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Tulum is the laid back beach town on the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s located close to Cancun and Playa Del Carmen so it’s recently become a popular tourist destination. While Cancun and Playa are most well known for it’s beaches and parties, Tulum offers a bit more culture and nature with its popular Mayan ruins and tons of cenotes in its surroundings. Don’t get me wrong you can still find a good party but you will find the town to be a bit more relaxed than the other hot spots in the north.

We spent 4 days and 3 nights in Tulum and spent our days exploring the cenotes, visiting the ruins, and biking around town. You can easily spend a week here just exploring the cenotes alone. They are so unique to Mexico’s Yucatan that is attracts people from all over the world. In addition to the cenotes you’ve got the historic Mayan ruins right at your footsteps and quaint, urban restaurant and bars all over town. This place has just about everything for the perfect vacation.

Getting Here

The most popular way to get to Tulum is flying into Cancun and then taking a shuttle or bus into Tulum. We were traveling from Belize City so we took the bus over the border and into Mexico. The total journey took us about 8 hours – going through customs takes a bit of time. If you are ever traveling by bus through Mexico take the ADO bus. They are by far the best busses in the country and very cheap. They are massive charter busses with comfy reclining seats, air conditioning, and TVs displayed for movies along the way. Don’t shop around, just do ADO.

• Bus from Belize City to Tulum: $90 Belize Dollars ($45 USD)
• ADO Website

Location

Depending on the type of vacation you want and the activities you plan to do, you have a couple of options. There are the resorts along the beaches that are very secluded and remote or there is the town center which is central to all restaurants and bars. We stayed in the center of town and really enjoyed the central location of pretty much everything. We met some other travelers who were staying by the beach and ended up coming into town since most everything by the resorts were closed in the evening. However the beach isn’t too far from the center of town and vice versa so just depends on what your preference is. The only downside to the beaches are the massive amounts of seaweed in the water, but I have heard it really depends on the time of year. Next time we go I definitely want to check out the beach area for a bit more relaxation.

Accommodation – Mama’s House

We had heard great things about this spot in Tulum from other travelers so we had to check it out. A great guest house centrally located in the center of town. The location is easily walkable to shops, restaurants, and bars. The guest house had a great overall vibe with a massive table in the middle of the gazebo area for all guests to sit and hang out in. They had organized events every night including an amazing cooked to order breakfast every morning. It’s definitely more of a quiet spot but the staff were extremely friendly and we met some really cool people during our stay there.

• Cost per night: 119 Pesos ($40 USD) – Private 1 bedroom with Queen Bed and On-suite

Things to Do

Bike to the Cenotes

There are tons of cenotes near the center of Tulum and what better way to get around then by bike! The town and surrounding areas are bike friendly so getting around is super easy. We rented our bikes in town at La Iguana which was just a few blocks away from Mama’s House. It was 100 pesos ($5 USD) to rent a bike for the day and to be returned by 6pm. We checked out the following cenotes:

• Caldavera – a smaller cenote but easily my favorite. There are small little holes you can jump through to reach the water and a rope and ladder to climb onto. The water is so crystal clear you can see down to the bottom and the little fish swimming around. There are also bats inside of the cenote and the beams of light coming through the top make this place quite peaceful.

• Grand Cenote – this cenote is a popular one for tourists so you will find there are a lot more people coming in and out of it. The area though is pretty big with hammocks, bathrooms and showers, and an area to picnic. The cenote itself is pretty big and has a lot of room for swimming and exploring through the caves. They even have a little turtle sanctuary in the middle of it.

• Car Wash – this cenote is more popular for the scuba divers. There isn’t any cave exploring from the surface of the water for the snorkelers and swimmers but the greenery around the water is quite beautiful and scenic. There’s also a small platform you can jump off of into the water and a massive rope beam under the water you can stand on the middle of it.

All the cenotes do have entry fees ranging from 50-180 pesos ($3-$10 USD) and some require you to shower before entering. Do also try and stay away from the more isolated and remote areas near the plants and trees – there are mosquitoes everywhere!

Visit the Mayan Ruins

You can’t miss these ruins. They are located right on the ocean cliffs which is so unique to the Yucatan Peninsula. We unfortunately arrived just before closing so had to rush through walking the grounds but you can spend about 2 hours there exploring. We have seen many different Mayan ruins in Mexico, and to be hones they all start to look the same, however with these ones overlooking the gorgeous ocean it’s not one to pass up.

• Cost for entry: 70 pesos ($4 USD)

Scuba Dive the Cenotes

Since we missed out on scuba diving the Blue Hole in Belize we opted to dive the cenotes, which I will be honest and say I was scared shitless to do and almost backed out. There are of course beginner cenotes and more advanced cenotes for those that have the proper certification. Cavern diving is where you can see light whereas cave diving is when you are completely under the cave and no light. We do not have our advanced certification for cave diving so we did cavern diving.

We did 2 cenotes and 3 dives (Casa and Dos Ojos). Casa was less of a cenote and more of an underground jungle with unique plant roots and crevices you could swim through. It even had an alligator in the water, which was awesome! Casa was a great warm up to Dos Ojos. Dos Ojos definitely felt more like a cave dive than cavern dive. There were parts where we were completely in darkness but we had flashlights and rope to guide us which was extremely helpful. The scenery on this dive was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The stalagmites and formations underneath these cenotes are so unique and with the light shining through the crystal blue water, it was pretty incredible. I will be honest and say that I did almost have a few freak out moments not being able to see the light at certain points but it was so worth it. A once in a lifetime experience for sure.

We did our dive through Flying Fish and had a great time. Our guide was a hilarious British dude and the whole time it felt like it was just a group of friends hanging out. There were only 4 of us on the tour and it was very personal and friendly. We had a ton of laughs and the entire experience was relaxed and a ton of fun. I’d definitely recommend them to anyone!

• Total cost: $150 USD (So cheap!)
• Website

Food & Dining

If you are staying in town you really can’t go wrong in terms of the options. There are tons of restaurants and bars within easy walking distance of each other. We pretty much lived on Calle Centauro Sur just a block from Mama’s House. There’s a brewery, wine tasting, rooftop bars, and a variety of great restaurants that all offer an inviting ambiance. It was really hard to decide where to eat some nights!