The last three days of our road trip around the Yucatán Peninsula were spent at the southern end of the Riviera Maya, in Tulum. We enjoyed snorkeling, exploring more Maya ruins, climbing up a shaky wooden structure in a biosphere reserve, and an afternoon of relaxing at the beach.
In Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
On Tuesday morning, we finished off our breakfast at the Pickled Onion in Santa Elena and then hit the road. The drive from Santa Elena to Tulum was our longest one of the trip, so it may not be surprising that we ran into a few things along the way. Literally. Shortly after we set off, a lizard darted in front of the vehicle with no time for Luke to avoid squashing the little guy. Then a short while later as we we driving around the outskirts of Mérida, an empty plastic barrel flew out of a truck with a wooden stake bed and started bouncing along the highway. We had to slam on the brakes to avoid it. Luckily no damage was done (to our car) from either event, but it was definitely a stressful hour of driving. The rest was relatively smooth sailing.
We made it all the way to Cobá before stopping for lunch. After a quick feed of Cochinita Pibil we drove for one minute more to get all the way to the ruins. Cobá was one of the most powerful cities in the northern Yucatán between 200 and 600 AD; the city controlled significant water resources as well as trade routes. Most of the significant structures were built between 500 and 900 AD although it remained an important site for hundreds of years after that. It is believed that at least 50,000 people lived there during its peak time and that the city spanned 80 km squared.
We made it all the way to Cobá before stopping for lunch. After a quick feed of Cochinita Pibil we drove for one minute more to get all the way to the ruins. Cobá was one of the most powerful cities in the northern Yucatán between 200 and 600 AD; the city controlled significant water resources as well as trade routes. Most of the significant structures were built between 500 and 900 AD although it remained an important site for hundreds of years after that. It is believed that at least 50,000 people lived there during its peak time and that the city spanned 80 km squared.
The site is very spread out and there is a lot to see but at this point only a small part of the site has been excavated by archaeologists. In fact, the site is so spread out that there is a bike rental there in case you don't want to walk around the site or pay someone to cart you around. The Cobá ruins definitely had a more Indiana Jones jungle-y archaeologist feel than most of the other ruins that we visited.
By the time we left Cobá it was nearing 5 pm, when all attractions seem to close, so we went straight from Cobá to Hotel Latino in Tulum. That evening, we had a relatively early dinner at La Gloria de Don Pepe, just around the corner from our hotel. Tapas and cervezas went down well that night.
The next day, we started off by heading straight for the Tulum ruins, just outside of town. The great thing about these ruins is that they're right next to the ocean, making for exceptional photos and a nice breeze off the sea, although the not-so-great thing is that they're in a prime location for tour buses so the place gets busy. Really early in the day. The site is definitely large enough to accommodate everyone but we did miss the days of having Maya ruins all to ourselves.
By the time we left Cobá it was nearing 5 pm, when all attractions seem to close, so we went straight from Cobá to Hotel Latino in Tulum. That evening, we had a relatively early dinner at La Gloria de Don Pepe, just around the corner from our hotel. Tapas and cervezas went down well that night.
The next day, we started off by heading straight for the Tulum ruins, just outside of town. The great thing about these ruins is that they're right next to the ocean, making for exceptional photos and a nice breeze off the sea, although the not-so-great thing is that they're in a prime location for tour buses so the place gets busy. Really early in the day. The site is definitely large enough to accommodate everyone but we did miss the days of having Maya ruins all to ourselves.
Tulum is one of the most recent Maya settlements and the city survived for 70 years after the Spanish started occupying Mexico. It was a hub for maritime trading along the Maya coastline that started in Honduras and stretched north to the Yucatán. The site nowadays is extremely photogenic and we (read: Elizabeth) enjoyed being back near the ocean. On our way out, we spent a few minutes cooling off in an air conditioned café with some Gatorade before driving further up the Riviera Maya to Akumal.
Akumal is a small community with an unbelievable beach. The thing that makes this beach so unbelievable is that there are turtles that come near shore to graze on the sea grass which means that people can hop in the water and swim with wild turtles in their natural habitat. In the Mayan language, Akumal means "place of turtles". And what a place of turtles it was!
Akumal is a small community with an unbelievable beach. The thing that makes this beach so unbelievable is that there are turtles that come near shore to graze on the sea grass which means that people can hop in the water and swim with wild turtles in their natural habitat. In the Mayan language, Akumal means "place of turtles". And what a place of turtles it was!
Many businesses dot the shoreline in Akumal offering snorkelling and SCUBA gear as well as tours. However it can be done completely independently, and for free! We just put on the snorkelling gear we had brought with us, although we did rent life jackets from a local business so that we could have access to lockers.
