Where is San Gervasio?

San Gervasio is in the north of the island, from east/west distance right in the center. It’s the most northern point you can reach on a regular street (the very north is undeveloped and cannot be reached). The street ‘Traversal de Cozumel’ (Quintana Roo C1) is the only cross-country road on the island and kind of its ‘northern border’. From here, you drive a bit further north to San Gervasio. As soon as you leave the main road, the street gets much worse, a bit uneven and sandy. We had a scooter and that worked just fine. After a 9-km-ride, you reach San Gervasio.

Taking a Walk in The Jungle

San Gervasio has seven bigger ruins: the best way to see these ruins is a walking tour. It comes out as a bit of a hike, the trails are uneven and rocky but still fine to walk. Between these ruins, you need to walk something like 1 to 2 km. We were mostly alone; only 2 more people were walking. Also the parking area was empty, no other cars around.

You can find some more information about the ruins on Wikipedia. The ruins are well-preserved, only the buildings’ roofs are missing. There are very few barriers and shutoffs, you can basically walk anywhere. All the lawns are accessible; you can just walk to all the ruins. Some of the buildings are locked and you cannot enter, others are open. I assume that is the case because San Gervasio only has very few visitors (Tulum was the complete opposite).

All the trails lead right through the jungle, heavy brush and trees. That means many mosquitoes are everywhere, definitely bring some mosquito spray. All the thick shrubbery creates a rather dark atmosphere that matches the ruins quite nicely.

The ruins are visibly smaller and less spectacular than the larger, more popular ones like Chichzen Itza and Tulum.But that does not make them any less pretty or worth seeing. I found the jungle walk to the ruins quite comfortable. You only need to be aware of what is waiting for you: smaller ruins, less busy but with vast walking trails in the jungle. If you are in Cozumel, you should come here.

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What is Sian Ka’an?

Sian Ka’an is a vast protected area, a UNESCO World Nature Heritage that stretches along a huge area of 5200 sqm. The area is on the eastern coast of Yucatan, south of the main tourist areas in Playa del Carmen. The Sian Ka’an coastline is almost non-settled and is thereby stands in contrast to the entire Yucatan Peninsula and its famous city of Cancun in the north or the Playa del Carmen holiday area further south. Also, there is very little infrastructure. The only “town” is Punta Allen can only be reached on am offroad path, there are no solid streets. On the way to Punta Allen, you can see a few smaller places to spend the night. But there aren’t many of them.

Yucatan’s east coast is rather tightly populated and has almost no empty space at all. Sian Ka’an makes the only exception: a huge piece of land with no buildings, streets or people, a highly complex system of water streets and mangroves in a swamp. It offers shelter for many species, animals and birds.

Doing a Tour to Sian Ka’an

For 100 dollars (or more) you can book a tour in a minibus to Sian Ka’an. It takes two hours (130 km) from Playa del Carmen to reach.

Sian Ka’an is huge and two routes are possible: driving along the coastline to Punta Allen or off the coastline in the swamp to Muyil. When we booked the tour, only one option was offered: driving along the coastline. The latter was never even mentioned. We could choose between two others options: a 10-person-minibus with a driver or driving in a Jeep ourselves.

According to our travel agency, the tour does not take place every day. We could only choose between Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They said, jeep tours were not available for the day we picked. More about that follows later. It was ok for us; we wanted to go by minibus anyways. The tour started very early, we left at 5 am. The bus makes its tour, collects several people on the way and things are rather easygoing for the first two hours. The bus drives to Tulum where we meet all the other busses all vehicles continue the route together, heading to the park.

