adventuregetaway the yucatan peninsula,mexicojohnkounis.com/pdfs/yucatanmx_mmun.pdf · their...

The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

a d v e n t u r e g e t a w a y

A Caribbean Sky Tours Adventureby John T. Kounisphotos by George A. Kounis

The Cessna 206 ahead stood out clearly against the blue-green water as it turned to fly up thebeach. As I banked my Cessna 185 to follow its lead, I could see the texture of the sandysea bottom through the crystal-clear water below. To my left, the crescent-shaped beach

stretched for miles without a single building, vehicle,or person in sight. The rest of the island we wereflying over was covered by dense jungle or shallow marshes. After a few minutes,a voice crackled overthe radio,“I see the airstrip; I’ll make a low pass and check out the surface.”The Cessna ahead descendedtoward a long rectangular clearing in the trees. After the pilot confirmed the runway was in goodcondition, we landed on the narrow strip of dirt in the clearing. At the end of the strip, the tiedownarea was a grass rectangle lined with conch shells. The “terminal”consisted of two small buildings withthatched roofs and a few palm trees.

10 • JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2007 • PILOT GETAWAYS

The Yucatan Peninsula, MexicoA Caribbean Sky Tours Adventure


Dave Hirschman flies with Rick Gardner and Pia Hilbert ofCaribbean Sky Tours along the Yucatan coast near Punta Pajaros,

south of Tulum. They are flying en route to Kohunlich with itsancient Mayan ruins, and The Explorean eco-resort (above).

PILOT GETAWAYS • JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2007 • 11

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My travel companions—my brotherGeorge and dog Woody—and I had justarrived at Isla Holbox, an uncharted airstripon an island off Mexico’s Caribbean coast,just one of many stops on a custom tourarranged for us by Caribbean Sky Tours.Run by husband-and-wife team RickGardner and Pia Hilbert, the companyorganizes and conducts aerial tours of theYucatan Peninsula for private pilots. Basedin Cancun, the owners possess an intimateknowledge of both the aviation systemand the best destinations throughout thepeninsula. Rick, who has eight years of flyingexperience in Mexico and is a CFI, conductspilot briefings and handles aviation, customs,and immigration issues. Pia has lived inMexico her entire life and has worked withMexican firms in public relations capacities;she handles transportation, lodging, dining,and other logistics.

Flying to Isla HolboxOur planning for the day trip to Isla

Holbox began the previous night overdinner. Rick showed us our route on ONCcharts he provided, (1:1,000,000 charts that

are similar to U.S. WACs).We would fly along the eastcoast north from Cancunpast shallow lagoons tothe northern tip of thepeninsula. Holbox is a pri-vate airstrip not depictedon the map, so Rick gaveus the coordinates out ofthe Pilot’s Guide to Mexico’sYucatan Peninsula, a com-prehensive guide covering44 airports. (Rick wrotethis guide and provides itto all trip participants. It isalso available through their website for$60, (786) 206-6147 or (866) 420-9265,www.caribbeanskytours.com.)

On the flight north, Rick reminded usover the radio, “Keep an eye out for flamin-gos. You’ll find them in the shallow parts ofthe lagoons.” We saw the flamingos just likehe promised; they were easy to spot againstthe brownish-green marshes.

After landing, we were greeted by AlbertoSaab, owner and operator of the Holboxairport and long time friend of Rick and

Pia. He also owns a convenient four-roombeachside hotel across the street and wasproud to give us a quick tour. Soon, ourguide Victor Velazquez arrived… clad in justshorts and a shirt. A fascinating fellow, hewas a famous violin maker and had traveledto many countries in that capacity. “When Icame to Holbox 20 years ago, I threw awaymy watch and my shoes,” Victor explained.“I haven’t needed them since.” Our taxi wasessentially a stretch “limo” version of acommon golf cart, that seated up to eightpassengers and had larger off-road tires. Wedrove on unpaved roads past the centralplaza and along the seafront of town—alleight blocks of it. Buildings painted inpinks, greens, reds, and blues added colorand brightness to the town.

We felt as if we were in a town from ahalf-century ago, yet Victor lamented theprogress. “When I first arrived, there wasno television and no electricity on theisland. People would congregate in thesquare and talk. When it got dark, theywould sleep, so everybody awoke early.Today, people stay home and watch tele-vision. Nobody is up at 4 a.m. anymore.”

