The Jardín Botánico Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín is one of Puerto Morelos' best land-based sights, protecting a pocket of coastal Yucatán forest just off the highway. Trails pass through jungle, palms, medicinal plants, and mangrove habitat, with birds, iguanas, and sometimes spider monkeys overhead.
It is a useful antidote to beach-only itineraries. Wear repellent, go early, and give yourself time to read the plant labels; the garden quietly explains the ecology behind the Riviera Maya's more obvious sea-and-sand appeal.