Axtec Trek Part 13 - From "Heaven" to "Hell"

The World Heritage site of Sian Ka’an (from the Yuatec Mayan language, meaning ‘gate of heaven’) is home to a large variety of flora and fauna and it certainly looked “heavenly” in the photos I’d seen. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find areas of truly unspoilt beauty, but this relatively unknown protected eco-system promised a veritable natural paradise, that we simply couldn’t miss.

A very early ferry dropped us back on Mexican soil, and after a few hiccups (Ian managed to leave his backpack at the port, and we only just getting the last two seats on the bus) we headed northward along the Yucatan coast. 

After an early night at a convenient and amazingly quiet little hotel opposite the bus station in Tulum, we had a pre-dawn pick up for our tour. After leaving behind the string of boutique hotels, arty cafés and expensive restaurants that now line the beach, we set off along the extremely bumpy, potholed road which led into the reserve.  They weren’t kidding when they recommended we take sea-sickness tablets and the two hour journey along this off-road track in the back of the minivan was as painful as it sounds.  They do repair the road from time to time apparently, but perhaps they leave it like this to deter large amounts of visitors?

Stopping briefly to watch the sun rise on a bridge separating the lagoon from the ocean, we spotted a crocodile hiding beneath the mangroves, while huge frigate birds soared a few feet above our heads. Continuing along the track, we finally reached the dock where we boarded a boat and set off across the lagoon to “bird island”.  Providing a safe haven away from predators and bad weather, the island was alive with herons, nesting pelicans and frigate birds with their bright red throat sacs inflated to attract the female of the species.

Soon our captain spotted a dolphin playing with a puffer-fish he’d just found, and we followed his efforts until he was joined by the rest of his family, frolicking in the water.

We set off out to sea towards the reef, accompanied for a while by a large sea turtle, before stopping off for a spot of snorkelling.  A buffet lunch at the remote fishing village of Punta Allen at the far end of the reserve was included, and provided a picturesque spot to dine, overlooking a white sand beach and the crystal-clear turquoise sea.

As we made our way back through the mangroves, the captain pointed out a sea eagle nest high up in a tree.  It was truly a magical place and fortunately, due to the challenging access road and limitations on the number of boats operating there, it remained relatively unspoilt for now.

We boarded the bus to the small port of Chiquilá the next morning (thankfully at a more reasonable time!), we set off up the coast.  The road between Tulum and Cancun is literally lined with huge, upmarket resorts surrounded on three sides by barb wire fences and even watch towers.  From the road they looked more like prisons than hotels, and it left me wondering why people would want to secrete themselves away from the real Mexico like that.

After a few mysterious detours on the bus (maybe the driver had forgotten his lunch at the local village off of the main highway!), we finally arrived at Chiquilá.  The port was a short walk away, and the 30- minute crossing to Isla Holbox was a breeze.

Choosing a destination for our final week in Mexico was not easy – we knew we wanted to avoid the huge, overcrowded resorts of Playa del Carmen and Cancun and wanted somewhere with a similar vibe to Caye Caulker.

We finally settled on Isla Holbox (which translates as “Black Hole” – I can’t imagine why unless it refers to the roads, which were hell!), another sand-spit island off the coast of the northern Yucatan Peninsula.  Tourism had certainly taken a hold here, with massage parlours, vegan cafés and yoga classes, but overall, it felt a lot more laid-back than the mainland. Another golf-cart taxi took us to our small hotel a short walk away from the centre.

Prices were high, being an island and a bit of a tourist trap, but we managed to find a good restaurant selling great seafood and guacamole, with a TV screen to watch the football!  The beaches – although long with wide stretches of white sand – were backed by bars and hotels that seemed to extend right onto the sand, making it necessary to divert back inland to get around them, which was quite annoying.

The roads, if you could call them that, were again plagued with huge puddles, so walking to either end of the island proved quite difficult.  We made it as far as Playa Puntas Cocos on the southern tip of this 26-mile-long island (although only 1 mile wide!), where we found a shady spot amongst the mangroves and had a quick dip in the sea.  It was heartening to see that the essential mangroves were being re-introduced along this part of the island at least.

We had wanted to visit Mosquito Beach, a remote sandbank which could only be reached by wading ankle deep through the sea for an hour or so, or by boat.  The nature reserve was home to flamingos, stingrays, manatees and a wide variety of bird and sea life (along with quite a few mosquitoes!). However, for our tired feet, it seemed like a beach too far in the 30-degree temperatures and blazing sun, so we plonked ourselves down on sun loungers at a bar on the beach for our last spot of r’n’r!

Apart from the beaches and amazing sunsets (and sunrises as we were about to find out!), there wasn’t a whole lot to do on Holbox, and we certainly preferred the more Caribbean type atmosphere of Belize, but it rounded off our stay in Mexico.  We definitely preferred the central inland and western parts of this vast and varied country and were feeling a little jaded and “out-tacoed” (I’m making up words now!).  Looking forward to a complete change as we head north to the USA.

Next stop:  The Big Easy