Life in El Cuyo, Mexico.

The ComeKiteWithUs crew has settled into our beach life on the coast of the Yucatan in windy, El Cuyo. The month of January was a little light on the wind with roughly 50% of the days being kite-worthy. February brought consistent winds and an almost daily improvement on riding conditions.  While the windy season in Playa del Carmen and Isla Blanca will be wrapping up soon, the months of March-June are shaping up to be windiest yet in El Cuyo.  

Our crew and expanded family have extensively explored the town of El Cuyo and an "El Cuyo Guide" is in the works and will be posted shortly.

In this blog we wanted to share the stoke of El Cuyo and all of the other close by attractions.

We have had several groups and students here to explore the kite conditions, and we have all shared many other adventures off the water as well.  Here are some memorable moments that we have experienced this far.
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Kiteboarding in El Cuyo, Mexico

Depending on the wind speed and direction, El Cuyo has offered a myriad of conditions on the water.  From flatwater to small chop, from small waves to large swell trains, the ComeKiteWithUs crew and guests have had day-after-day of playing in a warm and shallow waterland that has consistently delivered fun whether riding twin tips, surf boards, or testing your skills on a hydrofoil.

Kiteboarding Lessons in El Cuyo, Mexico

The wind is here and it is delivering smooth, silky winds almost daily.  The warm, shallow water and virtually empty beaches are making it easy for our students to practice confidently and progress quickly in their lessons.  Many of our students have left El Cuyo as independent kiters, some even riding upwind in both directions with a huge smiles on their face and a ton of stoke to take home.

Family Fun in El Cuyo Mexico

We all know kids love the beach.  So whether it's windy or not, El Cuyo delivers the goods for vacationing and kiteboarding families alike.  At ComeKiteWithUs we love the chance to nurture a love of the sun, sand, ocean, marine life, and of course the wind, with any youngsters in town.  

​We also enjoy BBQing in the evenings with friends or just being lazy and heading to the local pizzeria, making lifelong friends and memories filled with laughter regardless.  

​And since everyday is filled with sun, the beach is the place to be during the daytime with SUPing, swimming, sunbathing, and playing in the sand being favorites for all generations.

Food in El Cuyo, Mexico

There are a variety of options in El Cuyo for all meals of the day, including dessert...and each season we have more options to choose from. From gourmet to simple home cooked seafood, from pizza to street food, El Cuyo has a little bit of everything and something for everyone. 
I will let some of the pictures do the talking, but know that my pictures only scratch the surface.

Wildlife in El Cuyo, Mexico

If you love wildlife, then El Cuyo most definitely has a ton of cool experiences in store for you.  Whether you like to take pictures of wildlife, enjoy bird watching,  or want try your hand at fishing for your dinner, El Cuyo, Mexico is a diverse ecosystem with tons of wildlife to be seen in every corner.  Thousands of pink flamingos nest here for the winter, iguanas regularly lounge in the sun, Manta Rays lazily swim by feeding off of the green ocean algae that gives the El Cuyo coastline the nickname of "The Emerald Coast"; and that is just a small portion of the wildlife you can expect to see.  
As far as fishing goes, the waters around El Cuyo may just be some of the best fishing grounds in the world.

Beauty on the Doorstep of El Cuyo: The Pink Lagoons of the Las Coloradas

Imagine waking up, drinking a cup of coffee, and then heading out on a quad for a scenic ride to amazing pink lagoons.  You will see all sorts of wildlife along the way, driving a dirt road pinched between the ocean and the Rio Lagartos lagoons, on your way to see the Las Coloradas.
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When you get there, pools of pink salt fields create lagoons teaming with microscopic algae that give them their pink hue (and make the flamingos pink too) and their amazing contrasts with the surrounding landscape. The Las Coloradas are beyond perfect for taking photos that you will remember for a lifetime. There are pools of all different shades of color; green, orange, pink, blue, etc. The beauty of this area rivals the Salar de Uyuni salt fields in Bolivia, so it is one place that is not to be missed. 

