El Cuyo

El Cuyo is a small fishermen’s town located in the Mexican state of Yucatan, with approximately 1750 inhabitants; it is a fishing port located almost in the border with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, and its streets are mainly of sand.

More and more tourists are starting to arrive to El Cuyo in order to get to know it and enjoy all of the charms of this paradise, which still resists the touristic pollution, being so close to the Mayan Riviera. You can get to El Cuyo from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum with about a 2-hour drive. You can find all the information to come to El Cuyo here. This authentic hidden treasure is located in the emerald coast of Yucatan in Mexico, just 30km from Holbox.

When you get to the town, you will start seeing a combination of wooden houses and typical Mexican constructions, all of them with very lively colors. Right after, you will see the lighthouse, built on the remainings of old Mayan ruins that welcome the visitors. El Cuyo is a small beachside community where you can enjoy the typical and quiet environment of a port town that invites you to relax and enjoy the beauty of its nature.

In some months of the year (between July and September), you can see how the sun rises from the sea in the mornings and how it also appears to go down that same sea in the afternoons. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, with amazing bright colors. Other times of the year you can see great sunsets from “El Mirador” (click for GPS location).
Wild animals all around, almost every day you can see wild dolphins, especially when the ocean is calmed. Seahorses have been spotted a couple of times in summer, and some occasional stingrays as well.

The peacefulness in this town’s atmosphere is unique. By looking into the locals’ faces, you can tell that sometimes in life we do not need much. Here, locals are always smiling and willing to help out, so if you know some Spanish we recommend you to interact with locals, and get soaked in their good vibes.

El Cuyo makes part of the Rio Lagartos reserve, a warm home for the pink flamingo and other animal species. About 18,000 birds color the nesting territory in pink. In the area, a total of 340 species of birds, 50 of mammals and 95 of reptiles coexist.
El Cuyo is also a reproduction place for the white or green turtle and even for the hawksbill turtle. You can easily see some of the flamingos feeding near the town’s small wood dock on the lagoon side.

The food is very traditional. You can find typical Mexican restaurants with fresh fish, lobster, shrimps, octopus.
Also you can find some of the most famous Yucatecan food like Cochinita pibil, baked tamales, and fresh ceviches.