Best time to visit

The Island of Cancun experiences a tropical climate which favours its promotion as a travels destination throughout the year. The cool and dry months from November to April are the peak tourist season here.

How to reach

The Cancun International Airport is a busy one, with flights coming here form domestic as well as major international destinations such as the neighbouring Islands, Paris, London, Milan and New York to name a few. From Mexico, it takes about 2 hours to reach here by flight.

In the Island, the means of transport include buses and coaches, taxis and rented vehicles like the cars.

Attractions

The Mexican Island of Cancun is good for a vacation with both its surf and turf having a lot to be explored.

Some of the finest beaches here are the Playa Langosta, Playa Tortiga, Playa Las Perlas, Playa Juventud, Palya Linda and the Playa Caracol. Beaches to the south of Punta Cancun are the Playa Gaviota Azul, Playa Chac-Mool, Playa Marlin and Playa Delfines.

The beach stretches of Mayan Riviera and the beach of Playa del Carmen are in proximity to Cancun and worth exploring. The Playa del Carmen, in fact, is good for diving and snorkeling. The warm temperature of waters here – around 28 degree Celsius, a clear visibility and a rich marine life make diving a delightful experience here.

Along with Cozumel, you can also go for a day trip to the Isla Mujeres that takes about 20 minutes to reach from Cancun by ferry. Also worth taking a tour to are the Mayan Temples at Chichen Itza and Tulum in the Yucatan mainland.

In the Island, there are some interesting landmarks and monuments like the Mayan remains, the Centro Ceremonial Kohunlich – a historical Mayan ceremonial center dating back to over 1000 years that includes the ruins of Sun Temple with ancient stone wall gravings, the Zona Arqueologica El Rey that features a small temple and the Mayan ruins at the Yamil Lu’um site.

Among the religious landmarks, the churches of Puerta del Cielo, Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Carmen and Iglesia de Cristo Rey.

An interesting attraction for tourists here is the traditional bull-fighting, held at the very imposing building of Plaza de Toros.

Some of museums here are worth visiting too, such as the Cancun’s National Institute of Anthropology and History Museum and the Zona Arqueologica El Rey, the archaeological site which was once a city, dating back to the 13th century.

Parks, gardens and reserves add to the peaceful spirit of Cancun. These include the Isla Contoy, the Garrafon Natural Reef Eco Park, Parque Nizuc and the Sian Ka’an Reserve that is home to rainforests and mangroves.

Cancun has several festivals going on throughout the year such as the Fishing Tournament and hence, you could plan your trip around one of them to get a sense of the culture of this Island and to have a great time as well.

The Mexican Island of Cancun has it all – the beaches, day trips to Islands close-by, ruins from the past and the museums that make an interesting historical tour. Your Cancun experience is sure to rejoice you every time you think of it.

Best time to visit

The Big Island experiences a tropical climate and the weather is more or less constant in its winter and summer seasons. Anytime is good to visit this Island.

How to reach

The two airports here – the Hilo International Airport and the Kino International Airport are well-connected to other Hawaiian Islands and to major cities of the United States like Canada and even Tokyo. To tour the Island, you can hire a car, take the buses here and you can take the ferries to get to another Hawaiian Islands. The Island’s main port is at Hilo.

Attractions of Big Island

There are so many reasons to visit the Big Island of Hawaii.

The beaches top the list of reasons. Some of the finest beaches of this Island are the Mahana Beach, Kua Bay, Hapuna, Kamakahonu, Makalawena, Mauna Kea, Onekahakaha, Anaehoomalu and Kikaua Point. These beaches are venues for a host of activities like snorkeling, diving, surfing, boating, kayaking, fishing and sailing. Whale-watching in winters, when the humpback whales migrate to the Hawaiian Islands, including that of Big Island, is an enchanting activity too.

Some of the good snorkeling sites here are around the Honaunau Bay, the Puuhonua o Honaunau National Park and Puna, all along the Kona Coast. The latter scores again over the Hilo coast when it comes to diving sites which are home to tropical marine life like the Manta Rays courtesy the shallow waters.

Other attractions of the Big Island are its hiking trails. Some of the good hikes here include the trails along the Hamakua Coast, the Waipio Valley – known as the Valley of Kings, the Kona Coast, the Crater Rim drive and the area around the 33, 000 feet Mauna Kea Mountain. Cycling and biking through the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Waipio Valley and horse-riding tours through the Ala Kahakai Historic Trail are other interesting ways to explore the Island.

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home to Kileaua Volcano – the most active volcano of the world.

Some of the significant landmarks of Big Island are its waterfalls such as the Alaska Falls, the Kahuna Fall and the Hiilawe Falls. In the south, the Ka Lae area is designated as the Natural Historic Landmark District.

Also worth exploring here is the Puukohola Heiau – the largest restored ancient Hawaiian religious temple and the gardens like the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

To get a better understanding of this Island and its history, you can visit the museums here like the Laupahoehoe Train Museum and the Hawaii Onizuka Space Centre.

Other things to be enjoyed on the Big Island are its Cowboy Culture and festivals like the Annual Kona Stampede Rodeo and the Aloha festivals; and its cuisine.

The Big Island of Hawaii has a lot to offer not only in terms of size, but in terms of the activities that travelers can enjoy   – such as beaches, water sports, hiking, volcanoes, parks and museums. Planning an itinerary for Big Island may leave you spoilt for choice if you do not have enough time in hand.