Tulum

Tulum: everyone’s favorite Mexican Tourist Trap. Although the town isn’t the best place to connect to true Mexican culture, it’s still a pretty epic vacation spot with enough culture to experience if you look for it. I've listed my favorite activities and spots visited during my week here. A journey through Mayan Ruins, cenotes, cevice, and sea turtles. 

This was my first international trip since deciding to work a full time office job in the US. I had to narrow down my activities knowing that I only had 6 full days to explore. It was a different experience coming from 3 years of long term traveling, extended teacher holidays, and freelance remote work. I had limited time to take in as much of Mexico as possible. 

Read below to discover my take on the cute, warm Mexican town of Tulum. Our Airbnb host also offered several tips on cheap, local eats and transportation methods.

Stay: I stayed at an Airbnb in the middle of town close to all the restaurants and local shops. I tried my best to keep a fair distance from the beach because I didn’t want to feel too trapped among the western owned resorts and English-speaking foreigners (real Mexican food/español por favor!) The food is cheaper in this area and you will feel more of the local culture. Resorts and hotels by the beach offer a fancy, less authentic feel.

Transportation: I took the Ado bus from the Cancun Airport straight to Tulum for about $15. Also, take the colectivos (15 person van that runs frequently) to visit nearby beaches. The locals use it to commute down the main highway. It’s only 35 pesos per ride and much cheaper than a private taxi. However, I biked around for the most part. Our airbnb offered free bicycles, but renting is cheap as well.

Eat: El Camello Jr. --> Best ceviche EVER. Also try any sketchy-looking street taco place with plastic chairs.

Do: -Bring your own snorkel mask and swim with sea turtles in Akumel. Also go to the cenotes. My favorite was Gran Cenote (go close to opening or closing time to avoid large crowds).

Visit: The Ruins! Tulum Ruins have a nice sea view, but you can climb a pyramid at Chichen-Itza

Art filled streets and bicycle-friendly proximity to everything! Every girl blogger's dream of hammock-chair bars and plant populated cafes.

My Tulum wildlife experience consisted of sea turtles, beach pups, and donkeys. But, mostly sea turtles. Lots, and lots of sea turtles.

Gran Cenote is pictured above. This was my favorite cenote, but there are hundreds of others to choose from . We also visited another where we were able to jump in from the opening!

Tulum Ruins. Make sure to observe the huge lizards here. They're awesome.