Xcalak Mexico, one of the last traditional fishing villages on the Riviera. Pics pg 2

This isn't a trip for everyone but for those looking for a trip off the grid a bit, I would like to introduce you Xcalak Mexico. It is located on the southernmost tip of the Mexican Riveria, on a peninsula about 1.5 hours boat ride north of San Pedro Belize. The small fishing village of ~400 people sits on the second largest coral reef in the world. The area is known for world-class saltwater fly fishing (grand slam is very possible) and diving. A reef wall runs a couple of hundred yards off the coast, providing shallow snorkeling inside the reef and deep water diving outside.

My wife and I have visited twice, once on our honeymoon in 2001 and once last year. We brought our 9-year-old son on the second trip. We stayed in the same bed and breakfast both trips. The 6 room hotel, sits, 30 yards from the water. Designed by an architect from the US, they have retired selling to the current owners. The town of Xcalak has power, but Sin Dudas does not. They operate on solar, generators, cistern and water delivery in the dry months. Room cost is ~$100-$150 per night. Sin Duda has been part of Trip Advisor's Travel Choice Awards for the past couple of years. Sin Duda Villa Website


The town has a couple of restaurants, and specialize in fresh fish. In addition, there is a food truck that visits a couple of times a week and the B&B has kitchens in some of the rooms and a communal kitchen for those rooms without a kitchen. There is even a local pizza delivery place. We ate in the restaurants, cooked from the food from the food truck, both as a family and a group cook with others visitors.


Access to this part of Mexico is limited. The best way is flying into Cancun and driving south, last time we visited we spent a couple of days in Playa (great town) and then rented a car for the additional 4 hours drive south. American Car Rental Company. comes highly recommended for cars rentals and their price includes full insurance which is really needed when driving in Mexico. We withheld our second trip to the Xcalak for a couple of years due to fear of violence, but further research found little reason to be concerned in this part of the country. The most dangerous part of the drive is the last 60 km. The less than 20 year old road is in good shape but due to the lack of cars, the jungle is creeping in on the road, making it one lane in most places. Even though we passed only a couple of cars along this area, encountering one in a curve would have been very bad.


The trip to an from Xcalak passes a number of Mayan ruins both on and off the beaten path, including Tulum. There are caves and cenotes scattered along the drive also.


Some pics from our latest trip and Sin Duna's facebook page:























Nightly margaritas for the evening get together for all the guest, courtesy of the host.



Food Truck







Local Lunch Spot

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Reef, less than 50 yards from shore, sits in 4-8' of water











Some of the Fly Fishing available in the area