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Just
over 30 years old, Cancun is one of Mexico’s
most popular tourist destinations. Situated
at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, the area
is equally famous for both the modern and the
ancient. All of the tourist related areas on
the beaches are brand new. The Yucatan, however,
has been known for many years as the site for
ancient Mayan ruins.
 Shaped
in the form of the number seven, the area’s
Hotel Zone, is lined with deluxe hotels, restuarants
and nightclubs, and the downtown area, offers
shopping, a theater and convention center. Over
2 million people flock to the shores of Cancun
annually, and there is good reason for this.
The local environment is stunning; the beaches
are pristine and the sea here is perfect for
swimming and water activities; added to this,
within a short traveling distance visitors can
find themselves at the heart of some of the
most amazing and breathtaking archaeological
wonders of the world.
Just south of Cancun, you can tour the Mayan
Riviera and check out Playa del Carmen, Xcaret
and Xel-Ha, ancient Mayan ports that have been
converted into modern-day paradises. Like cave
diving? Hundreds of miles of underwater rivers
traverse the Yucatan. Also nearby is Tulum,
a fascinating archaeological site perched on
the shores of the Caribbean. It was the only
walled city built by the Mayans. Just offshore
and easily enjoyed as a one day trip are Isla
Mujeres and Cozumel where you can enjoy the
experience of snorkeling and scuba diving along
the coral reefs.
Diving
from the mainland of the Yucatan penninsula
offers an array of choices. From the shallow
and colorful reefs off Cancun and Playa Del
Carman to the miles of cenotes that have made
the Yucatan one of the top cave diver destinations.
Farther south is the newest destination, the
Chinchorro Banks, part of the second largest
barrier reef in the world.
Offshore, visibility is an average of 100 ft.,
inshore expect a little less. The cenotes offer
crystal clear visibility at all times.
Dive
Services
Getting
There
Cancun’s
international airport is the country’s
second busiest airport after Mexico City. There
are direct flights to practically all the  world’s
major cities and connections to other cities
in Southeast Mexico and Central America.
Cancun occupies a strategic geographical position
on the continent and, being the premier Caribbean
tourism destination, Cancun’s airport has
become very important to the region. Twenty-one
airlines arrive and depart from Cancun for domestic
and international flights and four airlines
have formed a regional flight network linking
cities in the Maya World.
Located just eight kilometers (5 miles) from
the city, five kilometers (3 miles) from the
Hotel Zone and 379 kilometers (235.5 miles)
from state capital, Chetumal, the airport covers
an 800-hectare area (1977 acres).
Airlines Servicing Cancun
Aero
Caribe / Aero Cozumel
Aero
Mexico
American
Airlines
Aviacsa
Aviateca
British
Airways
Continental
Iberia
Lacsa
Martin
Air
Mexicana
Northwest
Entry
Requirements
New
Travel Regulations
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
The proposed implementation timeline has
two phases:
Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons,
including U.S. citizens, traveling by
air between the United States and Canada,
Mexico, Central and South America, the
Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required
to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS
card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner
Document, or an Alien Registration Card,
Form I-551, if applicable.
As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons,
including U.S. citizens, traveling between
the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and
South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda
by land or sea (including ferries), may
be required to present a valid passport
or other documents as determined by the
Department of Homeland Security. While
recent legislative changes permit a later
deadline, the Departments of State and
Homeland Security are working to meet
all requirements as soon as possible.
Ample advance notice will be provided
to enable the public to obtain passports
or passport cards for land/sea entries.
The passport requirement does NOT apply
to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning
directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens
returning directly from a U.S. territory
are not considered to have left the United
States and do not need to present a passport.
U.S. territories include the following:
Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
American Samoa, Swains Island, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
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Note:
No brief account of the complex Mexican Passport/Visa
regulations is likely to be fully successful
and visitors are advised to use the following
for general guidance. Non-compliance with
visa regulations will result in fines and
transportation (at the carrier's expense)
to the visitor's country of origin.