Several Hours of Offroad driving: Tour to Punta Allen

At this point, the tour gets interesting. The bus drives very slowly on a totally uneven, bumpy “road”. Calling it a road is already too much. There are huge bumps, the street is an uneven, unpaved mess and big trees and branches are everywhere. The ride itself is very, very bumpy. Thick branches get very close to the windows and things are getting exhausting. All the vehicles can only go very slowly. After 30 minutes, there is a stop at a viewpoint. After that the adventurous ride continued for another 3 hours. Nobody felt really good in the bus, everyone was eagerly waiting for the ride to end. If you have problems with this, make sure to sit in the first row on one of the passenger seats. We only had a Spanish speaking driver, the tour guide was somewhere else and the two front row seats were empty.

In Punta Allen, everyone was just exhausted and tired. I have to admit, I did not see a lot during the ride.

In Punta Allen, they have a short break for everyone and a smaller snack is served. If you fancy crab in the evening, you can order now. The restaurant itself is very nice, a rustic wooden construction with only a roof to offer shade, not even a solid building.

Boat Tour to A Coral Reef and Bird Island

The entire group (about 40 to 50 people) is not split into a Spanish speaking group and an English speaking group. We are to sit in little motorboats in groups of six. All the boats are leaving, not all together but in blocks. We saw dolphins (not so much of a surprise). The salespepople told us we would see sea turtle, that’s their way to promote the tour. But these sea turtles are very shy, you have to be very lucky to see them. One came up very shortly, saw all the boats and disappeared into the depth within seconds.

The boat ride on the ocean is anyways really nice. The sea shines in many different colors of blue and green, the coastline is very pretty. After a while, we reach a riff. Now it’s time to snorkel. Our little boat had one guide who also did the snorkeling tour. He really did jump into the water with all his clothes on (long pants, long shirt) and that is how he swam. After a few minutes, the snorkeling is over and you get back on the boat.

The second boat stop is “Bird Island”: two mangrove islands full of birds. You can see many different species here; Sian Ka’an has 379 different bird species. All the boats circle the small islands slowly, the birds don’t care about the boats and you have time to take some pics.

After that the boats stop in a lagoon, you are still deep in the ocean but the water is flat (only about 1.5 meters) and you can walk to the beach. After a short time to swim, the boats go back to Punta Allen.

Back in Punta Allen: Dinner and Driving Back

In Punta Allen, things get a little messy because everyone takes off their swimming clothes and changes. A dinner buffet is served and after that the bumpy drive back starts.
This trip is much worse than the first because now you know what’s waiting for you. After a long, bumpy ride you reach road 307 and Tulum. While we were driving back, we met the Mexican Army, on the same bumpy road, driving equally slow. But several soldier with machine guns were standing on the pick-up.

More Tour Varities: Self-Drive Offroad Tours

As mentioned above, they told us Jeep tours are not available for that day. But: several jeeps were driving with us. I seriously doubt that this makes a cool trip. Every jeeps has four passengers, if there is only two of you, you need to share the car and the driving experience with strangers. The jeeps tour was even more expensive than the bus tour. Before you book a jeep tour, you should definitely be aware of the fact that the jeep is not just for you but needs to be shared.

On the way to Punta Allen, at the viewpoint, some tourists did not get back to the bus but in several boats and reached Punta Allen by boat. Why nobody ever offered us this option, I really don’t know. It would have been great to spend less time in the bus on that shitty street.

Muyil Entrance

Muyil is another entrance further south. Here, you can find more Maya ruins and more countryside: fresh water, mangroves, manatees, the jungle, swamps and many animals. We did not do this tour but I would like to do it someday.

Nature Protection and Animal Preserve Area

It becomes very obvious that this is a protected area: swimming with sea turtles is not possible (very good) also dolphins are never chased or surrounded. All boat drivers did that very well. Also, there are very few buildings anywhere, for most parts it’s simply pristine nature.

About the Tour: Information and Some Advice

Our tour guide shortly introduced himself in Tulum and was not seen again till Punta Allen. He was the only English speaking tour guide for the whole group. In Punta Allen, he talked to us again, and apologized that he cannot be in all the busses at the same time. Our bus driver was very nice but knew close to no English whereas we know only very little Spanish. Communication in the bus was only possible because two guests from Spain who knew English very well, were translating for all the other 5 English-speakers. They could translate some stories and anecdotes which was actually great.

