Christy Johnson

One of my favorite places I have traveled to comes as a bit of a surprise to me. The trip came about as a last-minute opportunity that I was able to take advantage of.

Why did it become a favorite?

• The food!
• Cenotes
• Seeing pink flamingos in flight

The Food - 

As a California girl, I have always been in love with Mexican food. Yucataneque food is quite different and I found the blend of local ingredients, Mayan traditions and Spanish influences to be delicious. Panuchos seemed to be served at every meal. Even the buffet breakfast at the Courtyard by Marriott in Merida had them. These are similar to an open-faced street taco with refried black beans. During my stay in the Yucatan, we dined everywhere from a picnic table to fancy restaurants. No matter where we ate, my taste buds rejoiced.

Cenotes - 

This was my first chance to swim in a cenote. In case you aren't familiar with the term, cenotes are natural sinkholes or wells. They are filled with crystal-clear freshwater and are often interconnected by underground rivers. At Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyche, we started in a deep pool, then floated and swam along a river to a cavern. Making our way through the cavern, we could see roots from vegetation overhead along with fossils. The water was a comfortable temperature. A thunderstorm started outside while we were swimming. We could hear the thunder and the rain, but being underground we were protected from the downpour.

Flamingos - 

In Sisal, we took a tour of the mangroves. We first drove to the estuary in small open-air vehicles, towing our motor-less boats behind us. Once near the water, our guides carried the small, two-person boats down to the water's edge. My travel companion and I sat inside and our tour guide stood behind us with a long stick to propel us across the lagoon and along the waterways. Crossing the lagoon, we spotted pink flamingos but the incredible thing to me was watching them fly overhead. I've seen flamingos at the zoos and other parks throughout my life, but this was the first time I've seen them in flight. Once we got across the wide expanse of water, we navigated through the mangroves to a freshwater spring hidden in the sea. Here we were able to jump into the cool and refreshing water for a swim before heading back to the town.

If you are looking for an adventure such as this, contact me to get the planning started. 

Update: June 2026 - I just returned from yet another amazing time in the Yucatan. This time I was honored to be hosted by the Yucatan tourism board as well as the KiiWik Tourism Fair. I shook hands with the governor of Yucatan during the opening ceremony of the fair and the governor of Quintana Roo stopped by our table at an evening event near the cathedral in Merida. 

The top 3 reasons to visit that I listed above are still the same for me, but this time the mangrove tour was in a different area. We left from Celestun instead of Sisal. Due to some recent heavy rains, the mosquitos were out in force. But, seeing the flamingos in flight was the highlight for most of us on that tour.

I had the opportunity to stay at three different hotels during this visit. My favorite was in the downtown area of Merida where we met the owner. His great-grandfather had built the home many years ago and Raul's family pride shone through every interaction with him. 

If you like learning about culture and history, this is a great place to hear stories about the Mayans and taste the regional culinary specialties.