4 Days in Tulum, Mexico Itinerary

This was my second time visiting Tulum, but my first time during the Christmas Holiday season.

Here is my 4 days itinerary on how I spent my time in Tulum that perhaps could be helpful with planning your visit as well!

Day 1: December 13, 2022

🔶Flew into Cancun’s International Airport at 2:00 PM. I’d flown with JetBlue on a direct flight from JFK.

🔷After landing at Cancun’s International Airport, I’d needed to travel to Tulum. So I’d traveled with ADO bus from the airport to downtown Tulum. The bus tickets can be purchased right outside of the airport and it’s affordable. It took me about 3 hours to arrive in Tulum as it made local stops to other cities/towns between Cancun and Tulum.

🔶Stayed 4 nights at LiveTulum Hotel located in the ❤️of downtown Tulum. Loved this hotel. It’s walking distance to literally all the stores, cafes, bookstores and it’s surrounded by restaurants. I’d stayed here before and enjoyed it so I thought I would stay again. It’s a boutique hotel with the coolest staff.

🔷Since I’d arrived in the evening I’d only had time for dinner and stroll down the main avenue in downtown Tulum.

🔶I’d enjoyed some salsa with chips, delicious chicken tacos and a few modelo beer at Kal – Hua Restaurant. It’s located on the main avenue in downtown Tulum along with other amazing restaurants.

🔷And since I’d visited during the Christmas Holiday season, I’d highly recommend scoping out the Christmas decoration and beautiful lights display in the main park on the strip.

It was a different experience for me since I always celebrated Christmas in the cold season either in NYC or Toronto. So seeing and experiencing Christmas in the warmer weather was pretty awesome.

Day 2: December 14, 2022

🔶 Took a Day trip from Downtown Tulum to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos located in Yucatán, Mexico. I’d booked my tour with Viator and I was picked up at 7AM by the Super Aki Market. These point of destinations are about 4 hours or so from Tulum. Highly worth it though!

🔷 Our 1st stop was at📍Las Coloradas also known as the Pink Lakes in the heart of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico 🇲🇽!

Why pink though?

1️⃣Apparently the Ancient Mayans used this area to produce highly valuable salt like ghosh thousands of years ago..

2️⃣Salt was a necessity for the Mayan survival. The Yucatán was like their supermarket…

3️⃣So in these lakes there are these organisms thats called plankton and brine shrimp that live in the salty water/environment. When the water evaporates, these organisms become more concentrated and transitioned into the color pink.

4️⃣This process only happens between certain time though during the day like between 11:00 AM through 3:00 PM. And the sun must be beaming like infinity, plus the wind must be blowing like earth is a yo-yo 🪀…

5️⃣ You can see the local Mexican workers from the Mexican Company ISYSA actually going through the process by extracting salt from the lakes. They then packaged this stuff and the lifecycle continues…

It’s a beautiful experience learning about a friendly natural resources environment that helps the local Mexican community survive.

The tour made me think about the Ancient Mayan civilization….why did they just suddenly disappeared?!!!!

🔶 Our 2nd stop was at📍Río Lagartos located in Yucatán, Mexico🇲🇽!

That time I had a flavor of the Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. ✅

How it started?

1️⃣ Well I had to get on a boat. Actually I was touring with a group of about 100 people from all over the world. Totally superb! Felt so thankful to ride with my chilled friend/tour guide Frank and a charming mother and daughter from Uruguay 🇺🇾!

2️⃣ Omg! We fed crocodiles 🐊 tiny chicken feet both in the water and the Crocodile Sanctuary. Ummmh my heart ❤️ beat was out of control…geez never again though..

***Can you spot the tiny crocodile*** 🐊?

3️⃣ And the grand part of this experience was seeing flocks and flocks of Flamingos 🦩 🦩🦩 🦩! I think they are the most beautiful pinkest birds in the world! This was my 1st time seeing Flamingos LIVE! ✅

4️⃣ Haha! I fed seagulls! Darn these things are aggressive! For real though, I thought they were going to knock me off the boat 🛶!!! 😂

🔷 We’d ended the tour by having a delicious lunch. Highly recommend trying their fried fish and salad. And wash it down with a Modelo Mexican beer.

🔶By the time we’d arrived back to Tulum it was approaching 8 PM. This was perfect timing to explore the street food carts. I had some delicious chicken tacos for dinner.

