BicycleYucatán
Bicycle and/or bus trips into the towns surrounding Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico.
Visit the towns of the Mayas, past and present. Check our Valladolid and
Mérida pages for more biking destinations.
Visit the towns of the Mayas, past and present. Check our Valladolid and
Mérida pages for more biking destinations.
Aké
| Maxcanu /Oxkintoc Bicycle Tour Jane and I left the house at 5:30 AM riding our 20 inch folding bikes and an hour later we were departing Mérida aboard a local bus heading southwest 60 kilometers across the low flat semi-arid scrub brush country of Yucatán to the colonial town of Maxcanu situated at the beginning of the Puuc hills on the border with the neighboring state of Campeche. read more |
Maxcanu /Oxkintoc
Mayapan and Acanceh
| MAYAPAN / ACANCEH These two unique and seldom visited archaeological sites are interesting and very memorable if for no other reason than they are not crammed with bus-load hordes of visitors. What makes these two places so great is the fact that they can both be visited in an easy day trip out of Mérida by bus. You will not need a bicycle on this trip because easy local transportation is readily available Start early from the bus terminal on calle 50 and 57 for the 47 kilometer ride. Buy your bus ticket to Mayapan and the bus driver will let you off at the entrance to these seldom visited remote and tranquil Mayan ruins. read more |
| TICUL, YUCATAN BY BIKE AND BUS: We have made many trips to and through Ticul. The latest post is October 18, 2010 Ticul, Dzan, Mani and Oxkutzcab For our older posts, click on the following links: Ticul, Muna,Dzan and Mani Feb 1, 2010 Ticul Day trip - February 2007 Santa Elena, Kabah, Uxmal, Ticul Tecoh -Sabacche to Tekit and Ticul Ticul, Sacalum Mucuyche and Abala Santa Elena/Ticul Revisited Dec. 2010 The photo on the left is of the Mayan Arch in Ticul. It was sculpted by artist, Rómulo Rozo and is one of Ticul's proudest possessions. |
Mani Field Trip
| MANI FIELD TRIP STARTING AT OXKUTZCAB BY BIKE AND BUS, MARCH 2008; JOINING THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB OF MÉRIDA. read more |
| A VISIT TO MANI, YUCATAN Mani is a small quaint, quiet and tranquil Mayan village 80 kilometers south south-east of the capital city of Mérida. Nearby is the shoe and pottery manufacturing city of Ticul plus the garden market capital of Yucatan, Oxkutzcab. Mani is also situated on the age-old seldom traveled but famous “Ruta de Los Conventos’. read more |
A Visit to Mani
| MERIDA SOUTH ON CALLE 42 Leaving Mérida and heading south by bicycle we have found the quietest route, not necessarily the fastest, taking you through an assortment of interesting neighborhoods. Even from the north of the city you can be out past the “periferico” or rim route overpass in less than an hour poking along at a leisurely pace. There are only five stop lights the entire length of calle 42, but scores of “topes”, speed bumps, which we easily glide over on our slow moving bikes. read more |
Mérida South on Calle 42
| SANTA ELENA, KABAH, UXMAL, TICUL, CITINCABCHEN AND HUNABCHEN, YUCATAN BY BIKE AND BUS My wife Jane and I began this three day excursion busing with our folding bicycles to the seldom visited out of the tourist loop town of Santa Elena formerly known as Nohcacab. Biking down out of the Puuc hills, through Ticul and north through the citrus country to Sacalum where we turn east and the road become perceptively smaller.Citincabchén has one claim to fame and it is the product of this quaint little off the road tortilla shop that turned out the best tortillas of our trip and perhaps as good as we have ever had…worth the trip just to sample. read more |
Santa Elena, Kabah,
Uxmal, Ticul, Citincabchen
Uxmal, Ticul, Citincabchen
| We are in the process of posting many more day trips from Mérida by bike/bus to visit the land of the Maya. FOR MORE BIKE AND/OR BUS TRIPS, CHECK OUT OUR PAGES: MEXICO (The Mexico page includeds destination in Quintana Roo) AND VALLADOLID. WE HAVE ALSO MADE MANY ADDITIONS TO OUR MERIDA PAGE. NEW - TULUM page. NEW BLOG: Yucatan for Travelers Check our blogs for more destinations in Yucatán: bicycleuyucatan.blogspot.com and bicycleyucatan.wordpress.com |
| MAYAN RUINS OF KIUIC AND OUR JUNGLE ADVENTURE - FEB 2006 the Mayan city of Oxkutzcab. This adventure was conceptualized a year earlier while the three of us drank coffee and dreamed of adventure in our favorite coffee shop in Itzimna, Caffe Latte. read more |
Mayan Ruins of Kiuic and
Chacmultun
Chacmultun