When it comes to these organized tours you never need to worry about food. Dinner and lunch is not a five star meal but it’s ok.

Driving took a long time, we did a day trip from Playa del Carmen. I would not do it again, I would rather stay in Tulum and go from there. Maybe even two or three nights in Tulum, for tow day trips one to Muyil and one to Punta Allen.

A second way to do it is to sleep in Punta Allen or somewhere else in Sian Ka’an. I find some offers online, for example sleeping in a tent on the beach. I’m sure that is a great thing to do: being here in the mornings and evenings with only a few people, before all the day trippers arrive. I’m not sure a how you can reach by yourself: my first guess is a rental jeep supposedly, there is also a collective.

I would not book the off-road jeep tour for four; I find it too expensive for too little. I would ask if I can reach Punta Allen partly or entirely per boat and try to avoid the long, exhausting ride.

In conclusion, I really want to recommend Sian Ka’an to everyone. It is so beautiful, considering some of the organizational remark I have made, and you will definitely be able to enjoy a trip here. I would come back any time!

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Tulum: South of Playa Del Carmen

Tulum is, as well as Chichen Izta (see article on Chichzen Itza here) one of the most frequently visited Maya ruins. The former Maya port is located on a rock about 12 meters above sea level. Tulum can be reached easily from all the hot spots around: it’s only 60 km from Playa del Carmen (45 km), twice as much from Cancun (120 km, 1 h 45 min). Because of this, a high number of visitors are coming every day. For us, it was a bit unfortunate to go there in the Christmas Week, it was extremely crowded. Lawns and ruins are blocked; crowds need to walk on the walking paths in front of the buildings and lawns. At times, these ways were so crowded there was not even enough space to walk anywhere.

Three Areas: Hotel Zone, Village and the Maya Ruins

You reach the ruins by walking from the parking area to a little village. In the end, the village is nothing more but a chain of tourist shops selling all kinds of necessary and unnecessary stuff. From there, it’s a 10-Minute-walk to the ruins. Another area in Tulum is the hotel zone.

We did take the Collectivo from Playa del Carmen. Even though, we left really early in the morning, we still did not manage to reach before the crowds were there. It was hot and overcrowded. Chichzen Itza was also crowded but things were smoother here, we had enough space to circle the pyramid and walk around. In Tulum, things were more difficult. The Maya Ruins consist of many smaller and bigger ruins, in order to see all of them you need to take a walking tour.

I understand that these ruins need to be protected. The area is very busy, many visitors and it makes sense to have everyone just walk in front of the ruins on the trail. But, every now and then we could not even stop on the way without blocking another 20 people. The buildings are really beautiful, I wanted to have more time to see them. What we had was basically a run along the ruins.

Eye catcher of the area is definitely the “Castillo”, a temple in the center and biggest building of Tulum.

All in all: it was too crowded. The walking paths in Tulum are too narrow for all the visitors. Next time, I would book a hotel in Tulum and come very early in the morning (or maybe late in the evening) before the tour busses arrive.

One of Tulums’ two beaches is open, you can swim here. If you are interested in that, bring some swimming clothes with you. With all the heat and all the walking, this is a nice way to cool down. The beach, right in front of these ancient ruins is beyond compare, even though (as already mentioned) a bit crowded.

How To Combine A Trip to Tulum: Sian Ka’an, Coba and Several Cenotes

A forth zone in Tulum is Sian Ka’an: a big nature-protected area south of Tulum. Tulum is worth staying several nights: one day Tulum Ruins, at least one more for Sian Ka’an and also the Coba ruins (about 50 km from Tulum) can be reached easily.

Moreover there are several cenotes around Tulum (Maya Blue, Temple of Doom, Tortuga, Vacaha, Grand Cenote, Abejas, Nohoch Kiin, etc.).

