February 12 – 18, 2026
It’s a pleasant ride on the Tren Maya from Playa del Carmen south to Bacalar, near the border with Belize, passing by more of the characteristic dry jungle landscape that’s found on the Yucatán peninsula. Carolyn found a good book to read, and I enjoyed just watching the world go by since this will be our last segment on the Tren Maya this year. But we’ll surely ride these rails again the next time we’re in the Yucatán.
Bacalar has a different vibe from Playa del Carmen. This town is more relaxed and faces onto the broad Bacalar Lagoon, with little concentration of tourism on any single street. There weren’t many obnoxious touts in Playa, but there are far fewer in Bacalar.
At least one outspoken person seems to wish the tourists weren’t here at all, and wrote it on a bus bench. After we realize how sweet this hidden corner of México is, I understand his concern. Yet most folks here are cordial, relaxed, and welcoming. And the place is uncrowded, maybe since we’re here after the Holiday tourist rush.
Our hotel is an unpretentious place named Chukum, with a courtyard embracing a verdant jungle. Friendly and curious dogs and cats greet us at the door as we enter a tall lobby filled with playful art, a huge ‘pirate Frida,’ and a window wall that opens to the courtyard jungle.
Chukum has a long and art-riotous stairway to, heaven maybe? One day I decide to hang out in-place for a while and do some writing in a quiet location. A cat follows me to the upper deck and we hang out up there together as I try to write another Dispatch.
And meanwhile, Carolyn is reposed happily among the plant life below, and buried in a good book.
Later, after a short nap, we emerge into the evening to find a good dining place named Costera 28 that’s just a block away, and with an intriguing fusion menu to choose from. It’s an excellent meal followed by an outrageous dessert, and at the sort of rational price we can expect in our Mexican travels. It was a fine way to end our first day here in Bacalar.
The big event here is not the nearby ocean at all, but the broad freshwater Lagoon and the unique system of lifeforms it harbors. And there’s a good boardwalk to enjoy a quiet evening stroll over the water. There are also several long docks for families to enjoy the water without walking on the tiny prehistoric and fragile stromatolites in the shallows that oxygenate the lagoon.
A boat ride on the Lagoon is an important introduction to this fascinating ecosystem while we support the locals who keep it pristine. There are a few athletic and well-tattooed Europeans on our boat, one of whom has his legs bandaged from some sort of different recent adventure. The Lagoon is long and narrow (about 60km by 2km), filled with clear blue water over a white sandy bottom.
Several other boats have arrived when we get to the Cenote Azul, a large deep (about 90m) hole in the rock that could well be another leftover from that nearby gigantic Chicxulub asteroid that bumped off the dinosaurs long ago. It’s a bit eerie when our boat passes over the rocky edge of the cenote where the bottom disappears and we peer into a deep abyss.
After the Cenote Azul we cruise past noisy Bird Island, hoping not to ruffle any feathers as the raucous residents gather together for the evening. And then our skipper tops off the day with a gorgeous sunset cruise back across the water to the dock. We arrive in the dusk, in time to search out another fine place for dinner.
It’s a nice evening’s walk from the dock back to the center of things, and there are plenty of excellent open-air eateries along the way, where palm fronds rustle as a tropical breeze drifts through and creative dishes emerge from the kitchen. You’re likely to be visited by a local lizard as the sun begins to set, to inquire if you may have a few extra insects you could share. And with no hard walls and ceilings, the acoustics are excellent for a quiet evening dinner.
Hot coffee and a hearty brekkie, at nearby Madre Masa, is a fine begin to another day, as we’re ready for a good wander.
Bacalar is different from Playa del Carmen, as there’s no actual dedicated Gringo-turista avenue here. So after brekkie it’s a fine day to explore the many quiet streets, to maybe find a few simple hidden treasures. And there are a fair few of them, from an Ecole de Danse, to several large murals and a painted tree. Art is a human obsession, maybe even a malady for some. A good friend says his wife suffers from ‘artism,’ as she produces astounding examples in her workshop. And there are many creative examples right here, in the streets of Bacalar.