| TO OXKUTZCAB VIA DZAN AND MANI A month's worth of activities crammed into just 5 days by bike, bus and on foot. My wife Jane and I began this adventure with a 7 kilometer bike ride from our home in Merida to the downtown bus terminal where we packed our bikes in the cargo hold for the nearly due-south 65 kilometer bus ride to Ticul. read more |
Back to Kiuic - bike and bus
| TECOH -Jane and I have been making a point to take at least one adventure excursion of exploration in Yucatan each week by bus, bicycle and occasionally just bike or bus. We looked at the map and decided that Mani a Mayan village continuously inhabited for the past 4,000 years would be our next day- trip adventure.We had the bus schedule and would take departure at 8: 30AM from the downtown terminal at Calle 50 x 67 where the brand-x buses leave from.A couple of friends eagerly wanted to join us and we were all early to converge at the terminal.Jane and I were first to arrive and went to buy our tickets. Surprise! Our 8:30 bus to Mani wouldn’t leave until 9:30 .Plan “B”;Next bus out! read more |
Tecoh, Yucatán
| SOTUTA - Our first visit to little Sotuta had been nearly twenty-five years earlier at the end of the thriving henequen era when Sotuta was at the end of the still functional narrow gauge railroad line. In those days the town was renowned for being the stronghold for a dissident populist democratic movement in Yucatan and even had one of the most powerful radio stations blasting out their autonomous egalitarian message. The Mexican military maintained a fortified barracks prominently placed on the main city plaza from the beginnings of the Caste War that begin in 1848 and was not relinquished until 1998 when indigenous rights were at a proverbial boiling point. read more |
| TELCHAQUILLO, PIXYA, SACBE CENOTE ROUTE Biking east from little Pixya we picked up this voluntary guide who likes to raise sand with his spirited cross country hurried pace of bike riding. Armed with a machete and a 16 gauge single shot shotgun Manual Chable is always on the alert for wild game to feed his family. This scant low scrub jungle is vigorously harvested of its meager wood supply, leña used for home cooking because of the prohibitively high cost of LP gas. read more |
| CUZAMÁ VIA TECOH, CHIQUILÁ, SABACCHÉ, OCHIL AND CHUNKANÁN BY BIKE, BUS AND COLECTIVO TAXI Quiet country roads through picturesque Yucatan are well worth the effort and pay back with early morning tropical birds, plus brilliant tropical flowers that change season by season sweetly perfuming the air. Escaping Mérida’s pushy-shovey horn honking, tail-gating belligerent bumper-to-bumper neurotic drivers is like flushing the proverbial toilet…and it feels so good when it is finally gone. Our escape Mérida bicycle trip is only a little over 30 kilometers long from Tecoh to Cuzamá read more |
| TECOH -SABACCHE TO TEKIT AND TICUL; BIKING THE TRANQUIL QUIET MAYAN BACK ROADS Sabacché is more than just quiet, there is virtually no motor vehicle activity and the only business in town consisted of a molino to grind corn that had no tortillas and a small convenience store in a Mayan palapa. The people were more than just friendly, when I went to the molino to try and buy a few tortillas for a snack I discovered that they only ground the corn to make masa. I spoke to them in Maya and the lady asked me if I was hungry, I said yes. Even though they had no tortillas in a few minutes a little girl arrived in the park with tortillas and a big smile. We have always found that these wonderful people would freely share whatever they had. read more |
TECOH -SABACCHE TO TEKIT
CHUNKANÁN
| XOCCHEL, HOCABA, SANAHCAT, POLABAN AND HOMAN After our bike trip from Cobá to Valladolid, we took a bus to Xocchel and biked some Yucatán side roads to Homan. Our destination was Cuzama but we were biking into a strong hot wind when we spotted a bus heading for Mérida. It took less then a minute remove our packs and fold the bikes and sit back and let the bus carry us home. read more |
XOCCHEL TO HOMAN
| MOTUL, YUCATAN BY BUS This ancient Mayan city originally known as “Zacmotul” is just 40 kilometers east of Mérida and an easy bus ride that takes you on a scenic off the main route through a number of small towns. If you prudently catch one of the early seven or eight AM buses to make sure you get a seat because the bus will soon fill up to standing room only status filled with students. The bus leaves from the terminal on the corner of 52 and 67 in the city center and the departures are frequent…have fun! read more |
MOTUL
| XCANCHAKAN AND MAHZUCIL When John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood arrived at this spot back in 1842 the sugar industry was just beginning, henequen production hadn’t yet begun, and the sixty year Caste War was only a fermenting time-bomb waiting to explode and Yucatán was considering the status of an independent country. Explore these quiet roads by bicycle. read more |
