sian ka'an biosphere reserve
Villa Destiny's surroundings is an area of immense natural beauty. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, Sian Ka'an is home to thousands of species of flora and fauna. It became a Biosphere Reserve in 1986, and was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1987. It remains the largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean.
In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means 'Origin of the Sky'. The diversity of life in Sian Ka'an is exceptional. The tropical forests are home to charismatic mammals such as Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot and Central American Tapir. The property also provides habitat for a large number of resident and migratory bird species. There is a great diversity of marine life, including the West Indian Manatee, four species of nesting marine turtles and hundreds of fish species. About a third of the property is comprised of highly diverse and productive mangrove communities, of vital importance to fisheries in the broader region. Hundreds of forested islands, locally known as "Petenes", emerge from the flooded marshes, some reaching over a kilometre in diameter. A geological, biological and cultural particularity are the "Cenotes", deep natural sinkholes harbouring fascinating life forms, many of them endemic. This karst phenomenon results from collapsing limestone exposing groundwater.
- UNESCO - WORLD HERITAGE CENTRE
tulum, Quintana Roo
Tulum is a charming coastal town that in recent years has become one of the most popular tourist resorts in the world. Tulum has many things to offer.
It is a site of enormous archaeological significance from Tulum Mayan Ruins to Coba Pyramids and Muyil archaeological site. It has a series of crystalline freshwater pools connected by underground rivers called cenotes. This astonishing natural phenomenen is unique to the Yucatan Peninsula and there is no place on earth comprising such an extensive system of underground rivers as we find here in the Yucatan Pensinsula. And of course, Tulum has beautiful white sandy beaches, considered by many to be among the most beautiful in the world.
