11 Amazing Merida Day Trips You Don’t Want to Miss
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Last updated on February 19, 2026
There is plenty to do, see, and eat in Merida, Mexico, but some of the best experiences you can have on a Merida vacation is one of the many awesome Merida day trips you can take.
Merida’s location in the heart of the Yucatan makes it the perfect place to explore the wonders and magic of the Yucatan while having a comfortable and safe city to return to each evening.
In just a few hours’ drive, you can access stunning tropical beaches, hang out with flamingos in the wild, swim in hidden cenotes, eat traditional Yucatan food in Mayan villages, or even visit one of the seven wonders of the world! Sound amazing? It is!
After spending roughly 2 months in the Yucatan and doing most, if not all, of these amazing Merida day trips, we’re rounding up the 11 best day trips you can take from Merida, Mexico. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Top Merida day trips
The 11 top Merida day trips I’m sharing below are what I consider the best activities. There are loads of other unique things to do in the area if you have more time. We recommend renting a car for a lot of these activities.
Many will come with a bus to and from, but you can expand what you do if you have a rental car. You can rent a car from the Merida airport or in Cancun, and driving in this area of Mexico is super easy.
Now, let’s explore the 11 best Merida day trips you can take from this charming colonial city.
1. Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos
Las Coloradas are the famous pink salt flats near Rio Lagartos, a coastal area on the Atlantic Ocean frequented by Flamingos from February to May. Las Coloradas and Rio Lagartos are 30 minutes from one another and about a 3-and-a-half-hour drive from Merida.
Las Coloradas is a picturesque place for a photo because of the unique pink hue of the water. It’s not often you see a “pink beach”, but this striking color comes from plankton, brine, and red algae that live in the man-made salt flats. On a calm day, the reflection over the pink water makes you feel like you’re on another planet.
The Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, where Las Coloradas is located, is also where you can find Flamingos and crocodiles in the winter season. You can take a boat tour from the shore to get up close to the Flamingos and learn about the ecosystem.
At the time of this writing, the entrance fee to Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is $300 MXP, around $17. But the price is certainly worth it, given how unique an experience it is. Leave your drones and big cameras behind, though; only phones are allowed in.
The tour from Merida is a full day and includes a boat tour to a virgin beach called “Cancuncito” where you can see flamingos (in season), crocodiles (if you’re lucky), and a stop at Las Colorados.
2. Celestun
If you want to see Flamingo but don’t want to travel 3 hours each way, visit Celestun. Just an hour and a half drive from Merida, Celestun is one of the best Merida day trips I guarantee you’ll never forget.
This is where we took our Flamingo tour and had an absolute blast. We saw hundreds of Flamingos relaxing in the shallow waters of the marshlands. We also passed by several crocodiles, learned about the ecosystem, and swam in a freshwater spring (ojo de agua).
Remember, if your goal is Flamingos, the best time to do this day trip from Merida is March to May (early June at the latest).
3. Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is by far the most popular Mayan archaeological zone in the Yucatan. Known for being one of the Seven “New” Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s popular for a reason. This stunning Mayan city played an important role in the civilization’s heyday and has been beautifully reconstructed.
We’ve been to several archeological zones in Mexico, including Teotihuacan, Tulum Ruins, and Palenque, and Chichen Itza is by far the best in terms of condition and grounds. If you’re going to visit Chichen Itza from Merida, it should take you around an hour and forty-five minutes to get there, and you’ll want to arrive as early as possible.
This place gets packed mid-day, plus there is very little shelter from the Yucatan’s brutal heat. If you book a tour from Merida, your guide will give you a tour of the grounds to help you appreciate the history and learn about the Mayan civilization here. After, you’ll get to cool off in a cenote and grab lunch nearby before returning.
4. Uxmal
Uxmal is one of the archeological zones we haven’t personally visited, but it is on our bucket list! This archeological zone isn’t quite as large or famous as Chichen Itza, but it is equally impressive and way closer—just an hour’s drive from the city of Merida.
Joining a tour bus from Merida to Uxmal is definitely the easy way to visit Uxmal. You can take a public bus there, but coordinating the bus schedule can be tricky, and you’ll still have to pay for a tour guide at the archeological zone.
Plus, most Merida day trips to Uxmal also include a visit to another nearby Mayan site called Kabah or a cenote to cool off, which means more unique experiences for the price of one! We recommend the tour below, which stops at a local village for an authentic lunch and a hidden cenote!
5. Hacienda Tour
Merida’s claim to fame was being the richest city in Mexico in the early 1900s. Its wealth was made from Sisal, a fiber made from the agave plant used to make ropes and other clothing. Once nylon was invented in the mid-1900s, the sisal industry crumbled.
All around Merida are the remnants of old sisal haciendas, which they used to process and make the henequen fibers.
Several old Haciendas have been turned into stunning hotels, but some have been turned into museums. You can visit this restored Hacienda and learn about how to make rope from the agave plant. It’s a super unique part of the Yucatan’s history and is still a practice many Mayans use to make clothing fibers and the world-famous Yucatan hammock.
🚨 This tour does NOT include transportation and is located about an hour outside of the city. If you need a rental car, check prices from Cancun airport. There are also rental car companies near the Merida airport.
6. Cenotes Tour
The Yucatan is estimated to have as many as 6,000 to 7,000 cenotes across the peninsula. These natural craters are made from limestone erosion over millions of years. With direct access to the underground aquifer, the cenotes are cool year-round. There are covered cenotes hidden in caves, partially opened ones, and fully exposed cenotes you can visit.
