Beyond the Mayan Riviera 2006

Les documents préservés sur cette page — descriptions d'itinéraires, programmes jour par jour, légendes de photos, dépêches et avis de cyclistes — sont reproduits tels qu'ils ont été rédigés à l'origine : en anglais.

De Cancún à la coloniale Mérida, avec en chemin quantité de plages, de vie nocturne, de ruines mayas et de culture d'hier et d'aujourd'hui. Ce circuit de difficulté FACILE - MOYENNE commence comme notre classique "Yucatan's Beaches & Ruins" (voir ci-dessous), mais la deuxième semaine, un peu plus exigeante, se concentre sur les nombreuses ruines mayas de la région des collines Puuc.

Note d’archive : NOUVEAU circuit.

Dates:

Mon Jan 9, 2006 to Sun Jan 22, 2006 (2 weeks - 10 cycling days)

Distances:

Average/day: 67km
Maximum/day: 118km
Total Approx: 670km

Type de parcours:

LITE

Lite DifficultyYou must have a basic level of fitness and at least aspire to be able to complete the distances in this tour (we know you can!). Distances average around 60 km, and are always less the 100 km per day. Roads are flat and generally not demanding.

REGULAR

Regular DifficultyA good level of fitness is required. Distances average around 50 - 80 km per day (depending on hills), and are always less than 120 km. Roads range from flat to very hilly. We may climb up to 1500 metres on a hard day.

difficulty. Starting very flat and easy, then gentle rolling and later some short climbs.

Weather

The Weather: Yucatan PeninsulaThe Yucatan's best weather is during our winter months. From November till March the temperature hovers in the mid 20's to the mid 30's (celcius) with sunny clear skies. Humidity levels can be high as we head inland but a warm steady breeze and the occasional but rare tropical thunderstorm will keep you feeling refreshed.

Road

The Road: Yucatan PeninsulaThe Yucatan's roads are considered the finest in Mexico. They are generally in excellent condition with even, paved surfaces. Some stretches of our route also include a paved shoulder. The route meanders along flat terrain with the occasional rolling section. In most places traffic is light to non-existent. Depending on the time of day, roads may be busy near towns such as Cancun, Valladolid and Merida, however drivers are generally respectful of cyclists and will give you as much room as possible.

Land

The Land: Yucatan PeninsulaThe Yucatan peninsula at the south eastern tip of Mexico is comprised of three states, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo. The peninsula is a massive, flat carbonate - limestone shelf formed by prehistoric high sea levels. Too porous to support a river system, fresh water accumulates underground forming an extensive subterranean river network. Where the erosive process has broken through the earth's surface, cenotes (se-no-tes; limestone sinkholes or pools) have formed. Erosion has also formed numerous caves, some of them enormous and accessible to tourists. The peninsula's landscape is covered by thorn forest in the north and rain jungle in the south.

Temps forts:

Real Mexican-Yucatecan culture. 'Mayan Riviera' on the Caribbean coast. Small towns, ruins, cenotes, fishing villages, quiet roads, beaches. Mérida; bustling city, colonial architecture, haciendas, art, food, market.

Prix:

US$1,035 (le coût terrestre total approximatif publié cette année-là)

Participants:

3 cyclistes (d’après la base clients de la compagnie)

Le parcours

Itinéraire

Les itinéraires ont toujours été sujets à de légères modifications.

Ce que ça coûtait cette saison-là

Forfait des guides	+ Hébergement	+ Repas & boissons	+ Divers	= Coût terrestre total approx.
$500	$185	$170	$180	$1,035

Forfait des guides

+ Hébergement

+ Repas & boissons

+ Divers

= Coût terrestre total approx.

$500

$185

$170

$180

$1,035

Tous les montants sont en dollars américains, tels que publiés à l’époque. Les participants payaient eux-mêmes l’hébergement, les repas et les droits d’entrée en cours de route — le Forfait des guides était la seule somme facturée par ¡El Tour. Historique complet : le prix de Beyond the Mayan Riviera au fil des ans.

Album photo

Enjoying the sand outside a cabaña in Tulum.

The air-conditioned sand of the Mayan Riviera. Really! You won't burn your feet at all!

Outside our hotel in Cancun - ready to kick off the tour.

At 42 metres, the Great Pyramid of Cobá is the tallest Mayan structure on the Yucatan peninsula

Zací cenote right in the heart of Valladolid.

Mumondzonot cenote - a breathtaking find with the help of our keen local guide.

Izamal's giant monastary was built atop the riuns of Popul-Chac from 1533 to 1561.

Taxi anyone? Ride in style in Izamal - then again, you can walk to anywhere that you'd want to go too.

The palace of Nachi Cocom in the town of Sotuta. He was the last great ruler of the Cocom Maya lineage.

Kabáh just one of more than a dozen Mayan sites in this area, the Ruta Puuc.

The church in Santa Elena. Churches are generally quite massive in this area, probably because of the abundance of building materials that the Spanish found in the form of Mayan temples.

Mayan nas in Ticul. These are traditional Mayan homes and can be seen in almost every town. Not too far away is a modern internet cafe.

Getting lost inside Mérida's massive market. You can find many different exotic foods and crafts in here.

Looking out form the archways of the Palacio de Gobierno at the main square, the Plaza Mayor.

Inside the Palacio de Gobierno, Fernando Castro Pacheco's murals portray a symbolic history of the Maya and their interaction with the Spanish — Inside the *Palacio de Gobierno*, Fernando Castro Pacheco's murals portray a symbolic history of the Maya and their interaction with the Spanish.