So, it finally hit us. We only have 3 months left of our “vacation” in Playa del Carmen. What adventures have we had lately? We realized that we’ve been a little too lazy, just lounging around and soaking in the sun. There is still so much to see, we better get moving…
Two years ago, our friends Jeannie and Winthrop spent their honeymoon in a small town in Mexico called Punta Allen. They told us that to get there they were flying into Cancun, renting a jeep, driving a few hours south, possibly on some very rough roads, and staying in a town that only had electricity for a few hours a day. At that time, we thought they were crazy. Last Friday, we thought, “Game on!”
Punta Allen is located about 75 miles south of Playa del Carmen. To get there, you drive through Tulum and continue heading south. On our first trip to Tulum, the paved road was only a few miles long. It has since been extended another 10 miles or so. However, that left about 25 miles of pot-holes and sand traps for us to endure. We felt the Civic was up for the challenge.
Full map is here.
We got an early start on the day, leaving PDC (1) around 11:00am. (We told you we’re lazy!) By noon, we were past Tulum (2) and had reached the end of the road. Shortly thereafter, we entered the Sian Ka’an biosphere (3), Mexico’s most comprehensively naturally protected environment (so says the guidebook). Another guidebook fact : Sian Ka’an is Yucatek for “Where Heaven is Born”.
Against our better judgement, we stopped at a place declaring itself a “Tourist Center and Museum”. To our surprise, they actually did have about 10 signs describing some trees, as well as the obligatory souvenir shop and restaurant. The highlight of the center was a lookout tower, built like a makeshift tree house, on top of a single tree trunk. Although the spiral steps that circled the tower were creaking and the tower was swaying wildly, we managed to make it to the top for an incredible 360 degree view of the peninsula.
Another 45 minutes into our trip, we arrived at Xamach Dos for lunch (4). Besides the staff, Gary and Jose, there was no one else around. Gary asked us if we needed a drink and brought us some cold beers. The food options for the day were shrimp, lobster and barracuda. We both decided to try the barracuda. (By the way, John hates seafood.) While we waited for our lunch to be prepared, we had some quiet time to just enjoy the magnificent scenery (pics in the Punta Allen gallery below). The food was awesome. Gary told us we were still 12 miles from Punta Allen and the roads got a lot worse. We couldn’t stop now.
Close to an hour later and still 4 miles out, the road narrowed to one lane that went over a very sandy area (5). The Civic handled the first few sand pits like a champ. However, the sand dunes in the road gradually got higher and higher, to the point where we were plowing the bottom of the car directly through the sand. Not knowing how much longer the sand dunes lasted, we decided to retreat. Performing a 3 point turn on a one lane beach road should be a skill taught in Driver’s Education! Somehow, we managed to turn the car around and head back home. We look forward to trying the trip again. Next time we’ll be in a rental jeep. Bummer.
We’ve also posted many new galleries for your viewing pleasure:
Tulum
Ek Balam
Chichén Itzá
Valladolid
Family & Friends
Punta Allen - The Road To Nowhere
