Mexico - An Overview

Mexico is a land of contrasts both naturally and culturally. Stroll along the miles of idyllic sandy beaches edging the crystal clear turquoise waters; or take a trek through lush tropical jungles and rain forests; or if you fancy more of an adventure, visit the sites of some of Mexico’s ancient civilisations.

Mexico is certainly a traveller’s paradise where you can lose yourself in wonderful colonial towns that are lost in time, or the most glitzy and luxurious resorts. Explore Mexico beyond its resorts and you’ll see the most amazing wildlife and countryside, volcanoes, deserts, bustling cities, colourful fishing villages…

And it’s this amazing mix of contrasts that adds to Mexico’s charm and stands it apart from so many other locations that are just a tourist resort, with little else to offer.

Six main tourist regions in Mexico:

Inland, there’s Northern Mexico, Central Mexico and Southern Mexico. The popular coastal regions are Baja California, The Pacific Coast and the Yucatan Peninsula, where the Mexican Caribbean Coast lies.

In a nutshell, this is what each region offers:

Northern Mexico is home to many of Mexico’s larger cities and business centres as well as the key industrial areas. With beautiful rugged mountain ranges, nature reserves and vast expanses of desert, the extreme weather conditions are famous.

Central Mexico is definitely the heartland of Mexico and is exactly what many people think of when thinking of Mexico. Wonderful natural surroundings; beautiful colourful towns buzzing with music, life and energy; elegant colonial cities with amazing architecture and more world heritage sites than you’ll be able to visit in one holiday.

Southern Mexico with the Gulf of Mexico on its eastern shores and the Pacific Ocean on its west, is one big natural park. With forests, rivers, mangrove swamps and marshes it offers plenty of opportunity for exhilarating adventures, more gentler forms of eco-tourism and everything in between.

Baja California is just a short hop from the United States and a popular tourist and retirement spot with Americans. The Sea of Cortez is a popular spot with divers who come in their thousands.

A popular sight with tourists is the annual migration of the Grey Whale. Golfers are well catered for in this region just like the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Pacific Coast has excellent beaches for surfing and fishing and some of Mexico’s best known cities are here – Guadalajara, Oaxaca, Acapulco, Manzanollo. There are towns and cities which are rich in Mexico’s culture and history offering some of the country's best social and culinary traditions.

The Yucatan Peninsula was the homeland of the Mayan people and there are plenty of historical sites and ruins there. But it has to be said that it’s the silky white, soft sand beaches and the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean that make this region so desirable.

The vista of mountains and lush jungle along the Caribbean coast make a perfect backdrop to the world’s second largest coral reef – a scuba diver’s paradise.

Perfect Caribbean location; thrilling eco-tourist spot; breathtaking world heritage sites of the Mayan empire… choose your favourite.

So, having had the briefest of tasters of this wonderful place, why not invest a few minutes now and find out a little more? We want you to be able to make an informed decision and so we’ve prepared plenty of material for you.