Parks and the outdoors in Tulum

15 parks, gardens, beaches and walks in and around Tulum.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

See
Casa Cenote
Here the Cenote goes underground 90 m (100 yards) before the beach, and emerges as an 'underwater' water spring about 18 m (20 yards) of the beach in the ocean. Tanka III Bay is 7 km (5 miles) north of the intersection to the ruins. Take a cab. Great places to eat and stay or scuba too. One of the ways to make sure you also visit and dive is to arrange taking a diving course there and it will take just 3 hours in total.
See
Cenote Calavera
Small, clean cenote a short walk from town. Has a platform for jumping into the cold waters. Hammocks available. Provides life jackets, fins, mask all for extra charge. Clean restrooms and showers.
Daily 09:00 - 17:00
Do
Coba
– 50 km. A beautiful site; it was one of the largest Maya cities in ancient times. It boasts the tallest pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Nohoch Mul. You can still climb it, and the view from the top overlooking the forest for miles around is impressive. A fun and efficient way of exploring the ruins is renting a bike (M$50); just go to the rental place inside the ruins.
Do
Jaguar Park
Jaguar Park is a conservation area for the protection of jaguars. The area opened in 2024. It comprises two federally protected areas, Jaguar National Park (Parque Nacional Jaguar) and the Jaguar Protected Area for Flora and Fauna (Area Protegida de Flora y Fauna). Dubious environmental value and locals complain that government is simply regulating what has always been free and open beach access.
Daily 07:00 - 17:00M$60
Eat
Lymbo
A simple beach club with delicious beach food, fresh juices and smoothies.
10AM-6PM
Do
Playa Paraiso
Maybe the most popular public beach in Tulum with many beach clubs and a relaxing atmosphere.
Do
Playa Pescadores
More lively beach with seafood options and options for ocean activities.
See
Sfer Ik
Uniquely designed art museum and restaurant that is best experienced as an architectural jewel. It takes influences from the nearby seascapes and jungle landscapes to create meandering paths through the building with arches, doorways, and architectural details that resemble jungle growth. Casual visitors can just walk around outside and get a feel for it without spending the money on admission. A visit may only take a few minutes for the casual visitor though the curious architect might want to come when the doors first open to avoid crowds and spend more time in each space.
Daily 10:00 - 19:00M$400 per person
Do
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
– 20 km. A wonderful nature preserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park features acres upon acres of pristine mangrove swamp and wetlands. Find a sea kayak and explore the lagoon side. There are a few fishermen that dock here and are willing to take you on a tour that is much cheaper than the organized tours offered in the area. The fishermen will take you on a one or two hour boat tour of the reserve anytime of the day. Expect to pay M$1000. Still there are also organized boat tours available.
See
Tulum Archaeological Site
Zona Arqueologíca de Tulum
The main attraction. Mayan ruins by the sea. Access to the beach directly below the main temple via the stairway is restricted. However, for a certain price through vendors at the ruins entrance, you can still take boat tours for views of the ruins from the water. To get to the ruins, take a collectivo at the bus stop across the street from the ADO bus terminal in Tulum. Simply ask the driver for "ruinas". The cost is M$30, payable in cash and small bills only. To get back to Tulum, wait on the other side of the street from where the collectivo dropped you off and flag down one of the passing collectivos. There is a bag check at the entrance to the ruins. You are not allowed to enter with any kind of disposable plastic or smoking supplies. As the line at the bag check can get quite long and it only takes about one hour to see the ruins, it is better to not bring a bag at all, because this allows you to skip the line. There is a 7-Eleven on the corner of the street where the collectivo drops you off, so that you can buy water after seeing the ruins. The entrance procedure is a bit complicated. First, you have to buy the bracelet to enter the national park. The ticket office is in the street to the right from the bag check. Then, you pass through the bag check. After that, you can either walk 500 m or take a shuttle to the entrance to the ruins. There is the INAH ticket office, where you need to buy the entrance ticket to the ruins. It gets very crowded after 10 am, when the tours and cruise ship passengers arrive, so better come early or late in the afternoon.
M$100 in cash only to see the ruins and M$415 by card or cash to enter the surrounding national park. You need both tickets to enter.
Do
Tulum Jungle Gym
Very unique tropical/beach themed gym with custom equipment made out of wood and stones. Definitely has a very Instagram-focused clientele, but is a very fun place to workout. Locations both right on the beach and within the town.
US$30/day at beach, US$15/day at town
Do
Xcaret (ecopark)
– 55 km. An eco-archaeological park near Playa del Carmen. Here you can admire tropical flora and fauna typical of the region as well as different expressions of the Mayan culture. In its facilities you can find an archaeological site, snorkeling in underground rivers, beach, butterfly pavilion, orchid greenhouse, regional fauna breeding farm, Mayan village, jaguar island, among others. For additional cost visitors can swim with captive dolphins; enjoy the Temascal and Spa services. At night you can admire the unique night show “Xcaret México Espectacular” which features a variety of performances from ancient Mayan culture to traditional Mexican music and dances.
Do Not mapped
Hidden Treasures Cenotes Park
Closed as of April 2022. 16 km from Tulum. Hidden Worlds is on the most extensive system of underwater caves and caverns on Earth. The park is home to some of the most incredible cenotes on the Yucatan Peninsula, as featured in the 2001 IMAX movie Journey Into Amazing Caves and the 2007 BBC Planet Earth series.
Daily 08:00-17:00Cenote only US$35; adventure packages adult US$60-80, child US$45-60. 10% tip for guide recommended
Do
Playa Ruinas
Beach connected right to the ruins at Tulum.
Do
Playa Santa Fe
Less crowded beach with a smaller beach club.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Tulum (CC BY-SA 4.0).