My husband & I are going to stay at the Grand Mayan in Nov and are looking for excursions. We won't have a rental car. We're interested in natural/ historical adventures... checking out ruins? Great hiking?

Any suggestions?

Hi Schrody, There should be an Excursion desk at your Hotel so you can check that out ... We love going to the Ruins ... Chichen Itza, Tulum, Coba ... also Xel Ha, Xcaret are fun for snorkeling etc. We always stay in a little place called Akumal and love it there ... the beaches south of Playa del Carmen are gorgeous. Not much for hiking ... mostly either beach or jungle but there are some tours that are called adventure tours that include some hiking or biking to Cenotes and various other things also Zip Lining ..

You might also want to check out tours through the Sian Ka'an nature preserve -
http://www.cesiak.org/

Enjoy!

Contact Edventure Tours http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/

Tell them what you want to do and they will provide the transportation and guids for the day. They are wonderful and you won't be on a bus with a huge group on an excursion.

look at locogringo.com click on trip research tab and scroll to the things to do tab. excellent overview of everything, maps, aerial views. excellent web site.

We really enjoyed a snorkel cave tour at Hidden Worlds, down near Xel Ha. Reasonably priced and very interesting, and you'll be all alone in the cave (not a cenote). They take you to 2 different caves and provide wet suits and snorkeling equipment, and you don't need to be an expert.

Xel Ha was wonderful if you get there early in the morning, before all the tour buses from Cancun get there. A little overpriced, but definitely fun and you'll see lots of fish.

Ya Kul Lagoon in Akumal is a lot of fun for snorkeling also, very inexpensive. It can get crowded, so get there early in the morning.

Also very fun was Coba, for ruins and hiking. Not touristy at all, you may find you are the only one there at a particular moment.

I think all these places should be easily reached by bus or taxi.