12 Points of Interest While Visiting Tulum

An Overview of Tulum

Tulum is a small town along the Caribbean coast of Mexico known for it’s pristine beaches, healthy-lifestyle resorts and remarkable preserved Mayan ruins which once served as a major port city. The region’s most famous attraction is called El Castille, which sits on a rocky cliff filled with basking iguanas over a white sand beach and swirling turquoise sea. Though the region is somewhat expensive compared to other towns in Mexico, there are several enjoyable points of interest while visiting Tulum.

12 Points of Interest While Visiting Tulum

Zona Arqueologica de Tulum

This is an impressive elevated stone city with interesting Mayan architecture overlooking a beautiful jungle and bay.  Iguanas are numerous in this area, easily seen basking on stone walls and moving through short grasses. The area has numerous well-reserved ruins, including walls, plaza spaces, the the clifftop Castillo watchtower and the Templo de las Pinturas, with a partially restored mural. This ancient Mayan port is the most popular tourism site in Tulum.

El Mirador of Sian Ka’an

Built along a creaking boardwalk through the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, this structure is a modern towering, rickety and bizarre observation post overing views over the trees and into the lagoons to the east.

Cenote Calavera

This is a swimming hole known for its clear waters. It’s a popular site for scuba diving and exploring underground caverns.

Muyil Ruins

Found slightly to the south of Tulum, the Muyil Ruins are one of the oldest Maya sites in the region. The crumbling ruins are encased in jungle foliage and contain temple structures and artifacts dating from 300 BCE to 1500 CE.

Xel-Há Park

Found to the north of Tulum, this is a large eco-park known for its sprawling natural aquarium, large bay swimming areas and snorkeling oppertunities. Visitors are able to spot manatees and dolphins occasionally visiting the bay area.

Archaeological Site of Xel-Há

Located just to the north of Tulum, this site was part of the Maya port system in the region. The ruins here including several temple structures and two freshwater pools.

Sian Ka’an Biosphere

This is an astonishing biosphere home to jungle-swamp of fresh-flowing water bubbling up from cenotes underground.  The woods are extremely dense, with great pools of bright leaves cluttering up entire water flows. Visitors follow a combination of walking trails and boardwalk pathways to explore the region. Wildlife is abundant and there are old Maya canals and ruins in the area.

Two Eyes Cenote

Also found north of Tulum, these are a unique series of cenotes filled with vividly blue waters. The swimming area is filled with historic caverns, natural swimming holes and a popular series of stone formations often used for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Gran Cenote

This is a paid-to-visit limestone cenote cavern with snorkeling locations s well as equipment rentals and explorational boardwalks.

Laguna de Kaan Luum

Found to the south of Tulum, this is a wide, shallow swimming lagoon with a deep central pool, lounging hammocks and an excellent swimming pier.

Cenote Escondido

Easily reachable from the city, this is a large freshwater cenote with low cliffs great for jumping into the blue waters below.

Mystika Immersive

Located in central Tulum, this is a full-immersion art experience inspired by Mayan cosmology.

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