La Quebrada is a 45 meter high cliff, in the Mexican port where the famous dives are made by young people who climb | Arlette Lopez / Shutterstock
For the wildest experiences and lifelong memories, make sure you spend some time in Mexico. There are wild adventures, intense urbanscapes and surreal experiences all to be had within the borders of a single country. Here are a few things you won’t want to miss.
Cliff diving
Natural Feature
Mich Haupt / Unsplash
Cliff diving is one dangerous sport – an incredible adrenaline rush and high-energy adventure. Mexico is home to three incredible diving locations. La Quebrada is where the professional divers jump in Acupulco, and if you chicken out you can always just watch the show. There is also Cenote Ik Kil, a 90-foot deep sink hole filled with water in the Yucatan and the oceanfront outcroppings in Mazatlan.
Ride El Chepe
Train Station
Eduardo Quiros / Shutterstock
Riding Mexico’s only passenger train, El Chepe, is easily one of the coolest things to do in the country. Even if you’re not big on train journeys, the spectacular scenery that accompanies the route of El Chepe from Los Mochis, Sinaloa to Chihuahua, Chihuahua will surely change your mind, as it passes right through the heart of the Copper Canyon. Stop off in tiny towns like Creel and enjoy the Copper Canyon views from Divisadero. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Scuba dive the MUSA
Museum
Jamie Madden / Unsplash
The MUSA is Mexico’s underwater art musuem in Cancun, near Isla Mujeres. The threatened sea life in the area gave birth to the musuem’s mission of integrating art and the natural environment and as time goes on their exhibit of underwater sculpture supports more and more aquatic life. You can take a glass-bottom boat trip out to see it but wouldn’t you rather be up close and personal? The musuem offers a scuba diving class in order to certify you to go out and if you are already certified all you gotta do is jump in!
Escape reality on Isla Holbox
Natural Feature
michielton / Unsplash
As mentioned above, swimming with tiger sharks can be enjoyed off the idyllic coast of Isla Holbox. But, if you’re a less adventurous soul, simply head to this petite and relatively undiscovered island to escape from the realities of real life. Littered with small eateries and innumerable hammocks, Holbox is the epitome of Mexican paradise. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Join a protest or parade in Mexico City
Architectural Landmark
Ana Moreno / Unsplash
The 28 million residents of Mexico’s capital love to get out in the street – and march! Whether protesting new government policy, celebrating gay pride or making a pilgrimage to see the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s millions will impress with their sheer quantities and the energy in the air will be contagious for anyone swept along in the movement. Don’t worry about mob mentality, 90% of the time Mexico’s manifestaciones are totally peaceful.
Enjoy a carne asada in the north
Natural Feature
Jonathan Borba / Unsplash
Nowhere does meat in Mexico like the north, whether it’s Sonora (reputed to have the best beef in country) or Monterrey (the city where carne asada is practically a religion). So, once you’ve done with the pyramids and the handicrafts, you might as well make your way towards the border, buy a 12 pack of Bud Light and go all out at a typical carne asada. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Dance to Son Jarocho in Veracruz
Architectural Landmark
Roger Ce / Unsplash
Son Jarocho, a combination of various indigienous and imported musical traditions is one of Mexico’s most delightful shows. Dancers stomp on a wooden platform while a dozen or so musicians frantically strum tiny guitars, a small metal piano-type instrument and maybe even a old jawbone or two. We promise that you will get swept away in the music and be unable to stop your feet from moving.
Visit all the pueblos
Natural Feature
Mexico is more than just cities though. Over 100 so-called pueblos mágicos litter the length and breadth of the country, each one offering a slight variation of appeal on the one before. Head to Tequila in Jalisco for an insight into Mexico’s most famous beverage, or marvel over the stone monolith which towers above Bernal. Alternatively, wander the streets of colourful Izamal or go silver-shopping in Taxco. The small-town Mexico options are endless. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Roadtrip through Baja California Sur
Natural Feature
Christopher Kuzman / Unsplash
One of Mexico’s most underappreciated states, Baja California is also one of the most desolate in the country. At the state’s northern and southern tips you will find plenty of people, places and palate-pleasing food, but the middle of the state is a wasteland of desert, wild-shaped cactus and a vista that goes for miles and miles. Make sure you gas up before you plunge into the middle unknown of Baja and then just enjoy the savage solitude.
