What's up guys? It's Zac and Ine from
World Wild Hearts. And we're here in
Valladolid in the Yucatan just exploring
the best things to do in the area. There's
lots of cenotes around, um, ancient ruins,
Mayan history, and this town is really
colorful and beautiful. So we're just
going to explore it and see what there
is to do.
Valladolid is nestled in the eastern part
of the Yucutan. There are about 45,000
residents here, including the surrounding
small communities. It’s also only forty
kilometers from Chichen Itza, one of the
seven world wonders. Here are the best
things to do in Valladolid from our perspective.
At number 6, we have visiting Cenote
Suytun. This cenote has become a social
media sensation in recent years because
of its unique man-made platform that
extends to the middle of the water. If it’s a
sunny day, the light will shine through the
cenote roof directly onto the platform.
Making for great pictures.
You can also visit Cenote Kaapeh right
next to it. It’s included in the price of
admission and definitely worth the visit
as it has jungle vines and trees
growing from the center of it.
The 5th best activity we did in Valladolid
was Rio Lagartos. It took us an hour
and a half to drive to the small fishing
town and then we hopped on a boat
tour once we got there. On the tour,
we saw alligators, flamingos, pelicans,
and even a small pink lake.
This is the Mayan Bath and it's very
good for the skin.
At number 4, we have exploring the
city of Valladolid itself. This city blew our minds
with the how colorful it was! We took
a free walking tour and learned about
the Spanish and Mayan history of
the city. It was also a great experience
to visit the Convento de San Bernadino
de Siena in the evening. The town puts
on a light show every night in this location, telling the
story of the city and how it came to be.
Something you see a lot here in Valladolid
is these Volkswagen Bugs. They're everywhere
in town and this one has been particularly
crafted for a backseat.
Very cool rendition of the Bugs.
The 3rd best activity was Cenote Xkeken.
This unique cave cenote had giant
stalactites cascading from the roof as
well as long vines that extended all the
way into the water. It was a magical
experience to swim amongst the vines
and look up to the sunlight above.
We also purchased a discounted ticket to
Cenote Samula, which was within a 5
minute walk. It was worth it to see the one
of the brightest blue cenotes
we’ve seen so far.
The runner up activity was visiting
Chichen Itza. This world wonder was
immaculately kept, especially the main
pyramid of El Castillo. Standing at 98 feet
tall, it stands alone in the center of the
ruins and is extremely beautiful. The
crowds were large due to its world
wonder status, but we still had a great
tour experience thanks to our knowledgeable
guide who looped us in on some
fascinating Mayan history.
So this is a city which is designed to look magnificent.
Bigger than any other city. Mayans were very
limited because the Yucatan Peninsula is a huge
fragment of limestone. The only rock or mineral
available in the Yucatan Peninsula for building
purposes is limestone. And if they build taller
than this, the structure will collapse.
And the best activity to do in Valladolid is
visiting the ancient ruins of Ek Balam.
We ranked this number one because
of how much it surprised us. It felt much
larger than Chichen Itza, had amazing
rock art, and we were allowed to climb
up the stairs on both of the major pyramids.
Being able to touch and feel the
structures brought us closer to
understanding the true beauty and
intricacy of the Mayan culture.
This culture is not like the Aztecs.
This culture is not like the Egyptians.
Ok? So, it was a culture with different
kinds of kingdoms. So this was a
kingdom with their own king.
Coba was a kingdom.
Chichen Itza, another kingdom.
so different kingdoms, like different
small countries.
Thanks for watching guys! Make sure to
download our free 100 bucket list destinations
in the description. And what would be your
favorite thing to do in Valladolid? Comment
below and see you on the next adventure!