The neighboring lagoons, Victorexplained, are home to 40,000 flamingosfrom April through October, and large whalesharks arrive in summer; you can see dol-phins frolicking in the water year round. Onthe beach, kite surfers readied their gear fora day on the waves, while others were justwalking hand-in-hand, taking in the beauty.

After landing at Isla Holbox (bottom), pilots canrelax by the pool at Xaloc Resort (left), enjoylobster pizza at Restaurant y Pizzeria Edelyn (above),and even swim with whale sharks (below).

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Caribbean Sky Tours includes Holbox ontheir summertime Whale Shark Adventurefly-ins. A boat tour to see whale sharks isincluded; brave passengers can jump intothe water to swim with these gentle giants.The largest fish in the sea, whale sharks canreach lengths in excess of 40 ft. but haveno teeth; they eat plankton by filteringthem from the water. Fly-in participantsstay at a beachfront resort, usually XalocResort, www.holbox-xalocresort.com, orVillas Delfines, www.holbox.com. Bothresorts have bungalows set among palmtrees, connected by walkways that windtheir way on the sand. Each bungalow hasan outside deck, and either one king ortwo queen beds. Guests relax on reclinersaround a swimming pool, or on the beachin front of the resort.

We wrapped up our visit with a meal atRestaurant y Pizzeria Edelyn, which special-izes in lobster pizza—a lobster-lover’s dream,piled high with the fresh crustaceans.

The Yucatan PeninsulaMexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is in the

southeastern corner of Mexico, about 350 nmsouthwest of Florida. Although known forits beautiful Caribbean beaches, the areahas much more to offer. Once the site of athriving Mayan civilization, the peninsula isdotted with Mayan ruins. The 16th centurysaw Spanish settlement, Caribbean pirates,and turmoil as colonists and natives viedfor dominance. The Spanish Colonial citiesof Mérida and Campeche on the west coaststill represent the architecture and stylefrom that era. And of course, the legendarybeaches at Cancun and Cozumel drawtourists from the world over.

Though the Yucatan is close to the U.S.—just a short flight from Texas or Florida—many pilots are apprehensive about flyingthere, due to a lack of familiarity with theaviation system, language barriers, andpossible concerns about over-water flying.Caribbean Sky Tours helps pilots deal withthose issues and concentrate on what’simportant: having fun. They conduct severalescorted group tours annually that beginin Brownsville, Texas, or Key West, Florida,last seven to ten days, and visit two to four

Caribbean Sky Tours owners, Rick Gardnerand Pia Hilbert, are Cancun residentsexperienced in Mexican flying and travel.

cities on the peninsula. Rick and Pia accom-pany the group in their Cessna 206, handlingboth ground and aviation logistics. Sometrips focus on Spanish colonial history orMayan civilizations; others concentrate onadventure travel or simply relaxing on thebeautiful Caribbean beaches. The companyalso offers custom tours, as well as a tripplanning service for those who want to goon their own, but would still like to takeadvantage of Rick and Pia’s experience andinsight, (786) 206-6147 or (866) 420-9265,www.caribbeanskytours.com.

Since this was our first trip to the Yucatanand we had time constraints, we askedCaribbean Sky Tours to customize a tour so

that we could see a little of everything. Webased out of Cancun and made day trips todestinations between 40 and 220 nm away.

CancunIt’s possible to spend your entire vaca-

tion in Cancun, and many tourists fromaround the world do just that. The centerof tourist activity in the area is “HotelRow.” This 15-mile-long stretch of multi-story resort complexes is on a narrowpeninsula separated from the mainland bya lush, green lagoon. Across the peninsula,the contrast with the clean white sandbeaches and the light blue Caribbeanwaters is striking. Along with hotels, you’ll

find myriad dance clubs, restaurants, andshops. Everything from parasailing to golfingis available at your doorstep.

Longtime Cancun residents, Rick and Piaknow the best—and often little-known—places. After arriving at the airport, we drovepast resort after resort, but then pulled offthe road and stopped at a relatively desertedspot. We descended a steep staircase andfound a spacious deck built out over thewaters of a large lagoon. A log structuresupported a thatched roof, but there wereotherwise no walls, and the gentle seabreezes blew across the deck. A couple ofyachts were tied to a pier extending into thewater. On the deck were a half dozen or sotables set with white tablecloths. This wasJ.C. Capitan restaurant, known primarilyto locals and boaters, since it is not easyto see from the road. We enjoyed a localspecialty, soft fish tacos seasoned withgarlic, while reviewing the plans for ourupcoming flights.

