Have you ever wanted to go further afield and explore more of the Yucatán Peninsula during your vacation? A world of wonders awaits you. You can rent a car or arrange a private tour through Thomas More Travel. With your own van, driver and guide you can see more of the area at your own pace and leave the driving to someone else.

Exploring eastern Yucatan

Spend the day exploring Chichen Itza, a powerful Maya metropolis in ancient times and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy lunch and a cool off at a nearby hotel and stay on for the Maya Nights video mapping display after dark. For more Mayan marvels, combine your Chichen Itza visit with a side trip to the smaller site of Ek Balam, 20 minutes to the north of Valladolid.

Or you can head for two of Yucatan’s colonial towns and Pueblos Magicos (Magical Towns) Valladolid and Izamal. Both are rich in history and traditions and surrounded by cenotes, archaeological sites and haciendas.

In Valladolid you can stroll through the main square, visit colonial churches and a 16^th-century monastery and see two amazing collections of Mexican folk art at Casa de los Venados, a privately-owned hacienda-style home on Calle 40 a few steps from the main square (guided tours are available at 10 a.m., Valladolid time), and the Mexican Ethnic Clothing Museum (MUREM) next to Parque San Juan.

On the outskirts of Valladolid is the Mayapan distillery that produces a liquor from the blue agave of tequila fame. Tours are available and you can see how the boles of the agave or piñas are cooked and crushed to extract the sugar-sweet sap, which is then fermented and distilled using a time-honored artisanal technique.

Near the distillery is Vallazoo, a wildlife park where you can see native species such as jaguars, white-tail deer and spider monkeys and learn about the park’s breeding program.

For some respite from the midday heat, cool off in a cenote or sinkhole. There are several in the Valladolid area such as Dzitnup, Hacienda Oxman and Hubiku.

Two historic monuments dominate the Izamal skyline: the Kinich Kakmo pyramid, one of the largest ancient buildings in Mesoamerica, and the 16^th-century Convento de San Antonio de Padua painted in dazzling yellow and with a white trim. Built by the Franciscan order, this sprawling monastery has one of the largest atriums in the world and is a shrine to the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, patron saint of the Yucatan.

Izamal is also home to families of craftsmen and women and you watch them at work during a walking tour of neighborhoods in different parts of town. Some are hammock weavers or earn their living embroidering traditional huipil dresses and blouses. Others make papier mâché butterflies and birds or silver jewelry from the woody tips of henequen leaves.

Plan a trip to Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on the Gulf coast for a boat trip to see the huge colony of flamingos – there are thousands of them – and the many other birds that live in the wetlands and coastal lagoons. You’ll need to get there early, as the birds are most active at sunrise and sunset. If you are hungry after your boat trip, the seafood in Rio Lagartos or nearby San Felipe is excellent.

Merida and Uxmal

Head for Merida, capital of the Yucatan, and after you have explored its 16^th-century Cathedral and other colonial churches, opulent 19^th-century mansions, museums, galleries and markets, use it as your base for exploring the southern part of the state.

Tour the Puuc Route, famous for the ancient Maya city of Uxmal and the smaller archaeological sites of Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak and Labna, all of which share UNESCO World Heritage status.

Visit some of the restored haciendas in the area, they include Yaxcopoil, San Pedro Ochil, Santa Rosa de Lima and Temozon Sur (both hotels). Other attractions include the Choco Story Museum at Hacienda Uxmal, the cenotes at Cuzama, Loltun Caves and the Convent Route, a chain of villages with colonial churches, caves, cenotes and archaeological sites that starts with picturesque Mani, also a Pueblo Mágico, and includes Mama, Teabo, Mayapan and Acanceh.

Southern Quintana Roo

Alternatively, turn your sights south from the Riviera Maya and head for central and southern Quintana Roo. Discover the ancient Maya sites of Muyil and Chacchoben and the historic town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto in the Zona Maya.

If you would like to meet the Maya and learn more about their lives, Maya Ka’an is a collection of community and nature tours taking you to villages in Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and the Zona Maya such as Tihosuco, Señor, Chunhuhub and Noh Bec.

Divers and fishermen should head for the Caribbean fishing villages of Mahahual and Xcalak on the Costa Maya. Dive trips are available to Banco Chinchorro, a spectacular coral atoll rich in marine life that has been the downfall of many a ship down the ages.  Spanish galleons, 19^th-century merchantmen and modern cargo vessels have all foundered on its jagged reefs.

Further south is spectacular Bacalar, the Lagoon of Seven Colors, the state capital Chetumal and the archaeological sites of Oxtankah, Kohunlich and Dzibanche.

For an unforgettable trip into the wild, visit the ancient Mayan capital of Calakmul in southern Campeche, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its monuments and the biodiversity of the jungle protected by the vast Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.

If you want to go exploring contact Thomas More Travel for more information about private tours and sightseeing itinerary ideas.