Activities & Excursions in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Camen offers teenagers an exciting & educational experience to learn Spanish & study abroad!

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Learn Spanish and spend your summer discovering Mexico as you study abroad in Playa del Carmen! For information about Activities, Sports & Excursions in Playa del Carmen browse this page or click the following links:
• Local Events
• Local Nightlife
• Local Sports & Activities
• Day or Weekend Excursions

After the Spanish courses are finished for the day, students can practice their newly acquired Spanish language skills while enjoying cultural & social activities and day excursions at our Teenagers Abroad Summer Camp in Playa del Carmen!

Spanish course students at our summer camp in Playa del Carmen will have plenty of exciting opportunities to learn Spanish culture while they study abroad in Mexico. We offer workshops in local music, Mexican cooking, and Salsa dancing. There are also many opportunities for summer camp students to participate in local water sports, beach volleyball, football, karaoke nights, BBQ’s and many more activities!

Students of our Spanish courses also have the opportunity to participate in volunteer work with local non-profit organizations. Volunteer programs that we’re involved with in Playa del Carmen include cleaning the local beaches and helping under privileged children.

Local Events:

Yucatan Fair: The Yucatan Fair was at one time solely a stock breeder event. Still today, the fair is viewed at the most important event in Mexico’s stock breeder trading industry. Nowadays, there have been many features added to the fair that make it a real celebration! Not only is there livestock, but now there are many other regional products, small theme parks, children’s shows, horse races, entertainers, cockfights and the traditional Palenque festival.

Bird Festival: Every year around November in Yucatan, there is a bird watching festival. Enthusiasts come from all over to take part in workshops, conferences and exhibitions.

Autumn Cultural Festival: This is also an annual festival. With lively music, dance and theater productions, this festival celebrates Yucatan’s and Mexico’s culture!

Local Nightlife:

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Besides the beautiful beaches and perfect weather, Playa del Carmen is best known for having a great nightlife! Bars that play lively music, serve drinks and have live entertainment can be found on the beaches and in the town. The wide variety of bars allows every mood to be suited. The city offers quiet & small affairs, loud & rowdy places, beach side bars, sports bars and everything in between!
Closing time for bars is 2am, and nightclubs & discos may stay open until 4am or later. If you’re lucky enough to be in Playa del Carmen during a full moon, you shouldn’t miss out on the all-night raves on Coco Beach.
During the night is when you’ll truly appreciate the benefits of being in a small city. All of the bars are within walking distance of one another, there’s no need to taxis or buses! Also, when you’re ready to call it a night, it’s probable that your hotel is also within walking distance!
Two of the most popular ‘after-hours’ clubs are The Blue Parrot and Capitan Tutix. If you are looking for jazz music in the city, Apasionada is undoubtedly the place to go! Around the ‘Quinta’ strip, you’ll find the majority of the city’s bars and clubs, especially if you look up and down the side streets.

Local Sports & Activities:

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Playa del Carmen is the perfect summer camp program location if you want to kick back, relax and simply do nothing for awhile! It is also a great place for those who love paticipating in sports and exercising. The following section gives just a few of the most popular activities among students while in they study abroad in Playa del Carmen:

Diving: Bordering the coastline of Playa del Carmen are many great coral reefs just waiting to be explored! You’ll see the second largest barrier reef in the world, only behind Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Playa del Carmen attracts so many diving enthusiasts that there are plenty of diving stores in the area that carry everything you will need for your diving adventure!

Fishing: Playa del Carmen is world renowned for its great fishing locations. Fishing enthusiasts come from all over to fish the rich marines of Fauna and Flora.

Sailing: This activity can be as exciting or relaxing as you want to make it. Rent a catamaran or a sailboat and spend the day on the waters! The weather on the Caribbean sea is usually perfect for such an adventure!

More Water Sports: Other water sports, such as windsurfing, snorkeling, kite surfing and many more are also available.

Parasailing: This adventure will get your adrenalin pumping! Get a new perspective on Playa del Carmen by seeing it from the clouds!

Windsurfing: Windsurfing lessons and/or rentals are available at a discounted price through one of our contacts in the windsurfing school.

ATV Adventure Tours: A professional staff will take you on a guided ATV tour through the jungle, mangroves and the beach. There are three departure times a day, each tour lasts 2 hours. After the tour, water, sodas and snacks will be provided to you at no extra cost.

Yoga: Within walking distance from the campus, there are many yoga studios & teachers.

Golfing: Playa del Carmen has a spectacular, first class golf course that attracts golfers from all over to come to the island just to play the course! Robert van Hagge designed the island’s premier course in Playacar, which is just south of Playa del Carmen’s main center.

Sports-Center: If you like to play tennis and basketball, then you’ll love -what the locals refer to as- the “Unidad Deportiva”.

Health Clubs: Around our campus, there are numerous state-of-the-art gyms that offer yoga, toning and aerobics classes. It is also to join to do independent conditioning & weight training.

Horseback Riding: A professional and friendly staff will take you on a guided horseback riding tour through the jungle, mangroves and the beach. You can even take the horse for a swim in the Mexican Caribbean Sea! After the tour is over, water, sodas and snacks will be provided to you at no extra cost. There are three departure times a day, each tour lasts 2 hours.

Wave Runners: Have an exhilarating adventure riding the waves of the Caribbean Sea! There are five departure times each day. After the tour is over, water, sodas and snacks will be available.

Day or Weekend Excursions:

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Chichén Itzá: When visiting Playa del Carmen, Chichén Itzá is a must see! It is one of the most prized historical and cultural sites on the Yucatán Peninsula. Experience the historical ruins of Chichén Itzá, which tell the story of when the Mayas ruled the Mexican Valley.
Climbing to the top of the castle, ‘el Castillo’, is no easy feat but it’s worthwhile to see the amazing view from the top. The view from the castle allows you to see the green jungle from a unique prospective. Also, guided tours of Chichén Itzá allow you to hear an accurate historical recount of the numerous historical sites and surrounding area.

Tulúm: Near a ‘pueblo’ (village) along the Northern Mexican Coast is an archaeological site called Tulúm. It is much smaller than Chichén Itzá, but Tulúm is still considered to be one of the most significant historical Mayan sites remaining on the Yucatan peninsula. There, you can visit the ruins of thousand year old buildings to learn more about Mayan heritage.
On your way to Tulúm, you will pass a ‘hotel zone’, which is close to beautiful beaches that offer access to the Sian Ka’an biosphere.

Cozumel Island: The island of Cozumel is Mexico’s largest island and is located on the exact opposite shore from Playa del Carmen. This island is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean. Many cruise ships stop for the day so that vacationers can enjoy island activities, such as shopping, snorkeling, diving and dining out. There are several American-style restaurants on the island, such as San Miguel and The Hard Rock Cafe.
A roundtrip on a ferry that runs hourly from Cozumel Island to Playa del Carmen costs about 15 USD.

More Great Activities & Excursions:

Half Day Excursions:
• Puerto Aventuras: Dolphins, Sea Lions, Manatees & the Beach
• Cenote: Famous Underground Caves & Snorkeling
• Xcacel: Beach Games & Activities
• Cancun: Famous Resort w/ Shopping & Cinema

Full Day Excursions:
• Tulum: Famous Mayan Ruins & Beaches
• Isla Mujeres: Boat to this former Pirate Island

Optional Opportunities (Additional Price):
• Windsurfing
• Horseback Riding
• ATV Adventures
• Yoga
• Parasailing
• Mountain Biking
• Wave Runners
• & much more!