We paid another fee and followed the path. My final thought is if you are thinking about visiting Sian Kaan, do it, visit Sian Kaan. Your email address will not be published. But there are a couple of nicely-restored temples and pyramids. Sian Kaan, Quintana Roo, is just south of Tulum. Walk through the jungle for about 5 minutes until you reach the official entrance to the park and the start of the boardwalk. A self-guided day trip is hard to do as requires an extra amount of time, money, and a 4WD rented car. Soon after the entrance, we realized that everything changed, and we found ourselves in the middle of the jungle. This is the largest protected area in all of Mexico and is home to a diverse population of speciesincluding some rare and endangered species like the black-handed spider monkey and the West Indian manatee. We never had to wait for more than 10 minutes for the Colectivo to leave the station. The next morning, we were sitting on a bus leaving to Chetumal, eager to start the self-guided day trip but we soon realized our driver had no idea where the Chunyaxch station was. A boardwalk, about 500 meters long, led us to an observation deck. The place was so quiet and lovely, no tourists at all but a lot of mosquitoes, so make sure to bring repellent (biodegradable since you are going to float lately). But there is a good chance they knew that Sian Kaan was a special spot. The town provides access to the sea, including snorkeling and wildlife viewing, and of course the coral reef. But you do need to pass through Tulum to get there. Sadly my research hit a wall as it just seemed way too complicated to get there solo, and at the time I wasnt sure if it was really worth the money for a guided tour. Usually, the float takes about 20 minutes, for the 1-kilometer ride. 
The Best Airbnbs in Mexico for Every Type of Traveler. The Colectivo will leave you just in front of the Muyil Archaeological Site. It has such a vibrant blue to it, with tones that changes as we go out deeper. Turn around, take it in, and realise how large the protected biosphere here is. About halfway through youll find an observation tower with a sign that says climb at your own risk. The Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve is the biggest protected area in the Caribbean and a unique place to visit! Because youre an adult and if you really want to do it who am I to stop you. Claires Itchy Feet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. Then we saw a lot of birds on Bird Island before we were allowed to do some snorkeling on the reef, where we saw a nurse shark, bloody amazing!! The water in the lagoon is so clean and clear.
Since they are over a 2-hour drive apart, it may be best to break up your visit into two separate days. The entrance fee at the secret entrance in Muyil was only 50 pesos, and we still got the official wristbands. This page may contain affiliate links. They may put you with other people to fill up a boat if you are alone or in a small group. Now for the tricky part, how to get to Sian Kaan. In our opinion, absolutely! So we went once again to the ADO bus station and asked the lady at the front desk for two ticketstoChunyaxch. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip. Ive been making an effort to visit all of the World Heritage Sites in the Mexican Riviera as I travel through this region. After providing us with a lifejacket, he told us that we will wait for us at the end of our floating adventure, 15-20 minutes later. Itll take you roughly 15 minutes once youve passed through Tulum town. At one point youll have the opportunity to get out of the boat and float with the currents, making your way through the channels lined with mangroves. Thats how the idea of putting all the information together came out and I hope it will help you better organize your trip to the Sian Kaan Biosphere. There is a small parking lot, free of charge, in case you arrive here by car. Its recommended to get there early in the day and spend about half an hour or so exploring the ruins. The colectivo picks up in Tulum Pueblo on the corner of Centauro Norte and Avenida Tulum everyday at 2 p.m. and arrives in Punta Allen around 6 p.m. Though it looks like a short distance on a map (its only about 25 miles) from the reserve entrance to Punta Allen, the drive will take you around 1.5 to 2 hours. We asked an ADO driver for help and he had no idea where we could find this place. In short, a biosphere reserve is a label given to an ecosystem of unusual scientific and natural interest by UNESCO. I was invited on this tour by Living Dreams Mexico along with two of my good friends Viva La Travelista and Tofu Traveler. Its a great place for spotting dolphins and sea turtles in their natural habitat. Its unlikely they ever envisaged their ancient creation would effectively become a water slide, that one day I would be floating along with a huge smile on my face, thanking them for their clever engineering. Driving to Sian Kaan is considered going off-road, so you will be breaking your contract going there. Sharing travel tips, road trip itineraries, kayaking & ski destinations. But that didnt bother us too much. In some parts there are tropical forests and palm savannahs that then merge into mangroves and marshes. The information found on the internet was quite elusive, and we asked around how to get on a self-guided day trip to Sian Kaan. But finding the best connection is not always easy. Now I have this as an option, as I know some crazy people might think it is a good idea to rent a car and drive to Sian Kaan. We spent 40 minutes into the canal, grabbing the mangroves, taking lots of photos, and enjoying the ride such a fabulous experience. Follow State Highway 15 past Tulum. Cultural Wonders of Mexico National Geographic. especially right now in 2021 transport by collective to here is much more restricted than ever. Tip: Dont forget to bring bug spray on your trip, especially if you are walking through the jungle near Muyil. But it also puts me at a good position to look more closely at the scenery. The bus will stop in Muyil about a 2 minute walk past the entrance to the Muyil ruins. Problem solved! The name Sian Kaan comes from the indigenous Maya people, meaning origin of the sky or the gate of heaven. It is surmised that the name is a reference to the incredible beauty that can be found there. Head towards Las Boyas on Google Maps to find the docks. 307 main road, a 5 minutes walk to the bus station. So I did what any good adventure travel blogger would do, I did a lot of research on Sian Kaan biosphere tours, but mostly so I could figure out how to get there without doing an organized tour of Sian Kaan. Why? Simply head to the ADO bus terminal in Tulum Pueblo and purchase your ticket at the counter. It may seem a bit daunting, but the views from the top are unparalleled! Why I think Uxmal is actually a better alternative to Chichen Itza. Community tours Sian Kaan have fixed prices for renting a boat for the tour, there is no negotiation, and the price is per boat, not per person. The best thing to do is take a boat ride. We were met by our boat captain and taken straight out of the tour, which was magical. Above me is the wide Mexican sky, which today is warmly beaming down but scattered with clouds. Complete the form below and someone will get back to you with the tour details within 24 hours. He kindly asked us to leave our belongings inside the boat and invited us to float down the canal. But surprise: we couldnt buy the tickets online. The town is just a few blocks by a few blocks, so there isnt much to see there. At 34 I sold all my worldly possessions that wouldnt fit into 3 boxes or my backpack and hit the road. Sian Kaan Bio Reserve: How to Visit Without a Tour. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Two Wandering Soles are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I really hope this post has been useful to you.
Each of these access points will provide entirely different experiences. Again, the water is so clear that I can see fish swimming around my feet.
And on that note, bring medication if you are prone to getting car sick! The easiest way to get to Muyil from Tulum is to get the Mayab bus from the main ADO station in Tulum. Once again, we were the only one in the area, and it felt good to have the entire place to ourselves. Glad i enjoyed your post So many great things. The service is 5* and the guides are extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife you will see there. With no plans to stop anytime soon Im always looking for my next adventure be it attempting to surf or climbing a volcano Ill try (almost) anything once! I also use Travel Insurance Master for some short vacation type trips as they are cheaper than World Nomads a lot of the time.
