Chetumal Travel Guide

  bulls head, saw several
by whalehead
 
  • bulls head, saw several
      bulls head, saw several
    by whalehead
  •   Chetumal
    by jayggg
  •   Chetumal
    by jayggg
  • Painting in the Mayan Cultural Museum
      Painting in the Mayan Cultural Museum
    by Redlats
  • Malecon at Chetumal
      Malecon at Chetumal
    by mayadoc
 

Explore Chetumal

Things to Do  

meat meat meat

meat meat meat, Chetumal

 whalehead Says:  All kinds of cattle in different array of undress. Basically a meat portioning house I guess.This was a Monday morning as well may make a difference.This was not there later in the day. 

Kayaking at Xul-Ha

Kayaking at Xul-Ha, Chetumal

 jacksimpson Says:  This was even more scenic to kayak than Bacalar because of the lush vegetation and an apparent influx of fresh water from underground. Xul-Ha is a cenote.The water flows from an underground limestone cavern and usually flows to the sea. We were actually able to dive down in... 

kayaking

kayaking, Chetumal

 jacksimpson Says:  The waters of Bacalar Lagoon are wonderful for water sports, especially kayaking. The calmness of the water and warm temperature make for an enjoying time. The water is crystal clear and a beautiful blue. There are almost no fish at all because of the high mineral content of... 

Corozal Duty Free Zone

Corozal Duty Free Zone, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  Just 10 to 12 km from downtown Chetumal is the Corozal Duty Free Zone. It is actually in Belize, and Mexicans can enter and leave the zone without paying any duties or taxes, so it primarily caters to Mexicans. That means that we could not find clothing that would fit our... 

Walk the downtown

Walk the downtown, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  Chetumal's economy is influenced by its proximity to the Mexico-Belize border. That is the reason we visited -- It was billed as a "Road trip to Belize". Once we got there, we found out that Belize City was over three hours drive away.But there is a tax-free zone close by... 

Mayan Cultural Museum - Heaven and Hell

Mayan Cultural Museum - Heaven and Hell, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  The museum uses the image of the sacred Ceiba tree to help explain the relationship between Mayan life, the thirteen heavens (the upper floor), and Xibalba - the underword (the basement of the museum)The upper floor describes the Mayan religion and some of their gods. Only... 

Mayan Museum - Outside display

Mayan Museum - Outside display, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  We visited the Mayan Museum for an afternoon. There is an outside area, and three floors of displays. Staff do not speak English, but the museum contents have plaques written in Spanish and English. Entry fee per person in 2006 is 50 pesos (about $4.50US). We had considered... 

Mayan Cultural Museum - Middle Earth

Mayan Cultural Museum - Middle Earth, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  The large main floor includes information about the Mayan world -- describes the periods of the various Mayan people, shows the various city sites, has displays of what Mayan life is like, and has models of some of the Mayan ruins and structures. There is also a lot about... 

Mayan Cultural Museum - my impressions

Mayan Cultural Museum - my impressions, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  The Mayan Museum is highly touted. I kept reading that it is modern, interactive, has a variety of platforms -- videos, computer terminals, physical models, plaques, many replicas, etc.I was actually somewhat disappointed. The museum did inform about Maya culture, but the... 

Maya Cultural Museum - Art Galleries

Maya Cultural Museum - Art Galleries, Chetumal

 Redlats Says:  Outside the museum proper, there were a number of rooms displaying art. I do not think the displays we saw were permanent, but when you visit, leave some time to check out the temporary displays.Don't you love the carving? It is called Se?or con tres Mujeres (Man with three... 

Hotels  

Los Cocos

 45 Opinions

Restaurants  

pollon's Restaurant Tip
pollon profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

pollon 686 reviews

when in this town, I enjoyed the friendly service of El Fenicio restaurante with its touch of refinement but in an easy going environment and at reasonable prices

in Mexico the dinner time goes from about 18.00 to 21.00 and if you are looking for a restaurant in Chetumal after this time, there are two only remaining possibilities: hot dogs by a street trader (like the one in my bad taken pic... sorry the tripod was in the hotel...) or the fairly posh Los Cocos with its impeccable service: cloth and not paper table napkins, artistically folded, a glass of water served as soon as you sit down, which won't look so strange to a Canadian but it is in Mexico, and served with the important clarification that it's purified water in a refined atmosphere but not of the kind which inhibits or clashes with poverty, of the kind which mollycoddles you... even if my preference always goes to more 'local' places...

