Progreso is a port city on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It’s a common stop for cruise ships, which dock at its landmark long pier. An oceanfront promenade, the Malecón, is lined with beaches and thatch-roofed restaurants. The Faro de Puerto Progreso, built in 1893, is an active lighthouse. The city is a gateway to the inland Mayan archeological sites of Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Dzibilchaltún.

Mérida, the vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, has a rich Mayan and colonial heritage. The city’s focal point is Plaza de la Independencia, bordered by the fortresslike Mérida Cathedral and white limestone Iglesia de la Tercera Orden, both colonial-era churches built using relics from ancient Mayan temples. The Casa de Montejo, a 16th-century mansion, is a landmark of colonial plateresque architecture.

Celestún, a fishing village on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is home to secluded beaches backed by thatched-roof restaurants. It’s a gateway to the Celestún Biosphere Reserve, which has large flocks of flamingos, plus birds like herons and pelicans. Farther northeast is El Palmar State Reserve, with migratory birds such as Canada geese. South of Celestún is the town of Real de Salinas, a former salt-production center.

Izamal is a small city in the Mexican state of Yucatán, 72 kilometres east of state capital Mérida, in southern Mexico. Izamal was continuously occupied throughout most of Mesoamerican chronology; it is also known as the puebla Amarillo (yellow city).

Las Coloradas can be found on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, in the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. This protected wetlands region covers over 150,000 acres and is home to an array of exotic wildlife including flamingos, crocodiles, colorful birds, and even jaguars.