Sustainable, Eco-Tourism In Merida

Published by Cassie on 14/06/201914/06/2019

If you’re visiting Merida and want to ensure you both get the most out of your trip AND visit thoughtfully and sustainably, with as little negative impact on the city as possible, then here are a few suggestions to make your trip to Merida simpler.

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Eco-Tourism In Merida: Hotels

My absolute top recommendation for an urban ecological hotel in Merida is Kuka Y Naranjo, a brand new hotel in Merida that is aiming to change the way people view tourism and travelling. Without sacrificing any comfort or hotel amenity, Cynthia and her husband have created a tranquil oasis of sustainable tourism in the middle of the city.

The hotel serves primarily organic food, the furniture is refurbished antiques, the art is local and the pool is chemical-free and self-cleaning thanks to an inbuilt aquatic garden. If you want to ask me for a hotel recommendation in Merida, this is it.

Eco-Tourism In Merida: Eating

I’ve written about restaurants in Merida in various places but if you’re looking to be super eco-conscious, there are a few things to take into account.

• Sustainability of the food
• Packaging/utensils
• Chain or local restaurant

I don’t pretend to have all the answers here, there could well be places I haven’t found in Merida yet but I’ll be updating as I find new options.

If you are planning on staying in an Airbnb or have access to cooking facilities, obviously it’s a little easier. You can go to the Slow Food Market on a Saturday for organic, sustainable meat, to the local markets for fruit and veg and also to health stores for loose grain products. If you’re in town for a while you may wish to follow Cero Basura Yucatan on facebook to find out when the zero waste markets are held too.

If you want to use a supermarket chain that is trying to become more sustainable, then I recommend looking up SuperAki. While it isn’t the best supermarket in the city (in my opinion), its attempts to encourage reusable bags, to move toward loose products and the selling of more ethical products is entirely admirable.

SuperAki green shopping line

I have also written about sustainable living and recycling in Merida for those who have moved here from overseas and aren’t sure how to live a green life here in Mexico.

Most supermarkets will have a selection of nut milks and various products for people with allergies or intolerances or who want to live more cleanly.

If you want to eat super healthily, we actually have no shortage of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Merida. I’ve eaten at all of the restaurants in the article mentioned and they are all declared to be delicious.

Top Tip: Almost all restaurants in Merida will give you a glass or jug of purified water. You don’t need to buy bottles of water. Just ask for “un vaso de agua purificada”. They’ll also generally be kind enough to fill up water bottles before you leave if you ask nicely.

There is only one place I’ve found in town that doesn’t want to give glasses of water (ahem, Mercado 60, shame on you) and I found it is possible to get around the refusal by sending my cute kids to go and ask. Turns out that suddenly, when small blonde kids ask in Spanish they’re perfectly capable of doing the right thing.

You can find my regular diary-style updates on my Patreon site as well as never-before shared photos, tips and tricks for getting to know Mexico and more.

If you want decent takeaway or delivery in Merida you’ll find that many companies will deliver but they also tend to use non-recyclable packaging for the food. Bing-Bang Kitchen (freshly cooked delicious Asian food) delivers in biodegradable cartons, as does Rincon Vegana (delicious vegan food).

I can highly recommend three delicious cafes in Merida that have a great ethos and are working towards a cleaner Merida:

• Monique’s Bakery Y Cafeteria de Alta Nutricion

This cafe has an emphasis on slow and clean living. All food is cooked from scratch (they even make their own cheese and yoghurt) and is extremely delicious. No straws provided and you’ll either need to take your own packaging or use their glass jars. The mission is to reduce their (and our!) negative impact on the world whilst offering ethical and healthy food.

Photo provided by Monique and used with permission

Calle 79 191A x36y38, Montes de Ame, Merida

• Soco

Soco is a small panaderia in the centre of Merida where you’ll find delicious breakfasts and fresh made bread products. Reusable straws (available only for kids!) or biodegradable packaging available here.

photo provided by Soco

Calle 51 493C x56, y58, Centro, Merida

If you’re in Progreso or Chelem never fear for you have three restaurants offering biodegradable packaging for takeaway options and who care about making their restaurants more sustainable and ecologically friendly.

• El Bull Pen

El Bull Pen encourages customers to bring their own containers or they sell, at a small price, paper to go boxes. They are about to purchase a composter for restaurant waste and offer a battery recycling programme for the village. They also use agave straws.

Photo used with permission

Calle 19 743 x126y128, Chelem

• Saboreando Comida India and Tapas Bar

Indian dishes (can do vegan with advance warning) and tapas style dishes from around the world. They are in the process of replacing styrofoam with multiuse plastic containers and biodegradable containers (there will be a deposit for the plastic containers that will be returned when you return the dishes – great idea). No straws once their current batch is finished.

Photo provided by Saboreando and used with permission

Calle 21, 132L, 64y66 Progreso

• Thai Bistro Chuburna

Thai Bistro is currently searching for alternative containers. They only use bioplastic bags and are working to eliminate all polystyrene and single-use plastic products. They encourage customers to bring their own containers. They plan to offer bio containers for a small fee in the near future.

Photo provided by Thai Bistro

Calle 7C 304F x17y178 Chuburna

If you need an ice-cream hit, which you will, whilst in Merida, check out Sorbeteria Colon. If you sit down at one of their tables you’ll be served your sorbet in a glass bowl with a glass of water offered alongside. You could also get your ice-cream hit from the people who stroll around centro selling ice-creams direct from their carts. They’re delicious and very cheap.

