City overview
The Riviera Maya runs about 130 kilometres of Caribbean coast from Puerto Morelos south through Playa del Carmen, Mayakoba, Puerto Aventuras and Akumal to Tulum, and packs white sand, jungle cenotes and Maya cities into a single stretch of Highway 307. Playa del Carmen is the heart of it, a walkable beach town built around Quinta Avenida, and it is also where Jewish visitors will find the region's kosher scene. Two Chabad houses operate in Playa del Carmen and a third serves Tulum, between them running a synagogue, a mikvah, Shabbat meals and more than a dozen supervised kosher kitchens, bakeries and shops. It is one of the densest concentrations of kosher food anywhere in Latin America outside Mexico City, and it sits within walking distance of the beach.
Puerto Morelos Reef National Park
Riviera Maya · CONANP visitor page lists protected-area fee MXN125 per person per day, separate from boat/snorkel tour charges. Published exemptions include children under 12, older adults, pensioners/retirees and people with disabilities; listed discounts include 75% for students/teachers with valid ID and 50% for Mexican nationals/foreign residents with official proof. Confirm the current federal fee and eligibility before visiting.
A protected section of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef lying unusually close to shore at Puerto Morelos, reached in a few minutes by boat from the village pier.
Time needed
2 to 3 hours
Hours
Open daily 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Tips
Snorkelling trips leave from the village pier and must be booked with a permitted operator; independent snorkelling on the reef is not allowed. Only reef-safe sunscreen is permitted. The leaning lighthouse on the seafront, tilted by Hurricane Beulah in 1967, is the village's landmark and stands a short walk from the pier.
Phone
984 145 4300Neighborhood
Puerto Morelos
Activity providers
Kosher map of Riviera Maya
Pick a place on the map or search an address or hotel to see what is kosher around it.