Favorite Dish: chicken tacos dorados at El Fenicio and a sopa with avocado and mexican sauce before the dish of melted queso (cheese) at Los Cocos

Written Oct 4, 2002

Was this review helpful?

Transportation  

Getting there and around: Belize and Mexico

Getting there and around: Belize and Mexico, Chetumal

 darthmilmo Says:  There are plenty of buses going all the way to Cancun, Mexico. There are also several daily buses going to Belize City, Belize. The border between Belize and Mexico is a breeze. Just make sure you bring enough cash to cover the $20 USD demanded by the Belize immigration and... 

from Cancun the very...

from Cancun the very..., Chetumal

 pollon Says:  from Cancun the very comfortable autobuses de oriente Ado asks you 162 pesos for a 6 hours trip with conditioned air and even TV aboard...while to cross the border with Belize, which takes about one hour, custom formalities included, the bus in the pic. it leaves from the... 

Warnings and Dangers  

if you need a bathroom when...
pollon profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

pollon 686 reviews

if you need a bathroom when you arrive at the bus station, remember that they ask you for 2 pesos but with receipt...

and if you don't find the flush, it's because there isn't and you just have to rotate the cock on the water pipe...

Written Oct 4, 2002

Was this review helpful?

Tourist Traps  

When buying souveneirs
TitoA profile photo
TitoA 1 reviews

Never give the merchant a bunch of local money for him to count the right amount, because they will short change you.

Merchants resent being asked rock bottom prices beyond a fair bargaining. They may accept your price but they will get even with you by overpricing other items or by selling you tin for silver. They consider fair to trick you if they think that you're trying to take advantage of them. If the price seems fair, pay it and move on.

Unique Suggestions: Count carefully your local money in the hotel and keep bundles of 50, 100, 500 pesos and when you pay count aloud the money in the bundle and give one bundle at the time. If you don't count the money alound, they tell you that the bundle was short 10 or 20 pesos.

If you like a particular item, don't show interest right away, pretend you don't care about it and they will try to reduce the price to entice you.

What you purchase is not guaranteed, make sure you know what you are getting. Don't ask "is this silver? They will say "yes", of course.

Fun Alternatives: If you don't trust the merchant, don't buy. You might pay more but a established business is more likely to be more honest. Beware of street vendors.

Written Apr 11, 2009

Related to:
 Budget Travel
 Family Travel
 Seniors

Was this review helpful?

What to Pack  

mosquito repellent

mosquito repellent, Chetumal

 jacksimpson Says:   You have got to bring mosquito repellent preferably something with Deet. The mosquitos are fierce here. A lotion repellent seemed to work best as you have constantly reapply because of the high humidity and perspiration loss. 

Packing List

Packing List, Chetumal

 pollon Says:   for the VT addicted an internet access is at the end of Efrain Aguilar (a few steets, on the right side, after the Mayan Museum giving it the back) and if you go after 22.00, an hour of connection costs you 9 pesos... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Jungle creatures
jacksimpson profile photo
jacksimpson 18 reviews
This spider was as big as my hand
4 more images

If you are into flora and fauna the jungle is where you will find all sorts of plants and creatures.

Written Dec 19, 2006

Was this review helpful?

Favorites  

Mayan pyramids

Mayan pyramids, Chetumal

 jacksimpson Says:  If you are going to Chetumal you got to be going to see the pyramids. In the immediate area of Chetumal there is Kohunlich, Dzibanche,and Kinichna. These pyramids are wonderful to explore and hike around. Being fairly newly discovered they give you the sence that you are the... 

Mayan pyramids

Mayan pyramids, Chetumal

 jacksimpson Says:  If you are going to Chetumal you got be going to see the pyramids. In the immediate area of Chetumal there is Kohunlich, Dzibanche,and Kinichna. These pyramids are wonderful to explore and hike around. Being fairly newly discovered they give you the sence that you are the... 

Comments

Map of Chetumal