As the start of March comes round every year, headlines like “Spring Breakers Take Mexico” start occupying online newspapers, as well as quite a few photos from the beach, bars, restaurants start overburdening your social media feeds. You might need found yourself particularly questioning this 12 months: What is this place called Tulum. Tulum is a Mexican city only an hour drive away from the school student Spring Break hotspot Cancun. This comparatively newly found gem has change into extremely in style for famous individuals weekfinish get aways as well as many Spring Breakers. After drooling over pictures of <1 dollar tacos, turquoise water, underwater cave escapades and temples final yr, my friends and I decided to choose Tulum as our Spring Break 2019 destination. (Shout out to Dominican Republic, the second runner up in our choice making process).

2 years after this trip, the expertise I had in Tulum still feels surreal. One way to summarize the week is very high highs. Here is a list of places and activities that I one hundred% recommend.

Cenotes: Dos Ojos

A cenote is a naturally formed “underground” pool created when the roof of an underground cavern collapses. Tulum is known for its cenotes as they don’t seem to be only a once in a lifetime expertise but in addition an awesome picture opportunity (though make positive your phone is water proof, one among my friends misplaced a phone due to the water damage). I particularly suggest the tour we went on by way of Dos Ojos; we had been greeted by a friendly employees and acquired to see cenotes for 30 dollars. The first part of the tour features a private tour with a guide the place you go into the cave with lifejackets, snorkels and and flashlights provided to you. The guide leads you to a cave where you make your way by the depths of the underground pool by way of swimming. Here’s a poorly lighted photograph that we took in the cave. Quick disclaimer: those who are scared of the dark or confined spaces would possibly want to rethink the first cenote called Monkey. Without the flashlights, no natural light has access into the cave. Yet, a claustrophobe myself I managed to survive!

The second cenote concerned within the tour is an outdoors cenote with a height from which my friends performed backflip jumps into the right green-blue water. I can’t say my cannon ball jumps were as aesthetically pleasing…

2. The Mayan Temples

I know what you’re going to say: you went all the way to Tulum and didn’t go to Chichen Itza, one of many 7 wonders of the world. Well, we had a limited number of days and it was a near three hour drive from our Airbnb. I do suggest that if you’re staying longer than I did that you just definitely make the trip! But, I did go to the second greatest option there is: Coba. It was a whole totally different experience as it was 1) in the course of the jungle (we rented bikes and made our way by way of the ruins singing on the top of our lungs on the bikes), 2) you possibly can actually climb the biggest temple: Nohoch Mul, the highest pyramid within the Yucatan Peninsula. I may look blissful on the photograph of us on the top of the temple; but, let me let you know I was definitely not blissful as I used to be making my way up given my minor panic attack as a consequence of my fear of heights). I’m so proud of myself for making it though, it was a breathtaking view!

3. Food, food, meals…

Tulum just isn’t just immensely aesthetically pleasing; it can also be a haven for superb restaurants and bars. Oddly enough, top on your itinerary shouldn’t be one of the fancy restaurants which are a little high on the value range. The second you step foot on Tulum it’s best to end up a mini road peddler “Marquesita” truck. Marquesitas are a special Mexican crepe/waffle with a variety of topping options together with Nutella, dulce de leche, peanut butter, bananas, or even cheese. You’ll see how delightful it is to munch on considered one of these as a put up-drinking snack.

For the bars you will see that every bar has a signature day they are in style for: Gitano for Thursday Casa Jaguar for Friday. Locally beneficial for its passion fruit mojito was Batey, which me and my friends mispronounced your complete trip. Some beach/hotels which can be highly recommended by different visitors of Tulum is Papaya Playa and Azulik; nonetheless, noticing the immense touristic curiosity in their hotel, they had elevated their entrance payment to forty dollars once we went there. One place I like to recommend spending a complete day is Pablo Escobar’s mansion: nice meals, great staff, nice visuals and great sea. It has access to the long beach strip, so while you’re there take a long walk within the beach during the sunset and watch the kite surfers.