Street Food: I’m in two minds about street-food in Merida. One the one hand, you’re definitely supporting local enterprise, which is always a good thing to do but on the other, the waste from street food can be shocking. Pre-cut fruit, for example, is a fabulously cooling and refreshing snack but when it’s served in a plastic throw-away cup that won’t breakdown for thousands of years, it is troubling. I try to remember to take my own container (this is one of my favourite tips in my article about making travel more sustainable).

Eco-Tourism In Merida: Tours And Exploring

It’s always hard to know what to do about tours and exploring when you get to a new country or city. How do you know who you can trust and which agency will show you what you want to see whilst benefitting communities, not damaging the environment and not removing money or opportunity from the locale?

In Merida, I can highly recommend Co’ox Mayab as a fabulous sustainable tourism tour agency. I was hosted on one of their tours in May 2019 and still can’t stop talking about it. My family and I were taken to a Maya village for a weekend of exploration and we had the most fabulous experience. We learned all about Maya life today and previously. We learned how the small villages are playing their part in trying to cope with climate change and how it impacts on their traditional way of life.

I trust Co’ox Mayab because it is an ethical company that arranges tours with local agencies who simply wouldn’t be able to get their own clients because they’re grassroots agencies working in rural locales. They need help getting their tours known and that’s what Co’ox Mayab does. If you’re looking to explore the region including Maya archaeological sites, these are your guys.

For a fascinating tour around the main market in Merida, you could check out Erin and her Frutas Y Verduras tour. Erin is an American chef who is married to a Mexican. They have lived and worked in Merida for years and she is extremely knowledgable about local fruit and veg.

Lucas de Galvez market, Merida

Rather than take a horse and carriage trip around the city, why not take a walk? Or you could join locals over the weekend for the regular Bici-Ruta Sunday morning bike ride or for Saturday evenings when cars are kicked out of the city centre so pedestrians can enjoy themselves.

If you’re anything like me and worrying about the impact of overtourism, you may be thrilled to know that Mexico has arund 10,000km of coastline so there are plenty of beaches in Mexico for everyone to visit!

Bici Ruta Plaza Grande

Haciendas: If you want to visit a hacienda but are concerned about sustainable food then I recommend Hacienda Yunku, about an hour outside of Merida. This is the most wild, and untamed of all the haciendas I’ve visited. It is a fun place to visit, you can take a tour around the grounds, and while the food isn’t haute cuisine, they grow as much of their salad and vegetables on site as possible and also have their own chickens for organic eggs. The did give us our margaritas in plastic glasses though.

Parque Aak: To take a look at a thriving community project on the outskirts of Merida, head to Parque Aak on a Saturday (or during the week with express permission). We love this eco-conscious community garden that teaches local kids about the three rs – reduce, reuse and recycle.

For more information on green spaces and outdoor fun in Merida, obviously I have you covered!

Eco-Tourism In Merida: Souvenirs

This is a harder one as many artisanal shops actually buy their products in from the villages where they are made, which is good because it means the products are at least local and not made in China, but it also means that the skilled workpeople aren’t necessarily receiving the full worth of their products.

I do have a few recommendations though.

Hammocks – Cielo Hamacas is my personal favourite hammock shop in town. The hammocks are made by local people in the traditional style, often in their own homes (specifically so the hammock makers don’t need to leave their children with other people). The hammocks are well made and reasonably priced. I’ve bought at least five from there myself and regularly direct my guests to this store.

Calle 65 #510 x62 y64 Centro.

Cielo Hammocks – checking the hammock quality

Colectivo Muul Meyaj, is run by Amir. He goes straight to communities to buy their products. Nothing here is made overseas. It is technically an organic food shop but they also sell some beautiful items that would make fabulous gifts. I asked around and this is the shop everyone recommends for ethical gifts.

Photo used with permission

Calle 45, 493-499 Zona Paseo Montejo

Casa Bonita – This shop is 100% Yucatecan, offering Mexican designs, clothing, jewellery and sustainable products including shampoo bars and refillable shampoos.

Photo taken from Facebook

Calle 51 504B x60y62 Centro

Mareba – Mareba sells sabucans, the traditional Yucatecan shopping bags. You’ll see them everywhere, most locals use them when going to the market. Some schools here even use them as their school bags. When you shop here not only are you purchasing a local product but you’re also supporting a local family AND checking out a store that’s barely changed in fifty years. I was also told that most of the bags you see in the market are actually bought here and then sold on so why not just go straight to the source?

My own sabucan because I don’t have a good photo of the shop, sadly.

Calle 54a #506 Centro x65 y67

Jipi Hats – if you want a traditional and local hat, go to Becal, the village that’s world famous for making these hats. The village is around an hour from Merida, just over the border into Campeche.

Tags Alpargatas – these shoes are locally made espadrilles. The business was established as part of a university project and is now a thriving business bringing jobs to one small village.

Tags.

Calle 58, Parque Santa Lucia, Merida.

There are street vendors who walk around selling shirts and other items. I’m pretty sure that many of the women you see do actually make the shirts they’re selling so if you see something you like, stop and have a look.

Izamal – here you can see local artisans working their crafts in their homes. From hammocks to jewellery from coyocol seeds and hennequin plants, you can find plenty to take home as little gifts.

Izamal artisan store

And, of course, don’t forget to bring your water bottle, reusable straw, and cutlery so as not to have to use disposable ones.

Happy Thoughtful Visiting! If you find other ethical and responsible tourist tips for Merida and the surrounding area, do let me know as I would love to be able to update this article regularly. Please also do share this article widely as it’s part of a wider movement to make tourism more sustainable and ethical. Thanks so much!