Sian Kaan boat tours only go from Punta Allen, so you must go here and speak to the boat captains directly to organize your boat tour. Tip: Whether you are going in a tour shuttle, rental car or collective, youll want to bring medication if you are prone to getting car sick! Dont rent a car until you have read this post, some of the biggest scammers in Playa del Carmen are the car rental companies! And flying above it are all sorts of resident and migratory bird species. It really was a magical day and as far as Im concerned its worth every dime! If you are planning a trip right now then you NEED to think seriously about insurance. Off the coast, theres a large marine section that is also part of Sian Kaan, including a barrier reef. If you want to explore Sian Kaan on your own without a tour, keep reading for everything you should know to plan your visit. There are also lots of colectivos driving past that will give you a lift. More info in our. On the backside of this ruin is where youll find the path leading to the boardwalk into the Bio Reserve. Well there are only 4 restaurants and they have no electricity from 2 pm until 7 pm each day, then again from 2 am until 7 am, so you will need to bring a book! When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. Exploring the world as often as possible. A sublime area of unspoiled natural beauty just south of Tulum, the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve is recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site covering 1.3 million acres of land and sea. The driver stopped and asked if we needed a ride, as he had two more places so in no more than 20 minutes we were already in Tulum. But, with almost no development within the boundaries, theres a good chance of seeing something of interest. There are a few different options I would recommend here: But doing a trip from Tulum to Muyil at Sian Kaan is also relatively easy to do by yourself and youll save a fair amount of money. This is due to the poor quality of the single access road. Travel insurance has always been high on the list of things to get before you travel but now more than ever it should be at the top of your list! We waited no more than 5 minutes until a Colectivo approached the bus station. The Ancient Mayan city of Muyil is quite small, especially compared to all the other ones I have written about from my time in Mexico. I was picked up bright and early and welcomed with some fruit and a cup of hot fresh coffee. From Punta Allen, you will be able to book a Sian Kaan boat tour for the next day so you can see the reserve. As I mentioned above there are three ways to get to Sian Kaan. To our excitement, there were more boats waiting for tourists. Are you planning a visit to Sian Kaan and still have questions?
Please share it with others and help spread the word about this hidden gem in the Riviera Maya! A must-d, Welcome to Taboga Island, PANAMA Seriously. When researching the Sian Kaan Bio Reserve, we had a hard time finding a lot of information on how to get there and what to do. Now here I am, with a lifejacket tied around my waist, floating along its length. You may also want to consider taking a tour of Mexico, rather than organising everything on your own. Its not just for a bit of a lark although I admit it is the most enjoyable part but its also so we can get up close to the nature. You should expect to pay around 400 pesos for the colectivo + boat fare, one way. Leave your comment below and well do our best to find you the answers youre looking for! So you need to find an insurer that covers travel disruption due to COVID-19, World Nomads, Safety Wing, or Travel Insurance Master are the ones to go for. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This article may contain affiliate / compensated links. As soon as a guy approached us, we paid for the boat that took us to the mangroves forest. They were swimming so close! Before you rent the car, please read the small print and make sure they have no clause in the contract telling you that you cant go off-road in the car. I am a Wanderer with G Adventures and they have great tours in Mexico. We walked around a little bit and found the first lagoon. He admitted yes, but luckily, we could follow the track on google. For people wanting to visit Sian Kaan from Tulum, there are only really two options. This colectivo will bring you to the pier, just beyond the Sian Kaan entrance and visitors center. Looking down into the shallow water, I can see hundreds of small fish swimming. This is why its often referred to as the Tulum nature reserve, but this isnt strictly true as Sian Kaan National Park is past Tulum.
There are quite a few tours you can do from Tulum that will take you to Sian Kaan.
