| Playa del Carmen lies halfway between
Cancún
and Tulúm
on a coastal strip that combines jungle, mangrove swamps and
white, sandy beaches.
Playa del Carmen also offers a variety of outdoor activities.
Snorkeling and scuba diving on the Great Mayan Reef have been
popular for decades. There is also kayaking on the Pájaros
River near the mangroves.
Playa del Carmen is named for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who
is the patron saint of Cancún. Her feast is celebrated
on July 16.
CRAFTS
Playa del Carmen is a great place for Mexican crafts. Boutiques
and vendors on the street vendors carry everything from colorfully
embroidered dresses to imaginative jewelry.
ARCHAEOLOGY
A post-classic archaeological site is Xamanhá.
URBAN STATS
The cosmopolitan town has become a city with the highest urban
growth in the country. It is the third largest city in Quintana
Roo, after Cancún and Chetumal.
CAVE DIVING
In 2007 cave divers identified what is possibly the longest
underground river in the world. The waterway extends through
two limestone systems for 95 miles and connects two cave systems.
British diver Stephen Bogaerts and fellow diver Robbie Schmittner
from Germany, spent four years exploring the area looking for
a connection between Sac Actun and Nohoch Nah Chich, the Yucatán's
second and third longest cave systems. The divers believe that
the river may connect to two other major systems, which would
add an additional 125 miles to its length. |
