Tulum tour

One of the highlights of my trip to the Mayan Riviera of Mexico was the excursion to the Tulum ruins. We opted for Amstar’s “Tulum Express” tour, a small-group tour with a maximum of 12 passengers. It cost around $60 per person, which included all transportation and entrance fees.

Secrets Silversands is near Puerto Morelos, about 15 minutes drive from the Cancun Airport, so it was about an hour to Tulum (a little more due to construction). The van picked us up at the resort at 8:00 am, and we returned at 1:00 pm. There were only seven of us in the group. The road is very good but not particularly scenic. There is still a lot of development and construction going on in this area.

The parking lot is a distance from the ruins, with a mediocre craft market. A trolley takes you to the ruins for a small fee (included in the tour) or you could walk. Tickets are required to enter the ruins, and there is an additional fee for video cameras (digital cameras and cell phones with video capabilities were ignored).

This walled city has a spectacular location perched above the Caribbean Sea with amazing views. The reef from Belize protects the shore and creates a lagoon-effect with turquoise waters. The ruins aren’t that old (the city’s heyday was 1200-1500) but it was interesting to imagine this ancient gated beachfront community for the affluent and powerful. There is even a Mayan lighthouse! Nothing remains of the thatched huts outside the walls where the peasants lived. Wooden steps lead to a small public beach. Lots of iguanas wander the grounds.

For those really interested in the Mayan civilization, Chichen Itza (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Coba may be better options, but both would be a full- day trip with much longer travel times. For the rest of us, Tulum is perfect- a pleasant few hours where you learn a little about the history of the region and are back at your resort in time for lunch. Families might enjoy a combo tour to Tulum and Xcaret, an eco-archaeological theme park with cultural demonstrations, or Xel-Ha, an open-sea aquarium.

Click here for my Slideshow.