. Yum Balam is a protected area for wild flora and fauna that serves as a shelter for many different species of animals such as the wild boar, the anteater, the ocelot, the cacomixtle, the spider monkey and the manatee.


 

 

For those enthralled with nature this is a tour that will be recorded in your memory forever. You will be in contact with the natural environment in all its splendor, observing different types of all year and migratory birds, little known exotic plants, and unusual animals that inhabit these inhospitable places. Competent guides trained by SEMARNAT, a governmental watchdog of the Biosphere, conduct the tour. What you see and hear will be explained to you in detail. Expect to be cautioned not to disturb the environment in any way. By entering the marvelous ecosystem of the Biosphere of Ria Lagartos, you are doing something that few others do, a true ecotour in which all you see is natural, nothing here is artificial..........

 

 

Many points of interest are close to El Cuyo like colonial cities, archaeological zones, cenotes and more!!!!! Valladolid, Chichén Itzá, Ek'Balam, Tizimín and Izamal in Yucatán state are part of the Route of the East and they preserve a well-known richness that allows to discover the grand culture of the Mayas, who constructed great architectural works, created fantastic handcrafted pieces and realized important astronomic studies, beside designing a system of calendars of great precision.


Founded in 1543 on the ancient Mayan city of Zaci, "The Pearl of the East", is a welcoming city full of history and a place Yucatán is truly proud of. Centuries it has been recognized for its rich Spanish legacy, made tangible in the temples and old parishes. Valladolid has an exceptional Colonial flavour. Walking through its streets with their brightly painted houses, the churches and, of course, the convent of San Bernardino of Siena, is like walking directly into the past. The Franciscan presence is palpable here, as it is all over the peninsula. In the heat of the day the laurels in the Main Square offer shade to locals and travellers a like, the birds gather and dill the air with their call as than day draws to close.
Located the east of Yucatan, Valladolid was the scene of rebellions and battles between conquerors and conquered. Nephew of the conqueror finally attained the submission of the rebel Cupuls in the east. Also named Francisco de Montejo, he set up camp around a lagoon witch the local inhabitants called Chouac-Ha, this sire would be the operational base from witch the Spanish subdued the Cupuls and overpowered their capital, Zacihual. The name means "white Gull" and symbolizes the warlike qualities of the Zaci community. Lying 50 km from the coast, this was an important political and religious center and residence of the hierarchy of the cupul family. Crushing the was a difficult task for the Spanish soldiers, nevertheless on the 23 of May, 1543 Captain Francisco de Montejo "The Nephew" finally founded the village witch he called Valladolid, in homage to the Spanish city of the same name.



You cannot stop visiting the recently chosen one as one of the "7 New Marvels of the Modern World" across thousands of votes worldwide Internet route: Chichén Itzá's amazing Mayan ruins. It is located in the eastern section of the state of Yucatan, just 120 km from the city of Mérida, along the highway to Cancun and 40 km of distance from the city of Valladolid. Maya for ("Mouth of the well of the itzaes") Chichén Itzá is one of the most controversial, studied and visited ruins of the Maya word. Its history and its chronology are the subject of debates and the fate of this peoples a puzzle that archaeologies continues to theorize about as excavations continue.
The Itzaes settled in Chichén Itzá in the IX Century A.C believed to be Putun or Chontals Mayas, they forged a wide empire with one culture centred in Chichén Itzá. Nevertheless, around 1250 a.C. the city was abandoned for reasons still not completely understood. The power of this city was so great that centuries after its fall, it is still a site of peregrination and adoration. Even as recently as 1540 a.C. Francisco de Montejo, founder of Mérida, considered making it his capital. The castle of Kukulcan rising 30 meters from the earth is the most impressive building. Its age is difficult to calculate, being estimated 650 and 800 a.C.




Ek Balam ("Black Jaguar") is a little visited ruin north of Valladolid.
It's a beautiful site with rare carvings of full figures and well-preserved wall paintings.
La Torre ("The Tower"), is 100 feet high and 527 feet long making it one of the largest found in the north-eastern Yucatan.





Tizimin is an elegant colonial town and the heart of a great cattle zone. It is located to 80 km from El Cuyo and 51 km from Valladolid, for a recently paved highway. There's little to see, but interesting things. The beautiful "Tres Reyes" Church and its artistic Atrio, the original Parque Zoologico de la Reina with a lot of animals from all over the Península de Yucatán, and the pretty plaza is peaceful enough for whiling away a few hours. Tizimin also has direct bus services to and from Mérida and Cancun.



Magic town in Mexico, it's at the center of the Yucatán Península, 72 km east from Mérida city along the interstate to Tekax, detour to the right at km 54. Its history from its foundation to the present is linked to a strong religious tradition because this site was a large Mayan ceremonial center. Izamal is an important ceremonial center at the region. In this place seven pyramids were built, and, even though the Spanish respected some temples, the used stones from old buildings to give life to new constructions like the charming monastery of San Antonio de Padua founded by Fray Diego de Landa and the Franciscan missionaries in 1549. This monastery has a courtyard that is second only to the San Pedro in The Vatican.

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