Many of them are found in the areas surrounding Valladolid and Mérida. One of the best ways to beat the heat in Merida is to escape outside the city and swim in a refreshing cenote.
You can book a tour with transportation to explore several cenotes in the Merida region. This one includes lunch in a traditional Mayan village and takes you to four of the less-popular cenotes, which is great for escaping the crowds.
The best part about going on a tour like this is that you don’t have to worry about transportation, you have a safe place to keep your things while you’re swimming (we had someone take money from our backpack at one cenote because we didn’t have this), and you get to visit lesser-known cenotes.
7. Progresso or Sisal
If you want to cool off on a beach rather than in a freshwater cenote, head to one of the beaches near Merida. Progresso is Merida’s most popular beach. Just an hour’s drive north of the cit,y and you’ll find yourself in a vacation destination for Mexican Nationals. It’s family-friendly, has lots of water sports to do, and a great pier to visit.
If you want a more relaxed experience, go to Sisal. This newly designated Pueblo Magico is a small fishing village with just as beautiful beaches and amazing wildlife. We took an eco-kayak tour to a bird island that is one of the only spots in the world where dozens of bird species cohabitate. It was a really unique experience and a charming town!
8. Culinary experience at Chef Rosalia Chay’s
If you want to get off the beaten path or are looking for a foodie adventure, you need to book a culinary experience with Chef Rosalia Chay. She was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table BBQ for her world-famous Cochinita Pibil.
She cooks this Yucatan specialty the traditional way, making the recaldo (paste) herself, then slowly roasting her own pigs in the ground called a pib. You dine in the backyard of her home in a tiny Mayan village called Yaxunah. This experience accommodates no more than 6 people per meal, three times a week, and it truly is an experience like no other!
You can make tortillas from scratch with her sister on a comal, eat the tastiest tamale, and enjoy homemade Cochinita and Relleno Negro. Reservations are required and we recommend booking in advance!
💁🏽♀️ Helpful tip: Once you get to her village, there is no cell phone service or connection, so download your driving directions before arriving. This is another one of the Merida day trips you will need a rental car for!
9. Izamal
Izamal is known as Mexico’s “Yellow City”. This historic Mayan city has a beautiful blend of colonial (Spanish influence), surrounded by remnants of Mayan ruins. Izamal is another Pueblo Magico and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the most popular Merida day trips.
There isn’t much to do here, but it’s a chance for a beautiful photo and to see another Mayan city in the Yucatan. But it is very charming, and its yellow buildings are like nowhere else in this region.
10. Valladolid
Valladolid is the second largest city in the Yucatan. Slightly smaller than Merida, it has more of a laid-back vibe to it with just as beautiful and colorful of buildings. We loved our time in Valladolid (just as much, if not more than Merida) and highly recommend visiting here!
It’s about a 2-hour drive from Merida and is surrounded by loads of cenotes – there’s even a cenote in the center of town! You will also find great shopping, a bee sanctuary (to learn about Meliponas, an ancient Mayan bee), and delicious restaurants to dine at.
11. Campeche
Campeche City is in the neighboring state of Campeche. Just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Merida, it’s an excellent Merida day trip packed with unique history. Campeche is known for being a fortified city. The Centro, or historic center, is surrounded by walls once built by the Spaniards to keep Pirates out.
The city is really beautiful, clean, and super charming. You can walk along the fortified walls, grab some coconut shrimp (a specialty of Campeche), walk the waterfront Malecon, or visit one of the fantastic restaurants in the Centro.
These 11 amazing Merida day trips are some of the best things to do see, and experience on a Merida vacation. Which one caught your eye the most? Let me know your favorite in the comments below, or anything unique Merida day trips I should add to my bucket list.
FAQ about Merida day trips
Do you need a rental car for a Merida day trip?
If you want to do several Merida day trips, it’s best to rent a car. Some day trip tours will include round-trip transportation, but not all will. If you want the freedom of being able to explore more and on your own schedul,e a car rental is the best route.
Is taking a Merida day trip safe?
Yes, taking a day trip from Merida is safe. Merida is considered Mexico’s safest city, and the Yucatan is a safe state to travel through by car, bus, or train.
What are the best Merida day trips?
Some of the best Merida day trips are visiting Chichen Itza, Rio Lagartos, Progresso, Cenotes, and Izamal, among others. There are loads of amazing day trips to take from Merida across the Yucatan.
If you want more help when it comes to planning your Merida trip, check out our other blog posts.
- The Perfect 2 Days in Merida, Mexico (Itinerary with Map) – Make the most of your short time in the city with this step-by-step itinerary!
- 17 Best Restaurants in Merida You Can’t Miss – See the best places to eat in Merida for breakfast, lunch, dinner (and botanas).
- 18 Essential Merida, Mexico Things To Do – A complete roundup of the top 18 things to do in Merida (in the city).
- Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Merida, Mexico – This complete travel guide to visiting Merida, Mexico will help you prepare and pack for your trip.
- Is Merida Safe to Visit? Yes! Here’s Why – This discusses safety in Merida, Mexico, which is widely considered Mexico’s safest city.
- 17 Delicious Yucatan Dishes To Try on Your Next Vacation – Get to know Yucatan food in this blog post and see the top 17 Yucatan dishes you need to try.