Eat your way through Oaxaca
Historical Landmark
Roman Lopez / Unsplash
Oaxaca is widely considered to have some of Mexico’s most delicious dishes and drinks, from traditional mole to fat tamales oaxaqueños, as well as edible insects and the smoky spirit of the moment, mezcal. Before you turn thirty then, you should spend at least one holiday soaking up the sights and sounds of Oaxaca and, of course, eating everything in sight. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Visit the Central De Abastos Market
Market
peterwendt / Unsplash
Mexico’s biggest bulk market is a choatic and crazy place that sits just outside of the capital’s city limits. Want to be completely overwhelmed by mountains of mangos, piles of peanuts and tons of tomatoes? Make a visit to the Central de Abastos. We recommend that you go with a guide, since it’s easy to get lost in this market labyrinth, and that you leave the camera at home – vendors are serious and not fond of gawking rubberneckers – just try to blend in while you gape.
Watch the butterflies in Michoacán
Natural Feature
Joshua J. Cotten / Unsplash
Each year thousands of butterflies descend on the central-southern regions of Mexico, in particular Mexico State and Michoacán, to winter in the warmth before heading back north for summer. This arrival is one of the natural world’s most breathtaking events and you should definitely head to a butterfly reserve in Michoacán between December and March each year to catch a glimpse of these orange and black beauties. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Recharge at the Pyramids of Teotihuacan
Architectural Landmark, Historical Landmark
Ruben Hanssen / Unsplash
Every year on the spring solstice thousands of visitors climb the Pyramid of Sun in Teotihuacan at dawn to “recharge” for the coming year. Pilgrims come dressed in white, with red headbands or belts, lift their hands to the sun god and take in its energy. It’s not all serenity and calm, the vibe is more party than ritual, but it will be an unforgetable memory to take back with you from your trip to Mexico.
Take a guided trip through the Lacandón Jungle
Natural Feature
In Mexico’s deep south of Chiapas is the Lacandon Jungle, home to indigenous Mexican communities that hold fast to their traditions and ancestry. This is also the base for the Zapatista movement of the 1990s and is home to many autonomous communities. Take a tour through this incredibly rich natural and cultural region by kayak, raft, or hiking.
Experience Day of the Dead
Natural Feature
lalo2k / Unsplash
With the success of Coco, Disney’s greatest film ever (OK, OK, maybe that’s a slightly subjective take), Day of the Dead and the traditions surrounding this beautiful, age-old Mexican celebration are more popular than ever. However, instead of watching it play out onscreen, you must head to Mexico for Día de Muertos before you’re thirty. Choose from one of the three principal celebratory spots: Mexico City, Oaxaca City or Isla Janitzio, Michoacán. Recommended by Lauren Cocking.
Hike Pico de Orizaba
Natural Feature, Park
hiebj / Unsplash
The highest mountain in Mexico and third highest in North America is an intense journey through high-altitude ice, snow and volacnic rock. Taking an alpine start (starting somewhere between 2 and 3 am) will allow you see the sunrise at the summit and check out the glorious shadow the mountain casts over the plains below. Make sure you plan in advance, as this isn’t your regular walk in the woods.
Swim with whales in the Sea of Cortez
Natural Feature
yorkshiregirl / Unsplash
Each year the California Grey Whales migrate to the Sea of Cortez for mating and birthing rituals. This is an incredible time to get up close and personal with these magestic animals. The waters here are so safe from predators and the whales so accustomed to being around humans that not only can you take a boat trip out to see them but many guides will take you right out into the water, face to face with this marine beauties.
Ride the rapids in Veracruz
Architectural Landmark
srcharls / Unsplash
Veracruz’s Rio Actopan is not for the faint of heart with Class 3 and 4 whitewater rapids to take on. There are approxiamately 40 or so rivers that run through this central coastal state with varying degrees of adrenaline-producing rapids, breathtaking scenery and lots of side trips for hiking and seeing ancient ruins. It’s the perfect vacation for an adventure traveler.
The Best Trips and Tours in Mexico
Historical Landmark
Michael Potts F1 / Shutterstock
Mexico is one of the most exciting countries in North America, if not the world, with its lively city streets brimming with culture, music and some of the best street food you’ll find anywhere. But it’s also a country of fascinating history and amazing natural wonders, with Aztec and Mayan temples found right next to mystical cenotes. Check out these trips and tours to make the most of your visit to this spectacular destination.