PASSPORTS: Passport valid for at least 1 year
after date of entry is required.
 Tourist
cards: Available only to people entering Mexico
on vacation, for reasons of health, or to
engage in scientific, artistic or sporting
activities which are neither remunerative
nor lucrative. Valid for the holder only.
Other persons (including minors) travelling
on the same passport must have their own card.
The card is a single-entry document and is
issued free of charge. The Consular office
retains the right to request further evidence
of the applicant's intention to visit Mexico
as a tourist whenever such intention has not
been established to the Consul's satisfaction.
The same right applies with regard to evidence
of the applicant's financial means to sustain
him/herself while in Mexico.
Note: (a) Visitors eligible for Tourist Cards
(see below) can be issued with Tourist Cards
by any Mexican Consulate, on board the plane
or at the point of entry in Mexico. (b) Tourist
Cards must be kept by the visitor during the
entire length of stay as they will have to
be presented and stamped on leaving.
Nationals of the following countries are eligible
for a Tourist card: (a) 1. EU countries for
stays of up to 180 days (except nationals
of Austria, France, Greece and Luxembourg
who can stay for up to 90 days);
(b) 2. Australia, Canada, Japan and the USA
for stays of up to 180 days;
(c) Andorra, Argentina, Bermuda, Chile, Costa
Rica, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New
Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia,
Switzerland and Uruguay for stays of up to
180 days;
(d) Czech Republic, Israel, Monaco and Poland
for up to 90 days;
(e) Korea (Rep. of) for up to 60 days;
(f) Brazil and Venezuela for up to 30 days.
For requirements and regulations relevant
to other nationalities, contact the Mexican
Embassy.
VISAS: Required by all except holders of a
Tourist Card or visa-replacing document. Nationals
of the following countries require a special
authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior
in Mexico: Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, China (PR),
Croatia, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, India, Jordan,
Korea (DPR), Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey
(unless permanent residents of UK), Vietnam
and Western Sahara region. Authorisation takes
approximately 3 to 4 weeks.
Application requirements: Tourist Visa: (a)
Passport with minimum of 6 months' validity.
(b) Application form. (c) 1 passport-size
photo. (d) Original return ticket. (e) Fee
(payable in cash only). (f) Proof of sufficient
funds (US$50 per day) to cover length of stay.
(g) Postal applications must be accompanied
by a covering letter specifying the purpose
of the trip and the dates of entry and departure.
Applications should be made in a stamped,
self-addressed envelope with recorded or registered
delivery.
Business Visitors Card: (a)-(b) and, (c) 2
passport-size photos. (d) Letter from applicant's
employer accepting financial responsibility
to cover the applicant's stay, which also
states the nature of business to be undertaken
and the name and address of the business contact(s)
in Mexico. For visits of more than 30 days,
a multiple-entry card is needed, as well as
a letter from the local Chamber of Commerce
(or Department of Trade and Industry) confirming
the sponsoring company is a member of either
body. (e) Fee (payable in cash, postal order
or company cheque). (f) Postal applications
must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed
envelope with recorded delivery.
Note: 3. If intending to undertake business
or work of a technical or scientific nature,
normal visa regulations do not apply, and
it is necessary to obtain a Visitors Card.
It is vital to contact the local Mexican consular
representative well in advance of the intended
date of departure in order to secure the necessary
authorisation (see address section). Non-British
Nationals seeking to visit Mexico on business
are advised to check with the Consulate regarding
visa requirements and fees.
Visitor
Information
Getting
Around
Tourist information is available at most of
the resort hotels. You'll also find the tourism
office in Cancun City on the east side of
Avenida Tulum between Avenidas Coba and Uxmal.
It's open daily 9 am-9 pm.
