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Mexican Caribbean
Mahahual

Mahahual

Roam - Rest - Take it easy

Mahahual

An authentic fishing town with a laid-back vibe.

Mahahual is a fishing village with a seafront promenade along the beach and the Mesoamerican Reef, which runs a few yards offshore, and the only cruise port in the southern Mexican Caribbean.

Offshore lies the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, Mexico's largest atoll; to the south, Xcalak, and inland, the Chacchoben archaeological site.

Right now
24°Clear
Best for
Reef, diving and a quiet beach
When to come
All year round; the most pleasant weather from November to April
Kitesurfing and windsurfing
Windy season: December to February

Getting here

Airport

Facade of Chetumal International Airport, with its colored lattice screen

Airport

Chetumal International Airport

The closest airport, though it requires a road journey to reach the coast. Upon landing in the capital, you must take an intercity transfer of approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach Mahahual. To make this trip, here are your options:

  • Private Shuttles: You can book a transfer service to pick you up at the terminal and take you directly to your oceanfront hotel.
  • Car Rentals: An ideal option for driving the scenic road to the coast at your own pace.
  • Shuttle hubs: You must first head to the Chetumal city center to board the passenger vans that connect to the coast.

Bus

Intercity bus parked beside the sea, its door marked Entrance

Bus

Mahahual transit station

The station's terminus is located at the entrance to the town, a short distance from the coast.

  • Community Transport: At the deboarding area, units are available to take you to the hotel zone in less than 5 minutes.
  • Walking: If traveling light, the boardwalk is a 15-minute walk along the main avenue toward the sea.

Cruise

Cruise ship docked at a pier in the Mexican Caribbean

Cruise

Costa Maya Cruise Terminal

The main entry point for travelers arriving by sea via the Costa Maya. The pier is located about 3 to 5 kilometers (2-3 miles) from the main boardwalk and the town of Mahahual. To get to the city center, you can do the following:

  • Official Pier Transport: Internal shuttle units take passengers from the terminal exit to the town's entrance.
  • Local Mobility: Just outside the port area, community transport units are available for the 5-10 minute ride to the beach zone.

Mahahual in motion

The malecon

Stroll Mahahual's seafront

Mahahual's seafront, a promenade along the beach, is walked or ridden by bike: restaurants and beach clubs with their feet in the sand, ice cream parlors, dive shops, stores and colorful wooden houses; at its north end stand the lighthouse and the Mahahual letters. Most of the village's hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts are along it.

Aerial view of the boardwalk and pier in Mahahual

The reef

Snorkel over the reef, right off the village

Off Mahahual the Mesoamerican Reef works as a breakwater: the beach is shallow with gentle surf, and the reef can be explored swimming, by kayak or diving; from December to February, the windy season, there is kitesurfing and windsurfing. To the south, Xcalak has its own reef national park, with sites like La Poza, where tarpon gather and manatees are seen.

Aerial view of the coast and reef of Mahahual

Banco Chinchorro

Dive Banco Chinchorro, Mexico's largest atoll

Two hours out by boat, the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, with its lagoon and three cays, gathers mangroves and reefs with turtles, dolphins, manatees and crocodiles, and dozens of shipwrecks from the 16th to the 20th century that are dive sites today, such as the Forty Cannons wreck, eight meters down.

Aerial view of the Banco Chinchorro atoll

Maya heritage

Chacchoben, the Maya site in the jungle

Chacchoben, in the Lakes Region, keeps the Gran Basamento and its temples in the jungle; it is the closest site to Mahahual, and Kohunlich and Dzibanché are a little over an hour away.

Pyramid at the Chacchoben archaeological site
Aerial view of the pier and the boardwalk in Mahahual
Discover the south

Discover the south

Discover experiences, accommodations, local cuisine, transportation, and everything you need to plan your journey through the southern Mexican Caribbean.

Explore the South

Mahahual gallery

Hammocks on the beach in Mahahual
Aerial view of the town of Mahahual and its reef
Person floating over shallow turquoise water
Mahahual's lighthouse beside the boardwalk
Aerial view of a water park with slides and a pyramid in the Mahahual jungle
Loungers and palapas on the sand in Mahahual
Couple paddleboarding off Mahahual
Boats off the Mahahual coast

More about Mahahual

Aerial view of Laguna Bacalar in the southern Mexican Caribbean

June 16, 2026

Discover the Magic of the Southern Mexican Caribbean

Bacalar, Chetumal and Mahahual: a guide to the southern Mexican Caribbean, from the Lagoon of Seven Colors to the Mesoamerican Reef and Banco Chinchorro.

Read the article
Mahahual, Grand Costa Maya

September 29, 2024

10 Things to Do in Mahahual

Discover 10 things to do in Mahahual: stroll the malecón, snorkel the Mesoamerican Reef, dive Banco Chinchorro, spot birds in the mangroves and more.

Read the article
Chacchoben

September 29, 2024

Archaeological Sites Near Mahahual

Discover the archaeological sites near Mahahual: Chacchoben, Dzibanché, Kohunlich, Oxtankah and Kinichná, Maya cities a day trip from the Costa Maya.

Read the article

Mahahual

24°Clear
90%6 km/h
Climate month by month
  • Fri30°24°

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