One of the finest things about México is their culture of actually fixing things, instead of tossing them out to get something new. An enterprising fellow has a garage filled with a jumble of parts for maybe anything you might want fixed. And a simple electrical repair is keeping a lamp post working.
There’s a sizable mercado with plenty of fresh fruits, meats, and veggies. And a local guy running his own version of Uber Eats is happy to retrieve your dinner fixings for you. Or maybe your entire hot dinner order from anywhere in town.
There are some flashier places to stay here in Bacalar, as the place grows and finds its footing on the latest Turista maps. But Chukum has been a good place for us to relax into a bit of local life.
And some interesting soul has a ‘Take One – Leave One’ book table outside the front door for folks who need a relief from their iPhones. Bacalar seems more and more like a place for people who possess a richer inner life, and are not much in need of canned entertainment with a laugh-track.
After another good long walk, there’s some really delicious stuff at the nearby Food Park, another open-air spot that serves up hearty platters of tasty grub in a convivial setting.
Another fine day dawns and it deserves another good brekkie to fortify ourselves for the task ahead.
We’ll be checking out the Plaza area to see what’s happening these days. This is a small town of around 11,000 folks, and it’s a much quieter spot than the busy plazas in Mérida and Valladolid. At least in the ‘shoulder season.’ Currently, the big focus on the face of City Hall is to encourage people to pay their ‘prediales’ – their property taxes and business licenses.
México has a system that gives you a big discount if you pay those fees early. It’s on a sliding scale, but if you pay up early in January, you can get 50% off. In Sonora, where we live, it used to be that you could even win a car! Most Gringos may find the idea amusing, or even crazy, but it’s common here in México.
On a sober note, México has been fighting a long battle against feminicide, and there are monuments like this one in many plazas to the women who have been murdered. It’s a tragic situation that begs for resolution.
There’s an artisanal fair underway in the plaza to promote local crafts. And some enterprising person has borrowed the Costco Wholesale logo to promote a local business selling Kirkland products here in town. We also have a ‘Costco de Kino’ in Kino Bay where Manuel makes a weekly trip to the big city, and we can place orders with him. It’s a good idea that saves us gas and hassle.
The old Spanish fort by the plaza, built in 1733, is a popular place for tourist pics with that big colorful Bacalar sign in front.
After another good day, we’re hungry. Several people have mentioned Cheuinic as a special place for some of the best stuff in town. It’s a popular place, just a few blocks away from the plaza, where we ran into a friendly fellow who reminded me of Al Roker. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay long ago and is now on the City Council of a small town near Atlanta. Returned Peace Corps folk tend to remain activists and he was happy to join our table even though we can’t even vote in Georgia!.
For an international vibe, some of the best cuisine can be found at an elegant place called Finisterre. (If you read our Valladolid Dispatch, you may remember that we enjoyed a Finisterre there, also. And, yes, they are the same business.) It’s a place that’s definitely worth trying.
Tigre is another special find for good food and atmosphere, and we’re there on our last night in town as our visit comes to a close. They even have a pétanque area, just a simple patch of sand like you find in European cities – no fancy astro-turf bocce court needed – to pitch a few balls and pass the time after dinner. Or over a few cold brews with a bro.
We return after dinner to the nicely-lighted windows and courtyard of Chukum, and a cat waiting to visit the out-of-doors. It’s been a very nice choice, in a good town, to rest our heads after another fine day. It’s all quickly become a familiar scene and I know we’ll miss it.
Tomorrow we’ll be heading north and leaving the Mayan lands behind. We’ll be finding a different kind of adventure in the big city of Querétaro, our last stop on this trip in early 2026. It’s another place where we have many fond memories, and we haven’t been back there in several years. Be sure to come along with us on the final part of our trip, to the historic heart of Querétaro. — PRW
Wilkes/Kinsman dispatches 