 You
can explore the Hotel Zone on your own by
taking a public bus or taxi along Paseo Kukulkan,
the main thoroughfare (and almost the only
street). The distances between resort hotels
can be long, however, so walking may not be
practical. You'll definitely need transportation
to get from the Hotel Zone to Cancun City.
Both the Hotel Zone and Cancun City are considered
safe to walk around,
While it isn't necessary to rent a car while
in the Cancun Downtown / Hotel Zone area,
you may decide to venture further south to
the Mayan Riviera, Playa Del Carmen, Chichén
Itzá, etc. Rental cars, primarily standard-shift
sub compacts and four-wheel-drive vehicles,
are available at the airport and throughout
Cancun. The standard rate is about $50 USD
per day for the car, tax, and insurance. You
can also rent an automatic car with air-conditioning
at a much higher price. You can also hire
a big, late-model car with air-conditioning
and an English- speaking chauffeur at many
hotel travel desks. You must have a license
and be at least 21 years old. Driving in the
Yucatan is on the right. Streets and roads
outside Cancun are not always up to the standards
you may be used to. If you drive on the mainland,
keep your tank filled-gas stations are scarce.
- Rental Car and Driving Tips
- Look over the rental car and have the rental
agent write down anything that is wrong with
it, no matter how small. When you return the
car you may be charged for even the most minor
scratches (even on the bumper) if they aren't
noted on the paperwork. Also, make sure the
lights and wipers work. You can't be too careful
with this process - they will get you for
anything not written down.
 -
Buy the Mexican insurance. Yes, sometimes
rental car insurance comes with your credit
card, but this doesn't work the same way in
Mexico. Although your own insurance says it
covers you in Mexico, they generally mean
they will reimburse you for damages. If there
are problems and you do not have the Mexican
insurance you may be required to pay the damages
before you are allowed to leave the country,
and can be held in jail until the money arrives.
Even with Mexican insurance, there is often
a $1000 deductible you have to pay if the
car is damaged.
- Pass with caution. Passing is a major cause
of car accidents around here. Other drivers
are probably going much faster than you realize
- so don't pass unless you have more than
enough room. Oncoming traffic will sometimes
pass when they are heading straight at you
- and they are expecting YOU to move onto
the shoulder to give them room to pass! If
you pass without enough room, the driver in
your lane and the one coming the other direction
will not make it easy for you to pull back
in.
- Avoid driving at night whenever possible.
Things appear in the road without warning
(cattle, people, etc.); some highways are
poorly lit; some drivers don't even turn their
lights on.
- Remember... Distance and speed limits are
posted in kilometers instead of miles. To
convert kilometers to miles, multiply kilometers
by .62. (Something 100 kilometers away is
62 miles away; 100 kilometers per hour is
62 miles per hour, etc...)
Military Check Points. There are military
check points at all state borders and sometimes
just South of the Cancun airport and in Tulum,
often looking for illegal drugs. The soldiers
working there are generally very polite. They
ask where you are coming from and going and
what you did there. Tell the truth. If you
are at a state border, they will also ask
about agricultural products like fruit or
chickens.
- Speed Traps. Around Cancun there are several
speed traps where local police wait for rental
cars to come speeding by so they can stop
them and try for a bribe. Here is your best
defense - do not speed in and around Cancun,
particularly in the hotel zone and between
Cancun and the airport.
If you run out of gas or break down, don't
leave the vehicle; Mexico's "Green Angels,"
part of the Tourism Department, patrol the
main roads and will lend you assistance.
- Gasoline is sold in liters (3.78 liter=l
gallon). Nova (blue pump) is leaded; Magna
Sin (green pump) is unleaded. Only cash is
accepted. Most stations close by 10 PM. There
is no self-service, and it is customary to
tip your attendant with a few coins.
Scooters and mopeds can be rented for about
US$25-$30 a day anywhere in the Hotel Zone.
But be aware that speeding traffic,  particularly
along Avenida Kukulkan, makes this a dangerous
way to travel. Helmets are required by Mexican
law.
