If you just want to know what to do in Progreso, click here to skip the information about getting to Progreso, when to visit and where to stay.

Where to stay in Progreso

When to visit Progreso

Progreso is always gorgeous, over spring break, in mid July when it’s baking hot and even on a wintry January day. 

🔆 For me, the best time of year to visit Progreso is between December – March because the weather is good but it’s too cold for most people to want to hang out all day. But, be warned that Progreso fills up with snowbirds over these months so accommodation can be more expensive so be sure to reserve your hotel well in advance.

☀️ From April it’s definitely hot in Progreso and by July, the rains will arrive, meaning regular (but not every day) rainstorms.

💨 In October the “Norte” winds can start to come in bringing windy, cooler weather. These winds can be strong enough to close the ports and suspend fishing trips but they’re also often seen as a relief from the heat. Norte winds are a part of life, some bring rain, others do not.

⭐️ If you’re visiting with kids then our Mexico with kids packing list will come in handy. 

Things to do in Progreso

Whether you’re visiting Progreso for a day or staying for six months, you’ll always be able to find something to do.

🛳 If you’re coming in for the day off a cruise ship, you may wish to hire a local guide to show you around. Your cruise line will probably offer some options but I recommend you can check out GetYourGuide & Viator to see what else is on offer because his will, for sure be cheaper than booking through your cruise company and the local guides are well accustomed to working with cruise ship vistors.

🏝 Explore the Progreso beaches

Of course, the most obvious thing to do in Progreso is hang out on the beach. You can choose between plopping your towel down in the sun, renting a palapa (thatched umbrella), sitting in a beachside restaurant or enjoying the highlife in a beach club.

Progreso’s beach is long, so how do you know where to go?

↔️ If you start in Progreso town, the beach can be split easily into ‘to the right of the piers’ and ‘to the left of the piers’.

🏖 Playa de Progreso – from the piers with the sea on your left

To your left when walking along the malecon (boardwalk) between the piers and the Progreso letters (approximately 1km walk) is the primary beach area of Progreso. In the summer this beach is thronging with people; restaurants have their palapas and tables out, small shops set up, massages are offered. In the winter months it is much calmer. 

Look out for the cute little tourist train that choo-choos its way along the promenade.

⭐️ One of my favourite activities in Progreso is to sit quietly on the sand and watch the pelicans fly low over the water. I don’t think I could ever get bored with this marvel. And, if you’re lucky, flamingos will join them, too.

🏖 Playa Playón – from the piers with the sea on your right

To the left of the piers you can walk along the Malecon Internacional. Here you’ll find various sculptures,  play areas for little kids and one for bigger kids, a carousel, and plenty of snacking options. Down on the beach there’s even a giant Poseiden to find (see above).

Beach clubs

If you don’t fancy sitting on a public beach there are numerous beach club options in and around Progreso. It’s generally a good idea to reserve your spot in advance.

Silcer Beach Club – here you can grab an all-inclusive day pass and enjoy hanging out in Progreso.

El HaGuay – this is a ‘cool’ spot with a small pool on-site, a good restaurant, a hammock area and a nice beach space. It’s away from the noise and bustle of the main Progreso beach area down by the town’s Progreso letters.

Marymar – just by the piers, this is another good option for a central beach club. There’s a pool, a nice bar & restaurant, Instagram friendly swings and plenty of loungers.

Kokomo – Not in Progreso but down the road in San Bruno is this very popular beach club that offers day passes that include transport. The club has a restaurant, loungers, pool, beach access, paddleboards & kayaks.

TecnoHotel – a long time laid back no frills favourite of mine, this hotel offers a nice day pass for their beach club. There is a nice restaurant, pool, loungers and plenty of space.

Visit nearby beaches

It’s worth remembering that ALL beaches in Mexico are public beaches, meaning you can access any beach you wish. In reality, though, some of those beaches can be hard to get to, because hotels and homes may have been built to prevent that access.