XCANCHAKAN
| HUNUCMÁ is an ancient Mayan city whose name means “agua de ciénega” or water of the lagoon. This Yucatán city of 22,000 inhabitants is an outpost on the way from the capital city of Mérida to the old Spanish seaport of Sisal. Sisal gave its name world wide to the henequen fiber that was produced in Yucatán and then shipped out of that isolated minuscule town, then the port of Mérida. Previously Hunucmá with its 16th century Spanish colonial church abounded with fruit trees that yielded an export crop but in 2002 hurricane Isidoro flattened many of those trees. read more |
HUNUCMÁ
| YUCATAN ROADWAYS THAT EVOLVED OVER THE CENTURIES BEGINNING WITH THE MAYAN SACBE INFRASTRUCTURE In the course of human events that shaped the cultural evolution of the Yucatan peninsula the sacbe road network erected by the ancient Maya laid the groundwork for transportation systems that continue in use to this very day. read more |
YUCATAN ROADWAYS
PETO, YUCATAN
| PETO, YUCATAN REVISITED IN 2008 Twenty-five years ago Jane and I disembarked Mérida on the narrow gauge train for one of our most memorable Yucatan adventures…we still have the original time-tables and tickets. We set off from Mérida aboard one of the last narrow gauge trains still operating in the world headed into an unknown realm departing for the end of the line. read more |
ICHMUL,YUCATAN
| ICHMUL, YUCATAN was and still is a garrisoned military outpost that dates back in time to the beginning of the 60 year Caste War that began in the 1840s. This sleepy tiny town has little to show but the old and older because nothing of significance has happened here since the beginning of the Caste War that began in the 1840s when the town was abandoned completely. Only recently have people began to repopulate Ichmul. read more |
TICUL,SACALUM,
MUCUYCHE, AND
ABALA
MUCUYCHE, AND
ABALA
| TICUL, SACALUM, MUCUYCHE AND ABALA, YUCATAN This continues our journey from Ichmul, through Peto and on to Ticul, Sacalum, Mucuyche and ending in Abalá. At Peto we made a miraculous connection and in less than five minutes of our arrival there we were on another bus headed north to Ticul. We arrived in Ticul before dark and went directly to the Posada El Jardin Cabañas our favorite lodging. read more |
| PROGRESO, YUCATAN - El Puerto de Progreso Progreso is on the north coast of the Yucatán peninsula. Five hundred miles of coke bottle green Gulf of México stretch out in all directions from the beaches of Progreso. The sea breezes are fresh and briny and make this relatively new town in old tropical México positively pleasant read more |
| KIMBILÁ, IZAMAL, CITILCUM: BIKE AND BUS This is becoming a rare sight in Yucatan these days. Henequen cut and neatly stacked atop this antique truck rolls through town to be processed into sisal rope fiber. Jane shops at one of the many Kimbilá stores featuring the locally made handy-work of the talented sewing artisans. Izamal is a major photo-op stop and tourist destination in Yucatan and I will not attempt to do justice to the many impressive Mayan pyramids or spectacular colonial structures read more |
KIMBILÁ - IZAMAL,
YUCATAN
YUCATAN
CALKANI - NUNKINI
CAMPECHE
CAMPECHE
| CALKINI, BECAL, HALACHÓ, CHUC HOLOCH AND NUNKINI BY BIKE AND BUS Calkini is located seventy-five kilometers southwest of Mérida on the old Spanish highway known as the Camino Real half way to the capital city of Campeche In order to best enjoy and get a good prospective of this matchless area I recommend that you travel to Calkini by second class bus that will take you on a two and a half hour scenic tour through the small off the main road Mayan villages along the way. Catch this bus to Calkini at Mérida’s TAME terminal located on Calle 69 between 68 and 70 read more |
| TEKAX, KANKAB, CHACMULTÚN, TIXCUYTÚN, TIXMÉHAUC, CANTAMAYEC AND SOTUTA BY BIKE AND BUS We have been visiting one of our favorite colonial Yucatan towns, Tekax, since the days of the old narrow gauge railway train nearly a quarter century ago and have been eating at the same marvelous restaurant all these years. El Huinic de la Ermita restaurant, owned by our very good longtime friend Carlos Carrillo Góngora, is located at the foot of the 16th century Ermita chapel that is prominently and conspicuously perched above the city. A very pleasant and especially romantic thing to do is to climb the native stone stairs meandering up to the Ermita chapel in early evening to watch the city lights pop on as the stars above begin to fill the tropical twilight sky read more |
Tekax - La Ermita
