Explore coral reefs, ancient history, and nature in the Riviera Maya on this 3-in-1 combo tour combining Tulum Ruins, reef snorkeling, and a cenote. This tour will allow you to see the best of Yucatan in a single day. Snorkel through the coral reef in the Caribbean Sea, visit the Tulum archeological site, and swim in a cenote, then explore a limestone cave and take a jungle walk. This tour includes entrance fees, a buffet lunch, and door-to-door transport from hotels in Cancun or Playa del Carmen.
BOOK YOUR TULUM RUINS, REEF SNORKELING, AND CENOTE TOUR NOW WITH VIATOR!
Tulum Ruins
Tulum is a town on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It’s known for its beaches and well-preserved ruins of an ancient Mayan port city. The main building is a large stone structure called El Castillo (castle), perched on a rocky cliff above the white sand beach and turquoise sea. Near the ruins is the Parque Nacional Tulum, a coastal area with mangroves and cenotes (natural limestone sinkholes).
Shopping
This tour begins with pick up at your hotel in Cancun, which can take some time making the different stops; however, it’s very convenient to have that round-trip transportation included. After everyone was picked up, we made our way to the Tulum Archaeological Site, among the most dramatic ancient cities on the Yucatan Peninsula, with stone fortifications overlooking a white sand beach. Learn about the history and culture of the Mayan people.
Once we made it to Tulum, we parked right next to the Tulum Acuario Hotel. After parking, the group walked a few minutes and made it to a large shopping center called the Tulum Bazaar. At this large bazaar, you can buy all of your typical souvenirs like t-shirts, shot glasses, and tequila. It’s also going to be your chance for a bathroom break and purchasing any needed items for this tour such as water shoes for the cenotes/caves (that this tour does provide). Outside of this bazaar you will find people holding snakes and monkeys for you to pose with – for some pesos of course!
Tulum Archaeological Site
After a brief walk from the Tulum Bazaar, our group was off to the Tulum Archaeological Site. A few fun facts:
- Tulum’s original name was Zamá meaning “Place of the Dawning Sun,” as it was among the first places in the Maya kingdom to receive sunlight each day
- It served as a fortress – this was meant to keep out seafaring invaders and fellow Mayans lower in the caste system
- Tulum was a major trading powerhouse
- It’s the 3rd most visited archaeological site in Mexico (following Chichén Itzá and Teotihuacan outside of Mexico City)
- Tulum is the only Mayan city built on a coast
Walking around the archaeological site with your tour guide, you will hear lots of information on the history of Tulum. Be sure to watch out for lots of Black Spiny Tailed Iguanas crawling around (pictured above, but he kind of blends in).
Reef Snorkeling
After soaking in all of the Mayan Ruins, continue to the Mexican Caribbean in an air-conditioned vehicle. The next stop on this ‘Tulum Ruins, reef snorkeling, and a cenote’ tour is… REEF SNORKELING! Get fitted with snorkeling gear and slip into the water to swim over the coral reef. You’ll get to swim in the Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world (following Australia’s Great Barrier Reef).
The Mesoamerican Reef region lies within the Caribbean Sea and touches the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. It contains the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, stretching nearly 700 miles from the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula down through the Honduran Bay Islands. Dazzling arrays of different types of coral form this underwater wilderness, and provide homes and food to hundreds of fish species, marine turtles, and sharks. Along the shores, mangroves provide habitat for fish and shorebirds as well as protect coastal areas from the damage associated with hurricanes and strong storms. (SOURCE). Our group had such a fun time!
Cenote and Cave
After swimming with the fishes, the next stop on this ‘Tulum Ruins, reef snorkeling, and a cenote’ tour is… the X-TUN CENOTE! First of all, let’s cover how to pronounce it. The word “cenote” is pronounced say · no · tay. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about what they are. A cenote is a natural sinkhole created where a cave ceiling has collapsed. They were the only source of water in the jungle for the Mayan civilization and are considered sacred by the Mayan people. Weddings are actually performed here, that’s how sacred it is to Mexicans.
Many of the caverns/cenotes eventually collapsed and when the Ice Age came to a close 18,000 years ago, the climate of the planet warmed up, the glaciers receded, and the caves flooded as sea levels rose. Inside these caverns you’ll see stalagmites and stalactites.
Lunch
Lunchtime! The “buffet” is more like a specific lunch that you have access to go back for seconds. The tacos, beans and rice were delicious. Plenty of seating for the whole family! Feel free to use the swings and bathroom, and shop for a few knick knacks. You can also purchase cerveza (beer) for an added cost.
X-Tun Cenote and Cave
After lunch, it was time to gear up with life jackets and water shoes. They provide the water shoes if you need one. There are thousands of cenotes dotted around the Yucatan Peninsula and Tulum is home to some of its most popular and unique. The water in the cenotes tends to be cool as the water comes from underground so they are great for a refreshing swim to cool off from the hot Mexican sunshine. The cenotes near Tulum are a mix of open, semi-open, and underground
- Open cenotes – these caves which have completed collapsed on themselves and are exposed to the sky. Here, the water is a pleasant temperature and there are usually lots of areas to relax by the water.
- Semi-open cenotes – these cenotes are mostly underground but have small openings in the ceiling where light and fresh air come in. These cenotes can be particularly beautiful as the light beams illuminate the crystal clear water below.
- Underground cenotes – these cenotes are completely underground in a cave system and have no natural light to illuminate the cenote water.
(SOURCE)
The X-Tun is an underground cenote and cave. You’ll see inside photos below.
Tips Before You Go
Here are my tips before you book this “Tulum Ruins, reef snorkeling, and a cenote” tour:
- Book your trip to Cancun with a travel agent to guide you and plan the perfect trip
- You can always work with me for no additional cost. If you’d like a no obligation quote, please email me at cassandra@accent-on-travel.net
- Bring a hat
- The ruins offer no shade so I recommend to bring a hat.
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes (some areas near the ruins and snorkeling were pretty rocky)
- Bring cash for the environmental fee
- They will collect this at the time of hotel pickup so have your cash ready in hand so you don’t hold up the group
- Put on reef-safe sunscreen
- Leave all of your belongings in the van during the snorkeling stop
- There is one driver who will lock it up and keep your items safe
- Bring snacks for the van
- In addition to lunch, you’ll be provided a snack of empanada and banana; however, if you have a specific diet or preferences bring your own
Overall, this ‘Tulum Ruins, reef snorkeling, and a cenote’ tour was a blast and I highly recommend it. It covers a lot of ground in 1 day.
