The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is no Baja California. Nor is it the Copper Canyon, nor Oaxaca, nor Guanajuato-Queretaro; it’s flat, its roads have about three curves every thousand miles, and most of its Caribbean coast is a touristy zoo where drinking bucket-sized margaritas and nursing your sunburn is the height of humanity’s achievement.

So why in the world would you travel Yucatan by motorcycle?

Well.

Yucatan Is a Tough Cookie

Some 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid hit the ocean just off the coast of Yucatan, wiping out around 75% of life on Earth – including the dinosaurs. That’s a big boom.

Yucatan, though? It reinvented itself as a wonderfully strange, hollow limestone formation dotted withcenotes, underground swimming holes that have no equivalent anywhere else on the planet. Cenotes are sinkholes opening up entrances into undergound caves and exposing crystal clear subterranean waters, some going as deep as 300 meters. Each cenote is unique—some have a big opening, others merely a mousehole for an entrance; others still can only be accessed through another cave.

What they all do have in common, however, is incredible rock formations, stalactites, and the fresh, otherworldy-blue water perfect for cooling off after a ride. Or before the ride. Or at any opportune moment you come across one, really.

Mayan Ruins vs Haciendas

Nature’s wonder’s aside, Yucatan has plenty to offer when it comes to Mayan ruins and pyramids; some of those, like the Chitchen Itza, are well-known and accessible by shuttle bus. Others are hidden away in the jungle, and the only way to see them is finding them by bike following some obscure little farm road or a singletrack trail.

If you’re not into your Mayan history, there’s another layer of heritage visible all over the Yucatan Peninsula: abandonedhaciendas. These massive estates once served as the centers for manufacturing rope from the fibers of the henequen cactus (yes, a cousin of agave of sorts; yes, agave is where tequila comes from).

In the mid-eighteen century and the beginning of the twentieth, the Yucatan hacienda owners grew so wealthy and powerful the estates were more like autonomous countries with their own stores and even currency; built, unsurprisingly, on the backs of exploited indigenous peoples, the riches of Yucatan haciendas were mind-boggling as they held a firm monopoly on rope-making around the world.

Then, synthetics came along, and the Yucatan rope business became obsolete overnight. That’s why so many of these haciendas are simply abandoned, and it’s a sight to behold exploring these massive, once luxurious, mansions and servants’ quarters now being slowly retaken by vines, trees, and iguanas.

But What About the Biking?

Adventure riding is about nature, people, and places off the beaten path—but it is about the riding, first and foremost. So what’s the riding like in Yucatan?

Hot and dusty as hell if you have the misfortune to travel there between March and October. From November to March, it’s got its charms. There are so many dirt trails criscrossing the peninsula you could spend a few weeks exploring, and most of them lead to places few tourists get to see.

主要公路直和无聊,李ke the main highways just about anywhere in the world, but the smaller backcountry roads can be fun, especially if you accidentally wander off and find yourself in Yucatan’s Mennonite land where horse and buggy are still the primary means of transport.

Finally, the Caribbean coast offers plenty of dirt-riding gems – just think Mahahual instead of Cancun. The Bacalar area can be spectactular on dirt, too, as you ride palm tree-lined tracks and hit the turqoise-blue Bacalar Lake where you can camp by the water and sip a cold beer; in other words, if you’re willing to get off the main routes, Yucatan has plenty to offer.

和最好的部分是,尤卡坦人welcoming and friendly as anywhere in Mexico. Whether it’s little old Mayan ladies selling tacos, campsite owners, fellow riders, or just passers-by, the Yucatan Peninsula is easily one of the friendliest places to travel.

One of the safest, too – Merida, a colonial gem of a town, is the second-safest city in North America after Quebec. It’s like the Geneva of Mexico. It’s pretty neat.

So whether you’re traveling Mexico on your own bike or looking for a tour, don’t skip Yucatan. It’s weird, it’s flat, and it’s utterly wonderful.

Want to ride Mexico? Here’s where to start looking:

All motorcycle tours in Mexico: MOTOURISMO

Motorcycle tours in Yucatan:MotoVerde