Riviera Maya, Beach resort area in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Riviera Maya is a coastal stretch in Quintana Roo along Mexico's Caribbean shore, covering roughly 130 kilometers. It runs from Puerto Morelos in the north down to Tulum and includes numerous beaches, small towns, and protected natural areas along the turquoise sea.
The region previously had no unified name and was often referred to as the stretch between Cancun and Tulum. In the late 1990s, local tourism authorities introduced the name Riviera Maya to create a separate identity alongside Cancun.
Ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum and Coba stand as remnants of pre-Hispanic civilization, demonstrating advanced architectural techniques and astronomical knowledge.
Access is usually through Cancun International Airport in the north, from where regular bus services run along Federal Highway 307 connecting all main towns. Distances between beaches and sites can be considerable, so planning daily routes is helpful.
Beneath the surface of the peninsula lies an extensive network of underground rivers and caves that reach the surface through cenotes, round openings in the limestone. Divers have mapped the longest known underwater cave system on Earth here, extending over hundreds of kilometers.
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