Yucatán Peninsula Nabs Coveted Spot on Frommer’s Top Travel Destinations for 2012 [2]
Frommer’s, one of the world’s bestselling travel guides, selects top travel destinations [3] each year for travelers to visit. After months of deliberation and input from thousands of readers, the travel experts have picked 10 places for Frommer’s top destinations for 2012.
The experts have spoken, and the Yucatán Peninsula [4] has made it onto the must-see travel list for 2012. With picturesque beaches, diverse cuisine, jubilant fiestas and exotic wildlife, the Yucatán peninsula embodies the best qualities of Mexico.
The Yucatán Peninsula is a region of southeastern Mexico, including the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, with a population numbering close to 2 million residents. The area is home to some of Mexico’s most popular cities such as the mega-resorts of Cancún and Playa del Carmen and the colonial cities of Mérida and Campeche.
With a long history of Maya ancestry, the area has kept close to its roots. Just beyond the typical resorts lie guesthouses among white sands shared solely with fishing families and jungle villages that are still home to many Mayas today.
Some typical things to do in Yucatán include: climbing a 1,500-year-old pyramid, exploring cenotes (the Maya's sacred caves and waterways), eating traditional food with recipes dating back centuries, and sleeping overnight in a restored 19th-century Spanish hacienda.
For these reasons and more, why wouldn’t you want to visit the Yucatán Peninsula in 2012?