The round-trip from El Cuyo to the Las Coloradas and back will take somewhere between 3 and 4 hours. It is a perfect adventure that you can squeeze in before lunch and your time on the water kiting the afternoon thermal. 

The ComeKiteWithUs "No-wind" Daytrip  (Ek Balam, Cenote Samula, & Valladolid)

Whether there is actually a no wind day or you just need to give your body a break from all the kiting, we have come up with a fantastic full day excursion that we can either point you towards or organize and guide you on.  

• Leaving El Cuyo around 8 a.m. you will head roughly 2 hours south to fulfill your lifelong dream of climbing to the top of a Mayan pyramid at Ek Balam.
• After baking in the sun at the ruins, you will take a quick 20 minute drive to Cenote Samula to swim and cool off in one of the most beautiful cenotes in Mexico.
• After cooling off and getting some awesome pictures (if you brought your camera with you), finish off the day by eating dinner in the colonial town of Valladolid, Mexico.

Ek' Balam : Mayan Pyramid and Ruins

Mayan pyramids abound in the Yucatan with Chichen Itza being the most famous of them.  However, since Chichen Itza is an active archaeological site, visitors must be happy with taking pictures of the ruins, whereas at Ek' Balam the curious visitor can spend their time following in the footsteps of the Mayans who lived from 300 B.C to 1,000 A.D. by hiking and climbing most of the 14 structures that make up this ancient city.  

Overall the walled city of Ek' Balam spans 1.25 km2 with the Acropolis sitting majestically in the middle, over shadowing all the other features with it's height of over 31 meters.  When standing atop this structure, you get an amazing 360 degree view over the jungle rooftop of the Yucatan, and  you can visibly see the pyramid at Chichen Itza in the distance.  

​For many of us, standing atop this structure was an experience of a lifetime.  Who doesn't want to say that they have climbed to the top of a Mayan pyramid?

Cenote Samula

A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.  Within Mexico there are over 6,000 cenotes varying in size and the ability to access the waters below.

​A close by and favorite cenote of the ComeKiteWithUs crew is Cenote Samula.  Each clear, sunny day from 11am-3pm this cave covered cenote contains a perfect beam of light, shining through the hole in the cave roof, extending magically into the crystal clear waters below.  Sit still long enough and you will get a spa day from the small fish that will content themselves by nibbling the dead skin off of your feet and legs.

We suggest only paying the fee to see Samula and skip X'keken (the other cenote at the same property). X'Keken does contain giant stalactites but is lackluster in comparison to Samula.   If you want to take a souvenir home with you, be sure to take advantage of getting your picture taken as a group and with the parrot at the entrance.

The Colonial City of Valladolid, Mexico

Valladolid is a cute and friendly, Spanish colonial city located just 10 minutes from Cenote Samula, so it is a perfect place to end the adventurous day with a fantastic meal and a cold beer.  Whether you head back to El Cuyo after eating or decide to stay a night in the historic downtown to get some extra sightseeing and shopping in the following day, you can't go wrong with a visit to this beautiful city.
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From Wikipedia: "Named after Valladolid, at the time the capital of Spain, the first Valladolid in Yucatán was established by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo's nephew on May 27, 1543 at some distance from the current town, at a lagoon called Chouac-Ha in the municipality of Tizimin. However, early Spanish settlers complained about the mosquitos and humidity at the original location, and petitioned to have the city moved further inland.
On March 24, 1545, Valladolid was relocated to its current location, built atop a Maya town called Zaci or Zaci-Val, whose buildings were dismantled to reuse the stones to build the Spanish colonial town. The following year the Maya people revolted, but were put down with additional Spanish troops coming from Mérida."

Final Thoughts

It is truly hard to express just how much the ComeKiteWithUs crew enjoys our time here in El Cuyo, Mexico and just how much we appreciate everyone who comes to visit us and share in our adventures.  This blog truly only scratches the surface of things to do and see here, Mexican delicacies to eat and drink, and the fun that is in store for anyone that joins us here on the emerald coast of the Yucatan.

Don't let the sunset of your life come before you experience one in person here in El Cuyo, Mexico!