Taxis are available at all of the resorts.
Expect to pay US$4-$6 for a ride along Paseo
Kukulkan. Be prepared to bargain, and settle
on the fare before entering the vehicle.
Public buses run along Paseo Kukulkan in the
Hotel Zone and stop at paradas (bus stops),
which are marked with kilometer posts. Buses
also connect to the commercial area along
Avenida Tulum in Cancun City. You can take
the bus anywhere along Kukulkan for less than
US$1
Banks
Banks are open Monday to Friday from 9 am
to 3 pm, some until 5 pm. A few open on Saturdays
from 10 am to 1:30 pm, and there are banks
and ATMs in the Riviera Maya.
Shopping
 Duty
free shops can be found at the forum by the
Sea Plaza, La Isla Plaza, Cancun International
Airport and Puerta Maya.
If you want bargains, head to the mainland
to Cancun City's outdoor markets lining the
east side of Avenida Tulum-but note that while
prices may be lower there, the quality can
be, too. Market vendors may not accept credit
cards; even if they do, you can often get
a better price if you offer cash instead of
credit cards. Almost all stores take U.S.
dollars as well as pesos-often you'll find
prices marked in both currencies-or even just
U.S. dollars! Bargaining is expected in the
markets in Cancun City, but plan to pay the
marked price in shops in the Hotel Zone. Almost
all the shops in the Hotel Zone take major
credit cards. Shopping is a popular pastime
in the Hotel Zone, but don't expect many bargains
in the shopping malls. In fact, you can expect
prices to be higher than in other parts of
Mexico. The shopping malls contain everything
from souvenir shops to internationally known
boutiques-resort wear and handicrafts are
among the best buys. Handicrafts include handwoven
fabrics, blown glass and jewelry. The largest
shopping malls are Plaza Caracol, Plaza Kukulkan
(midway along Paseo Kukulkan) and Plaza Flamingo.
Nightlife
During the day Cancun is pretty laid back.
That changes at night when both the Hotel
Zone and downtown start rocking with music.
It’s all here: salsa, meringue, flamenco,
reggae, jazz, classical, disco, rock and roll,
hip-hop and techno. Many restaurants do double
duty as party centers with “all you can
drink” specials and waiters who don’t
hesitate to get up on stage and dance in between
serving drinks. Cancun Discos and dance bars
usually have taped music accompanied to high
tech laser light shows with the occasional
live band thrown in for good measure. The
Cancun nightclubs, especially the Latin Clubs,
all have live music and import some of the
hottest bands from Latin America. Barhopping
during happy hour (4 PM – 7 PM) is a
great way to check out the different hotels
and evening cruises have a high-energy, party
atmosphere. For a taste of how the locals
like to party head to one of the Salsa clubs
or check out the clubs in the downtown area.
There is usually a free evening concert in
the downtown Parque de las Palapas and close
by are some excellent jazz clubs featuring
local musicians. Just choose your spot and
you can dance until the wee hours of the morning.
Electricity
110 volts, same as in the U.S.
Water
Most hotels and restaurants use purified water,
but you should be safe and drink bottled water
whenever possible - don't let yourself get
dehydrated because you're afraid to drink
the water.
Dress
Dress in Cancun is very casual with the accent
on comfort. Remember to pack comfortable walking
shoes. The activities at the hotels and the
area dictate sporting clothes. In the evenings,
you may want to dress up, but not too much.
Rubber soled shoes are recommended for tours
to archeological sites. Boots, long sleeve
light cotton shirts and long trousers are
best for those interested in jungle treks.
A light jacket, shawl or sweater is advisable
for the evenings of November, December and
January.
Tipping
Tips in Mexico are generally 15%, tipping
cab drivers is not expected, and tipping the
maid in the hotel a couple of dollars a day
(per room) is greatly appreciated.
Time Zone
Equal to U.S. Central Time
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