After some initial fears on Elizabeth's part, likely as a result of her Underwater Santa experience, we snorkelled with turtles for over an hour. The life jackets proved useful as we mostly stuck to floating near the turtles, with the occasionally dive down. Our favourite moments were when the turtles popped their little heads out of the water for a breath of fresh air before diving down to munch on some more grass.
Our last stop of the day was Cenote Azul, a cenote with crystal clear water and more locals than tourists. We whipped out our snorkel gear once more and took a refreshing dip in the water with some tropical fish who also enjoyed nibbling on our toes.
After some initial fears on Elizabeth's part, likely as a result of her Underwater Santa experience, we snorkelled with turtles for over an hour. The life jackets proved useful as we mostly stuck to floating near the turtles, with the occasionally dive down. Our favourite moments were when the turtles popped their little heads out of the water for a breath of fresh air before diving down to munch on some more grass.
Our last stop of the day was Cenote Azul, a cenote with crystal clear water and more locals than tourists. We whipped out our snorkel gear once more and took a refreshing dip in the water with some tropical fish who also enjoyed nibbling on our toes.
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We spent the rest of our afternoon relaxing at the hotel and then wandered around the town of Tulum at night, grabbing a bite to eat at El Capitain - reasonably priced tasty seafood.
The next day, our last day in Mexico, we decided to take in one last Maya ruin and finally spend some time at the beach. We were in Mexico after all. We started off by driving to Muyil, a former Maya city that seems to have been in use for a considerable amount of time; artifacts found onsite have spanned over 1500 years. The structures onsite are an example of Peten architecture, with steep walled pyramids, which differs from the styles of the other cities we visited on our road trip. It is believed that Muyil had a strong connection to the city of Cobá.
The next day, our last day in Mexico, we decided to take in one last Maya ruin and finally spend some time at the beach. We were in Mexico after all. We started off by driving to Muyil, a former Maya city that seems to have been in use for a considerable amount of time; artifacts found onsite have spanned over 1500 years. The structures onsite are an example of Peten architecture, with steep walled pyramids, which differs from the styles of the other cities we visited on our road trip. It is believed that Muyil had a strong connection to the city of Cobá.
The site of Muyil is very well kept and does not receive any visitors. It's a shame, but all the more space for the ones who do visit! One of the best parts of the site is its proximity to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. We took the boardwalk behind to the ruins to access the reserve at a cost of only $50 pesos each. We were immediately surrounded by jungle, the sounds of birds, and the rustling of little animals amongst the trees. We came across a tall wooden observation tower so we had to climb it; it was much higher and much creakier than it looked at first glance.
The view from the top was spectacular and absolutely worth the climb! Once we (slowly) climbed back down, we continued along the boardwalk until we reached a lagoon, complete with small boats and swaying palm trees. It was a secret little slice of paradise. It is possible to book a boat tour which departs from the lagoon and can be booked on from the front desk at Muyil. The cost is about $600 pesos.
The rest of the day we spent at Tulum Beach - eating, reading, swimming, and relaxing in the shade. The great thing about Mexico is that all beaches in Mexico are public so anyone can walk through any hotel along the beachfront to access the beach. As long as you spend some money at a restaurant along the beach, you should be allowed to use that restaurant or hotel's beach chairs for as long as you want! It's a pretty great deal.
The next day we drove through along the slightly crazy highway between Tulum and Cancún to get to the airport. Sadly, that marked the end of our road trip around the Yucatán. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Yucatán and would recommend it to everyone, so we have created a guide for anyone who is looking to do a road trip around the Yucatán Peninsula! Check it out, and spread the word about this remarkable road trip destination: YUCATÁN ROAD TRIP GUIDE
If you missed either of our previous blog posts about the road trip, look no further:
Yucatán Road Trip: 2 Days in Valladolid
Yucatán Road Trip: 2 Days in the Ruta Puuc
And here is the travel video we put together of our trip:
The rest of the day we spent at Tulum Beach - eating, reading, swimming, and relaxing in the shade. The great thing about Mexico is that all beaches in Mexico are public so anyone can walk through any hotel along the beachfront to access the beach. As long as you spend some money at a restaurant along the beach, you should be allowed to use that restaurant or hotel's beach chairs for as long as you want! It's a pretty great deal.
The next day we drove through along the slightly crazy highway between Tulum and Cancún to get to the airport. Sadly, that marked the end of our road trip around the Yucatán. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Yucatán and would recommend it to everyone, so we have created a guide for anyone who is looking to do a road trip around the Yucatán Peninsula! Check it out, and spread the word about this remarkable road trip destination: YUCATÁN ROAD TRIP GUIDE
If you missed either of our previous blog posts about the road trip, look no further:
Yucatán Road Trip: 2 Days in Valladolid
Yucatán Road Trip: 2 Days in the Ruta Puuc
And here is the travel video we put together of our trip:
Finally, here are some more photos from the last three days of our (awesome) Yucatán road trip:
