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Ok, everyone knows that Tulum is a little touristy but that really shouldn’t put you off visiting! Our first stop after spending 7 weeks in Cuba was Tulum. After being without most modern luxuries in a socialist country we decided that Cancun (where we flew into) would probably be too much of a shock to the system! With so many reasons to visit Tulum as well as being only 4 hours by bus directly from Cancun airport we thought it would be the perfect place to start our Mexico adventures! It really was & we loved our 3 days there, let us tell you why…….

Note from the author: This article has been written by me from my travel experience. I may recommend & provide links to products & services that I have used & may make commission from such links. This commission helps cover the costs of running this website & will be at no extra cost to you. Anything that I am recommend is from my personal experience & belief that it is worth using. Happy reading!

Reasons To Visit Tulum

1) The Ruins

The obvious reason to visit Tulum & they are definitely worth it!The Mayans could not have picked a better spot to build upon, the place is literally picture perfect! The ruins sit right on a ridge above a beautiful coastline that boasts pure white sand & crystal clear seas. If you are really lucky you might get to snap a pic like this complete with posing iguana 🙂

We spent a good couple of hours exploring, taking pictures & even took some time to just sit on the grass & take the whole place in!The entrance to the ruins cost us 70 pesos each, arrive early when it opens at 8am to avoid crowds! If you really want to see the ruins with nobody around you can pay an extra fee (220 pesos per person) to visit from 6am until 8am or from 5pm until 7pm.If bringing your own or hire car the parking fee is an additional 100 pesos.

2) La Playa

If you like beaches, this is a very good reason to visit Tulum! Tulum boasts a stunning stretch of coastline that goes on for over 10 km, the stretch that extends right up to the ruins is national park & is perfect for swimming or just lazing around. To use the sun loungers at one of the beach resorts you can buy food & drinks there or you can just take your own towel & enjoy the beach for free! Something to remember in Mexico is that a hotel/resort cannot legally own a beach, once you are on the beach you are free to sit anywhere on the sand. Privately owned sun loungers or furnishings however people can request that you move from! The day we spent on the beach in Tulum was unfortunately pretty rainy, although that still didn’t stop us enjoying the perfect setting. We found ourselves a nice beach bar to have lunch & cocktails in whilst waiting for the rain to pass!

3) Bike Hire

The best way to get around Tulum & to see the ruins is, by bicycle!Almost every place that you stay in Tulum will have bikes or somewhere nearby that you can hire them! We have also heard that some hostels include free bikes in your stay!We hired ours at the hostel we stayed at for 100 pesos each for the day. Tulum is flat so it’s a real fun & easy way to get around!

4) Accommodation Options For All

If your thing is a luxury 5 star hotel, beach front cabanas, a mid-range guest house or budget hostel you’ll be able to find it in Tulum! We went for the budget hostel option & stayed at Hostal Che, it was a bargain at £7 per night each including breakfast & free water! The location of the hostel was great, it was just off of Tulum’s “main strip”. The owners & staff were really helpful & friendly & had daily & nightly activities arranged to keep us entertained! The best thing for us though was the pool at this hostel, it was the perfect place to just take some time to chill!

5) The Main Strip

Tulum’s main road is pretty busy, it has a lot of traffic pass through & is also where most of the budget accommodation options are located.As well as hostels there are also a wide range of shops offering beautiful Mayan crafts & textiles, haggling here I would say is essential!The main road also has a good selection of bars (with pretty decent nightlife) & restaurants to suit all budgets. After eating quite unhealthily in Cuba we loved the health food cafe’s which their wide choice of smoothies, salads, freshly made breads & cakes.We also loved sampling some Mexican food after eating pretty blandly for 7 weeks, we found the tacos delicious & very affordable at the more local style restaurants.For us arriving in Mexico after Cuba was honestly like a taste sensation! The other thing we were amazed at was the amount of choice when we went into a store, after being very limited for almost 2 months we found we spent almost an hour in the OXXO just marvelling at what they had, we must have looked very strange to everyone else around us!!

6) It’s Easily Accessible

Tulum is dead easy to get to, we arrived at Cancun Airport & booked a ticket at the ADO desk in the airport for 250 pesos each. It was an easy 4 hours bus journey from there & when you arrive in Tulum the bus station is right in the middle of town so it’s easy to get to where you need to go & also get back out again. You can also take trips to other sights such as Coba, Chichen Itza, the Sian Ka’an Biosphere & other places. Tours can easily be booked through your hotel/hostel or you can easily visit places solo by taking public transport or hiring a car.

7) Enjoy Some You Time

Tulum is the perfect place to kick back, unwind & just relax as the town & surroundings have a variety of health & well-being options to help you do so. If you’d like a Yoga or Pilates class, a visit to the temple of positivism or taking some time for one of the therapies or relaxation options at one of the spa resorts on Tulum beach, there’s the option to do them all!

Reasons To Visit Tulum – All In All

Well, we think that Tulum is a great place to visit for a while and there is plenty of reasons to visit. Especially if you love the idea of having loads to do close by once your done with lazing on the beach or by the pool! Happy travels 🙂

Kelly & Adam x

Reasons To Visit Tulum – Related Posts

about the wilder route...

The Wilder Route - Author Bio. Image shows Kelly & Adam sat on a rock with a cloud encompassed mountain behind them, they are facing the camera & smiling. Kelly is wearing a bright yellow coat, a brown hat, jeans & yellow leg warmers. Adam is wearing a navy blue coast & jeans.

In 2017 Kelly & Adam Peck embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever... 

Equipped with a couple of second-hand bikes, they took a one-way flight to Havana, Cuba &, after a cycling escapade that took them over four hundred kilometres - through remote villages & untouched landscapes, the roots of The Wilder Route were firmly planted. 

From there the adventure was destined to continue... this intrepid couple spent the next 10 months soaking up the vibrance of Mexico, hiking up volcanoes in Guatemala, taking in the wild scenery of Canada & experiencing the beauty & diversity of Colombia, before eventually returning to the UK. 

With the feeling of exploration in their souls, Kelly & Adam knew that they wanted to build a life that brought them closer to nature, a life that made adventure part of their every day. Selling most of their belongings & packing the rest of what they owned into their tiny home on wheels, van life became the next step of their journey.

Since moving into their motorhome in 2018 (a Bessacar E560 named Barnaby) they have experienced many more magical moments, built their online business on the road & have even planned a wedding & said "I do" along the way.

Featured in publications such as Wanderlust Magazine & Housesitting Magazine & speaking at events such as Destinations ShowsBorderless Live & The Caravan & Motorhome Show about living a location-independent lifestyle - they are passionate about helping & inspiring others to explore, to connect with nature &, to live alternatively.

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4 thoughts on “The Mayan Ruins – Plus 6 Other Pretty Cool Reasons To Visit Tulum

  1. Diana Orizaga says:

    hello Kelly,
    I truly like to reading your post about Tulum, Tulum has located 131 KM (81 miles) south of Cancun along the coast of the Mexican Caribbean. This archaeological site was built in the post-classic period. In past Zama originally called Sunrise in the Mayan language. From the many findings at the site, it has been proven that other cultures hat traded with the Mayas therefore. Last year I have been that place with my friends. Thanks to a shuttle transport agency as “Nasttransfers” we able to cover some other places within few days. It was really a great Experience I had in my life.

    • Kelly says:

      Hi Diane, thanks so much for your comment & for the additional information 🙂 I am happy to hear you had such a fantastic experience & it is always good to get recommendations from others who have actually experienced a place, which other places did you visit with “Nasttransfers”?

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