Another night, we did visit the tourist cen-ter of Cancun for a night on the town rightin the middle of the action. Entertainment,shopping, and partying were in amplesupply, as was good dining. La Casa de lasMargaritas restaurant is a traditional Mexicanrestaurant built and decorated in the styleof an old colonial hacienda. We dined attables in an interior courtyard serenaded bylive marimba music and Mexican singersperforming on a central stage. Entrées wereseasoned with local spices, such as chickenbreast in mole sauce and beef filet marinatedin sun dried pepper sauce. Excellent mar-garitas accompanied our meals; they weremade with just about any kind of Tequilayou could ask for and came in a variety offlavors, www.lacasadelasmargaritas.com.


Ancient CivilizationsOur first flight was along the east coast

to see Mayan ruins. South of Cancun, theYucatan coast is densely forested right upto the water. Short, rocky cliffs and narrowbeaches are all that separate the jungle fromthe sea. About 58 nm south of Cancun, wecame across some stone structures in aclearing on a bluff overlooking the water.The main structure has steep steps on oneside and is right at the cliff edge. Welearned these are the ruins of the Mayanwalled city of Tulum that dates to the 13thcentury. Just a ten-minute walk away to thenorthwest is an airport with a 6,000-ft.paved runway. It is a day-trip destination onthe Mérida-Cozumel Fly-In, which includesa guided tour of the ruins. Participants inthe Riviera Maya Memorial Day Fly-In alsovisit, spending the night at a hotel in Tulum,and touring the archaeological site as wellas nearby underground caverns.

Our fuel stop was Chetumal Airport(MMCM), which is about as far southeastas you can get and still be in Mexico. Infact, the threshold for 7,244-ft. Runway 28is only about 4,500 ft. north of the borderwith Belize. The field was bustling, as someMexican Air Force C-130s were flying pat-terns, while others were loading soldiersand equipment. After landing, Rick wentoff to handle our paperwork and flightplans. He knew the airport comandanteand his assistant personally, so the proce-dures ran smoothly and quickly (they evenhandled us before completing the flightplans for the air force pilots).

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Above: Some trips include excursions tothe Mayan ruins at Calakmul.Below left: Expansive luxury resorts linethe beach on Cancun’s “Hotel Row.”

The next leg took us 28 nm inland to theuncharted Kohunlich Airstrip, deep in thejungle. After departure, we over-flew LagunaBacalar, known as the “lagoon of sevencolors.” This is where mineral-laden fresh-water mixes with saltwater, forming a kalei-doscope of color. In some places, the waterwas a brilliant turquoise; in others, it wasdeep blue, milky-white, or even reddish.All this contrasted with the dense junglethat extended right to the water’s edge.

West of the lagoon, there were no roadsor towns to use as landmarks, just a largelandscape of rolling hills covered in densevegetation, so the GPS was crucial. Theairport appeared as a long beige rectanglehacked out of surrounding dense vegeta-tion. The jungle encroached closely on thestrip, so it was nearly impossible to see itunless we were lined up with the runway.Flying downwind was just a guess, sincewe couldn’t see the strip.

Rick and Pia had arrangedfor a van to the Mayan ruinsat Kohunlich, near the air-strip. The ruins compriseseveral huge stone structuresconstructed between 300and 900 AD. We were fas-cinated with our guide’sstories of life here more thana thousand years ago. Heshowed us the field where ball games wereplayed for important events, such as beforegoing to war, before a crucial harvest, orwhen rain was needed. Warriors wouldcompete against each other with a three-to four-kilogram rubber ball. Archaeologistshave differing versions of the outcomes ofsuch games, but most agree it was deadly tosomebody. According to our guide, the win-ners—usually the best athletes and the bestwarriors—would earn the “honor” of beingdecapitated so their blood could be offered

to the gods. One member of ourparty, Dave Hirschman, jokedhow in today’s society, MichaelJordan would have been sacri-ficed to the gods a long time ago.At the Temple of the Masks, thetallest pyramid in the complex,many sculptures are remarkablywell preserved, despite theirage. Some of the original colorremains on the stones. Best ofall, since this area is so inacces-sible, we had it almost entirelyto ourselves.

