When? Find out the best time to go by checking our cruise seasons calendar.

Mexico is a land of unending contradictions. Ritzy hotels tower over ramshackle buildings and burrows attached to rickety carts plod alongside express highways. This extreme diversity is perhaps Mexico’s biggest enticement, and a smorgasbord of attractions beckons cruisers to its shores.

Hi-rise hotels and crystal-white beaches wrangle for vacationers’ attention, and the ocean surf and the swaying hammock are the predominant destinations for many people.

More serious travelers know that the character of Mexico lies in the rugged villages that speckle its mountains, jungles and countryside. Despite rampant modernization, there are still more than 50 distinct indigenous peoples with their own customs. Collectible folk art and the breathtaking remains of ancient civilizations are testaments of these cultures.

Getting Around

Like the Caribbean, Mexico offers great opportunities for self-guided explorations. Tourist hubs let cruisers shop and sun without having to travel far, and the best restaurants are often within walking distance. This is especially true for Mazatlan and Cancun.

Cruisers looking to experience the authentic Mexican culture will need to venture into the outskirts of most Mexican ports of call. Historic sights, old-world factories and traditional plantations remain the true heart and soul of Mexico, and guided tours may make getting to them a little easier.

Examples of shore excursion opportunities in Mexico include:

Sports Excursions

• Scuba dive amidst Cabo San Lucas’ extensive submarine canyons and view puffer fish, king angelfish, Moorish idols, starfish, sea fans, urchins and sponges.
• Bass fish on the beautiful 7,000-acre lake of Cajon de Pena, which holds the submerged ruins of the town of Santiago.
• Mountain bike past rustic towns and an abundance of wildlife in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Adventure Expeditions

• Sail through protected waters and secluded coves in the Bay of Banderas.
• Horseback ride past tropical vegetation and quaint Mexican villages along the Mascota River.
• Sea kayak across the San Lucas Bay to Lover’s Beach, one of the few beaches in the world that is adjoined by two seas.

Cultural Attractions

• Attend an authentic old style rodeo at El Cortijo in Puerto Vallarta and witness horse tricks, lasso artists, burro races and bullfighting.
• Visit a local glass blowing factory in Cabo San Lucas and observe the skills of native craftsmen.
• Walk through an adobe brick-making factory where contemporary bricks are formed and fired exactly as they were centuries ago.

Nature Trips

• Observe tobacco, mango, melon and coconut plantations throughout Mazatlan’s rolling countryside.
• Behold the magnificent Los Arcos, a dramatic natural rock monument that arches starkly out of the sea at Land’s End.
• Trek the rocky, cavernous La Quebrada, a series of cliffs made famous by daredevil cliff divers.

Historical Tours

• Tour Acapulco and see the Chapel of Peace, the Trouyet Cross and the Hotel Flamingos - a favored hangout of John Wayne, Gregory Peck and other stars of the 1950’s.
• Walk through the Old Town of Mazatlan and see the Continuity of Life Monument, the Military Hospital, the House of Music and the Angela Peralta Theater.
• Visit Taxco, an old mining town founded in 1532, and see the church of Santa Prisca, one of the greatest masterpieces of Mexican Baroque architecture.

Wildlife Interaction

• Whale watch for California gray whales, finbacks and blue whales off the coast of the Gulf of California.
• Swim side by side with bottlenose dolphins at the Nuevo Vallarta Marina in Puerto Vallarta.
• Visit the renowned colony of sea lions in Cabo San Lucas.