Tulum: Tours & Tickets

Our tour guide, Chris, made the entire experience worth it. He was very nice and open to our questions and requests, and he helped make sure we were comfortable, rested, and hydrated! We got to see the more touristy ruins of Tulum as well as the lesser traveled but “more authentic” Cobá and cenote in the area. The food was great during lunch! Some advice about the trip: either eat breakfast beforehand or bring some snacks because almost everyone in the group was talking about how they were feeling very hungry before we had lunch. Another tip is that this trip is probably more manageable if you are staying in Playa del Carmen or closer to Tulum because the ride from Cancun is quite long, and you’ll be in the van (which is quite comfortable, at least) for a long time waiting to drop off people in Playa del Carmen/Tulum. Maybe try Chichen Itza! However, if you enjoy car rides where you get to see many lesser-explored areas that you wouldn’t otherwise see, I would recommend going anyway!

We were picked up right on time by a nice air conditioned tour bus. I purchased this tour intending to see Tulum which we did however for a VERY short time. We were pleasantly surprised to spend more time at Coba which was a historical experience which is less touristy. We were taken to an amazing water hole but the bad news is that none of the reminder emails told me to bring my bathing suit. We experienced a Mayan Shaman ritual and had a great lunch. Be prepared for a 12 hour day, The only thing I would complain about is we were rushed through Tulum and at the end we had to divert into other vans that were not clearly marked on the side of a road in Mexico which seemed a little sketch. Loved our tour guide Luis. He was passionate about the Mayan culture and it showed through his tour.

Eugenio was an exceptional guide, he welcomed everyone in the group and introduced us all to the others in the group which broke the ice and we felt we really got to know everyone. The day was relaxed, no wasted time but not rushed either. First went to swim with the turtles via a short boat trip, saw two turtles and loads of colourful fish in the reef followed by a cruise past the Tulum Mayan ruins, then lunch on the go to 4 cenotes, swimming in a couple of them. We bought the photos at the end, Eugenio was using a GoPro camera throughout which we eventually received the photos 12 days later after repeated requests, not sure what the delay was but some great photos and videos (via drop box). Thoroughly recommend this trip.

Local pickups bring you the Cancun Sailing location in Tulum. This location is also where the lunch is served (included). Drinks are not included with lunch, a large bottle of water will set you back 50 pesos! Tours of the sites were a bit rushed but totally worth it. The guide for cobá was very knowledgeable. The cenote was very nice and the attendant gave a great explanation of the meaning of a cenote in the Mayan culture and pointed out the 2 underground caves linked to the system of underground rivers.

The tour was sold as being a full day, 06:30 to 18:30, ie 12hrs it was in fact 9he's but this fitted perfectly for the time to look around Tulum before moving on to a centre for a swim and lunch. The trip then on to Coba. There was plenty of time to visit all we had expected to. Downside on the day was 12 persons squeezed into a mini-bus. The guide had limited english but with only 2 Spanish people in the group delivered most of the information in spanish. Overall I would recommend this tour company