Day 3: December 15, 2022

🔷Took a food/walking journey in downtown Tulum.

Thought of taking this tour to try out a few local Mexican Restaurants I wouldn’t have known of to visit independently.

vamos a comer gente encantadora! (Let’s go eat lovely people)!! 🤪

🔶Had Mexican scrabble eggs with chaya leaves 🍃 caught up in a generous soft taco! FYI, Chaya leaves are from a Mayan spinach tree. They can only be found in Yucatán, Mexico!

“The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow.” ~ Jack LaLanne

🔷My 1st time in years having deer 🦌 tacos. It was a bit dry, but after sprinkling some lime juice and adding a tiny winey bit of hot sauce; it had this extraordinary taste and I was happy! Also, I’d saw how the locals make tacos. Priceless!

🔶On the streets in Tulum, they have these stands, where the locals sells fresh fruity smoothies. I had a cactus smoothie.

🔷We found a tamarind tree. In my Guyanese 🇬🇾 culture; my awesome mom put tamarind in our curry. She also makes tamarind balls/candy.

🔶My 1st time trying a chicken tamale 🫔!

🔷How can I say no to dessert?! Ended the tour with a mighty delicious coconut popsicle.

🔶For dinner, I had Indian food at Tika Curry and Grill. Had the most delicious authentic chicken vindaloo, dhal, basmati rice, Curry vegetables with naan. I was totally impressed how traditional this restaurant was right here in the heart of Tulum. The food was exceptionally delicious. It was served in traditional Indian silverware. And the services was spectacular.

Day 4: December 16, 2022

🔷Had a delicious brunch at “To Live and Die in Tulum”, so it’s this restaurant located on the strip in downtown Tulum. They served the most delicious breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

🔶Made it to Mystika Immersive Art Museum

This has been the most thrilling immersive interactive experience I have ever had. I was very much so amazed by the entire storytelling of Mexican Artist Pepe Soho’s personal life journey reflected through his art, spiritual quotes and choice of music selection.

🔷There were 3 immersive experiences you can engaged in. My favorite was the one dedicated to the Mayans civilization.

Pepe did such an exceptional job I felt as though I was traveling back in time to engaged with the Mayans. I guess I’d let my imagination wondered and of course well ‘cause I’m so obsessed with the Mayan people. Their culture is so rich and mysterious…

🔶My next stop was at Sfer Ik Tulum Art Museum.

Sfer Ik Tulum Art Museum is located in the Azulik Resort and Hotel; it’s a bit of a hike from downtown Tulum if you are coming from that direction. There is also another location that’s further out.

🔷This has to be the tiniest and most unique museum I’d explored. However, I was very much so fascinated by how nature, global art and the Mayan Ancestral knowledge base came together. The collaboration was very clever and intriguing. I was very excited!

🔶I’d also enjoyed the art workshops as I was able to get my hands dirty and shared what I’d already learned about the Mayan culture and it’s people. I felt very much so a part of the museum as I’d had lots of opportunities to mingled with other curious art lovers.

Oh yeah, we all followed the museum’s rules and removed our shoes and began walking barefooted on the smooth kinda coldish concrete and silky bamboos. Thought that was quite spectacular and creative…lol!

🔷Ended the evening having Jamaican food for dinner at Ferrons Jerk Chicken restaurant.

Let’s have a history delight for appetizers: ⁉️ Did you know Jamaica 🇯🇲 and Mexico 🇲🇽 were once ruled by the Spanish Empire?! The Spanish Empire was the longest and 1st global empire in its time…In fact, Jamaica used to be called Santiago back then…🤔

🔶For dinner; I had the jerk chicken served with Mexican fresh cooked corn 🌽 and biscuit, but seriously their jerk chicken was way better than what I’m used to eating at Golden Krust in Brooklyn, NYC.

I’d could instantly tasted the thyme and hot pepper 🌶️ seasoning as I’d taken a bite. But, I was trying to be classy and not use my fingers to do damage control on my 🍗…I wanted to be lady like and used my fork and knife…lol…that lasted like 2 seconds…I had to use my fingers…may I add that their sauce was unique and tasted like the sauce I had in Lima, Peru 🇵🇪…to top it off…their home made sauce made my tongue danced like I was whining to my culture Guyanese 🇬🇾 tassa music…haha!!

🔷The waiters at the restaurant had a nice swag! They were happy 😃 and friendly young fellas.