Tulum Mayan Ruins Reviews (Tulum, Mexico)

Walking in the Footsteps of the Ancient Mayans

St. Augustine, Florida

October 4, 2009

Email
Print

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 ...Read more

From journal Exploring Southeastern Yucatan :: Tulum & Coba

Pretty Beach - Hot! Hot! Hot!

by Princess00

Dallas, Texas

December 28, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo 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 ...Read more 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.

Close

From journal Viva Cancun - Traveling with Friends

Beautiful Coastal Ruin

by ak1

Auburn, Washington

October 24, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo 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 ...Read more 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.
Close

From journal Playa Del Carmen for a Mexico Beginner

Tulum Ruins

by wanderer 2005

Phoenix, Arizona

June 5, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo Tulum Ruins is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. It rests on top of a bluff, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It’s all about location, location, location. It’s perfect for keeping an eye out for your enemies who arrived by boat.Tulum ...Read more Tulum Ruins is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. It rests on top of a bluff, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It’s all about location, location, location. It’s perfect for keeping an eye out for your enemies who arrived by boat.

Tulum means wall....and for good reason...it’s surrounded by a huge wall.

If you come on your own, I mean not with a tour group on a bus, when you arrive at the ruins you park in the main parking lot and you have to hoof it about a KM (15-20 minutes) to the actual ruins. There is a shuttle tractor that will take you for $2. It may be advantageous for you to use the shuttle as it gets really freakin’ HOT out here. We walked to the ruins, then took the shuttle back.

There is a huge visitors’ center with bathrooms, gift shops and restaurants, where the parking lot is. Make sure you take LOTS of water with you because there is nothing out at the site. I suggest taking an umbrella to shield you from the suns hot rays. I live in Arizona where it gets up to 120 in the summer…but this was HOT sun!

Join in with a group, so you can hear all the history about this wonderful place. It just isn't the same without a tour guide. Don’t try to walk the grounds on your own, you really need a guide to learn all the history and what each of the buildings represents. You’ll also learn how common phrases such as, ‘Some heads are gonna roll’, originated.
The Mayan were small people...you can see the doorways are only about 4 feet high.
We saw many iguanas....which I love. I wanted to take a couple home with me.

Tulum is considerably smaller that Chichen Itza, but it has a wonderful beach, to cool you off after baking in the sun for an hour. You also cannot climb on any of the buildings here.

The beach is the best part of this experience. And what a beautiful beach it is. There is a long, steep, wooden staircase leading to the beach from the ruins and it's not for the faint of heart. Once on the beach, the water is crystal clear, for miles.

Like I said, it’s extremely important to take plenty of water with you as well as sunscreen, sunglasses and a floppy, beach hat or an umbrella. The sun here is incredibly strong and you don’t want to spend the rest of your vacation, sunburned.

The cost to get onto the grounds is $4.00 everyday but Sunday, which is free. There is also a $4.00 fee to bring in a video camera. The park is open from 8am to 5pm and the tour buses start arriving around 930am.
Close

From journal Margaritas in Mexico!

Tulum Mayan Ruins

by kathyjohanna

Stratford, Wisconsin

July 26, 2007

Email
Print

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 ...Read more

From journal Adventures in the Riviera Maya

Tulum Mayan Ruins

by paolo1899

Naples, Italy

May 11, 2007

Email
Print

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 ...Read more

From journal Holiday in Tulum

Tulum

by ParadiseSeeker

Alhambra, California

February 10, 2007

Email
Print

What a place! This is an ancient Mayan fort where they used to control the waterways on the Yucatan Peninsula. This is a treasure of Mayan artifacts, and I recommend that everyone go see this. We had to make a choice to either go north to visit ...Read more

From journal Cancun and Cozumel: Land of the Mayans

The Ruins at Tulum

by Gibbs_Georgia

New Paltz, New York

August 2, 2006

Email
Print

We decided against the prepackaged tour. We took the Collectivo (local bus) $2.50 from the Bus Station in Playa, and headed to Tulum. The bus made several stops along the way. However, this was the norm for us, since we both were from a Caribbean ...Read more

From journal Playa Del Carmen

Visit to the Ruins

by Sabina315

Athens, Ohio

July 25, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo After paying the small entrance fee to Tulum, you walk up a trail to the top of a cliff, where you are rewarded with an incredible view of the Mayan ruins of Tulum and the amazingly turquoise ocean. The ruins themselves are not as extensive as some ...Read more

From journal Day Trip to Tulum

TULUM, Mayan Architecture

by schutnik

Chesterfield, Missouri

January 9, 2006

Email
Print

Very interesting historic site. The grayish-tan buildings on the cliff-top site overlooking the Caribbean are very impressive. We enjoyed hearing about the Mayan history and traditions. I recommend to come early in the morning or late in the ...Read more

From journal Mexico Vacation Week

IgoUgo

Tulum Mayan Ruins

Avg. User Rating: