8 Best Mexican Shore Excursions to Try During Your Cruise

Welcome aboard! We will soon be casting off on a magnificent journey into the heart of Mexico. Before we depart, though, we’d like to give you a quick travel tip: Make this vacation spectacular by trying out some incredible shore excursions! Carnival Fun Ships offer you tons of onboard entertainment, food and fun as you travel, but nothing compares to the excitement and adventure of the perfect shore excursion once you arrive at a port of call.

Let’s take a moment right now before you pack to consider some of the best shore excursions to make this special trip more memorable and picture-perfect — for all the great photos that will earn you bragging rights when you return home. Today’s adventure is all about the fun and mystery waiting for you at eight vibrant ports-of-call along the Mexican Riviera including Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. Join us as we travel on shore to virtually explore, via imagination, some of Mexico’s greatest excursions!

1. Explore Another World in the Ancient City of Tulum

There’s an enchanted world beyond Cancun, just down the coast and across water from Playa del Carmen. The island of Cozumel is every beach lover’s paradise, with plenty to see for the history enthusiasts in your family as well. The time-worn pyramids of Tulum open up a vista into a forgotten time. After a guided tour of the many temples and their significance to Mayan culture, you’ll have free time to explore with your partner or family and build your own eternal memories.

2. Go Off Road from Ensenada on a Wine Country ATV Adventure

After those amazing all-you-can-eat buffets on board, you might want to face a challenging onshore excursion to work it off! If adventure is in the cards for you, try jumping on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and motoring up into the mountains! The group will travel caravan style through vineyards of Ensenada, where you’ll taste some of the finest wines and cheeses in the country, in a place that few travelers get to see. Go off-road and live your dream life.

3. Catalina Parasailing Will Open Your Eyes to a New World

You can see better from up high, and you’ll get the best views of all when you are parasailing over the Baja! From hundreds of feet in the air, you’ll see the majestic Pacific alongside Catalina Island. Below your feet, dolphins will be playing in the surf and sea lions will be sunning themselves on the shore. This is the ideal experience to bring couples and families together, helping them see life from a new point of view!

4. Saddle Up Your Camel for a Mexican Outback Adventure from Cabo San Lucas

Camels in a North American desert? Why not? You don’t have to travel to the Middle East to experience life on the back of a camel, which truly deserves its reputation as “The Ship of the Desert.” On this moderate activity, ideal for kids and seniors, you’ll ride caravan-style on the back of a camel, make tortillas in an authentic Mexican kitchen, taste tequila straight from the cactus, and maybe even see some humpback whales breaching off shore Cabo San Lucas.

5. Take a VIP Tour from Progreso to the Temples of Chichen Itza and Swim in Cenote Ikkil

On the other side of the Yucatan peninsula from Cancun, by the Gulf of Mexico, you can discover sacred Mexico. Here, you’ll encounter the renowned temple of Chichen Itza and underground caverns with natural pools and waterfalls known as a “cenotes.” Many travelers believe these magical places to be the locus of spiritual renewal and wondrous awe. Top it all off with a magnificent Mexican buffet lunch at a local restaurant. There are no strenuous activities on this shore excursion, so the greatest possible variety of people can come along and find an inspirational connection to this lost world.

6. Sail from Puerto Vallarta to the Magical Las Caletas Beach Hideaway

Along the Pacific coast, in the famous Jalisco region of Mexico, lies a secluded tropical paradise with world-class fun. The opposites live side-by-side here in perfect harmony, nature and civilization, the past and the future, the jungle and the beach. Play with monkeys in a climbing net or take a zip line to your next kayaking adventure. Kids especially love the multifaceted adventure park in Puerto Vallarta, where they can try out guided snorkeling, delight in parrot encounters, and get away from it all on a nature walk. Adults also love the all-inclusive drinks for the day and the incredible buffet lunch spread for the whole family is included as part of the excursion. Kids 5 and under are free on this tour!

7. It’s Time for a Maya Adventure Park and Beach Break

Cancun and Cozumel are often the first places visitors see when they come to Mexico, but the next hottest destination for more experienced travelers is Costa Maya. Just a little further south along the Yucatan is a new world of activity and white sandy beaches in the Maya Adventure Park. Kids and the kids-at-heart can go wild here, with water slides, zip lines, and the new Kukulcan Zip Coaster! Adults can kick back and relax with the open bar and pool facilities at the Beach Escape Beach Club. It’s a wonderland on the surf with a tropical paradise in the background. Go further, experience life to the fullest, and get to know some of the locals. This is real fun in the real Mexico.

8. Reach New Heights in the Canopy Adventure from Mazatlan

On the mainland, just across the Gulf of California from Baja, Mexico and Cabo San Lucas, you can immerse yourself in the life of a true rain forest with the Huana Coa Canopy Adventure. You’ll travel by zip line, by flex-walk bridge, and by 6×6 off-road vehicles as you trek through an unexplored wilderness. In the end, you’ll emerge at a tequila distillery along the Blue Agave Trail in Mazatlan. Best of all, it’s designed for only moderate activity to accommodate the maximum range of travelers. This is one of the very best tours for photography buffs!

All Aboard for the Journey Home

Now it’s time to come back from all of our digital Mexico shore excursions and rest up for the voyage ahead. No one can do it all in one trip, but now you know where to find some of the most exciting add-ons to your next Fun Ship sailing. You’ll cast off anchor soon, fully prepared to make this trip one of the best cruises to Mexico you’ve ever experienced. Think of your cabin as your home away from home, ideal for welcoming you back after many thrilling days in an exotic, tropical land.

Note: Onboard activities, shore excursions, and dining options may vary by ship and destination.