We left Playa del Carmenunder the rain and drove straight to Tulum, our next stop. It’s only an hour away so yes, it was rainy and chilly in Tulum as well, but we were excited because it used to be one of our favourite spots in Mexico.
Let’s just say that… ahem, Tulum has changed in the last decade. More on that later, once I wrap my head around the fact that it went from a quiet village on the backpacker trail to a fancy Instagram hotspot.
One thing didn’t change, though—the famous Mayan ruins of Tulum, abandoned by the end of the 16th century.
This is where we headed once the two days of rain were over, and like everything in Tulum, it started with a walk along the highway.
There’s Tulum pueblo, the town, and then there’s Tulum playa, the beach, about four kilometres away. You spend a lot of time walking along the Carretera Chetumal-Cancún, through the national park or along Avenida Coba to get from the town to the beach, or from the beach to the town if you splurged to stay in one of the beachfront resorts.
Tulum ruinas are unique because they were built on a bluff facing the Caribbean Sea. This is basically your Mayan equivalent to an Airbnb with sweeping views overlooking Sydney Harbour, the Eiffel Tower or the Sugarloaf Mountain.
The site is also well preserved and very compact because it’s contained within massive stone walls, so it’s popular and easy to explore. The most famous buildings are the Templo del Dios de Viento, the Templo del Dios Descendente, and El Castillo, the pyramid.
The structures are much less impressive than in other ancient Maya cities but they are very picturesque—it’s all about the location, turquoise water and white sand in the background, plus you can hit the beach right after the visit!
Walking on the Carretera Cancún – Tulum to the ruinsZona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.Zona Arqueológica de Tulum, Carretera Federal, Cancun – Chetumal Km 230, Tulum, Q.R.
Merde, j’arrive plus à commenter sur ton blog… j’ai perdu mes identifiants WordPress et Twitter refuse de me laisser entre :-/ Je voulais écrire ça :
J’ai toujours l’impression en te lisant que tu avances, en tâtonnant de manière très saine, mais que tu vas quelque part. Ça m’épate 🙂
(En lisant long board, j’ai pensé au surf… et je me suis dit que la planche allait trôner longtemps dans la chambre avant des vacances à Hawai ou plus près, sur la côte atlantique française :lol:)
Same ! Rolling eyes, sighing, and so on. Mark too ? Thanks for your comment below, about my own article, I’m not sure I’m going somewhere in particular lol, and it’s maybe one of the most difficult thing to admit at our age I think. Some of the big steps have already been made and you have to look forward to small things.
Enjoy and send us some heat 🙂 Mark is so big now!
Your girls must have grown up quite a bit too! Did you quit blogging? I haven’t read anything from you in ages.
Yes ! My eldest is turning 10 in February . About blogging, i’ve just started again a week ago 🙂
Oh, gotta check this out!
Do you find your daughter is starting to have a pre-teen attitude or it is just mine???
Merde, j’arrive plus à commenter sur ton blog… j’ai perdu mes identifiants WordPress et Twitter refuse de me laisser entre :-/ Je voulais écrire ça :
J’ai toujours l’impression en te lisant que tu avances, en tâtonnant de manière très saine, mais que tu vas quelque part. Ça m’épate 🙂
(En lisant long board, j’ai pensé au surf… et je me suis dit que la planche allait trôner longtemps dans la chambre avant des vacances à Hawai ou plus près, sur la côte atlantique française :lol:)
Same ! Rolling eyes, sighing, and so on. Mark too ? Thanks for your comment below, about my own article, I’m not sure I’m going somewhere in particular lol, and it’s maybe one of the most difficult thing to admit at our age I think. Some of the big steps have already been made and you have to look forward to small things.
Some days, I hate the fact that life is a complete surprise. But most of the time, I love it. You’re writing your own story 😉
Didn’t know Mexico has beautiful beaches!!!
Yes, there are great beaches on both the Pacific and the Caribbean sides 🙂
Beautiful! I have been debating going to Tulum back and forth, but the ruins make it worth it.
Yeah, if you’ve never been, it’s worth going for the ruins and the beach. Just budget accordingly and stay away from the hipsters.