10-Day Mexico Roadtrip from Cancun

This 10-day Mexico roadtrip itinerary starts and ends in Cancun with overnight stops in Akumal, Uxmal, and Merida. It is easy to do a roadtrip from Cancun, which includes plenty of Mayan ruins, the beach, and animal encounters.

Table of Contents

A Map of the Plan

Day 1 – Cancun

We had an early morning flight and arrived in Cancun by noon. We ate lunch at Mextreme in the Hotel Zone of Canun. Parking in the Hotel Zone is tough. We lucked out and found parking at Súper Chedraui Selecto — a nearby grocery store. If you spent a certain amount of money (maybe US $50? — I don’t remember), then they validated your parking. So, we ate lunch and then did some grocery shopping — including buying bottled water.

We found our hotel and relaxed a bit before the main activity of the day: a Cancun Taco Tour! I highly recommend a taco tour. Our tour guide and driver were great! We got to try so many tacos that we never would have been able to do on our own. My family includes a practicing vegan, which can make eating out tough. The restaurants were accomodating of a vegan diet and other dietary needs.

Day 2 – Isla Mujeres

I chose our hotel based on price and location. I wanted a hotel close to the ferry. Our hotel was about a block away. The hardest part was crossing the street! Cars do not stop for pedestrians waiting at a crosswalk. They only stopped when you stepped out into the street. We just followed the locals as they stepped into the street to get across.

We took the Xcaret ferry to Isla Mujeres. You can sit outside or inside, but once the ferry departs, you must remain seated. The ferry takes about 20-30 minutes and leave on the hour. Your ferry ticket comes with admission to the rotating tower back in Cancun at the ferry port. I highly recommend going on the tour because it gives a greater perspective on the geography of the Hotel Zone.

On Isla Mujeres, you can rent bicycles or golf carts to get around. We went right to the golf cart rental. There was a slight discount if paying with cash, which we did. We rode from one end of the island to another with stops along the way. Overall, it is about a 20 minute drive from one end of the island to the other.

Punta Sur is at the southernmost point of the island. There are statues, ruins, and a trail at Punta Sur. It cost $6 a person to access the path, which takes you closer to the water, ruins, and statues.

Day 3 – Akumal

We headed south to Akumal. Akumal is about a 2-hour drive from Cancun and we used Akumal as our base for three nights. It’s in a convenient location to several activties.

On the drive, we stopped at Croco Cun Zoo, Yaax Che Jardin Botanico, and Akumal Monkey Sanctuary. We ate lunch at La Choza in Puerto Morelos. I recommend driving the route we took from Croco Cun Zoo to the next stop if you need to stop for food. I’m not sure where we would have eaten lunch if had not driven slightly out of the way to this tourist destination.

I was aprehensive about visiting Croco Cun Zoo and the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary because of animal exploitation. I read alot or reviews to make sure they seemed ethical before commiting to visit. At both places, you can do animal interactions.

At Croco Cun Zoo, we held a baby boa constricter, petted an American crocodile and Mexican hairless dogs, and fed the turtles. There was an enclosure with about 15 American and swamp crocodiles that we walked through.

We like to get out in nature, so we planned a stop at Yaax Che Jardin Botanico between our visits to the animal sanctuaries. We walked a short loop, saw some Mayan ruins, and several iguanas. Unfortunately, the supsension bridge and scenic tower were closed. Given that we were already doing a lot of walking and visiting Mayan ruins, I would skip this stop if you want to fit in both Croco Cun Zoo and the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary.

We had more animal interactions at Akumal Monkey Sanctuary including holding macaws and a boa constrictor, and interacted with a squirrel monkey. The squirrel monkey was the highlight of this stop. The monkey climbed on our heads, our laps, and our hands.

Be sure to plan your time well if you want to make it to the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary. We almost missed the last tour of the day. They also have an add-on photo package, which we purchased.

Day 4 – Aktun-Chen

I was overwhelmed trying to figure out how do some adventure activities like cave tours and zip lining. There are several Xcaret locations that have combination packages for the entire day. I also knew we wanted to visit a cenote. Aktun Chen Park had some of each, but was less overwhelming to plan. We were able to do a cave tour, zipline, and swim in a cenote. They also had an added photo package, which we did not purchase.

Be sure to bring food and water for your time at Aktun Chen Park. We were there most of the day and there was no open restaurant. I assume the restaurant is open during the busy season, so if you visit during the busy season, you may be ok. Fortunately, we travel with a snack bag, so we managed to have more to eat than just the snacks they had available (which we also bought!).

If you have ziplined before or ziplined down a mountain, then ziplining in Cancun might be something to skip (unless you really love doing it!). We enjoyed the cave tour and learning about the legend of aluxes and seeing the bats.

Day 5 – Tulum

To visit Tulum Archeaology, you need to two items for admission. You need to purchase admission to the ruins and pay a tax. These ruins are impressive and extensive and are worth the visit. There is not much shade, so be prepared with an umbrella, hat, and sunscreen if it is sunny for your visit. Tulum Archeology is a popular place for people doing a cruise excursion, so there are plenty of souvinir shops and restaurants here.

We started our day by visiting the ruins and then eating lunch. We then decided to walk to the beach (you need to pay another admission). You could drive, but we thought “how far could it be?” The beach was far. Honestly, I’d skip this beach unless you plan to spend time swimming. It was windy and the waves were strong, so I’m not sure it would have been an enjoyable time as a beach day either. We just wanted to get our toes wet and see the view. The walk there (and back!) was not worth it for us.

Next, we drove south of town to the Zona Arqueologica de Muyil. There are several ruins here and no crowds! These ruins are partially shaded, so use your bug spray.

At this point in the day, we had to decide whether to eat a slightly early dinner in Tulum or wait and eat near our hotel in Akumal. We decided to get ice cream in Tulum and eat dinner in Akumal. My daugher is vegan and found a vegan gelato and ice cream shop (Aldo’s Gelato) on the main street in Tulum.

Day 6 – Ruta Puuc

Today was a lot of driving. We drove the Ruta Puuc from Akumal to Uxmal — about five hours from start to finish (with stops along the way). We ate lunch at the Hotel Puuc in Oxkutzcab. Be sure to find food before departing from Oxkutzcab because you will not find anything else until you get to your accommodations in Uxmal.

We stopped at Labna, Xlpak, Sayil, and Kabah. There were entrance fees at each stops. We were allowed to climb the structures at Kabah. Kabah also had strict rules about using Go-Pros and drones at the site. At most sites, we were the only tourists or there were 1-2 other groups.

Day 7 – Uxmal

We ate breakfast at our hotel and then went to Uxmal. Uxmal is large and unshaded. Be sure to bring water, sunscreen, and an umbrella for shade.

We went to Choco-Story after. It was fun to try new chocolates, and learn about the role of cholocate in Mexico. However, we toured a cocao farm in Costa Rica, so if you have already learned about chocolate elsewhere consider skipping this activity.

Next, we drove to Merida. We went downtown to see the Merida sign, the cathedral, and square. There were vendors set up all around the square along with lots of souvenir shops. We opted to eat dinner near our hotel.

Our hotel was within walking distance of Habaneros. They had a great vegetarian menu.

Day 8 – Merida

We walked from our hotel to the Gran Museo Del Mundo Maya. Admission was inexpensive. We did not visit the Maya Museum in Cancun, so we were looking forward to learning more. The museum looks large, but only took 1-2 hours to visit.

We found a shpping mall nearby that had a food court for lunch. This meal was by far our biggest bargain. We spent US $7.50 for two sodas, and six gorditas! We finally had a meal not geared to tourists!

There is another Mayan ruin near Merida, but we decided to skip it and go to Progreso Beach for the rest of the day. We were able to use chairs, a table, and umbrella and get access to a changing room and bathroom if we purchased drinks. The drinks (non-alcoholic or alcoholic) were inexpensive. We did not have a way to lock up our belongings, so we took turns going into the Gulf of Mexico.

Day 9 – Merida to Izamal to Valladolid to Cancun

We drove back to Cancun today. We took a slight detour to see Izamal – the yellow city. All of the structures are painted yellow. We toured the Convento de San Antonio (church). There are also some ruins in Izamal. We were able to find two of them, but not the third.

Next, we drove to Valladolid and had lunch at De Los Santos on the Calle de los Frailes (colorful street).

There are a couple of routes you can take to get from Merida to Cancun. There is a new toll-highway. We took part of the toll-highway (180D) and the non-toll highway (180). We ended up on the non-toll highway because we missed an exit after stopping in Valladolid. They both take about the same amount of time (according to Google maps). The non-toll highway, however, goes through many small towns. These towns do not have stop lights or stop signs, but use topas (mini-speed bumps to control traffic. There are many, many topas. In some towns, you will see people coming into the intersection to see you goods, fruit, or vegetables.

We made it back to Cancun for dinner. We decided to eat dinner at Tuch Cantina Yucateca , which is one of the restaurants from the taco tour. This was a great choice! The taco tour group was there and we saw our tour guide. We ordered drinks and they just started bringing out small plates for us to try — on the house! We tried at least five different things from the menu. We only paid for our drinks at Tuch.

Day 10 – Cancun

Our flight was later in the day, so we had time for another activity on our last day. We wanted to see MUSA – the underwater museum and we decided to do a snorkling tour. We have never snorkled before. I am not sure if I don’t like snorkling, or if I just did not like this tour. We felt very rushed once we were in the water. The guides took us to see one sculpture and a reef. By the time we the whole group got to the spot, then the guide was off to the next stop and then back to the start. I did not feel like I knew what was going on. We were just exhausted by the whole thing and felt like we spent a lot of money for not much. We should have taken a glass boat tour to see MUSA and skipped snorkling. If you have snorkled before, then you might have a better time than we did.

We still had some time, so we stopped at the beach and hung out there. We were already in our swimsuits from snorkling, so it made sense. It was nice to play in the water and lay on the beach for a bit. We found Don’s Tacos and Burritos nearby and ate there for lunch. Finally, we went to the airport with plenty of time to return our rental car and catch our flight.

Read More About Our Cancun Road Trip

12 Must Haves for Your Trip to Cancun

5 Hotels for Your Cancun Road Trip

Why You Need Cash in Mexico

Staying Safe on Your Trip to Mexico

How I Flew My Family to Cancun for Free*

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