{"id":5352,"date":"2018-12-05T14:47:10","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T19:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/?p=5352"},"modified":"2018-12-05T14:47:45","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T19:47:45","slug":"getaway-to-punta-laguna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another weekend getaway<\/a> in the beautiful Riviera Maya! This time, we\u2019re exploring one of the most incredible hidden treasures in the region. Punta Laguna is a small Mayan village, home to monkeys, jaguars and plenty other wildlife. So, get ready, we\u2019re going on a road trip.<\/p>\n

What is Punta Laguna?<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Punta Laguna is a small Mayan village that sits within a 5,000-hectare, government-protected nature reserved called Ma\u2019ax Yetel Kooh. That is Mayan for House of the Spider Monkey and the Jaguar. This reserve is home to its own unique spider monkey subspecies, along with howler monkeys, pumas, coatis and hundreds of species of birds. The village itself gives you insight into the Mayan way of life as it is lived today. You can see thatched-roof houses, cooking over open fires and freely-roaming farm animals which are reflective of the way that these families have lived for decades.<\/p>\n

How to get to Punta Laguna<\/h4>\n

Reaching Punta Laguna is quite easy. It is located almost a straight shot from Tulum<\/a> via the Coba road. Heading from Tulum, take a right at the Coba road and follow the signs for Nuevo Xcan until you see the sign for Punta Laguna.<\/p>\n

There are no restaurants or hotels here \u2013 it is a genuine jungle village. You will, however, want to either pack a meal with your or stop for refreshments before you arrive. Along the way to the Coba road, there are a few small towns where you can stop for refreshments and breaks. You can also check out the handicrafts made by local artisans. However, we highly recommend you skip these and see them on your way back. Pack refreshments and snacks the day before. You want to reach Punta Laguna very early in the morning to avoid the swarms of tours that arrive after 9am.<\/p>\n

What to do in Punta Laguna<\/h4>\n

\"Punta<\/p>\n

While this truly authentic Mayan village is not home to restaurants or art galleries, there is no shortage of activities to take part in. At Punta Laguna, you can purchase a tour of the jungle and lagoon (reason for which it is called Punta Laguna), to experience the wildlife and enjoy a morning full of fun activities. The reason for which you want to arrive early is to take a guided tour through the jungle trails and be able to spot both howler and spider monkeys on their morning feeding migration. You will be able to spot them around 7 or 8 in the morning. The tour also guides you down to the lagoon where you can row across to then zipline over the lush jungle.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the tour allows you to dive into a beautiful cenote. Not first without being blessed in a Mayan ceremony. At the bottom of the cenote \u2013 if you bring a waterproof flashlight \u2013 you will be able to spot a few skulls from old Mayan sacrifices practiced in the area.<\/p>\n

The locals at Punta Laguna are very friendly. They are often more than willing to chat about their culture and daily life. Some may even invite you to have a look insider their home. However, keep in mind that if they do so, it would be considered impolite to not buy at least a small trinket from the homeowners. Many villagers are also willing to let you take photos of them \u2013 just make sure you ask permission first!<\/p>\n

Walk through the jungle!<\/h4>\n

Most of the villagers and guides in Punta Laguna speak Spanish or Yucatecan Maya. Although some may have some limited English skills. If you don\u2019t speak Spanish, make sure you either have a Spanish-speaker with you, or are prepared to translate using dictionaries or an electronic device.<\/p>\n

Within the village, you will find a small walking road that passes several trails and a cenote on the way to the saltwater lagoon. You can find a dock stretching out over the water to give you a lovely view of the water and wildlife. Fishing is strictly prohibited. Swimming, however, is at your own risk, as crocodiles have been sighted in the lagoon.<\/p>\n

\"Spider<\/p>\n

There are also a number of trails available to explore. You can view the abundant wildlife from here. The entrance fee \u2013 without a tour \u2013 for each trail is 30 pesos per person. You must also hire a local guide for 150 pesos for a group of up to 10 people. Guides are experienced and have been trained by primatologists to ensure they are knowledgeable about the wildlife.<\/p>\n

In addition to the trails and tours, there are also some ancient ruins to explore, freshwater cenotes for crocodile-free swimming and caves for rappelling.<\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/h4>\n

