The Travel Gallery

Here’s our monthly gallery showcasing some of the region’s many natural and historical attractions. How many have you visited?  Which ones would you like to explore on future visits to Grand Residences?

Laguna Nichupte

You may have been on a boat cruise or jungle tour of Nichupte Lagoon, and you’ll have enjoyed many a sunset dinner at restaurants along the waterfront, but did you know that the lagoon separating Cancun Island from the mainland is a nature reserve? Manglares de Nichupte comprises 4,257.49 hectares of the lagoon system, mangrove forest and marshes and is home to a variety of birds such as herons, roseate spoonbills, ibis and kingfishers. Cormorants, anhingas and frigatebirds roost on cays in the lagoon and there are two species of crocodile.

Cancun Underwater Art Museum

A jungle tour through Nichupte Lagoon and the mangrove channels leads to Punta Nizuc and the coral reef. In addition to marine life, it is also the location of one of the galleries of the Cancun Underwater Art Museum or MUSA. This iconic underwater art museum has more than 500 life-size sculptures in four galleries in different parts of the Cancun-Isla Mujeres National Park.

The brainchild of British artist Jason deCaires-Taylor, who has gone on to create sunken museums in other parts of the world, MUSA has a message of art and conservation as the sculptures are colonized by corals and sponges over time and become a refuge for fish and other marine life. An attraction for divers and snorkelers, the galleries take the pressure off local reefs, giving them a respite and a chance to recover.

Playa del Carmen

Whether it’s an afternoon on the beach, shopping, drinks and dinner or the annual Jazz Festival at Playa Mamitas on November 24 and 25, this lively beach town and Riviera Maya capital is always worth a visit. La Quinta, Playa’s 5th Avenue, comes alive at dusk, the candles are lit, and lights twinkle in the trees. Musicians strike up and the enticing aromas of world cuisine waft through the air.

Rio Secreto

Take a day to go underground and discover the Riviera Maya’s amazing caves. Hidden in the jungle just south of Playa del Carmen, Rio Secreto is the place for a guided tour of ancient caverns full of stalactites, stalagmites and still pools. Above ground, the jungle reserve is rich in wildlife, including deer, ocelot and the elusive jaguar, and nature walks and bike trails are available.

Explore the Yucatan

Your Concierge can help you arrange trips to these spots and to all the natural and historical wonders in the Mexican Caribbean and Yucatan.