I could easily spend several days here. It’s a nice are with many attractions and lots of things to do.

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How to Reach

Tours to Chichen Itza are sold everywhere in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and around. The most common tour is a little bus (9 – 12 people). The busses are usually full. There is an English-speaking tourist guide and a driver. The tour takes all day and there are several stops on the way to the pyramid. Booking a tour is very simple: the salespeople find you, usually already on the street, and you can easily book for the following day.

The busses go from one hotel to the next and collect all the guests. They take everyone back the same way. Of course, that takes a while and you need to be patient but it’s not a big thing.

Chichen Itza in right in the center of the Yucatan Peninsula and can be reached easily from Cancun (200 km) and from Playa del Carmen (180 km). We even went from Cozumel that was still possible.

As soon as you are in the bus, it’s no longer in your hands what is about to happen. The busses follow a standard procedure and stop several times.

What you Get To See: The Pyramid and More Maya Ruins

Most important stop is of course the Maya Ruin Chichen Itza. There are all the smaller tour busses but also larger ones with about 60 people and private vehicles. All in all a very busy place. The tour guide bought all the tickets, paid and leads us to the Pyramid and its surrounding buildings. All the information he gave us about the ruins, its past, its history and original purpose were vital. Without it I would not have been able to understand many things.

The area has some acoustic characteristics that only become clear when you clap and follow the echo. The whole area is very impressive and brings old Mayan history and settlement back to life. You see the leftover of an ancient high culture. I have never seen anything like that.

After the tour, you have some time to walk around and see the rest of the area. It has a large span: 16 square kilometers. The guided tour leads to the pyramid, several temples and a former playground. You don’t get to see everything farther away but can walk there yourself. There are also two cenotes (holy water holes) to where you can walk. But you don’t have much time after the guided tour, you need to hurry.

You cannot visit the inside of the buildings, including the pyramid. This was possible in the past but due to several accidents on pyramid’s stairs, they are no longer open to public.

Our tour guide gave us several warnings not to buy from the street sellers. He said all the wooden items will give you termites at home and everything else is of inferior quality and basically shit. In short: refrain from anything.

On tripadvisor, many people complain about street sellers and the things they sell. Yes, the salespeople are there and they mainly sell cheap, useless, cheesy stuff. They yell a bit and are a bit loud. But that’s it. I don’t find them that pushy and that annoying. Simple ignore them and you don’t have a problem.

More Stops on the Tour: Valladoid and a Cenote

The only bigger town on the tour is Valladoid. It was our final stop on the way back. Because we were running out of time, we only stopped in the city center for a very short period of time. All in all, not really worth mentioning!

There was a second stop on the tour that was quite nice: at a cenote (holy water hole). You can walk to the cenote, and go swimming if you want to. The area was well equipped: there was a dressing room to change your swimming clothes and a café.

More stops on the tour were a souvenir store with all kinds of stupid tourist items (the stop here was way too long for me), a lunch buffet (huge but also many busses that stop there) and a gas station. The lunch buffet (including a very cheesy dance performance) was ok; everything else is pointless and not necessary.

Bus Tours to Chichen Itza

Taking the bus is the standard way to do a tour here. That means: all the busses arrive at the same time in Chichen Itza. It was really very crowded. But it’s a vast area: you can still see the pyramid and circle it without a problem. All other buildings are far apart from each other, there is definitely enough space. In this case – and that is a rare exception – you can easily be in a crowd of people, still see everything and find enough space in general.

The entrance is a bit messy: all the tour busses look the same. At that point, you know why all the tourist guides wait at the entrance and collect their people. I really would not have found our bus.

All the stopping on the way and the lunch breaks makes the group arrive right in the mid-day heat. Definitely bring sunscreen and a hat, it’s warm and the sun is strong!

If you have your own car, come on the morning before the tour busses arrive.

Anyone visiting Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Yucatan should visit the pyramid. Even when it’s crowded, you should not miss this attraction!

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