Updated November 2026 · By Terry Barkhuizen, NOM-08 certified tour guide (credential N012608).
Part of our Plan Your Trip guide.
Packing for the Riviera Maya is mostly about heat, sun and water – but a few items make a big difference to your days at ruins, cenotes and reefs, and some popular products aren’t welcome in the water at all. Here’s a practical checklist.
Clothing
- Light, breathable clothes (cotton, linen, quick-dry fabrics)
- A wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses
- Light long sleeves and trousers for ruins, jungle and evening mosquitoes
- Comfortable walking shoes or sandals with grip – ruins and cenote steps are uneven
- A light rain jacket in the rainy season (June–November)
- A light sweater for cool winter evenings and air-conditioned buses
- Something smarter for evenings out in Playa del Carmen or Tulum
Sun and water
- A rash guard or swim shirt – the best sun protection, and allowed everywhere.
- Mineral sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) for the beach and reef. No sunscreen at all in cenotes. See cenote rules.
- Water shoes for rocky beaches and cenote steps
- Your own mask and snorkel – see the cenote snorkelling guide
- A small dry bag for phones and cash
- A quick-dry towel
- A refillable water bottle (many hotels have purified-water stations)
Health
- Insect repellent for land (not for cenotes)
- After-sun or aloe
- Motion-sickness tablets for the Cozumel ferry or boat trips
- Basic first aid, rehydration salts and any prescription medicines (in original packaging)
- Travel insurance details
Documents and money
- Passport (plus a photocopy or photo stored separately)
- Return or onward ticket and accommodation details
- Your Visitax QR code
- Two bank cards kept separately, and some pesos – see money and ATMs
- Driving licence if you plan to rent a car
Tech
- Universal adapter (Mexico uses type A/B plugs, 127 V – the same as North America)
- Power bank
- Offline maps
- A waterproof phone pouch
Season-specific extras
- Winter (December–February): a light jacket for windy “norte” days.
- Summer: extra rash guards, electrolytes and a plan B for sargassum days. See the best time to visit.
- Hurricane season: a power bank and copies of documents. See hurricane season.
What to leave at home
- Chemical sunscreens and lots of lotions – they can’t be used in cenotes
- Expensive jewellery
- Drones, unless you’ve checked the rules – many parks, cenotes and archaeological sites ban them
- Too many clothes – laundry services are cheap and widely available