Easter is a space in our calendars that can be ideal for taking a very good vacation. Today, we will talk about a very special place that is located in the Mexican Caribbean, and that is also a Mayan area. Outside of the places with large hotels and resorts in the Riviera Maya, this town offers us the opposite; It is a place to immerse yourself in the typical nature of the area and live adventures on its beaches, lagoons, cenotes and coves. Without leaving behind the historical importance with the archaeological zones and enjoying the hotels with this eco-chic and bohemian culture that has become relevant in this town. We are talking about Tulum.
Tulum has a main avenue, around which the main commercial activities of the community take place. The town of Tulum, although it is small, is perfect to be enjoyed during Holy Week as it has many restaurants, craft shops and other attractive businesses.
In addition, it has the advantage that its location is so close to other top-level tourist destinations in the Riviera Maya, such as Playa del Carmen, Cancun and other archeological sites of great relevance, which allows you to stay there and move to other places like the ones mentioned above. Similarly, the beaches of Tulum are perfect for diving and the abundant cenotes nearby are excellent for ecotourism or simply enjoying the sun.
Tulum Archaeological Zone.
It is a very relevant pre-hispanic site, due to its historical and architectural peculiarities, since it was a commercial city of great importance in its time. It is the third most visited destination of its kind in Mexico.
It stands out mainly for being the only city of the ancient Mayans, built next to the sea on a cliff. Tulum, in Mayan, means “wall”, and that the original name of this city, which was previously called “Zamá”, which means “dawn”, was due to the views that are given of sunrises over the sea. Already being in the place you will realize that the archaeological zone is walled and, on a cliff, and below this cliff we will find one of the most beautiful beaches in the town, which from the archaeological zone you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Mexican Caribbean Sea that will give us unforgettable sunrises
Paraiso beach, really beautiful.
When you finish visiting the archaeological zone, we recommend visiting Paraiso Beach. Leaving the Tulum ruins and walking south, you reach Santa Fe beach, preceded a few meters by Pescadores beach and then by Paraiso beach, one of the busiest in the Riviera Maya due to its proximity to Tulum. Actually, it is a very long beach that is divided into different names, being better known as Paraiso beach, which is really beautiful. In it you can enjoy beautiful sunsets, walks along the shore or snorkeling excursions around the ruins, with the possibility of enjoying sea turtles and visiting the reef.
The town of Tulum
At sunset, you could go out and visit the town of Tulum, it only has one main street that lends itself to walking and getting to know its craft shops, restaurants, bars, and the Mayan Culture Museum Park and the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as well as like street art murals. Possibly here you will find typical food like Cochinita Pibil. You have the advantage of doing this route, as well as many other nearby ones, by bicycle, in fact, it is the most recommended, since in this way you would enjoy the views more and it makes it easier to get around.
The hotel zone of Tulum
The most exclusive area of Tulum is the hotel zone; that is, all the area that remains on the coast, with a multitude of hotels, brutal boutiques and beach clubs, where you can have a drink at sunset. In addition to being able to stay here, it also becomes a very nice place for a bike ride, day or night, since its atmosphere changes both night and day. They are approximately 9 km long that this area has. Most of the hotels are ecological and maintain a very special environment between the jungle vegetation and the buildings that make this tour attractive. Many hotels have entrances as photo-worthy arts. Here you will find the already famous sculpture Ven a la Luz and the SFER IK Museum inside the Azulik hotel, which is a museum to visit barefoot with the intention of perceiving the environment with all the senses. As a plus, you can visit some points that have become famous, especially thanks to social networks like Instagram. Just use the magnifying glass on the map inside the app on the area.
Kaan Luum Lagoon
Tulum offers us an unmissable place on our list: the Kaan Luum lagoon, which is a cenote hidden in the water. The color of the waters of Kaan Luum is surprising, with its intense blue and green tones. The reason for this contrast is simple: the lake hides a cenote 82 m deep. It is very close to the entrance to the Sian Ka’an reserve.
The Sian Ka’an reserve
Seizing the proximity and without leaving nature and with the same tune, go to the Sian Ka’an reserve. The reserve is full of lagoons, cenotes and canals to navigate, you can even combine the boat tour with a visit to the Mayan ruins of Muyil, which are very tourist-free, especially compared to other Mayan ruins in the area; The tour can also be done on foot or even by bicycle. There are also several guided tours available so you can learn about the ecology and history of the reserve.
Something that cannot be missed is La Caleta, which is a portion of the sea that goes into the land and is smaller than a bay, forming a kind of natural pool with seawater. You can visit Caleta de Yal-ku, located in the coastal town of Akumal, it is one of those Caribbean corners with which, surely, you will be surprised on your way. In this fresh underground water outlet to the open sea, you will enjoy a unique landscape. Caleta Tankah, a magical place where you can see the ruins of Tulum in the distance and, thanks to the reef, you can also enjoy a beach without waves. Also, in that place, hidden among the abundant vegetation of the surrounding jungle, there is a cenote with crystal clear water where you can swim and relax while listening to the sounds of nature.
As we have seen, this destination is very special since it still has protected natural sites, a very popular bohemian life in the town, art, history and also a great gastronomy that you can taste, either in the town or in the hotel zone of Tulum, the night life will not disappoint you either. As a recommendation, if you are going to move outside the reach of the bicycle routes, it is better to rent a car so that your way of transporting is easier.
You can do several activities in the old walled port of Tulum, which is also one of the Pueblos Magicos of Quintana Roo, around it you will find an abundance of mangroves and swamps. The area is abundant in fine wood trees, such as mahogany, cedar and chicle. The main crops are sapote, papaya, guava, and coconut palm. Among all the activities that this particular town offers you, we recommend what you can do in it and its surroundings so that you can plan a vacation immersed in nature this Easter.
Now enjoy that white sand, bathed in turquoise blue waters, the sunrises and walks of Tulum.