We wrapped up the day withlunch at The Explorean, aneco-tourism resort perched ona hill south of the airport. Thebest view is from the pool atthe top of the hill, affordingyou the luxury of relaxing inyour recliner and seeing onlywater and jungle to the north.The restaurant is on a large,covered deck decorated withMayan-style sculptures.

Caribbean Sky Tours’ upcoming trips alsoinclude overnight stays at The Explorean,and the resort is definitely worth it. Their38 suites are in separate structures aroundthe property, so that each feels isolated.Master suites fill an entire building with aprivate garden in the back and a large deckout front with a small private pool, ceilingfans, and a hammock to wile away thehours. From your deck, all you can hear isthe wind whistling and the tropical birds inthe trees. The Explorean is an all-inclusiveadventure resort with daily activities suchas mountain biking, kayaking, and hiking.One excursion that sounded especiallyinteresting was a night kayaking trip by

moonlight that ends in a secluded clearingwhere the staff caters a delicious dinner byfirelight, www.theexplorean.com.

Colonial MexicoThe arrival of the Spanish in the Yucatan

marked the beginning of the end of theMayan civilization. The Spanish foundedcolonies and established trade routes fortransporting gold, jade, and other preciousitems back to Europe from the New World.Piracy increased, giving rise to the fabled“Pirates of the Caribbean.” One of the firstcolonial outposts was the walled city ofCampeche, built in 1540 on the west coastof the Yucatan, about 217 nm west-south-west of present-day Cancun. Over theyears, it was attacked by pirates, and eachtime, it was fortified to fend off futureattacks. By the late 17th century, a wallwith eight bastions and three gates sur-rounded the city. Today, the historic partof the city looks much as it did in colonialtimes. In fact, Mexican government regula-tions require renovations in the center oftown to retain the Spanish Colonial style.

On our flight to Campeche, Rick plannedthe route to pass over the famous Mayanruins at Chichen Itza. The terrain west ofCancun is entirely flat, making Chichen Itzaeasy to spot. The main tall, white pyramidrose prominently over the surrounding land-scape, its east-facing side illuminated in therising sun. Participants on the Campeche–Cancun Mayan Adventure Fly-In land onthe 9,186-ft. runway at nearby ChichenItza Airport (MMCT), and tour this famousarchaeological site.

After landing at Kohunlich (above), pilots can tour ruins of a Mayan citydeep in the jungle (right), and stay at The Explorean eco-resort (below).

Continuing westward toward Campeche,the history of the area became apparent fromthe air. Our route took us over the Puucregion, which is dotted with pyramids andMayan settlements among small, rollinghills. Rick advised me to keep an eye outwhen flying over this area. If a hill looks justa little too symmetrical, it might be a Mayanruin reclaimed by the jungle and simply notyet excavated or even discovered.

Campeche Airport (MMCP) has an 8,202-ft.runway, full facilities, and a reputation forbeing one of the most convenient airportson the peninsula with friendly staff and fastservice. Traffic was light and the tower let usdo just about anything we wanted, includ-ing a left 270-degree turn onto final so wecould take pictures during the approach.The airport comandante, another friend ofRick’s, gave us an impromptu slide show onhis laptop of his family and other airplanesthat had visited the airport. He was visiblyproud of an American-registered Pitts Specialthat had landed a few months earlier. Itis difficult to imagine a more GA-friendlyairport manager!

Our tour began at the Fuerte San Miguel,a fort south of town with panoramic views

of the harbor and city center.The fort’s museum includedcannons and other relics fromthe Spanish period, as well asMayan artifacts, such as thetomb of Mayan King Garra deJaguar that was excavated atCalakmul, along with his jadejewelry, burial cloths, pottery,and other artifacts. In the teethof another skull on display,small holes had been drilled sothat tiny jewels could be placedin each tooth. The rest of ourtour focused on the center of

Campeche, a finely restored colonial town.Entering through a stone arch, we droveon cobblestone streets past brightly coloredbuildings adorned with antique streetlamps.

