The History of Tulum

Archaeologists assume Tulum served as a port due to the fact that it was built right on the sea. This was one of the last settlements built and occupied by the Maya before the Spanish arrived in the 15th Century. It managed to survive for 70 years after the Spanish started occupying the area. It is believed that Old World diseases, brought by the Spanish, forced the Maya to abandon the cities.

What time should I arrive?

The earlier you get to the ruins, the better. The tour buses start rolling in in the late morning and the place starts to get rather crowded. If you’re planning on visiting the ruins as a cruise excursion, book the earliest excursion possible.

However, if you can’t get there early, get there late! When you get there at about 3:30, the crowds typically start to thin out. 1.5 hours is plenty of time to explore the ruins.

On Sundays, Mexican nationals can enter the ruins for free, meaning that it can be a bit pretty crowded.

Learn more at TulumRuins.net

Important Info

• The ruins are open from 8 AM to 5 PM every day. The last entry is at 4 PM.
• The ruins are located 3km outside of downtown Tulum. If you arrive by car or scooter, you’ll have to pay to park. The cost is 80 pesos for car and 50 pesos for scooter.
• The admission for Tulum is 75 pesos per adult
• The ruins themselves are located about half a mile from the parking area.

How to get to Tulum from Playa del Carmen

Head to Calle 2 between 15th and 20th Avenue. Here you’ll find a row of colectivos with men calling out, “Tulum!”. Head towards one of these guys and hop inside. The trip will take you about 45 minutes and will cost between $2-3 USD (40 MXN).

What is there to see at Tulum?

The Maya ruins in Tulum represent what was once a vast, walled Pre-Colombian settlement. Remarkably, many of the walls remain standing. The most remarkable buildings here are the Pyramid El Castillo (the castle), the Temple of the Descending God, and the Temple of the Frescoes.

El Castillo

This is the largest and most prominent building on the property. The building was used as a watchtower to monitor the canoes coming and going.

Temple of the Descending God

This single room structure was built at the top of another temple that served as its base. In the niche located at the top of the door stands a culture of a god with wings and a headdress holding objects in his hands.

Temple of the Frescos

This was used as an observatory to track the movements of the sun. Makes sense considering these are Maya ruins…right? The building consists of two parts, the lower gallery and the upper gallery. The upper gallery features some of the best preserved relief-carvings in the region.

Pro-Tips

• Bring a lot of water. It can get really hot at the ruins and there isn’t much shade.
• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Bring a towel and bathing suit. The ruins are located at the top of a cliff overlooking a remarkable beach. There isn’t anywhere to change so make sure you’re wearing your bathing suit before you arrive.
• Ditch the tripod. Plan on sticking with the traditional selfies since tripods aren’t allowed on the site.

The Beach

Lastly, Tulum is home to the most magnificent little beach. Is there anything cooler than swimming or laying out under the watchful eye of the Maya ruins? We think not!

If you plan on hitting the beach make sure you come dressed in your bathing suit, as there isn’t really anywhere to change. If you plan on spending a long period of time there, it’s best to go during low tide. When the tide is up, the beach almost completely vanishes.

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Costa Maya is an absolutely stunning corner of Mexico. The turquoise blue waters crash into the vibrant green jungle and the white sand beach to form some of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever encounter. Believe it or not, you can experience this port to the fullest without shelling out a ton of cash! Although it isn’t nearly as developed as Cozumel (130 miles north), it still offers visitors plenty to do.

Costa Maya is one of the Carnival ports where you can get away without booking an excursion. Other ports like this include Mahogany Bay, Nassau, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and Half Moon Cay.

Wait…what do you mean I don’t need to book an excursion here?

Carnival has developed some ports as “destinations” and created a safe environment for cruisers to relax by the pool, spend some money in the shops or dine at restaurants. Costa Maya even gives you the option to swim with dolphins- if that is your thing. The port also features an aviary, a fish spa, and a place for you to experience Maya healing rituals. Oh, and of course there’s a tequila bar.

When you get off the ship you’ll need to walk down a long pier to the port. If you are not comfortable walking, or unable to, there are free shuttle buses that cart folks back and forth.

What are the highlights of Costa Maya?

• Beautiful, large pools (with free floats)
• Souvenir shops
• Restaurants and bars (Senor Frogs, Carlos and Charlies, etc).
• Tequila Bar
• Aviary
• Fish Spa
• Kakaw Chocolate
• Dolphin Encounter
• SCUBA diving

What is there to do nearby?

At the rear of the complex, you can catch a cab into “town” where you will find more restaurants, shops, bars, and beaches. There really isn’t anything within walking distance.

When you’re on the ship, looking at the coast, you’ll see a building built to resemble a Maya temple. This is the Lost Mayan Temple Adventure Park where you can spend the day zip lining, zooming down water slides, or relaxing in the pool.

