Day in Costa Maya

Costa Maya, Mexico is a small tropical paradise with crystal clear water and is visited mostly by cruise ship passengers. It is also a gateway to the ancient Chacchoben Ruins that are located about 40 miles to the west. I have visited these ruins before and they are definitely worth seeing, but I just stayed at the port "village" and did some exploring this time.

This little town seems to cater to tourists with all of the shops and activities that can be found within its walls. There are many jewelry stores and souvenir shops located around the town. There is also a large pool with a swim-up bar located at the center of this town. The pool and beach/lounge area around it is completely free to access for all cruise passengers. This town also has a dolphin encounter area adjacent to the sea where paying guests can swim and interact with dolphins.

Another attraction in the port of Costa Maya (and the only one that I truly experienced) involves a series of suspension bridges that connect multiple elevated huts and tropical bird exhibits. This experience only costs $12 (USD) and includes a small cup of bird seeds. This was also something that can be experienced at one's own pace, so I spent about 45 minutes to an hour here.

I can't remember the last time that I went to an exhibit like this. I think that this was a great experience and it was well worth the surprisingly cheap price. The suspension bridges alone were worth the price, but the bird encounters and the gorgeous views were a great bonus! My only complaint from this is that I got pooped on, but it was an overall great experience that I would do again and I would highly recommend others to consider doing when visiting Costa Maya, especially if you’re on a budget.