All meals were top notch, but La Pigua,a gourmet restaurant in Campeche, wascertainly a high point. To quote our trav-eling companion Dave Hirschman, “Wedidn’t go hungry on the trip,” which is an

understatement. This was not your typicalchips-with-salsa and burrito Mexican restau-rant. Service was excellent; between eachcourse, plates and napkins were changedby the attentive waitstaff. We enjoyed appe-tizers of fish pâté and crab legs. For themain course, it was hard to decide betweenthe sautéed shrimp with a rich garlic sauce,or the chilies stuffed with calamari in a spicysauce. Fortunately, we didn’t have to; therewas enough for everybody and the airplanehad enough useful load to haul us backafter that meal.

Caribbean Sky Tours includes overnightstays in Campeche on several of their trips.Dining at La Pigua is included, as are a visitto an archeological site, a city tour, and freetime for shopping or strolling around town.

Island HoppingA big draw of the Caribbean is, of course,

the sea itself, with opportunities for snor-keling, fishing, scuba diving, swimming, orsimply relaxing on a pristine white beach.

Several Caribbean Sky Tours trips include afew days at a beachside resort, either inCancun, the ancient city of Tulum, or onthe islands of Isla Mujeres or Isla Cozumel.On our trip, we visited Isla Mujeres, a five-mile-long island that is only about a half-mile wide at its widest point. The south isdominated by rocky coastline with excel-lent snorkeling, while sandy beaches linethe northern shores. Participants on theCaribbean Sky Tours Island Hopper Fly-Inspend three days on Isla Mujeres duringwhich they can snorkel in the GarrafonNatural Reef Park, along coral reefs withabundant multi-colored tropical fish,www.garrafon.com, or swim with dolphins,www.dolphindiscovery.com/islamujeres.

Our flight to Isla Mujeres Airport (MMIM)was short, since it is less than 15 nm north-east of Cancun. The south end of the3,937-ft. paved runway is surrounded by a


The colonial city of Campeche is rich inhistory, with military forts (below), and atown center that evokes the period withcobblestone streets and colonial style (right). Above: Fine dining at La Pigua restaurant.

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small lagoon, while the north end stopsright at the edge of town. We arrived earlyin the morning to find the airport deserted.After I landed, I warned Rick that a soldierwas pedaling down the runway on hisbicycle. Apparently the sound of the landingairplanes had been his cue to come to theairport. After checking our paperwork andcollecting the landing fees (less than $3),we entertained him with our dog Woody’stricks. The friendly reception we receivedat Isla Mujeres is indicative of the laid-backattitude throughout Mexico.

Flying HomeAll too soon, it was time to fly back to the

U.S., so we prepared our life boat andwaterproof ELT for the 353-nm over-waterflight from Cancun to Key West. Rick filledout our flight plans and customs paper-work, and gave us the documents we wouldneed to enter the U.S. On the way to theairport, we stopped by his office to call U.S.Customs for the official notification.

On Rick’s advice, we filed an IFR flightplan, which allowed us to fly right overthe west coast of Cuba (VFR flights must

stay farther offshore, outside the Cubaninner ADIZ). En route, Havana Controlwas professional and courteous. Thoughwe unfortunately could not land, theviews of western Cuba were stunning.The water there is very shallow, and thelight blue colors extend for miles off-shore, with waves crashing on the reefsfar from the beach.

The sign of a good trip is when you don’twant it to end, and that was certainly thecase with this trip. We had a wonderfultime, and we spent most of our flight backdiscussing when we could return again.With our introduction, I know my next tripwill include some adventure tours at TheExplorean in Kohunlich, and perhaps moretime on Cancun’s or Cozumel’s legendarybeaches. Side trips to the beachside Mayanruins at Tulum, or the ruins deep in thejungle at Calakmul would also be high onmy list. I would love to take the Whale SharkAdventure trip this summer to Isla Holbox,and I probably would not be able to resistpoking around looking for buried piratetreasure rumored to be on the island. Evenso, I think I’ve already found my treasurein the Yucatan, and it’s not buried. It’s inthe friendliness of the people, the diversityof adventures, and the overwhelmingbeauty of the peninsula. �

The Yucatan has a wide variety of aviation experiences, from Cancun’s full-featured and modern FBO (below), to landing at an airstripat the edge of a small town on Isla Mujeres, less than 15 nm northeast of Cancun (above).

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