Consider…

• Visiting the Lost Mayan Temple Adventure Park
• Explore the Maya Ruins of Chacchoben
• Venture of to the Mahahual Fishing Village
• Tour the Spanish fortress at Bacalar

How do I access the beach?

Walk towards your right from the port entrance, past the shops to the grand staircase. To the right of the staircase there is a small pathway leading to a ticket selling booth/table. Here you can purchase tickets for a taxi or trolley ride. They can take you to any of the popular beach clubs.

My Thoughts on Costa Maya

Costa Maya is a great port to kick back and relax. I enjoy browsing through the stores and sampling the local beers. Each time I’m in Mexico, I pick up a bottle of vanilla for baking season. Mexico is also a great place for linens, pottery, ceramics, and silver.

It is important that if you decide to venture away from the port that you pay attention at the taxi stand when they go over the map. I’ve never had any problems in Costa Maya, but like any tourist destination, there is some crime.

Sometimes, it’s great to have absolutely nothing to do. That’s what I love so much about visiting Little French Key– there’s no timeline and no agenda. Costa Maya is the same way, really. You can just mosey around, popping in and out of stores, visit bars, maybe grab a bite to eat. It’s just so relaxing!

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I originally intended on taking the ferry to mainland Mexico and spending the day at a nature park called Xcaret. However, the ferry service was temporarily out of service for tourists (due to a recent terrorist attack on the ferry system) so I was forced to make other plans.

The Beach Buggies

My family ended up booking a beach buggy & snorkel excursion through Carnival. The beach buggy had a manual transmission with no 2nd or 3rd gears- which meant there was zero chance that I would be driving. I ended up hopping in the backseat with my niece, Frankenstein, where we enjoyed the breezy drive around the island. The buggy itself was a bit rough around the edges. It was a pain in the butt to drive and several of the people on our excursion had issues. We may have been better off just renting a Jeep. Our first stop was a beach about a 10-minute drive away from the port.

The Snorkeling Excursion

Our first stop was a beach about a 10-minute drive away from the port. The beach had a restaurant and bar area as well as changing rooms for those who needed to switch into their bathing suit. The sand was covered with lounge chairs, and palm trees laced with hammocks. The beach itself was rather pretty. After a safety briefing, we were led out on a guided snorkel tour. In my honest opinion, they should probably pick a different beach to snorkel. There isn’t much of anything to see and chances are you’ll see more people than fish. I lasted about 10 minutes in the water before I went to hang out in a lounge chair. I attempted to order a drink but had a hard time getting a bar waiter to come over to my chair.

Punta Morena

Next, we took a 45 minute down the coast to our next stop, Punta Morena, on the Atlantic side of the island. Many people don’t realize that much of Cozumel is actually undeveloped. Cruisers tend to hit the downtown area or take a ferry to the mainland and very few actually venture out to check out the island, as a whole. The island is so undeveloped that much of the Atlantic-side doesn’t even have electricity.

The ride from the beach to Punta Morena was alright. Although we drove along the coast, much of it was covered with heavy vegetation so we had brief glances at the turquoise blue water. Since we had to stick with our guide, we weren’t able to pull over and take advantage of some of the more scenic beaches.

We arrived at Punta Morena where we had a lovely lunch. The food was much like everything else I’ve had in the Yucatan, so I knew what to expect. Lunch was chicken, fish, or beef tacos or nachos served buffet style with rice and beans.

After eating, we had plenty of time to check out the beach area. Since we were on the Atlantic side, it was much too choppy and the current was too strong for us to be able to get into the water. The waves crashing against the rocky surface made for great photos, however.

Punta Morena also had a pool, bar and several lounge chairs and hammocks for us to enjoy. Overall, the restaurant itself was nice.

Lastly, we hopped back into the beach buggies and drove through downtown Cozumel so we could “see how the locals lived”. The drive back was rather lackluster.

Pro Tip: Make sure you have these items with you when you head into port.

My Opinion of the Beach Buggy & Snorkel Excursion

The tour itself was alright, however, I don’t know that I would do it again. I have done some pretty great things in and around Cozumel and this was by far my least favorite. I would definitely recommend visiting Tulum or checking out Rio Secreto over this tour. One thing that I think could have made it better was somehow fitting in a trip to the San Gervasio Mayan ruins. When we were at Punta Morena we were seriously within miles of the ruins. I think a short visit there would have made an excellent addition to the excursion. I’d suggest cutting a little time off of snorkeling or Punta Morena to make it happen.

That being said, I did have fun on the Beach Buggy & Snorkel Excursion. It would have been nice if the snorkeling was all it was made out to be, and if the buggies themselves were in better working order. However, it was a nice way to see the island of Cozumel. Had we not rented the buggies, I don’t know that I would have ever been able to see the Atlantic side of Cozumel.

While You’re in Cozumel

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