Dune Buggy Jungle Adventure Review

We got dirty. REALLY dirty. I don’t think I have ever been so filthy in my entire life.

Now stop whatever it is that you may be thinking and imagine this. You are in a dune buggy driving down a jungle path, hitting the bumps, taking the turns, splashing in the puddles… The wind is on your face and you are feeling the adrenaline. You stop to jump into a pristine cenote and recharge with an authentic Mayan meal in a remote village. This is how we spent our Sunday in Playa del Carmen this week. LUCKY!

This was an off-the-beaten-track sort of day.  If you like adrenaline, out of the box adventure and want a tour that doesn’t feel like a tour – then this is for you.

I have been in Playa del Carmen for years now and this tour made me see parts of town that I didn’t even know existed. It was more than your average tour, it was an experience.

The Dune Buggy Adventure is run by a French family that have been in Playa del Carmen for 5 years. The meeting point for this tour is actually at their home, and you are welcomed not only by the guides but by the family.

The Dune Buggy’s seat 2, or if you prefer to drive your own, this can be arranged.

We headed out and actually drove through part of town. We followed the guide for about 30 minutes until we entered the first jungle path.

TIP #1 Wear the goggles and bandana. It doesn’t matter how silly you think you may look – it will get DUSTY and you will not be able to enjoy it if your eyes are hurting and you can’t breathe. Besides you will get FILTHY on this tour, so enjoy it.

You do follow the guide, but this is not a leisurely drive. It is bumpy and dirty and fast and a helluva lot of fun. There is a guide in the front and a guide in the back, they were awesome – attentive, helpful and always watching to make sure we were happy and safe.

We drove for about 45 minutes through the paths. It had rained recently so we made sure to hit as many puddles as possible.

TIP #2 Wear clothes you do not plan on wearing again during your vacation and shoes you don’t mind getting wet.

The guides had us stop and we walked through a little jungle path down to a cenote.  WOW. I have seen my share of cenotes, but this was magical. There were no crowds, in fact we were the only ones there. The water was refreshing and crystal clear. The rock formations were impressive. It was great.

TIP #3 If you are planning on wearing sunscreen, wear biodegradable sunscreen so as not to pollute the pristine cenote waters.

After our stop, we headed back to the dune buggies and sped around some more. Why stay clean? We had more puddles to splash through.

We head back towards the paved roads and to the other side of town. We drove through some remote neighborhoods that the tourists would never normally see and then out towards some paths that would bring us towards where we would be having lunch. Another 30 minutes or so of bumpy dusty roads and we arrived at our spot for food. It was a simple restaurant with welcoming owners and authentic food. There was a swimming pool on site where we could wash up and cool off. The toilet was very rustic but did the trick.

TIP #4 If you are a vegetarian, lunch is great. If you are a vegan or have other dietary restrictions, please let us know when booking.

Lunch was delicious. REAL food. Fresh fruits and vegetable, rice and beans, guacamole, pico de gallo (tomato, onion and cilantro) with warm tortillas. Plus, grilled chicken, bread and tortilla chips. They also had fresh fruit water – a typical drink in this area where they take a fruit and blend it with sugar and water to make a refreshing drink. We had enough time to eat a leisurely meal and take a swim if we wanted to.

After lunch, it was time to drive through the village. Now here is where I have an issue. We were encouraged to buy candy to hand out to the local children. I don’t like this a couple of reasons.

1. We are not helping them by feeding them garbage. Fine, it’s only a few candies but if the tour goes out 4 days a week, these kids are eating 40 candies a week (GMO’s, artificial everything and nothing healthy about it). This state of Mexico is the fattest state in Mexico and the eating habits are already far from where they should be without encouraging the kids to eat candy.
2. This is a future generation that is led to believe that the tourists are meant to give them things. They will come out of their homes, leave whatever they are doing or learning to hold their hands out so that the tourists can smile, take pictures and give them things. Not great in the long run.

I was the only one on the tour that felt this way and maybe it’s because I live here and think more long-term effects that result from this kind of behavior. I know it is more complicated to set up something sustainable and think long-term, but wouldn’t it be better for the community? I would have gladly done without this part of the tour. We ended up buying some candles for the homes that did not have electricity as a compromise.

TIP #5 If you really insist on handing something out and would like to do it in a more positive way, consider bringing school supplies, toiletries, shoes or other household items.

Seeing the village was interesting and this was the only time during the tour we drove around slowly enough to be able to observe the surroundings.

Then it was time to race off again and to our final stop.

After another 30 minute drive, we arrived to a gorgeous lagoon. For the adrenaline lovers, there is a platform where you can jump 12 meters (40 feet) into the water. The water was really warm and refreshing. They did have kayaks for those that did not want to swim but we spend the entire time in the water.

After this last break, we headed back to home base, dirty but happy.

So all in all – an excellent day that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Have you done the Buggy Adventure? What did you think? Post your comments below.

If you would like more information about this tour, please contact us, we are happy to help.

Here’s a little video clip of a little of what it was like as a passenger on the dune buggy adventure…