Tulum

/ Bulldog Travels

OK, so Tulum gets extra points for “Best location for an archaeological site in the Yucatan!”  It is a positively lovely place to visit, with seriously glorious Caribbean sea views, despite the crowds and less extensive/impressive archaeology.  It’s almost like the ancestors of the people who have created so many of the all inclusive oceanside Cancun resorts made the decision to locate Tulum on the coast as well.  Shoot why not live somewhere beautiful with a nice breeze, right?

Tulum stands out from other Mayan sites for being located on a bluff overlooking the sea. But, second it is a walled city partially protected by the bluff it sits upon.  It would have been an important city for trade being on the water and having access to a fresh water cenote.

Here is the downside though: Be ready to brave the crowds if you come to this site.  Folks from Cancun and Playa del Carmen will stomp all over you and whack you with their selfie sticks and stand in front of your photos.  Co-eds will show up in bathing suits probably still drunk from the night before.  But friends, take a deep breath and go anyway. It is too beautiful to miss.  And if you get lucky you will have a moment of solitude without a stroller rolling over your foot or a distracted wanderer from Kansas blindly walking in to your photos.

 

For more Archaeological sites in Yucatan clicky clicky here.

55 thoughts on “Tulum”

  4. Tulum looks beautiful. We visited the Yucatán a few years ago, mainly for diving, and never made it there. I would love to go back. I’m glad to hear that someone else waits to take pictures without people in. You’d think I lived in a post apocalyptic world the way my landscapes are always empty! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • It’s a lucky break to get people free photos. Sometimes I have to take them from weird angles to get the people out. It’s one of the things I find difficult a bit photographing cities too because naturally there are always people around.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. We are taking a cruise in February to Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. My mom and I contemplated taking an excursion there while we are in Cozumel via Playa del Carmen. But read that it was challenging and since it was the end of the cruise, my mom said she didn’t think she’d be able to .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. The ruins is certainly a place to visit in Mexico, and the beach is stunning!. I was so surprised by the number of visitors when we were there. We were there during low season, thus I can’t imagine how it would be during high season!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Every time I read about Tulum, I cringe a little. Some of my friends traveled there in …something like…1967, and I was going to go, but then, didn’t. I cringe every time I think about being able to see it the way it was then (well, the whole Yucatan) as to now. Then, Cancun was a lazy fishing village. But hey, thanks for the shots!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Your warnings are pretty funny, and so many of us can relate! Ha! Silly tourists with their selfie sticks – they don’t even know how much we tease them. I had to readjust my thinking about what people want from a vacation, when I was in a place where all the local tourists tried to be helpful to me by offering to take my photo in front of every single site of interest. I had to decline repeatedly, and they seemed somewhat baffled by my weird behavior. I guess my ideal is to appreciate the thing, but their ideal involves having a photo of themselves in front of the thing! 🙂

    You make me want to go there, even with the tourists. Tulum appeals to the heat seeker, the traveler, and the anthropologist in me. I can tell you loved it. I think I would enjoy anything about a trip to the Yucatan.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. You must be great with a camera, because judging by those images I’d have guessed that you were in a completely tranquil location, not a tourist hot spot! The images on your post are gorgeous, and I would love an opportunity to view them with my own eyes one day. I can only imagine that this was, indeed, a very important site to the Mayans, due to the location’s attributes that you described so eloquently. Well done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Great article Bulldog!
    I recently made a 20-days road trip to the south of Mexico and I got so amazed I decided to spend a few hours and make a personalised map about the secrets and tips I discovered.

    I am glad to be able to share it with you! Please don’t hesitate to give me your opinion or share it to friends travelling to this beautiful country.

    Check it out in my blog:
    https://locaali.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/be-a-locali-in-mexico/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Yeah, I’d seen your post. And yes, the crowds are “too much”. And all the monuments are cordoned off, which they weren’t. I guess it’s better so the coeds don’t climb on top of the old stones. You did manage good shots of the beach. When we went the beach and sea were packed… Bye Jenny. Off to Coba. I seem to remember some photos. Something about mosquitoes? 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment