Experiences and local guides in Tulum

Nature

Tulum is the only Mayan city built over the sea, on a cliff facing the Caribbean. Under the peninsula's jungle runs the world's largest underground river system, surfacing in hundreds of crystal-clear cenotes. To the south, the Sian Ka'an reserve, a World Heritage site, holds lagoons, mangroves, Mayan canals and the Mesoamerican barrier reef.

Activities

• Diving and snorkelling in cenotes (Dos Ojos, Gran Cenote, Calavera, El Pit) with certified cavern guides
• Sian Ka'an: floating down the Mayan canals of Muyil, boat trips on the lagoon and dolphins at Punta Allen
• Tulum ruins at dawn and Cobá by bike with the climb up the Nohoch Mul pyramid
• Freediving in cenotes, kitesurfing and paddleboarding on the beach, reef diving
• Cycling between town, beach and cenotes, Mayan cooking in the communities

When to go

November to April is dry and pleasant, with high season in December and Easter week. May to October is hotter and more humid, with possible sargassum on the beaches but perfect cenotes; September and October are hurricane months.

How to get there

Tulum airport (TQO) is 25 km away, with flights from Mexico City, the USA and Canada; or Cancún (CUN), 2 hours down highway 307 by ADO bus or van. Shared vans along the 307 to the cenotes and Playa del Carmen; bikes between town, the ruins and the beach zone (4 km). Sian Ka'an is 20 minutes to Muyil or 1 hour to Punta Allen.