The Camino del Mayab, a 68-mile walking and cycling trail near Mérida on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, offers a five-day hike through jungle pools and ancient Mayan civilisation while providing income for the communities it passes through. Opened in 2020, the trail follows historic paths and can be tackled independently or with a guide.
Co-founder Alberto Gutiérrez Cervera, inspired by the Camino de Santiago in Europe, created the route as a sustainable tourism alternative to resorts like Cancún. The trail passes through 14 communities, with 80% of tour income staying locally, enabling residents to continue traditional milpa farming rather than seeking low-paid work in Mérida.
The hike, undertaken in the dry season, starts at 6am to avoid 40C heat. Highlights include swimming in cenotes like Yaal Utzil, a sinkhole surrounded by craggy rocks and birds. Guide Misa Poot, an ornithologist, points out species such as orioles, flycatchers, motmots and parrots.
Stops include Hacienda Yaxnic, a ruined colonial estate that once profited from Mayan slave labour growing henequen, a plant used for rope. A historian at San Antonio Tzacalá’s community library, built with camino proceeds, explains this history. Lunch with a local family includes dishes like recado rojo and cochinita pibil.
The trail also offers cultural insights into the Maya, who are still present in Yucatán but often face poverty and prejudice. Mérida, built on the ancient Maya city Ti’ho, features murals depicting the Spanish conquest and the Caste war of the 19th century.