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Ticul, Yucatán
Progreso, Yucatán
| SANTA ELENA, YUCATÁN The Maya held many secrets of survival here in this semi-arid nearly soil-less rocky terrain where they managed to flourish. Amazingly the Mayan temples south and east of here plus Uxmal all escaped the plunder of the Spanish conquistadors. read more |
YAXCABÁ AND TABI,
YUCATAN
YUCATAN
| We packed a week’s worth of activities into just one day. A twenty minute, seven kilometer bike ride from our home to the Noreste bus terminal in downtown Mérida is a joy with no traffic and a 21ºC salubrious temperature. We were able to sizzle along with no stops and did not see traffic until we passed the main market that was already bustling with busy early morning business. Our second class bus took us on a very sinuous scenic small village route, off the main road. At eight-thirty we were off-loading at Libre Unión which is little more than a wide place in the road some ninety kilometers east of Mérida. We were on the quiet colonial streets of Yaxcabá before nine AM. read more |
| Oxkutzcab, Yucatán - Changing Times Jane and I originally visited Oxkutzcab nearly thirty years ago when we the last operating in the world. That train has been out of service for more than twenty years now and few people even remember it In those days Oxkutzcab was a frontier town with a vast jungle extending south across the Puuc Hills and off into Central America. One thing that has hardly changed in all those years is that it is still a frontier. We surprised on this return trip. Even though the area has suffered from a lack of income due to many of its citizens being expelled from the US where they had worked as undocumented workers, the city seemed to have gained a new invigorating attitude. read more |
OXKUTZCAB, YUCATÁN
| CHUMAYEL,TEABO, TIPIKAL AND MANI You may travel the world over and never find a stranger or more interesting adventuresome get-a-way. This route was the key that unlocked the door to a rarely visited out of the tourist loop places and began our three day sojourn. We boarded a second class bus from Mérida bound for Chumayel with our folding bicycles stowed below. For two hours we sat back and were whisked along the seldom traveled back roads of Yucatán witnessing the quiet and quaint Mayan villages unaffected by the passing centuries. read more |
CHUMAYEL,TEABO,
TIPIKAL
TIPIKAL
| LABNÁ, XLAPAK, SAYIL AND KABAH - RUTA PUUC 2011 - Three lovely days in Yucatán. We invite you to come along with us on our bike-bus tour where we will share this eco-friendly adventure. We boarded the 9:30 AM Lus bus at the Noreste terminal at calle 50 y 67 bound for Oxkutzcab. Our folding Dahon bicycles were stowed below. Just twenty kilometers out of Mérida at Acanceh we had already left behind the big city rush. Bustling open air markets, festive circus carnivals, wooden scaffold bullfight rings, jubilant marching processions, street venders, people powered tricycles (triciclos de carga),and more all generated a cacophony of bizarre sounds commingled with a tantalizing olfactory enticement of regional cooking generating uncontrollable mouth watering temptations. This is the real Yucatán that tourists miss most! read more |
RUTA PUUC - LABNA,
XLAPAK, SAYIL & KABAH
XLAPAK, SAYIL & KABAH
| IZAMAL, YUCATÁN, TO KANTUNIL WITH VISITS TO CUAUHTÉMOC, SUDZAL AND XANABA One of the all time best one-day Yucatán get-away excursions we have found. As tourist end destinations go, Izamal is one of Yucatán’s finest and well worth a day or two of your time to explore and get to know. Izamal has a rich Mayan and conquistador history. Huge temple pyramids are still part of the town. A 16th century Franciscan monastery is situated atop one of them. read more |
IZAMALTO KANTUNIL WITH
SUDZAL AND XANABA
SUDZAL AND XANABA
| Aké; this is a small tranquil and quiet village located just 32 kilometers east of Mérida that makes a lovely bike/bus/taxi day trip where you will be treated to a rare commodity in this day and time. Believe it or not at Aké there are absolutely no tour buses, trinket vending peddlers, hammock hawkers or glitzy accommodations. This is the main attraction for those that want to experience a small slice of vintage Yucatan off the beaten tourist path. read more |
| Our book—built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids. Yucatán's Magic–Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels has led my wife and me to compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time. Available from Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle. For Barnes & Nobles Nook, click here. For EPUB edition: click here. |
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