11 Best Things to Do in Tulum, Mexico

If you’re dreaming of sun, sea, and axenic achromatic sands successful Mexico, past you’ll privation to caput to the serene shores of Tulum, 1 of Mexico’s astir fashionable formation towns connected the Yucatán Peninsula.

It features past Mayan ruins, large food, and endless formation clubs acceptable on the spectacular Caribbean Sea – but determination are plentifulness much things to bash successful Tulum, Mexico than conscionable lazing connected the beach.

Best things to bash successful Tulum – Image by Shutterstock.com

Although Tulum’s popularity continues to increase, it remains quieter than adjacent Cancun and Playa del Carmen, offering a much laid backmost vibe for travellers.

But if you’re not definite what to bash successful Tulum, present are immoderate of our apical picks…

Things to Do successful Tulum, Mexico

1. Spend a lazy time astatine 1 of Tulum’s formation clubs

There are much than 50 formation clubs on Tulum’s main agelong of beach. Many are hotels arsenic well, offering it the nickname “Tulum’s Hotel Zone”, which was inspired by Cancun’s beachside “Hotel Zone.”

Most of the clubs connection entree to time visitors either for escaped oregon for a minimum walk astatine a barroom oregon edifice connected site.

Spending the time astatine a formation nine is 1 of the champion things to bash successful Tulum if you are staying successful central Tulum and not connected the beachfront itself.

There are a mates of nationalist sections of beach, but if you privation to unbend connected a prima furniture nether an umbrella with a prime of nutrient and cocktails a Tulum formation nine is the mode to go!

When choosing a formation club, locomotion on the formation from the water side, which allows you to cheque retired the antithetic acceptable ups of each nine – thing you can’t bash from the road.

Personally, I loved Viento De Mar. This was a smaller formation nine with a minimum walk that seemed to assistance support numbers down.

Viento De Mar had among the champion prima furniture acceptable up of immoderate formation nine and has the vantage of not being listed successful the tourer representation handed retired by astir hotels successful downtown Tulum, meaning radical won’t travel searching it out.

2. Explore the Mayan ruins of Tulum

The Tulum ruins of the erstwhile Mayan metropolis astatine Tulum person to beryllium the astir beautifully situated I saw successful each of Mexico. Right connected a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea, galore radical travel to the Tulum ruins for the photograph opportunities alone.

The astir awesome operation inactive present contiguous is the Castillo, which sits atop a limestone cliff supra a tiny sandy beach. There are palms beneath and turquoise h2o laps astatine the shore. It is casual to spot wherefore this is 1 of the astir iconic images of Mexico.

Ancient Tulum was astatine its astir almighty betwixt the 13^th and 15^th centuries. The metropolis served arsenic a larboard and was the lone Mayan metropolis built connected the coast, arsenic good arsenic 1 of lone a fewer walled cities ever built by the Mayans. This makes the well-preserved ruins unsocial to explore.

It’s champion to get aboriginal to sojourn the Mayan ruins astatine Tulum. The tract opens astatine 8am and if you are determination for opening clip you tin marque your mode done the aged metropolis partition and into the tract earlier the circuit groups get meaning you’ll get immoderate large photograph opportunities arsenic good arsenic immoderate clip to admit the tract earlier it gets busy.

3. Swim successful the Gran Cenote

Just 3 kilometres from Tulum connected the mode to Coba and Chichen Itza is the Gran Cenote, a fashionable swimming and snorkelling spot.

Cenotes are similar earthy sinkholes, created erstwhile limestone collapses to uncover the underground stream systems below. Cenote means ineffable good and the Mayans built cities adjacent to cenotes arsenic they were a reliable h2o root successful an different adust landscape.

There are galore cenotes connected the Yucatan Peninsula but the Gran Cenote would person to beryllium 1 of the champion for swimming.

The h2o is truthful axenic and caller that it is arsenic wide arsenic glass. Plenty of food and turtles are astatine location successful the cenote and they don’t look to beryllium excessively shy truthful you’ll apt tally into a fewer portion you are swimming.

As you marque your mode done the cave strategy you volition spot stalactites, stalagmites and conscionable similar successful immoderate cave, tons of bats. As good arsenic swimming and snorkelling successful the Gran Cenote, you tin besides put scuba diving.

Like the Mayan ruins astatine Tulum, effort and get present for opening clip (8am) truthful you tin beryllium the archetypal successful the cenote. The cenote is not peculiarly large truthful you volition person a overmuch nicer acquisition if you are 1 of conscionable a mates of radical silently swimming around. The ambiance tin beryllium mislaid erstwhile noisy groups arrive.

4. Ride a motorcycle done the jungle astatine Coba

The Coba ruins, astir 40 minutes from Tulum town, are acceptable among dense jungle and are antithetic again from the ruins astatine Tulum and different fashionable Mayan sites specified arsenic Chichen Itza oregon Uxmal.

Large sections of this erstwhile metropolis are inactive to beryllium discovered and restored, meaning Coba has a overmuch much chaotic and untouched consciousness to different ruin sites.

The tract is immense and was erstwhile location to astir 50,000 people. Much of the Coba’s operation occurred successful the sixth and seventh centuries and you tin spot the remains of roads, homes and temples inactive today.

There are bikes for rent wrong the analyzable and I truly urge you drawback 1 for exploring Coba. It means you tin screen much crushed and it’s besides tons of fun. The tract is truthful ample that astatine times you tin find yourself successful a small pouch with nary 1 other around.

You’ll besides thrust past plentifulness of mounds that upon person inspection beryllium to beryllium pyramids and different structures not yet cleared of the vegetation that has taken clasp implicit the years.

You are capable to interaction and ascent the structures present and though it feels a small disrespectful to statesman with, it is really a large mode to get up precocious and look retired implicit the site.

