Hello,
Going to Playa del Carmen...just wondering if anyone has any tips/suggestions for which tour or thing to do:
When going to Xel-Ha, is it cheaper/better/more efficient to buy tickets online, then take the bus there? Or take a tour there? and is it easy to use the bus system?
Same with Tulum?
And has anyone done the Fat Cat or Hidden World tours? Thanks!

Hello. We did Selvatica zip lines and enjoyed it.

We also went to Dos Ojos near Hidden Worlds, but Hidden Worlds is advertising $33 for zip line, snorkeling [doesn't include the sky cycle]. I think that would be a great deal.

TULUM is NOT to be missed...mostly I'm talking about hanging on the beach. You can take an ADO bus there for CHEAP [$3 I believe each way] from Playa. They have a nice bus station both places. There might be a bus to the ruins as well. We bused to the town and then caught a cab right outside the bus station.

If you're doing the ruins, get there EARLY or go to beach for the day and stay late for the new night light show but mid morning is crazy busy. Ideally you're out of there by 9:30 or 10am and catching a cab to Zazil Kin or El Paraiso beach areas to CHILL and enjoy. Mayan grill for a nice late lunch and incredible view. Grab a drink during happy hour at Mezzanine [it's early in the afternoon]. You can even go farther South [by cab] to check out La Zebra's fantastic margaritas and mojitos [they use a real sugar cane press] and roam the beach forever.

You can also catch the bus to Hidden Worlds from Playa I believe. They have a detailed schedule. It's great.

I believe I saw Xel-ha on the bus schedule when I was there. But again do a search to verify.

Have you checked out tulum.info, playa.info and locogringo.com. All great resources.

Trish

Here's my trip report in case you're interested.

http://www.tulum.info/showthread.php?t=2245

Okay so do you advise doing Tulum by ourselves, on our own? It seems cheaper, and this way we can lounge on the beach which I hear is great?
There is a Tulum & Beyond tour which is $107 with tour, transportation, food/drinks, and snorkeling in 2 cenotes....not sure whether to do that, or do Tulum on our own? How much is entrance into Tulum? What would approximate price for the day be alone? Thanks so much! GREAT report, very helpful!

There is also a large Mayan ruin site across the road from Xel-ha. It is quite different than the ones at Tulum and others that are popular tourist attractions. This one is more "unimproved" and you can get up close. When we were there, there was only 1 other car in the parking lot. If you are at Xel ha, give it an hour or so.

Pictures of the Xel ha ruins:
www.flickr.com/photos/basingstoke2/collections

Click on the Mexico collection and the Xel ha set will be there.

Hi, chgeeb -

The ruins at Tulum are easy to visit on your own. Sorry, but I don't remember the entrance fee.

I took the Hidden Worlds cenote snorkeling tour, and enjoyed it.

Hope that helps!

The tulum & beyond tour is through yucatreks I believe & is highly regarded. BUT you can easily spend the day on your own. the people who run playa.info do the tour so obviously it's popular there. If we were not staying in Tulum, I would have seriously thought about it. It's a small group so that is nice, as opposted to Alltournatives who sometimes take multiple buses to locations.

We were in and out in 30-45 minutes...we spent the majority of the time enjoying the northern beach area. BEAUTIFUL.

Oh, another trip for you to try to squeeze in....Akumal. It's also beautiful. You can hop on a bus to Akumal also. It's in between PDC and Tulum. You are supposed to be able to swim with sea turtles there ... in the wild. We tried for over an hour but never found one to my bummer.

Also, if you're going Jun - Sept. you can head up to Isla Mujeres to swim with WHALE SHARKS. It sounds incredible. And sadly we went in May and they would not offer it until end of May. Boo Hoo.

Trish

this sounds great! Does anyone know when the best time is to see turtles in Akumal?

If you're lucky, you can see turtles any time in Akumal. I think the previous post is referring to a natural lagoon called Yal-ku.

Yal-ku is a beautiful place with many tropical fish. It is owned by a local family and they have done a nice job of trying to provide access without much impact. We actually prefer Yal-ku to Xel-ha. It's much less theme park and natural.

When we first went there, there was a minimal fee and there was not any guarded parking. There is now a little higher fee with guarded parking and a snack bar. You can take you own snorkel gear or rent from them. We loved it so much that the next time, we stayed a week in Akumal and rented a house that you'll see on the way to the lagoon called "Casa Iguana."

Also on the way to Yal-ku, you will pass a beach bar and restaurant on the right called "La Buena Vida." Stop here for an incredible view, a fresh squeezed margarita, and the best ceviche you'll ever encounter while your toes are in the sand! Don't forget to buy a shirt. Their motto is Carpe Manana! Swings at the bar and a sea monster skeleton hanging over the bartender's head make this a fun find! We had so much fun here that we named our lake house "La Buena Vida" and our boat "Carpe Manana."

I digress....

Once you enter the lagoon, when you swim upstream, toward the mainland, you will encounter "agua dulce" or sweet water. The crystal clear salt water becomes a little "wiggly" in your view when it mixes with a fresh water stream that feeds into the lagoon. If you swim toward the ocean, where the lagoon lets out and the ocean rushes in, stay to the south side of the lagoon. That is where you are most likely to see turtles.

There are more fish and fewer visitors in the early mornings!

Have fun!