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Xel-Ha or Tulum. Help!? |
Travel Info I'm going on a cruise to the Caribbean and one of our ports is Cozumel. I booked a trip to Xel-Ha assuming that we would see ruins because that was what the picture had, but its not. Both Xel-Ha and Tulum seem amazing to visit, but I'm having a hard time trying to figure out which to choose. Please Help! Which one is better? Since, I'm only going to be there for one day I want to make sure that I get the best experience. Thanks! Travel Tips you can do both in one day. they are both pretty far from cozumel tho. why not just snorkel in cozumel at chankannab park? anyway, back to your question... you should visit tulum first early in the morning (9AM), spend 2 hours there maximum checking out the ruins and maybe going into the water. you can buy xel-ha tickets at the entrance of tulum for 10% discount, they have xel-ha stands (info booths) everywhere... at the same location they have white shuttle vans that takes you to xel-ha for $1.5 US per person. from experience: they drop you off at the entrance of the xel-ha, not at the entrance of the actual actual park, we had to walk for another 5 min. to get to the entrance of the park. i would recommend after the shuttle drops you off, ask the taxi's that are all lined up at the entrance to take you to the actual entrance for $2, bargain with them, or just walk, it's not a big deal and it's not confusing or anything, it sounds confusing but you'll see when you get there. so you spend 2 hours max. at tulum which means you get to xel-ha at 11AM, they close at 5PM. there's wayyyyyyyyyyy too much to do there. like riding a floaty down a river amidst mangroves, getting off the floaty to jump off mini cliffs into the water, snorkeling, taking a walk around xel-ha, relaxing on hammocks and chairs, ALL INCLUSIVE FOOD AND DRINKS. your "all inclusive ticket" includes all this. if you want you can pay for additional activities like playing with dolphins etc. personally i don't think you have enough time to do both coming from cozumel unless xel-ha stays open special for cruise people which may have been arranged already, i don't know. oh yeah, whatever you do, bring bug spray for when you're exiting the park... i got bit 8 times within seconds! Source(s): did both, but not from cozumel! cozumel is a 2 hr. boat ride to playa del carmen and playa del carmen is 30 min. to tulum, tulum is 20 min. from xel-ha. no matter what, do tulum first, get that out of the way, and get to xel-ha asap to explore for the remaindeer of the time. Other Travel Tips I liked Xel-Ha better than Tulum the day snorkelling was amazing! Both are nice....but they depend on how much time you get and the activities you like. Tulum is nice, but there are really limited things to do there. Very nice ruins though. A little swimming on a small beach. Xel-Ha has many more activities and will take a longer time to get thru...well worth it. If I had to choose I would go to Xel-Ha. One other note about the cruises......Check the prices on how much it is to get into Xel-Ha. Cruise ship excursions are usually quite ridiculously overpriced. For this daytrip you could probably rent a car for a day , drive down to Tulum spend an hour or two then go to Xel-Ha on the way back to Cozumel, for all less than the cruise excursion price I've been to both and I agree with the answer about dropping out of the organized event and getting your own car, or even take the bus, which has great service. Both Xel-Ha and Tulum can easily been done in one day and they're both fabulous. But they're apples and oranges, so it's impossible to say which one to pick. That would depend on your personal preferences. Hi! My husband and I went to both last year. Both sites are worth a visit. The tours from cruise ships are ridiculous prices. The tours in Playa del Carmen were way over priced too. For Xel-Ha the rate last year was $33 during the week, and $28 on Saturday and Sunday. This is entry fee only. Snorkel gear is around $5. If you go, the line ups to get your snorkel gear etc. can take hours. Go early...... If you take a tour package, the food line ups take hours....... go early, take your own lunch. I recommend taking a collectivo for $2.50 and paying the entry fee. Way cheaper... We also felt that we have had way better snorkeling trips in Hawaii and Florida, not many colorful fish here. Very touristy set up. Check people opinions on Tripadvisor.com Tulum ruins are nice, but not much shade. The beach there is absolutely fantastic. Take your swimming gear along. Entry fee was $5 approx. If you get a guide it gets really expensive..... We were in the Mexican Riviera for three weeks and the tour packages are not worth it. Do your research!!! Ferry from Cozumel was $11 per person each way. Drops you off in Playa del Carmen. Collectivo bus from Playa to Xel-Ha and Tulum is $2.50. About 1 hour driving time. Pretty hectic day if you try to both sites in 1 day... If someone approaches you about the Mayan Palace...RUN ...fast the other way. Say NO NO NO. Playa del Carmen in itself, is worth a day of poking around. Lots and lots of shops and interesting bars,etc. Hope this helps Going again this February |
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