I can see the mangroves close-up, the way they interact with the water, and the other plants. In the water, there are manatees, turtles, and fish. There is no schedule; as soon as the Colectivo feels up, it will leave the station. There are a handful of accommodation options on the coastal side of the reserve ranging from tents on the beach for around $20 USD/night to luxury eco-villas. If you alo go to the Muyil Mayan ruins, there is an extra entrance fee of $50 (US$2.60). Our self-guided day trip to Sian Kaan and Muyil Ruins: transport to/from Playa del Carmen, entry tickets, boat ride: $1.265 pesos (65US$, 59) per person. Many sites said it was worth booking a tour and quite hard to do on your own. When it comes to visiting Sian Kaan, its unlikely youll be able to see all of these. I opt for the second option, to Muyil, which is also much easier and possible as a day (or even half day) trip from Tulum. We walked along the trails, admired the ruins and took some photos. If you had to choose just one side of the reserve to visit, wed recommend prioritizing Muyil because it is logistically easier to visit and there is still plenty to see there. Drive slow, take your time, and make sure you have a spare tire and know how to change it! The rate probably wont be fixed (for a foreigner) but expect to pay about $30 (US$1.55). The drive will take you just 15 minutes from Tulum, or about an hour from Playa del Carmen to get to the entrance of the reserve. Its an effort to get to them, but Calakmul is my favourite Mayan site! I assume not. There are lakes that have formed inland and rivers that lead to the coast, with long beaches and sandy dunes. The first is to go to Punta Allen, which is on the coast and offers the opportunity to see the marine elements of the biosphere. Firstly dont just rent any old car, get a 44. If you do decide to visit Sian Kaan without a tour then you will need to get yourself to Punta Allen. Safety Wing goes the extra mile and covers quarantine outside your home for up to 10 days, they also have a really handy map on their website showing requirements and restrictions for each country. Dont wait for a year like I did. 307 is a frequented road and Colectivos are running quite oft here. The boardwalk only takes about 20-30 minutes and leads you through the jungle, which is a pretty cool experience in itself. Distances to Muyil Ruins from Riviera Maya: Cancun Muyil Ruins:153km, about 2 hours drive, Playa del Carmen Muyil: 83km, about 1h30 drive. However, with careful planning (and lots of driving) you can see both in one trip. If you dont do the Sian Kaan boat tour, there really isnt much point in visiting. There are also a few moderately-priced hotels in Punta Allen starting from $70 USD/night. And, with such a diverse environment, youll find a lot of different plants and animals. There are two main areas of the massive reserve that are best for exploring: Muyil and Punta Allen. We had to walk on a beautiful boardwalk for a while until we reached the boat. Your email address will not be published. So, unless you fancy spending hours of your life squished in a collective that has broken down, or is unable to pass a washed-out road, give this a miss. For me, it's becaus, Take a walk with me through one of Romania's mo, Nature is my happy place! Its relaxing and its fun. By Rental Car: This is the only way to visit Sian Kaan on your own for a single-day trip. Our SELF-GUIDED Day Trip To SIAN KAAN & MUYIL was a great and funny experience, once in a lifetime, easier to do than expected so I strongly recommend doing one when in Mexico! The reason that Sian Kaan is a Biosphere Reserve is because it is such a complex environment and a unique place of natural beauty in Mexico. The easiest and fun way is getting to Sian Kaan from Muyil as we did. The first way going to Punta Allen is much more difficult. Visiting Sian Kaan was one of the highlights of our time spent in the Riviera Maya. I am here to tell you it is a terrible idea, just for the record, but I will still tell you how to do this.
Logistically speaking, it is much easier to reach Muyil on your own. The tour takes about 2 hours in total, with much of that time spent swimming/snorkeling in the ocean. You catch it close to the ADO station in Tulum and unless you are planning on staying over in Punta Allen for a night or two I really wouldnt recommend this option. But I never stopped thinking about it. Catch the daily colectivo from the iTour Mexico travel agency in Tulum Pueblo at 2 p.m.
I just wanted to go on my own, mostly to save money. We couldnt miss this place so we climbed up to see the views. At the top, we were over the jungle canopy, and weve been rewarded with gorgeous views of the jungle and the lagoons in the distance. Ever since a friend told me about a magical tour they took in the Riviera Maya I knew I needed to tour Sian Kaan for myself. Heres everything you need to know on how to visit Sian Kaan without a tour. Im pretty sure we have all had travel plans messed up because of COVID and not all insurers covered this. maps and as soon as we approach Muyil we let our driver know. Watching the dolphins swimming in the wild like that was just incredible. You can access the Sian Kaan Biosphere from both Muyil and Punta Allen (the marina part) but the experiences are quite different. For full information, please see my disclaimerhere. By the end of our floating trip, suddenly, it began to rain. UNESCO World Heritage Sites Ive visited here. It makes a trip to Sian Kaan pretty special if you are an animal lover. For the boat ride, there is a fixed fee of $700 (US$36) per person.
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