Tulum is located between the crystalline, white-sand beaches of the Caribbean Sea and the lush tropical jungle, the only Mayan city that was ever built next to the ocean. It is located in the Yucatan peninsula in the southeastern Mexico state of Quintana Roo and borders the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. It is 145 km south of Cancun.

Tulum is divided into three distinct areas, the hotel zone, a small town and a splendid archaeological site. The hotel zone boasts some of the finest beaches in the world. Many are still considered virgin. The zone employs a simple architecture that evokes an utmost respect for the environment. Its quaint hotels and rustic thatched-roof cabanas were built to virtually blend into the natural surroundings.

The town is actually one main avenue where all the commercial and social activity takes place. It features handcrafts, grocery shops, small restaurants and basic services such as the bus station, bank and post office. In the area called “Zona Maya” and in the small neighboring towns, the local Maya townsfolk still maintain their ancient language and customs. Most continue to live in traditional thatched-roof palapas. Their main economic activities are fishing, palapa building and the creation of handicrafts and rustic furniture, among others.

Tulum’s breathtaking ancient walled Maya city is ideally located overlooking the Caribbean Sea atop a 12-meter-tall cliff. It encompasses the vestiges of one of the most exquisite cities ever built by the ancestral Maya people. Other important archaeological sites lie close at hand, such as Cobá, located 42 km northeast of Tulum, and Chichén Itzá, which is found 19 km in the same direction.

Blanketed in natural beauty, the area boasts a prodigious jungle that keep a series of natural sinkholes, called “cenotes” by the ancient Maya. These cenotes provide dozens of locations for Tulum’s world renowned cave diving opportunities. Year after year, its never-ending and peaceful beaches receive thousands of sea turtle’s that chose this paradise to lay their precious load of eggs.

For many years, Tulum has been the pilgrimage destination for millions of travelers seeking physical and spiritual relaxation. The possibility of practicing meditation and yoga or taking a traditional Maya Temazcal steam bath are also part of the ever-growing allure it offers its visitors.

Unequivocally, Tulum is truly the nirvana for eco-tourism and archaeology, the destination for nature, sun and ancient history lovers.