Cancun Vacation – Visiting Mayan Ruins Travel Families.com

While in Mexico we visited the magnificent ruins of Tulum and Chichen-Itza. The ruins are definitely something that you don’t want to miss. The area is seeped in history. It is fascinating to see and imagine how the Mayan people used to live thousands of years ago. While visiting the ruins make sure that you wear sunscreen and bring a bottle of water.

There are also ruins at Coba and Ek Balam, which are open to the public. But this blog discusses the more popular ruins of Tulum and Chichen-Itza that we visited.

Tulum

Tulum is located on the Pacific Coast. It is surrounded by stonewalls on three sides and rugged rock cliffs on the other. Years ago Tulum was a seaport. One of the buildings was used as a lighthouse to guide ships to one of the few places they could land without fear of hitting the reef.

The ruins offer a spectacular view of the turquoise Pacific Ocean. After touring the ruins you can descend a wood staircase to the beach below, swim in the clear, warm waters, and play in the white sand.

The ruins can easily be viewed in an hour or two. The cost is $5. A tour guide can be purchased for an additional fee but is not necessary to enjoy the ruins. Each ruin has a plaque describing the most likely use of the building. You can walk the ¾ of a mile from the entrance or pay a $2 fee for a bus ride.

Chichen-Itza
The ruins of Chichen-Itza are about a three-hour drive inland but they are well worth the drive. They are among the most impressive and well-preserved ruins in Mexico.

The large complex of structures features a variety of notable structures:

a 75 foot tall pyramid is the focal point of the complex and is believed to have been used as a temple
	ball court – where the object of the game was to put the ball through the small hoop high on the side of the wall
the court of 1000 columns – archeologists believe that the columns used to support thatched roofs covering a large market place
	an astronimical observatory – where the windows line up with the setting of the moon at the spring equinox
one of the ruins you can walk inside of and see the vaulted stone ceilings
	most of the ruins feature intricately detailed stone carvings of warriors, gods, jaguars, snakes, and other things

It takes at least three to four hours to tour the ruins. The ruins are open from 8am to 5pm. It is recommended that you arrive early if you want to avoid the crowds; most tour buses arrive about 10:30pm. The cost is $11 and an additional $20-30 for a tour guide. Parking costs $2. When we went in 2006, visitors were no longer allowed to climb the pyramid. Although disappointing the visit to the ruins was still unforgettable.

Driving to the Ruins
If you decide to drive to the ruins instead of taking a tour, which I highly recommend, you will want to read by blog on Traveling in Cancun, as well as the following information.

To get to Tulum take the highway south from Cancun. It is about 37 miles, but will take you at least an hour and a half. There are signs on the highway showing the location of the ruins.

There are two routes you can take to get to Chichen Itza.

You can take the highway from Cancun, which is a direct route at a higher speed. But there are tolls along the road, which will cost you about $18, you will need pesos to pay the tolls. It takes two to two and a half hours from Cancun.
The other route is along the toll free back-roads. From Cancun this route would take at least three hours, but is much more scenic. Take the highway down near Tulum then follow the signs to Chichen Itza and Vallodolid, turning right on to another road. You will go through a variety of towns including the colonial town of Vallodolid, a great place to stop. The town has many 19th century buildings. The main sights are the large Cathedral, found off the main square, an ex-Franciscan convent, and Church of San Bernardino of Siena founded in 1552.

For more information see my other Cancun blogs