Is Tulum Worth Visiting?

Mexico is the most visited country in the Western Hemisphere after the USA, and for good reason. The country boasts an exciting constellation of ancient ruins, colonial cities, stunning cenotes, postcard-perfect beaches, rich culture, delicious food and endless tequila. Tulum, a former Mayan fortress and trading port, experienced a tourism boom in the past 20 years for its well preserved coastal ruins and impeccable beaches. In response, thousands of hotels, beach clubs and other tourism infrastructure sprang up; even an international airport which was opened in 2023! However, while researching for my visit to Tulum, I encountered several articles detailing the rise– and fall, of Tulum. According to these writers, mass tourism had ruined Tulum’s charm, but I ignored these warnings since Cancun’s party atmosphere didn’t appeal to me, and Tulum brought me close to three of Mexico’s best archaeological ruins. Contrary to those reports, I’m pleased to report that Tulum is still worth visiting in 2025. Here’s why.

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What’s Inside

1. Why is Tulum Worth Visiting?
2. My 3 Day Tulum Itinerary
3. Tulum Ruins
4. Casa Tortuga Tulum Cenotes
5. How to Get Around Tulum
6. Where to Stay in Tulum

Why is Tulum Still Worth Visiting?

Tulum was once a hidden gem, but word got out. Tulum now ranks amongst Mexico’s most visited cities, but manages to preserve its laidback Bohemian vibe, a stark contrast to the lively party capital of Cancun. Tulum is perfect for travelers seeking boutique stays, yoga retreats and history, as the city is home to coastal ruins from a Mayan walled city and other ruins such as Coba and Chichén Itzá, the World Wonder, are located close by. If you visit in off season and stay in Downtown like I did, Tulum still feels like a sleepy walkable town. Peak tourist season for Tulum lies between December to April, similar to Jamaica. I visited in August, and was often the only diner and shopper in most establishments. Even the ruins and cenotes weren’t too crowded. In August, the days were humid and as hot as 34°C, but the evenings were balmy. There’s also a risk of hurricanes between June to November as the Yucatan Peninsula on which Tulum is located, lies within the Atlantic hurricane belt. That being said, time your visit to Tulum well and it’ll still feel like the quiet eco-chic paradise it was before the fame. So yes, Tulum is definitely still worth visiting.

My 3 Day Tulum Itinerary

Three days in Tulum is enough time to explore the main sights. On night one, my husband and I went for dinner at Escama Tulum, a chic restaurant with delicious food but expensive and small portions. After that, we walked around Avenida Coba and Tulum’s main street, the Highway 307. We felt quite safe being out till 10pm. On our three full days in Tulum, we visited:

• Day 1: Tulum Archaeological Ruins, Playa Maya, Casa Tortuga Tulum Cenotes
• Day 2: Cenote Samaal, Chichén Itzá, Valladolid (separate article coming soon)
• Day 3: Coba Archaeological Ruins (separate article coming soon)

Basically, we spent our time exploring all the ruins we could! The ones we visited are often ranked as the best three remaining Mayan ruins in Mexico.

Tulum Ruins

The Tulum Archaeological Ruins are remnants of a Mayan walled city which served as a major port. The ruins are situated on 12m (39 ft.) tall cliffs which overlook the Caribbean Sea. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya and achieved its greatest prominence between the 1200s-1400s. Tulum was eventually abandoned 70 years after Spain’s conquest of Mexico, and today remains one of the best preserved coastal Mayan sites. Tulum Ruins has three major structures of interest: El Castillo, Temple of the Frescoes and Temple of the Descending God. A guided tour of the Tulum Ruins (optional) will point out these places of interest. There are free shuttles available to take you from point A to point B, or you can rent a bicycle to get around. I chose the former option, and found them to be fairly reliable. My longest wait for a shuttle was probably 10-15 minutes.

Don’t mind the omnipresent iguanas!

Now, there’s been a little controversy surrounding these ruins of late as the Mexican government recently introduced new taxes to help with the site’s preservation. In total, that’s 515 MXN or US$28 per person for foreigners. Many people think that the cost is too steep, but once the money is used for what it’s intended, I don’t mind. I quite enjoyed my time here and spent about 3 hours exploring. After this, we took a free shuttle to Playa Maya, one of the many beaches located near to Tulum Ruins. Admission to Playa Maya was free, but most of the other beach clubs such as Playa Paraiso, and Playa Las Palmas charge a small fee. It was too hot when I visited so after a drink and quick look around, we headed off to the cenotes to cool down.

