Walking in the Footsteps of the Ancient Mayans
- October 4, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
airynfaerie from St. Augustine, Florida
Just a short drive down the road from the Blue Tulum Resort where we were staying, are the amazing ancient ruins of Tulum. Dated around the 1200s, these ruins rise above the Caribbean Coast in a splendid way which takes a visitor back in time. The entire city of the Mayan's isn't too large, but it's a very open space, so even with a lot of tourists, you can find open places to walk around and be quiet to take it all in.
There are various temples, homes, and civic buildings still intact with walkways marked out among the grounds. Take the time to read the plaques by the buildings, but it's recommended to bring a informative guide book along as a supplement.
There's an open public beach accessible by descending stairs along the seaside cliff. This area more than likely was used for the docking of many Mayan ships, and offers a great view back up towards the largest structure of the site.
The ruins of Tulum is a must see visit! The entrance fee is $35~40 pesos (video cameras extra $30 pesos),which is about $4USD, and is open 8am to 5 pm everyday. There is a parking lot with shuttle service to the entrance gate, or you can park on the side road (closer to the beach) which has roadside parking for free, then you just walk a few hundred feet to the entrance gate.
From journal Exploring Southeastern Yucatan :: Tulum & Coba
Editor Pick
Pretty Beach - Hot! Hot! Hot!
- December 28, 2008
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Princess00 from Dallas, Texas
Visited Tulum on 6/14/08 during our trip to Cancun (6/13-6/18). We are active people and were looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Hotel Zone to see some important sites in the area. We booked a private tour to Tulum from Cancun using Entertainment-Plus (who we highly recommend). It took around 1 1/2-2 hours to get to Tulum from Cancun which was mostly filled with highway driving past many of the all-inclusive resorts located along the Mayan Riviera.
The outside area of the ruins of Tulum are a place to watch out for scams. No matter what mode of transportation you use, you will be dropped off at the edge of the property where then, you can take a small train up the road about a 1/2 mile or walk up to the entrance of Tulum where you buy tickets. Immediately where they will drop you off, you will see a re-creation of a "mayan village' to your right with some guys climbing a totem pole and playing a flute. Keep walking ! There are signs stating you can buy tours there and everything looks very official ... well, one of my traveling companions decided to take a photo of the men on the totem pole. Within seconds of snapping the photo, the guy with the flute was coming up to her telling her that would be a dollar for the photo. they then gave him a dollar upon which he then started to ask them for more money. he followed us for a short while before then turning back to his next victim. no where did it say that you would be charged for taking a photo of these men and we knew it was a scam. also, if you are booking a tour, walk all the way up the road to where you will buy tickets to the entrance of tulum. you will see very nice men and women dressed in official shirts standing directly outside the entrance to the ruins with clearly stated prices for the tours. it costs $40 for 4 people to take a tour. IMO, i thought the tour was shorter than we would have liked; however, it was worth it to have someone pointing out what each building was. there were many carvings and drawings on the ruins that we would have easily missed had we not had someone there to point them out to us.
just a note, tulum is hot in the middle of June. the only relief was when you are up at the top of the coastline and can catch a nice open breeze. Bring lots of water and good walking shoes. Dress light.
All in all, the ruins were interesting, but the heat only permitted us to tour the ruins for about an hour. Go early in the morning. After that point, we were all ready to head back to the car and get back to our resort pool/beach to cool off. So, for us, spending 3 hours in a car and 1-1 1/2 hours visiting an activity was not a good enough use of our vacation time considering that we spent most of the trip extremely hot and tired.
The ruins are really lovely and the view of the beach in that area is great. If I could have planned it differently, we woule have brought our swimsuits and taken a dip in the ocean for a short while to extend our day and make the trip more enjoyable.
I'm not knocking the ruins, which are a great historical site for the area. But, given the heat and the travel time from Cancun, next time, we'll likely visit Isla Mujeres just off shore from the hotel zone.
Oh, and don't sit on the benches of that little Mayan village outside the ruins either. On our way back to the car, we saw the man in the flute charging an unsuspecting tourist for sitting on their bench, as well.