🏝 Heading west, after Progreso, you reach Yucalpeten, where the beach is a bit wider, less built up and just stunning. From Yucalpeten you move into Chelem where many snowbirds like to make their home in the winter. Chelem turns into Chuburna, which ends in Chuburna Puerto and my favourite beach in this entire stretch.

🐷 Pig Beach, by the way, is permanently closed and the pigs have gone.

The Isla Columpios is a recent addition to the north Yucatan stretch of beach – come kayak or be toured around the area in a small boat (lancha) with your drinks & picnics. Enjoy relaxing on the small islands and water swings.

🏝 Heading east, Progreso turns into Chicxulub Puerto where the epicentre of the dinosaur-killing meteor is marked with an unassuming but worth seeing plaque. There is a Sendero Jurasico (Dinosaur Walk) just outside the entrance to Chicxulub Puerto and there is a dinosaur by the Chicxulub Puerto pier. 

From Chicxulub Puerto you drive along the coastal road passing houses and small villas/hotels until you hit Telchac Puerto and San Crisanto, where you’ll find also beautiful beaches.

Further east are San Felipe, Las Coloradas and El Cuyo beaches. There is no coastal road that goes this far though so heading inland and back out again is the only way to reach these gorgeous beaches.

Water activities in Progreso

Paddleboarding

There are plenty of paddleboard tour options from Progreso, whether you’re excited by mangrove exploration or a workout on the sea.

🏄🏾‍♀️ I love paddleboarding in the mangroves at sunrise – this 2 hour tour is suitable for beginners & kids as well as more experienced paddle boarders. Head for the mangroves, and enjoy watching nature awake as you paddle through the mangrove canals.

→ read more about awesome paddleboard fun

Kitesurfing

🪁 Kitesurfing is a popular sport along the Yucatán coast, take a lesson with an expert while you’re in Progreso – I have friends who do it here but I am way too much of a wimp for this particular sport.

→ read more about kitesurfing in Progreso

🍌 Banana boats

Down by the piers on the beach there are banana boat rides offered. According to the sign, it costs $150 peso per person to take a ride.

What else to do in Progreso

Meteorite Museum

In 2022, this museum opened its doors to the public. It’s a small museum that is explored as part of an informative tour (English is possible if you ask when you buy tickets) through the history of evolution and extinction. There are meteorite rocks you can touch, fossils to admire, and some very cool immersive video experiences. I’ve read some fairly rude reviews of the museum but I think it’s quite a good thing to do when you’re in Progreso, but personally, I enjoyed it and I did learn some cool information about the history of the region. 

🌟 On the way to Chuburna there’s the Museo de Ciencias Chicxulub but this is only open to guided tours booked in advance (send a WhatsApp to get details – 0052 990 157 8695)

Shopping for souvenirs

It’s always fun to explore the markets wherever you are, and the Progreso mercado municipal is nice – there are a few tourist shops outside. All along the beach front you’ll find numerous small souvenir shops and market stands, where everyone is very friendly.

Admire the street art

Like so many places in Mexico, Progreso is beautifully decorated with street art. Find Callejon de Amor and around Calle 80 where it hits the beach in particular.

Beach Snacks

🍿 Across the entire Progreso beach area you’ll find both stationary and mobile street food sellers offering esquites (corn), marquesitas, and more.

🍿 Don’t miss out on the fresh coconut options that include, flan, ice cream, pie and of course, drinking straight from the coconut.

🍿 You must try a sweet snack from the candy trays that are walked up and down the beaches. Generally everything costs the same amount and you’re extremely unlikely to be given a ‘foreigner’ price.

Activities further afield

🤿 Swim in local cenotes

Reserva Ecológica el Corchito are the closest cenotes to Progreso.

El Corchito is an ecological reserve on mainland side of the estuary. To get there you take a small boat from the little jetty. The boat takes you across the water and into a little side inlet. This journey takes five minutes. Once on the other side be ready to be pleasantly surprised.

Here you find three small, open, cenotes where you can swim and play. All three cenotes are less than 2.5m deep. The first, cenote El Corchito, was probably my favourite as we had it all to ourselves. The second is much smaller (Cenote Venado) and shallower. The third, Cenote Pajaros, is the largest of them all.