Casa Tortuga Tulum Cenotes

Cenote Campana

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the cenote options in Mexico! A cenote is a sinkhole formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock which then exposes underground pools and cave systems. There are thousands of cenotes in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and these were historically used by the Mayans for water, rituals and offerings. Today, cenotes are popular for swimming, snorkeling and diving. My ATV rental company recommended Casa Tortuga Tulum to us, and we were sold after hearing that this spot offers not one but FOUR cenotes on a guided tour, included in the admission fee. Each were uniquely beautiful but my favourite was the first– Cenote Campana, a semi-open cavern with stalagmites, stalactites and ancient rock formations. Cenote Dorca, a fully open cenote was my second favourite.

Cenote Dorca

Other things to know about Cenote Casa Tortuga Tulum:

• Guests are required to shower before getting inside to remove any oils, suntan lotion or other residue which could harm the delicate cenote ecosystem.
• Lockers are available for rent at 100MXN (about US$5.40).
• Don’t bring anything to the cenotes that you’d hate to lose such as jewelry. Many parts are as deep as 20m (65 feet) so they’ll be lost forever.
• I purchased a waterproof phone case on-site for about 200MXN (US$11) which held up quite fine thankfully.
• Life vests are included and mandatory.
• Water shoes are recommended.
• Tours are conducted in both English and Spanish.
• USD is accepted!
• There are plenty of food & drink options on-site.

How to Get Around Tulum

Stock Photo

Having gotten around Latin America quite fine before with Uber, I assumed there’d be Uber in Tulum but boy, was I wrong! There is NO official Uber service in Tulum due to powerful local taxi unions (the taxi sindicato) that have fiercely resisted its operation. As such, my husband had the bright idea to rent an ATV to get around. We rented one for 24 hours from Tulum Home & Wheels for US$50. Helmets were included, and a valid drivers’ licence from home was sufficient. It took us to all our stops on day 1, then we stopped at a petrol station (PEMEX) to fill the tank before returning it. What an adventure that was; riding an ATV on a highway! There’s a lane for ATVs, bicycles and bikes on Highway 307 though, but I’d probably never be brave enough to ride alone. Thank God for passenger princess privilege.

We booked a roundtrip shuttle for our Chichén Itzá excursion, and for the last day we arranged a taxi to Coba with our hotel. There’s also the option of taking colectivos, shared public buses, but there’s no official schedule. You’d just have to stand at a bus stop and wait up to an hour for the next one. While that’s the cheapest way to get around, we wanted more autonomy with our schedule, so ATV, shuttle and taxi it was! We walked to everywhere else we needed to visit.

Where to Stay in Tulum

KAHATSA’ Boutique Hotel

Tulum is divided into two main sections: Tulum Beach (the hotel and beach zone) and Tulum Pueblo (the town center). The more luxurious hotels are located on the beach, so I opted to stay in Tulum Pueblo which was more affordable, walking distance from everything and offered immersion into local life. I stayed at KAHATSA’ Boutique Hotel, a small Bohemian chic hotel with a rooftop pool and good breakfast. It was walking distance away from grocery stores, pharmacies and excellent restaurants. We chose Escama for our first night, then dined at a roadside eatery called La Coqueta for two nights.

The food at La Coqueta was really good and authentic, plus we enjoyed chatting with the owner about the similarities and differences between our two countries. It’s always heartwarming to witness the excitement and fascination about Jamaica in my travels– and I’m happy and quick to dispel the stereotypes too. Pictured below are their enchiladas with mole sauce, a rich chocolate-based sauce unique to Mexico which was really delicious and unlike anything I’d ever tasted before! Would you try it?

Wrap Up

If you haven’t noticed, I absolutely loved Tulum! It was hot and humid at 34°C, but not unlike Jamaica. Also, the vendors were a bit pushy, but a simple wave or “No, gracias!” was sufficient. I’m a firm believer in seeing and experiencing places for yourself, so I’m super happy that I didn’t listen to the Tulum naysayers. Have you ever been to Tulum or would you like to visit? Sound off in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like:

• 8 Reasons to Visit Medellin, Colombia
• My 5 Day Peru Itinerary & Budget
• 48 Hours in Panama City
• 48 Hours in Niagara Falls

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