Once you spot each the radical climbing the elephantine pyramid, known arsenic Nohuch Mul, astatine the backmost of the site, you’ll privation to springiness it a spell to.

It’s a steep ascent, but the situation is much successful the caput than the assemblage astatine times, peculiarly connected the mode down. At astir 42 metres, beryllium definite to lone look a measurement oregon 2 up if you’re not a immense instrumentality of heights.

5. Visit 1 of the yoga retreats

If you privation immoderate relaxation connected your vacation, past you’ll find nary shortage of yoga retreats and yoga studios successful Tulum.

Whether you privation a jungle mounting oregon a yoga signifier connected the achromatic soil beaches, you volition find a yoga workplace that has your vibe.

Some of the astir fashionable yoga studios successful Tulum are Tribal Tulum, Jungle Yoga Tulum, and Breathwork Tulum.

6. Go diving successful a cenote

If 1 cenote isn’t enough, past don’t worry, due to the fact that Tulum has implicit 100 successful the area, ranging from peaceful and distant to fashionable tourer traps.

Some of the astir iconic cenotes are the Dos Ojos, which is fashionable but inactive beautiful. It’s known for its acheronian cave opening and turquoise waters.

Cenote Calavera is besides an iconic 1 to visit, known for its unsocial formation. The connection “Calavera” means “skull” successful Spanish, and it’s truthful named due to the fact that it has three openings resembling 2 eyes and a mouth, similar a skull.

For those with kids, Cenote Zacil-Ha is simply a fashionable 1 arsenic it has a zip enactment into the lagoon.

7. Take a time travel to Valladolid

Valladolid, Mexico

If you privation to flight the crowds successful Quintana Roo, past a beauteous destination with less tourists is Valladolid, conscionable 1.5 hour’s thrust from Tulum.

Valladolid is known arsenic the spot wherever Christopher Columbus died, and wherever Europe’s archetypal motivation statement connected the attraction of indigenous people was held.

It’s afloat of medieval architecture, cobbled roads, and awesome monuments specified arsenic the Valladolid Cathedral and Plaza Mayor.

8. Snap a selfie with the Ven a La Luz Sculpture

The Ven a La Luz Sculpture is simply a 10-meter precocious sculpture by Daniel Popper, located successful the Ahau Tulum Sculpture Park successful Playa Paraiso of Tulum.

The sculpture is made of wood, rope, and alloy and represents the harmony betwixt quality and nature.

It’s besides a fashionable selfie spot.

9. Take a time travel to Cozumel

There are galore reasons to travel to the Riviera Maya, but astir is for the crystal-clear h2o and achromatic soil beaches.

If Tulum’s beaches aren’t capable for you, instrumentality a ferry implicit from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel for a time trip.

Cozumel is known for being mostly undeveloped, making it a large spot to bash immoderate snorkeling connected the coral reef.

There are galore dive sites astir Cozumel, specified arsenic the Mesoamerican Reef and the Museo Subacuático de Arte’s submerged sculptures, arsenic good arsenic Chankanaab, which is known for its underwater caverns and oversea turtles.

We visited Cozumel for a time connected our Carnival Western Caribbean cruise.

10. Explore the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is simply a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its sublime earthy quality and unspoiled landscape.

Here you tin find immoderate of the Yucatan’s astir allusive wildlife, specified arsenic manatees, dolphins, and adjacent jaguars, arsenic good arsenic spot thousands of types of autochthonal plants and flora.

What makes the reserve peculiar is it’s the largest protected country successful the Mexican Caribbean.

The champion mode to research the reserve is by vessel tour, which takes you into the mangroves wherever you mightiness person a accidental of spotting an allusive manatee.

11. Join a Temazcal Ceremony

A Temazcal Ceremony is simply a accepted Mexican sweat lodge ceremonial which is designed to heal your spirit.

These sweat lodge ceremonies person been performed for implicit 1,000 years and are said to marque you consciousness physically, emotionally, and mentally healthier. 

Some adjacent accidental the acquisition leaves you feeling spiritually charged.

Best Time to Visit Tulum

The champion clip to sojourn Tulum is from November until aboriginal Spring, erstwhile the upwind is lukewarm but the humidity is not excessively great.

The crowds are besides a small thinner successful January and February, but are engaged successful December and April during schoolhouse holidays.

The hurricane play extends from June until October, and has dense rains and beardown winds, which besides means galore restaurants and hotels adjacent for respective weeks – truthful debar these months if possible.

How to Get to Tulum

Tulum is divided betwixt a cardinal country with shops, restaurants, resorts, and boutique hotels that tally on the main roadworthy to Playa del Carmen and Cancun successful the north, and the beachfront, located astir 5 kilometres from town.

To get to Tulum, you volition privation to alert into Cancun Airport, and get an airdrome transportation down, which takes astir an hour.

When you get successful Tulum, you tin take which country you privation to enactment successful – the municipality oregon the beach. There is simply a tiny roadworthy moving the magnitude of the beach, which has hotels and restaurants connected some sides, and is wherever you volition apt walk astir of your clip portion successful Tulum.

Whether you enactment by the formation oregon successful the centre of town, it is casual to get betwixt the 2 areas. Most radical rent a motorcycle and cycle, and immoderate accommodations travel with motorcycle rentals you tin usage to get around.

If you’re connected a budget, it’s cheaper to enactment successful cardinal Tulum and marque your mode to the beachfront either by car, taxi oregon cycling.

While you could easy walk each your clip successful Tulum eating, drinking, and swimming from the formation clubs, the municipality is adjacent to a fig of fashionable attractions successful the surrounding area.

Check the representation beneath for accommodation options successful Tulum

Final Thoughts

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