Pac Chen Review

Read our Mexico's Caribbean Coast sights reviews. Or post your own.

Pac Chen

Fodor's Review:

You can only visit Pac Chen (pronounced pak chin) on trips organized by Alltournative, an ecotour company based in Playa del Carmen. The unusual, soft-adventure experience is definitely worth your while. Pac Chen is a Mayan jungle settlement of 125 people who still live in round thatch huts; there's no electricity or indoor plumbing, and the roads aren't paved. The inhabitants, who primarily make their living farming pineapple, beans, and plantains, still pray to the gods for good crops. Alltournative also pays them by the number of tourists it brings in, though no more than 80 people are allowed to visit on any given day. This money has made the village self-sustaining and has given the people an alternative to logging and hunting, which were their main means of livelihood before.

The half-day tour starts with a trek through the jungle to a cenote where you grab on to a harness and Z-line to the other side. Next is the Jaguar cenote, set deeper into the forest, where you must rappel down the cavelike sides into a cool underground lagoon. You'll eat lunch under an open-air palapa overlooking another lagoon, where canoes await. The food includes such Mayan dishes as grilled achiote (annatto seed) chicken, fresh tortillas, beans, and watermelon.

Find more sights in Mexico's Caribbean Coast »

Member Reviews and Ratings

Be the first to review this property

Get Advice From Other Travelers

Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip



Get the Fodor's Newsletter

For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Read the current issue. Browse previous issues.




Copyright © 2009 Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.