The area north and west of Tulum has one of the largest concentrations of cenotes on the peninsula, including Ox Bel Ha, which at almost 170km, is the longest waterfilled cave system in the world. Many of these freshwater sinkholes are accessible from Hwy-307 or off the road to Cobá. Some, like Hidden Worlds, have been developed as adventure centres, and the guides and marked trails at these places can help put first-time visitors at ease in dark water and tight spaces. But it’s also worth visiting one of the less developed alternatives, such as Grand Cenote, 4km up the road to Cobá from Tulum (8am–6pm), where the only service is snorkel-gear rental, so you can float above stalagmites and other rock formations all the fun of cave exploration, with none of the scrabbling around. Zacil-Há, 4km further, is a local hangout and a great beginner pool, as you can see the sandy bottom. Divers must have open-water certification for cavern diving (in which you explore within the reach of daylight), but cave diving (in which you venture into closed passageways and halls) requires rigorous training. Local development may threaten cenotes in the long run, but clumsy visitors can do more damage in the short term: wear only biodegradable sunscreen; do not touch the surprisingly delicate stalactites; never break off anything as a souvenir; mind your flippers, as it’s easy to kick up silt or knock into the rocks; and be very careful climbing in and out of the water use the paths and ladders provided.

Tulum can mean several things. First, it’s one of the most picturesque of all the ancient Maya sites, poised on fifteen-metre-high cliffs above the impossibly turquoise Caribbean. Tulum also refers to a stretch of broad, white beach that’s the finest in the Riviera Maya, dotted with lodging options that range from bare-bones to ultra-swank; many of them, as well as many ultra-casual beach bars, still show their backpacker-friendly roots in style, if no longer in price. Finally, it’s a booming town (often called Tulum Pueblo to distinguish it from the beach) that has evolved from roadside waystation to real population centre, where visitors can arrange tours into the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, among other things.

Tulum town offers all the basic tourist services and an increasing number of good dinner restaurants and bars. The place is generally empty of visitors by day because they’ve all decamped to the beach, the longest, most impeccable stretch of sand outside Cancún. The most popular spot is El Paraiso Beach Club, about 2km north from the junction with the road to town, with a fully stocked bar and friendly vibe; there’s also a kiteboarding school here. For solitude, head immediately north along the sand to Playa Maya, a public beach that’s generally empty. It’s followed by El Mariachi Beach Club, which is more of a locals’ hangout where you can get super-fresh ceviche. You can also pop into the sea anywhere else, as long as you don’t use the lounge chairs maintained by hotels.

On a sunny day, with the turquoise sea glittering behind the weather-beaten grey stones, your first glimpse of the Tulum ruins (daily: May–Oct 8am–7pm; Nov–April 7am–6pm) can be quite breathtaking, despite the small scale of its buildings, all clustered in a compact mass. When the Spaniards first set eyes on the place in 1518, they considered it as large and beautiful as Seville. They were, perhaps, misled by their dreams of El Dorado and the brightly painted facades of the buildings, for architecturally Tulum is no match for the great Maya cities. Most built after 1200, the structures seem a bit haphazard because walls flare outward and doorways taper in not the effect of time, but an intentional design, and one echoed in other post-Classic sites along the coast like El Rey in Cancún and San Gervasio on Cozumel. Tickets are sold at the site entrance, about 1km from the main highway and parking area, where there’s also a warren of souvenir shops; a shuttle runs between the parking area and the ruins. You can also approach from the south, parking at the dead-end of the beach road and walking in. The site itself takes only an hour or so to see, though you may want to allow time to swim at the tiny, perfect beach that punctuates the cliffs.

Arrive in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds. You walk in through a breach in the wall that surrounded the city on three sides; the fourth faced the sea. Passing through the wall on the north side, you are in front of the Casa del Noroeste, one of the many small-scale buildings which typify the site, with their slanty walls and narrow windows. Closer to the sea sits the Casa del Cenote, a square structure straddling what was once a water-filled cave, the source of life for the settlement. On the bluff above and to the right are the Templos Miniaturas, several small-scale temples, complete with tiny lintels and mouldings, which were probably used as shrines. Skirt the small beach to reach the Templo del Díos Descendente. The small, upside-down winged figure depicted above the temple’s narrow entrance appears all over the city, but in only a handful of places elsewhere in the Maya world. It may represent the setting sun, or the bee god, as honey was one of the Maya’s most important exports. Immediately adjacent, the Castillo, on the highest part of the site, commands fine views in every direction but to protect the worn stones, visitors may now only look up at the building from the base of the hill. The pyramid may have served not just as a temple, but also as a lighthouse. Even without a light, it would have been an important landmark for mariners. Away from the sea, a cluster of buildings is arranged on a city-like grid, with the chief structures set on stone platforms along parallel streets. Of these, the Templo de las Pinturas (Temple of the Paintings) is intriguing: the intricate carvings on its exterior slowly reveal themselves as you look closely. The corners form glowering masks trimmed with feather headdresses, and the “descending god” can be spotted in one niche. Unfortunately, you can no longer view the interior murals (actually on the exterior of an older, smaller temple, which has been preserved by the surrounding gallery), but one remarkable scene, created at a later date than the others, shows the rain god Chac seated on a four-legged animal – likely inspired by the conquistadors on horseback. The best view is from the cliff edges to the south of the Castillo. A small trail leads along the edge, delivering a great perspective on the sea and the ruins, then loops down through the greenery.

Because the accommodation in Tulum is spread over 10km and the town is so far from the beach, almost every hotel has its own restaurant ranging from cheap to very chic. Guests tend to stick to the restaurants in their own hotels, but a few places to eat along the beach road merit a special trip. In town, a number of inexpensive cafés serve comida corrida and rotisserie chicken, and there’s an increasing number of cheerful, mid-range places run by European expats. As for nightlife, Mezzanine hosts a beach party every Friday, while El Paraiso Beach Club often has some kind of event around the full moon; otherwise, some hotel bars expand into a dancing scene.

Coming into the Tulum area on Hwy-307 from the north (it’s 130km from Cancún), you arrive first at the well-marked pedestrian and bus entrances to the ruins the site itself is on the water, 1km east. There’s a dedicated long-haul bus stop here, so you don’t have to double back from town. Another kilometer or so south along the highway is a traffic light marking the main intersection, what locals call el crucero. Turn left here to follow the road 3km to the beach, where most of the local accommodation is strung along a narrow but paved road running north–south along the water. To the north (left) are a few hotels, the better publicly accessible beaches and, after 2km, a back entrance to the ruins. To the south (right), hotels dot 7km of road; after that, you’re at the border of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and the road turns to dirt. Back on Hwy-307 (here called Avenida Tulum), the centre of town is just a little further south. The bus station, open 24 hours, is near the southern end; colectivos stop almost next door. To get to the beach hotels, you’ll need a taxi; rates are posted in the median where taxis gather, just north of the station. Tulum’s taxi drivers have a reputation for denying the existence of hotels that don’t pay them commission; if you have planned on a particular hotel, insist on being taken there.