Globe Aware’s Mexico volunteer vacation destination has been highlighted in National Geographic! Discover the efforts being made on the Camino del Mayab, a hiking trail in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Globe Aware partners with community members, featured in the article, who are dedicated to revitalizing the local Maya communities dotted along the trail.

How a Yucatan jungle hike could help revive Mexico’s ailing Maya communities

Inland from Yucatán’s white beaches, the long-distance Camino del Mayab hiking trail is set to revive ailing Maya communities with jungle treks weaving past overgrown haciendas and secret cenotes.

By Jessica Vincent
April 24, 2024
National Geographic

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
It’s an indescribable feeling, plunging into cool, clear water after walking for hours through the Yucatán jungle. I’m surrounded by the tall overhanging cliff walls of a cenote — a type of freshwater sinkhole believed by the ancient Maya to be portals to the underworld, and often used as sacrificial sites. The water is a mix of emerald green and turquoise, with large lily pads floating on the surface and thick alamo tree roots plunging to its depths from the cliffs like giant eels.