Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — National Geographic has included Maya Ka’an in Quintana Roo among the world’s best destinations to visit in 2027, citing its natural wealth, the enduring presence of Maya culture and its community-based, sustainable tourism model, the state government announced.
The publication highlighted the role of 78 Maya communities that preserve their traditions, ancestral knowledge and ecosystems while offering visitors adventure, cultural, culinary and environmental conservation experiences.
Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa said the recognition supports her administration’s strategy to diversify the Mexican Caribbean’s tourism offerings beyond the traditional sun-and-sand model, with Indigenous communities at the center of their own development.
“Maya Ka’an is Mexico’s model for rural and community tourism, one that showcases our cultural and culinary wealth along with the enigmatic magic of Maya culture, so that people everywhere can experience and discover it directly with the protagonists — the communities of Quintana Roo,” she said.
What National Geographic Recommends
The magazine singled out the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, with its turquoise lagoons, cenotes, jungle and biodiversity. Also featured were Muyil, where visitors can kayak and watch birds among the mangroves, and Punta Allen, where dolphins and sea turtles can be spotted in the Mesoamerican Reef System.
Other recommended stops include:
- Traditional embroidery workshops in X-Pichil
- The Síijil Noh Há lagoon system
- The community kitchen in Señor, where families share traditional farming knowledge and prepare sikil pak, chiltomate and handmade tortillas
- Chunhuhub, where community guides lead walks along jungle trails and explain the uses of medicinal plants
- Tihosuco, where residents recount the history of the Caste War
- The Much Kanan K’aax reserve, with its lagoon landscapes and wildlife including howler monkeys, run under a community conservation scheme
Maya Ka’an brings together communities in the center of the state, in the municipalities of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, José María Morelos and Tulum.
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