Do you want to take the best Instagram photos? Playa del Carmen is an increasingly popular tourist destination, and it is also becoming a very popular Instagram destination. Just doing a quick search on Instagram with the hashtag #playadelcarmen you will find more than 2 million results. And most publications are photos that illustrate how fun and charming this city is.

There are many places to choose from, from the jungle scenery to one of the many dream places facing the Caribbean. But to make your life easier, we’ve compiled the list of our favorite locations for your Instagram photos in the Riviera Maya. We share the exact place where you can create that memorable moment for your Instagram page:

1. Bathe in the neon colors of the Plaza Calle Corazón

Many years ago there was an alley in Playa del Carmen. It was the home of bohemians and romantics, adorned with trees woven with lights that made this an emblematic place. Tourists always took special memories with them of… Plaza Calle Corazón (HeartStreet)!

Today that alley no longer exists, but in its place was created a beautiful plaza that bears the name of the alley: Plaza Calle Corazón. The first location for your best photos on Instagram are the neon signs on the first floor of the Plaza Calle Corazón. Independent if you choose the blood red heart or the white angel wings, this is a great place to start collecting your favorite moments from the Riviera Maya on Instagram.

2. The vibrant colors of the street art of Playa del Carmen

During the past couple of years, amazing street art have begun to appear in the most unexpected places of this picturesque city. In addition to adorning the city with colors and attractive themes, these street art-works offer excellent backgrounds for your Instagram photos. They will fill your pages with “likes” and, in addition, will make your holiday memories shine with color and light!

First, there is the Giant Tortoise located right in front of the ADO bus stop in the heart of downtown Playa del Carmen. This huge art mural is the work of the talented local artist @senkoe. It shows a sea turtle of vibrant colors, one of the most appreciated animals of this region. It’s the first and the last thing you can see when traveling on ADO buses. We are sure that you will be able to contemplate it either on arrival or departure to the Cancun airport.

A few streets further on, you can find another work by @senkoe, simply called “La Chica” (“The Girl”). This mural is located exactly on the exterior wall of Club Cero Uno. It is the most detailed work of this Mexican artist making almost impossible to resist creating a unparalleled Instagram moment.

3. Holbox, the perfect picture of your vacations

Achieving this particular photo will take you all day, but believe us … it’s worth it!

Located on the beautiful island of Holbox, you will find the kind of place you only see in your dreams. An in it you also find the hammocks in the sea of ​​the beach of Villa Tiburones (Shark Villa).

Wake up early and head to Holbox Island – our Concierge team will be happy to help you out. Do not forget to charge your phone’s battery because we assure you that you will be shooting pictures all the time! Holbox is undoubtedly one of the ideal places for you to take your best Instagram photos!

When you get to Holbox Island, take a golf cart (local taxis) and go to the beach in front of Villas Tiburon. Once you get there, take off your shoes and spend all day enjoying the hammocks, the swings and the stunning turquoise waters of this beach. You will feel that you are in Paradise and the most difficult thing will be to get out of there!

4. Enter the Mayan Portal

This is one of those places that you will visit more than once. The different positions of the Sun, during the day, are the perfect opportunity for you to put your filters to work and create distinctive photos of this very recognizable monument of Playa del Carmen.

Portal Maya was installed on December 21, 2017.  Does this date seem familiar? If so it is because, according to the Mayan calendar, this would be the last day of Earth. Playa del Carmen installed this incredible monument in the center of the city:

• To thank the world for not ending
• To honor the beginning of a new era in the Mayan Calendar – it will last 5,120 years.

Portal Maya is a work of 16 meters high and 60 tons that was designed by artist Arturo Tavarez. In its upper part, there are two nine-meter-high giant human figures. A feminine and masculine figure reaching out with their hands, aligned with the stars to resemble the humanity that in that date was aligned with the new Mayan cycle. The figures are supported by a spiral of wind and a spiral of water that represents the importance of these elements for this region.

You can also see the rings that pay tribute to the Mayan game of the “pelota”.

→ You will also have the opportunity to see the Flying Men of Papantla. This aerial dance represents a prayer to the deity to make the rain fall on crops in times of drought and is one of those things that you have to see to believe. Universal and ancestral, this fertility dance is full of symbolism and is the perfect activity for an afternoon in Playa del Carmen.

5. Swing away in the Cenote Calavera

In this amazing list of places for your best Instagram photos of the Riviera Maya, we could not leave out the amazing and surprising beauty of the cenotes. In case you’ve never heard, the cenotes are natural “sinks-holes”, mostly made of limestone that exist throughout Mexico. Only in the Yucatan Peninsula there are more than 5,000 of these water wells.

The Cenotes were also an important part of the Mayan culture. They meant political and social control over life and death. This is proven by the altars erected next to them and, also, by abundant offerings(even human sacrifices) that were found at the bottom of the cenotes.

In the Riviera Maya, there are several Cenotes that you can explore that will undoubtedly guarantee you good photos. But for this list, we have selected the one that we consider the most instagramable cenote of all, El Cenote Calavera (Skull Cenote). This cenote is located on the outskirts of the city of Tulum and is unknown to most tourists, so do not expect to find many people when you visit.

The best place for a photo in this incredible place is, without doubt, on the swing rope that is at the bottom of the stairs. Sit comfortably and start swinging while your partner takes this unforgettable photo of your vacation. If you are inspired, do not forget to try some underwater photos. The crystalline waters of the cenote will allow you to create even more amazing images!

Did you enjoy our list? Have you visited any of these fantastic attractions or have other suggestions? If not, we invite you to our all-inclusive resorts in Riviera Maya so you can experience them! If you want, share your suggestions with us and help us improve this list.

Categories: Caribbean, Travel Tips, Riviera Maya