Bring comfortable clothing and shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking, and possibly rappelling, hiking and swimming. So, make sure you\u2019re covered for it all.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to bring some energy-packed snacks such as granola bars, and bottled water. The village has no restaurants, and it is likely you won\u2019t find any shops around. Make sure you come prepared to avoid hunger or dehydration.<\/p>\n

We highly recommend you bring biodegradable sunscreen and insect repellent. You will be in the jungle, after all, and insects are unavoidable. Make sure it is biodegradable to avoid harming the environment.<\/p>\n

\"Punta

Photo by Wiz Tours<\/p><\/div>\n

Bring cash! If you will be buying the guided tour, paying for the walking trails or giving tips to the villagers, you must do so in cash. They will not accept any other form of payment and there are no ATMs nearby.<\/p>\n

Most of all, however, bring your adventurous spirit! You are here to enjoy the wonderful nature of the lush Mayan jungle. Be open to learning about the lifestyle and customs of these locals. And don\u2019t forget to snap as many photos as possible \u2013 especially of the spider monkeys! Come back next week to see where we\u2019ll be headed next weekend!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s time for another weekend getaway in the beautiful Riviera Maya! This time, we’re exploring one of the most incredible hidden treasures in the region. Punta Laguna is a small Mayan village, home to monkeys, jaguars and plenty other wildlife. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":5354,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[628],"tags":[613,860,612],"class_list":["post-5352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weekend-getaway","tag-mexico-weekend-trips","tag-weekend-getaway-riviera-maya","tag-weekend-getaways"],"yoast_head":"\nWeekend Getaway: Punta Laguna - Let's Retire in Mexico<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend. This time we're visiting the Mayan village of Punta Laguna to see spider monkeys.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna - Let's Retire in Mexico\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend. This time we're visiting the Mayan village of Punta Laguna to see spider monkeys.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Let's Retire in Mexico\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-05T19:47:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-12-05T19:47:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Thomas Lloyd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Thomas Lloyd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/\",\"name\":\"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna - Let's Retire in Mexico\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-05T19:47:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-12-05T19:47:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#\/schema\/person\/5b31461102b81025381a9454adc9aa9f\"},\"description\":\"Pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend. This time we're visiting the Mayan village of Punta Laguna to see spider monkeys.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683,\"caption\":\"Spider Monkey Punta Laguna\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/\",\"name\":\"Let's Retire in Mexico\",\"description\":\"Join us on our Mexico Retirement Discovery Trips\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#\/schema\/person\/5b31461102b81025381a9454adc9aa9f\",\"name\":\"Thomas Lloyd\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6671b85ca621c63c37f5b298d259b016355f1cb79f254b0fe2bb83dd4ede3ca7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6671b85ca621c63c37f5b298d259b016355f1cb79f254b0fe2bb83dd4ede3ca7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Thomas Lloyd\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/author\/thomas\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna - Let's Retire in Mexico","description":"Pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend. This time we're visiting the Mayan village of Punta Laguna to see spider monkeys.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna - Let's Retire in Mexico","og_description":"Pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend. This time we're visiting the Mayan village of Punta Laguna to see spider monkeys.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/","og_site_name":"Let's Retire in Mexico","article_published_time":"2018-12-05T19:47:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-12-05T19:47:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Thomas Lloyd","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Thomas Lloyd","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/","url":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/","name":"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna - Let's Retire in Mexico","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg","datePublished":"2018-12-05T19:47:10+00:00","dateModified":"2018-12-05T19:47:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#\/schema\/person\/5b31461102b81025381a9454adc9aa9f"},"description":"Pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend. This time we're visiting the Mayan village of Punta Laguna to see spider monkeys.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SPIDER-MONKEY.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"caption":"Spider Monkey Punta Laguna"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/2018\/12\/getaway-to-punta-laguna\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Weekend Getaway: Punta Laguna"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/","name":"Let's Retire in Mexico","description":"Join us on our Mexico Retirement Discovery Trips","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#\/schema\/person\/5b31461102b81025381a9454adc9aa9f","name":"Thomas Lloyd","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6671b85ca621c63c37f5b298d259b016355f1cb79f254b0fe2bb83dd4ede3ca7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6671b85ca621c63c37f5b298d259b016355f1cb79f254b0fe2bb83dd4ede3ca7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Thomas Lloyd"},"url":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/author\/thomas\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5352"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5359,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5352\/revisions\/5359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.topmexicorealestate.com\/lets-retire-in-mexico\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}