We visiteed Tulum Mayan ruins and Xel Ha about 3 years ago. Most people go to both since there is a combo bus tour and the places are close to each other.  It makes sense. Tulum ruins are simply beautiful (if you make do with small ruins, not huge like Chichen Itza).  The water is simply breathtaking, so bring your swimsuit.  I even saw a topless swimmer there, but that is another story.

The place is hot hot hot hot.  You cannot really escape the heat, but keep thinking about Xelha!!

Ahh, after the ‘ruins tour’ the bus will take you to Xel Ha.  This is imply a huge aquarium, and nothing like it in the world. A huge undergournd river (Cenote) flows into a huge lagoon. They take you up to the head of the cenote, and you float down to the lagoon. While floating down (rather leisurely) you will get to see a ton of fish (and a lot of snorkelers).

Make a plan to fit this tour combo into your Cancun trip. Here are some other good links:

Tulum Ruins - While on vacation we went to see Mayan ruins on two different occasions. The first we went to see were the Tulum ruins which were only like 3 miles from our resort. The ruins sit on a cliff overlooking the ocean and are surrounded by a …

Small Tulum Ruin - Small Tulum Ruin A shot of the Tulum ruins and beautiful turquoise Caribbean Sea. (Mayan Ruins, Mexico)

Hola! I’m back from Mexico - We drove down to Tulum to see the seaside Mayan ruins. Stopped at a great little roadside taco stand on the way. Tulum ruins were spectacular, and it was nice to take a dip in the ocean after getting sweaty walking around. …

Dream Vacation - Luckily, there are plenty of other great beaches with public access and the one at the Tulum ruins is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Just below the main temple is a crystal-clear beach and the views from it are spectacular. …

May 8th (Thursday) - Went to Tulum ruins. Started to count iguanas –got up to 28. Ruins were cool, but it was the most beautiful beach we’d ever been to. Sophie got really into body surfing (with us at first and then by herself), Ellie dug cenotes (went …

Tulum - Beachfront ruins of Mayan structure in Tulum. Beachfront ruins of Mayan structure in Tulum $0.99 - $20.00 Photo by Derek Miller.

In Xel-Ha- Water Theme Park See a great blog about Xel-Ha and a nice picture right from the water.