Exploring: The Mayan Ruins of Tulum

October 23, 2014

The Mayan ruins of Tulum is purportedly the third most popular archeological site in Mexico, behind Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan. But to me, it’s my favorite, one of my most loved sites in the world.

 

Situated on a bluff overlooking the waters of the Caribbean Sea, few places have taken my breath away the way it has.

 

 

 

 

Before I took off for my trip to Playa del Carmen, plenty of friends and family insisted on making Chichen Itza my priority, given that I only had three days to explore the area. (Three days, as it turned out, was plenty of time to hit three Mayan ruins, enjoy the Yucatan’s beaches and even squeeze in a visit to the island of Cozumel.)

 

The site is compact, populated with iguanas and dragonflies and easily explored in an hour’s walk. A serendipitous moment came upon finding out there was a beach at the foot of Tulum’s picturesque cliff, and I happily indulged in a quick swim in her warm, turquiose waters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a mere 40 minutes to an hour’s drive from Playa del Carmen and Cancun, accessible by bus (two hot young guys staying at our hotel took the local public bus). However, I recommend booking a tour through your hotel; doing this once you arrive in Mexico appears to be a lot cheaper than booking from the US or anywhere outside of Mexico. If memory serves me right, it was right around $100 for an air-conditioned van (seating seven to eight passengers max) that picked us up at our hotel and took us to Tulum, Coba (we’ll talk about this in next week’s travel post) and a quaint village inhabited by Mayans descended from those who built these impressive treasures, with a tasty buffet lunch thrown in.

 

No doubt one of my all-time best vacation excursions. Ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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