After a quick introduction to our guide and driver, we set off for our first stop, the Tulum ruins. Tulum is the only Mayan ruins on the coast and sits on the only cliff in the Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea. We were escorted by a park ranger, Rosita, a Mayan decendant who could still speak the native language in addition to Spanish and English. Rosita led us through the site, sharing stories of the past and the ingenious way of life for the Mayan culture.

From Tulum, we continued on to Akumal. a sheltered area where sea turtles often visit. After a short two-minute boat ride, we were in our snorkel gear and in the warm ocean water. It didn’t take long for our first sighting. The girls especially enjoyed swimming beside the large turtles, watching them pop their heads in and out. 

From Akumal, we continued on to a cenote, an underground fresh water cave. There are thousands of cenotes in the region. Our guide did an excellent job for us, planning our day so that we’d visit the cenote during a time when it was usually without any other visitors. The water was a little cool, refreshing we will say… To swim through and explore the cave with just our small group was truly worth braving the leap into the underground pool.  We learned that National Geographic is currently paying a diver to find the connection between the cenotes and he is currently one connection away from discovering the world’s largest underwater river system. Today, Thailand boasts the largest, but it is thought that the one in Mexico is actually much larger.

One really nice addition to the tour was that a photographer joined us for the final two stops. The photos were an optional purchase at the end. The price was well worth it so that we could all enjoy the moment and experience without worrying about who was in and out of the photos.  

At the end of the afternoon, we returned to the resort with a much better understanding of the region.