Tulum is a moderately small town located on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in
Mexico. The city features a deep history and cultural development as evident in the ruins of the famous ancient Mayan walled city that have been well preserved. The Mayan town was once an important port serving Coba, in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.
The main tourist attraction in Tulum is the spot of the ruins of Mayan, which are set on tall cliffs on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea. El Castillo features an ancient architecture within the walled city of Mayan, built high up the cliff overlooking the blue sea below. To its left is the famous Temple of the god of winds, built upon a little cliff, too, used initially as protection and guard for Tulum's bay entrance. The ruins are surrounded by moderately dense greenery of shrubs and mangroves.
Tulum, today, is one of the most popular tourist sites, where visitors take to viewing a vast range of wildlife species and exotic animals like the iguanas and turtles, as well as the famous howler monkey. The area around Tulum is excellent for hiking and camping and other water activities like cave diving and snorkeling.
Tulum is home to wonderful beaches spread along the coast of the Caribbean Sea, attractive in their white sand and fresh turquoise blue waters. Some of the beaches are used as preservation spots for nest sea turtles. Visitors also enjoy the numerous cenotes and natural sunken waterholes.
The climate experienced in Tulum is a tropical savanna climate that is Köppen classified as Aw. The weather is defined with warm temperatures throughout the year, with minimal variations in the extremes. The weather features three seasons - a dry season, a rainy, and a hurricane season.
Between
November and
April, Tulum experiences its dry season, although rainfall is still received in small amounts. The driest month is
March with a low collection of 31.1mm (1.2") in precipitation and only three rainy days. The temperature during this season averages high of 30.1°C (86.2°F) and lows of 18.3°C (64.9°F).
The rainy season begins in
May and extends through
October, covering the entire summer and part of autumn. This period has the highest temperature in highs of 32.1°C (89.8°F) and lows of 21.9°C (71.4°F). Rainfall is heavy, falling for not less than eight days per month to collect an average of 135.1mm (5.3") per month. The rainiest month is October, with a high 178.3mm (7") in precipitation and up to thirteen rainy days.
Tulum is an all-year-round travel destination, seeing that its climate is warm and pleasant throughout the year. However, the peak travel seasons are between November and
January and between March and April. This is because during summer, from
June to
August, the weather is hot, and there is a high chance of rainfall, interrupting the tours around Tulum. Between June and
September is the hurricane period, posing a possible danger to visitors.
One of the main events held in Tulum is the Sea Turtle Festival, also known as the Festival de la Tortuga Marina. During this time, the sea turtles are released, and other conservation events are held in honor of the cherished sea creatures.