🔎 Explore archaeological sites

Xcambo is the closest of the ancient Maya ruins to Progreso. It’s also a sneaky favourite of mine, because we generally have the entire place to ourselves when we are there, which, of course, is always awesome.

The settlement was an important trading centre – sending salt and salt-fish off to Chichén Itzá and Izamal during its heyday of around 300-600 CE.

👣 Book this fabulous trip to Xcambo that includes time at the ruin, seeing the flamingos and pink salt flats of Xtampu.

Dzibilchaltun is another Maya site that is easy to visit from Progreso as it’s on the way into Merida. It is a popular Progreso excursion offered by cruise ships. The House of the Dolls is the famous building here and if you’re around over the summer solstice you can join others in gathering to watch the sun pass behind the temple window at dawn. It’s also believed to be one of the oldest Maya buildings still standing.

👣 Book this fabulous trip to Dzibilchaltun that includes a stop at a beach club after.

🦩 Laguna Rosada

Head from Progreso towards Xcambó, you will turn off along the Dzemul – Xtampu bridge where you’ll immediately notice that you’re surrounded by pink water (varying pinks depending on the time of year(. Right by the turning to this bridge are the Charcas de Sal (Salt Ponds). You can pull over here and walk around. The ancient Maya mined their salt here and the nearby Maya archaeological site (Xcambo) was known to be an important site due to its proximity to the salt supplies.

​Once you’re done marvelling at the salt,  and maybe even buying some, drive on, slowly, looking out for the gorgeously pink flamingos. Pull  over on the side of the road and just enjoy the sights, everyone does.

👣 Book this day trip to Xcambo that includes time at the ruin, seeing the flamingos and pink salt flats of Xtampu.

→ This is a good alternative to the more famous (and bigger) Pink Salt Lakes at Las Coloradas if you don’t have time to travel further afield.

🛶 Kayak in the mangroves (Sayachaltún Nature Reserve)

With local eco-tourism group Sayachaltún, you can hire kayaks or small lanchas (with or without guides) and enjoy paddling around the water or even head into the mangroves for an awesome water-adventure. The food is also good here so be sure to make time for lunch.

Day trips from Progreso

If you’re using Progreso as a base for your vacation you may wish to take day trips around the state & the peninsula. There are too many great options to include here so we’ll just look at a few and I’ll direct you to the rest of my blog for more information.

Because Progreso is a small town, the selection of organised day trips away from the beach is limited. You’ll be best off either renting your own car or heading into Mérida to pick up tours. I use Viator & GetYourGuide to find my own tours always as they give access to local guides.

Cities to explore

Mérida – the capital of Yucatán, this gorgeous colonial city is full of museums, great restaurants, shopping & more.

→ Read the comprehensive MexicoCassie guide to exploring Mérida

Valladolid – the second city of Yucatán, this is a smaller colonial city that holds a great deal of charm. There’s a giant cenote in the centre and the foodie scene here is a delight.

→ Read the MexicoCassie guide to exploring Valladolid

Izamal – known as the Yellow City, is one of my favourite Pueblo Magicos in the Yucatan. It’s a pretty easy day trip from Merida, which means it’s also easily accessible from Progreso. In fact, it’s probably one of the easiest pueblo magicos you can visit from Progreso. Well worth the drive!

→ Read the MexicoCassie guide to Izamal

Motul – also a pueblo magico, visit Motul to eat Huevos Motuleños, a super popular and delicious breakfast plate that comes from Motul, just down the road from Progreso. This small town has a fascinating history and is well worth an hour or two of your time.

Chichén Itzá – of course, you can’t come to Yucatán and not take a day to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chichén Itzá (organised tour or self-driven) one of the seven modern wonders of the world, from Progreso. Be sure to pick yourself an excellent cenote to relax in after. 

→ For other day trip options, do check out the MexicoCassie guide to day trips from Mérida as they’re essentially the same.