Mexico · Americas

Quintana Roo

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  • Code:ROO
  • Type:state
  • Population:1.9M (2020)
  • Area:44,705 km²
  • Elevation:31 m
  • Capital:Chetumal

Introduction

Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean side of the Yucatán Peninsula, is Mexico's beach playground — a coast of turquoise water and white sand running from the resorts of Cancún down the Riviera Maya past Tulum to the wild south. For travellers it combines world-famous beaches and reefs with clifftop and jungle Maya ruins, crystal cenotes, eco-parks, the Sian Ka'an wilderness and the multicoloured lagoon of Bacalar — the Caribbean face of Mexico.

Overview

Quintana Roo fronts the Caribbean Sea along the eastern edge of the Yucatán Peninsula, and it is the heart of Mexico's beach tourism — a 400-kilometre coast of powder-white sand, impossibly turquoise water and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world, just offshore. Its gateway is Cancún, the purpose-built resort city whose long Hotel Zone of beachfront towers and nightlife sits beside an authentic Mexican downtown, with the calm Isla Mujeres a short ferry away. South of it stretches the Riviera Maya: the lively beach town of Playa del Carmen with its pedestrian Quinta Avenida, the diving island of Cozumel (a world-class reef destination) offshore, the family eco-parks of Xcaret and Xel-Há, and a string of resorts and beach clubs. Its most iconic site is Tulum, where a compact Maya walled city stands dramatically on a cliff above a turquoise beach — paired today with a famous boho beach-and-wellness scene. Inland, the flat jungle hides hundreds of cenotes (freshwater sinkholes) and the world's longest underwater cave systems, superb for swimming, snorkelling and cave diving, and the great jungle-clad Maya city of Cobá, with a pyramid rising above the canopy. To the south, the vast Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve — a UNESCO World Heritage wetland of lagoons, mangroves and wildlife — and the dreamlike 'Lagoon of Seven Colours' at Bacalar offer a wilder, quieter Caribbean, while the relaxed island of Holbox to the north draws those seeking a slower pace (and, in summer, the whale sharks). Quintana Roo is hot and humid year-round; the drier, cooler season from November to April is the prime time, with the summer and autumn hotter and the hurricane season running roughly June to November. (Some Caribbean beaches see seasonal sargassum seaweed, mainly spring to summer.)

Discover Quintana Roo

Cancún is the gateway to the Mexican Caribbean — a resort city whose 20-kilometre Hotel Zone (Zona Hotelera) lines a barrier island of brilliant white beaches and turquoise sea with big hotels, beach clubs and nightlife, backed by a lagoon and an authentic, more affordable downtown (El Centro). From Cancún, a short ferry reaches the laid-back island of Isla Mujeres, with its calm Playa Norte beach and golf-cart pace. South down the coast runs the Riviera Maya: Playa del Carmen, the lively, cosmopolitan beach town built around the pedestrian Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) of shops, bars and restaurants; the island of Cozumel just offshore, one of the world's premier scuba-diving destinations on the Mesoamerican reef; the nature-and-culture eco-parks of Xcaret and Xel-Há; and a long ribbon of resorts, beach clubs and smaller towns like Puerto Morelos and Akumal (famous for swimming with sea turtles). It's the busiest and most developed stretch of coast, with a beach and a resort for every style.

Ways to Experience This Destination

Caribbean Beaches

Cancún and the Riviera Maya's white sands and turquoise sea, Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres.

Maya Ruins & Cenotes

Clifftop Tulum, the jungle pyramid of Cobá and the region's crystal cenotes and underground rivers.

Reef & Diving

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef off Cozumel and Puerto Morelos for world-class diving and snorkelling.

Wild South & Islands

The Sian Ka'an biosphere, the seven-coloured lagoon of Bacalar and laid-back Holbox island.

Frequently asked questions

All are on Quintana Roo's Caribbean coast but have different vibes. Cancún is the big, lively resort city with a beachfront Hotel Zone and nightlife, and the main airport. Playa del Carmen, an hour south, is a walkable, cosmopolitan beach town built around its pedestrian Fifth Avenue. Tulum, further south, pairs the famous clifftop Maya ruins with a boho-chic beach-and-wellness scene (now busier and pricier). Many visitors base in one and day-trip to the others and the cenotes.

Cities in Quintana Roo

Cancún

This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.