Editor Pick
Beautiful Coastal Ruin
- October 24, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ak1 from Auburn, Washington
Tulum sits on the breathtaking Caribbean Sea coastline and is an archaeological Mayan ruin site that is open to visitors. Visitors are able to wander the grounds of the ruins but all of the buildings are roped off and are not able to be viewed from the insides.
When we arrived at Tulum we were accosted by merchants trying to sell us everything from water to bug spray which I have to say are both definite essentials on this trip. Then we rode the $2.00 tractor ride to the actual ruins.
Arriving at the ruins we paid for our tickets and went inside to be amazed at the resemblance of a village that was still left for us to see. The one thing that seemed to be very common at this ruin site was iguanas. Luckily they all seemed very docile and some even looked like they were enjoying the coastal scenery from the rooftops and the cliffs overlooking the ocean.
The Tulum ruins are very small compared to some of the other Mayan ruins in the state of Quintana Roo but the Tulum site definitely has the most beautiful setting. There is one large temple at Tulum but most of the ruins are fairly small in size. The most interesting ruins to me were the large temple and the temple of frescoes which had niched carvings on the outside of the building. The doorways were also interesting also because they are all extremely low because the Mayan people were shorter than most people today.
While visiting Tulum in the summertime you should bring your swim suit because they do have beach access and when we were there it was crazy hot and would have loved to have taken a dip to cool off.
We did a self guided tour like most of the tourists chose to do and the ruins took us a little over an hour to explore. I was exceptionally glad we weren’t on a tour in that heat, considering the number of shaded areas were very far and few in between.
This is a definite must see if you’re staying nearby in Mexico. The history and the breathtaking beauty of this walled ruin city will leave you full of amazement.
From journal Playa Del Carmen for a Mexico Beginner
Tulum Mayan Ruins
- July 26, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
kathyjohanna from Stratford, Wisconsin
Tulum was a Mayan “fortress-city” built over the most rugged part of the coast. When exploring the ruins it is clear that builders of Tulum were interested in trade and defense. The ruins are in the perfect spot. The beautiful site faces out over the Caribbean. On the city’s other three sides they constructed shorter – more solid walls with watchtowers. The ruins at this site were not built with the same precision that other sites were, but Tulum is set apart from the other ruins because of its beautiful combination of nature and architecture.
The most important building in Tulum is a large stone structure above the cliff called “Castillo”. On the beach below, where the Maya once came ashore, we went for a refreshing swim. (Tulum are the only ruins were you combine a visit to the ruins with sunbathing.) The beach itself was absolutely great, but I wasn’t prepared for the crowds that were jam-packed on the beach, especially later in the day.
At Tulum you are not allowed climb the ruins and in fact, the ruins are roped-off. The hours were 7 to 5. The entrance to the ruins is about a 10-minute walk from the archaeological site. (Save yourself a walk in the heat and spring ($1.50) for the tram ride. Trust me, you won’t regret it!). At the entrance there are many artisans’ stands, a bookstore, a museum, a restaurant, and quality bathrooms. The ruins cost $4 a person and each car is charged $3 to park.
From journal Adventures in the Riviera Maya
Tulum Mayan Ruins
- May 11, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
paolo1899 from Naples, Italy
Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for coba. The ruins are located on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula. The archaeological site is relatively compact, and is one of the best preserved coastal Maya site. Its proximity to the modern tourist development along the Mexican Caribbean coastline has made it a popular destination for tourists. Daily tour buses bring a constant stream of visitors to the site. The Tulum ruins are the third most visited archaeological site in Mexico. It is popular for the picturesque view of the Caribbean and a location just 120 km south of Cancun, the tourism destination is now divided into three main areas: the archaeological site, the pueblo, and the hotel zone.
Tulum offers the perfect combination of total relaxation, tranquility, and seclusion, you can fill your day with so many interesting and rich activities you will never be bored.
The little town of Tulum is slowly developing to offer various services like an Internet café for example and many more, there are several very good local restaurants and a few on the beach in the various properties in the hotel area on the beach that are absolutely wonderful and still very cost effective accommodations. In Tulum range from rustic cabanas to 5 star small jewels on pristine beaches. In the photos the beautiful Caribbean sea and the Mayan ruins.
From journal Holiday in Tulum