Palm trees and palapas

If you're finishing your Yucatan round trip with a couple of days on the beach you'll be arriving from the south, via Chetumal on the border with Belize and then another four hours due north.

Bus travellers will take the night bus from San Cristobal de las Casas or Palenque, arriving at the bus station early in the morning. From the junction with the main road, Tulum centre it's another 7km to our Tulum beach accommodation. There's no bus connection but you won't have trouble finding a taxi (approx US$7,-). A tip: mobile phone reception can be pretty bad here so if you want to call home then do so from the village.

For car rental drivers: when you arrive in Tulum it's very easy to find your way to your beach accommodation. Driving distance from Chicanna: 6 hours.

If you're up early, take a walk along the beach and watch the sun slowly rise over the Caribbean waters and the deserted beaches. If you want to go surfing you're in luck; there's nearly always a good swell here. Tulum is a good place for diving and snorkelling too; not just the sea but also, rather more spectacularly, in one of the underground lakes (cenotes) in the area. You can book a diving or snorkelling trip at your Tulum beach accommodation, but also rent a bike to explore the surrounding area or visit the Sian Ka'an nature reserve, where you can find several rare species of birds, overgrown jungle trails and deserted beaches.

Don't miss the Mayan ruins while you're here: if you've got a rental car it's roughly a 10km drive from your Tulum beach accommodation, otherwise simply book a taxi at your hotel reception (approx US$7,- one way). The ruins, perched on a cliff top jutting out over the Caribbean sea, are open from 8am-5.30pm. Admission is free on Sunday. Plan your visit early in the morning or an hour before closing when it's most quiet.  

Depending on your flight departure time back to the UK, you can enjoy a couple more hours in your tulum beach accommodation before heading back to Cancun. It's roughly a two-hour drive to the airport where you will drop off your car. If you're not travelling by rental car we will arrange a direct transfer from your hotel in Tulum to Cancun airport. That way you won't need to drag your luggage through the village and wait for the next bus to Cancun centre, from where you'd get the bus to the airport. The transfer surcharge is approx €33,- per person based on 2 people. If you haven't had enough of the sun and surf then travel on to Chiquila and hop on the ferry to Holbox Island.