Tulum – Mexico – Mayan Ruins

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SEPTEMBER 2016:




Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews.

OVERVIEW:

I made my way south from Isla Mujeres down the Mexican Caribbean Coast via Playa Del Carmen to Tulum.

In Tulum, there are 2 famous local sites: Tulum (itself) and Coba.

TULUM RUINS:

I was staying in a hostel in Tulum so I went to the Tulum Ruins first.

tulum-ruins-1 My hostel rented out bicycles for MXP80 / day … which is a reasonable price in Mexican tourist areas.The Tulum Ruins are an easy 3km cycle from the centre of Tulum.

You cycle about 2kms north on the main road and, then, cut down a smaller (less busy) road to the coast.

There is a cycling path along the main road which makes that part of the journey easy and safe.

There is bicycle parking just outside of the Tulum Ruins entrance.

The entrance fee is MXP65 / person without a guide. If you want a guided tour, you can join a group for MXP220.

Tulum is a small, fortified site and was a major trading port in classical Mayan times.

It only takes about 1-2 hours to slowly walk the whole site.

Due to its easy access, it can get busy with tourists.

One of the nice things about the Tulum Ruins is the coastal setting where you can climb the steps down to the beach for a quick swim.

After the ruins, you can continue south down the coastal road and spend time on the main Tulum Beach before returning to your Tulum Town hotel.

The whole journey is an easy 8-9kms …

and, a very pleasant day out.

COBA RUINS:

The Coba Ruins are a lot bigger and a lot more impressive.

And, you can easily get to them yourself from Tulum on an ADO public bus.

One bus leaves for Coba every day from the Tulum ADO Bus Station. It leaves at 10:10am.

It costs MXP70 and the journey takes 50 minutes.

You are dropped off at the front of the entrance to the Coba ruins.

Entrance is MXP65.

The site covers several square kms.

Once inside, you can choose to rent a bicycle for MXP50 or you can rent a tricycle with driver for MXP250.

There is only 1 ADO bus returning to Tulum. This leaves from the Coba ruins entrance at 3:10pm.

Given that you have 4 hours at the Coba site, I would suggest that you enjoy the walk.

You can easily cover the site’s attractions on foot within those 4 hours without needing to rush.

It is a pleasant walk through well maintained jungle paths.

There are plenty of ruins to see.

The big attraction of Coba is the main pyramid.

In many sites, you are not allowed to climb the pyramids anymore.

Coba is one of the few sites remaining where you still can.

The view from the top across the jungle is spiritually relaxing and makes the trip to the top well worth while.

Wear decent walking shoes with good grips so that you have a firm foothold on the steps.

You will be back in Tulum on the ADO bus by 4:00pm.

This is a very worth while trip made very affordable by the ADO public bus option.

CONCLUSION:

The ADO bus times to and from Coba make doing Tulum and Coba ruins in the same day possible but rushed … so, why rush?

Do them over 2 days and relax.

TTFN

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