Sisal

Sisal is the other old port in Yucatán. Just a few minutes north of the state capital at Mérida, the little beach town has long been a getaway and a place of coastal bliss, and this in a state known for beach vacations and paradise getaways.

People assume the town is named for the fiber of the henequén plant (agave sisalana), long shipped from this port. Sisal, in the Yucatecan Mayan language, is actually a place name meaning place where the cold is heavy and penetrating in what may be the misnomer to end all misnomers. Sisal is anything but. The port here was founded specifically to export the fibrous cord produced here and later for cotton and tobacco too. 

But the town is magical in more ways than one. The El Palmar State Reserve protects most of the area, including a giant plot of land from here to the southwest. The area is a favorite for flamingos and for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers as well as for nesting turtles (from May through September each year).

The town is not huge. But some 2,500 residents somehow provide a huge variety of lodging options and plenty that is good to eat. There are a number of tour operators who will also be happy to show you up and down the coast, or into the mangroves. The wildlife is extraordinary.

The trip from the middle of Mérida is just over an hour drive, and there are a number of tour operators who will get you here in a van. From the Tren Maya, most passengers will want to arrive at the Uman station, simply to avoid most of the Mérida traffic. The trip from Uman is a little over an hour, too, but you also get the satisfaction of avoiding that Mérida traffic. From Cancun, the trip to Uman on the Tren Maya should take just about six hours.