11 Great Things to Do with Kids in Tulum, Mexico

Written By Wandering Roots

Activities for family members big and small in the southern end of the Riviera Maya

In our opinion, Tulum is all the best aspects of Mexico’s Yucatan come together - truly turquoise ocean, white sand beaches, intense jungle, stunning cenotes, and incredible archeological ruins. stunning beaches, vibrant cenotes. Situated at the southern most end of the Riviera, Tulum is most well known for its ancient Mayan ruins overlooking the ocean and its commitment to eco-friendly tourism. The town of Tulum itself has relaxed, bohemian vibe and some wonderful local markets.

This post outlines our favorite things for families and groups with kids to do in and around Tulum as well as a little north up the road to the growing area of Akumal - there really is something here for every member of the family!

If you’re hungry for more, don’t miss the links at the end of the article for even more things to do. Playa del Carmen is just an hour up the highway, with Isla Cozumel just a short boat ride from there, or head west into the jungle to Wonder of the World Chichen Itza.

🛕Tour Tulum’s Ruins

Tulum (meaning “wall”) is named after its pre-Colombian archaeological site situated on 12-meter-tall cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea and surrounded by - you guessed it - an intense wall. The location is unbeatable. Of course, our kids most enjoyed the many iguanas bathing in the sun and pretending to be Indiana Jones.

A few things we wish we’d known beforehand:

  • You buy 2 different tickets to see the ruins - the first here, which grants you entry to the archaeological zone. Then you walk (or bike, which you can rent here - we recommend bikes if possible!) down a long path toward the beach and buy a second ticket here to enter the ruins. If you have very little ones, we definitely recommend bringing your stroller.

  • Like many historical sites in Mexico, there are few signs explaining what you’re looking at, and you’re allowed to walk around the ruins on designated paths as you see fit. Either read up about the site ahead of time, or hire a tour guide when you buy your second ticket outside the ruins.

  • There is very little shade - definitely wear sunscreens and hats!

  • There is nowhere to buy food or water in or immediately nearby the ruins - take what you need (especially water).

  • You cannot go down to Tulum’s beach from the ruins site. You can take a right hand turn to walk around the ruins and down to a beach. To snorkel offshore, you should join a private tour - here is one such option.

PS. If you’re hungry for more ruins, Coba is a spectacular site just an hour away - scroll down in this article for more info on Coba. Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are two other major sites but are more of a trek from Tulum - see our post here for details on those.

💦Check out the stunning Cenotes!

Cenote Zemway

Cenotes are natural limestone pools, sometimes in the open and sometimes in caves; pronounced “seh-no-tays”. They often have spectacularly clear water, allowing you to see the bottom easily. In our opinion, cenotes are a “must do” for any traveler to the Riviera Maya, and Tulum has numerous great cenote options including:

…and many more - just search ‘cenote’' on Google Maps, and check out reviewers’ photos for ones that suite your family. Every cenote is a new adventure - our kids never got tired of checking out new ones!

Some important things to (ce)note :)

  • All cenotes we’ve gone to provide life jackets (and require that you use them), so its not necessary that any kiddos be particularly good swimmers.

  • Bring cash - many cenotes do not take cards.

  • Know that, depending where you go, there may not be cell signal once there - make sure you have an non-internet-dependent return transportation options :) PS. I’m sure the cenote staff are used to tourists getting stranded without signal for Uber and will help you find a solution - we can go on for days about how kind and gracious Mexico’s people are.

🎆Splurge on XCaret’s Xel-Há Theme Park

XCaret is a huge attraction in Playa del Carmen (about an hour up the road from Tulum) that is like a combination of beach resort, zoo, archaeological area, and theme park. With XCaret’s success (and often being sold out), the XCaret company has opened additional new themed parks.

The park just north of Tulum is called Xel-Há. Fitting with Tulum’s eco-friendly vibes, its a mostly natural, all-inclusive water park paradise with abundant wildlife, water slides, zip lines, caves, snorkeling and diving (“snuba”), and more.

A buffet lunch is included in the price. As with everything XCaret, this if for kids 5+. Here is one good ticket option but do shop around for a combo that suits your interests.

If you’re curious about the other Riviera XCaret parks: XCaret, Xplor and Xenses are covered in our Playa del Carmen with kids post here. Xoximilco and Xavage in Cancun are two - we cover them in our Cancun-focused post Cancun with kids post. The XCaret company also offers various tours (Xenotes to various cenotes, Xichen to Chichen Itza, and to Tulum and Coba) - we don’t recommend these here because you can do them all yourself at far lower cost (and we cover them in our blog!) but if you’re interested, all the info is here.

🌳Explore Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (meaning “where the sky is born”) is a beautiful but not very well known UNESCO World Heritage Site south of Tulum. The biosphere is home to spider and howler monkeys, crocodiles, tapirs, turtles, giant land crabs, 330 species of birds, manatees, and 406 fish species.

You can easily pay entry and do your own tour - there are hundreds of trails and boardwalks through jungle and wetlands. You can canoe or take power boats through the mangrove lagoons. There are also many tours available if that is more your speed; here is just one option.

🐚Bask at the Beach & Bask out in the Waves

This kind of goes without saying, but Tulum’s spectacular beaches make for a great day with the kids. These are the best ones for swimming:

Two things worth noting on beach-ing in general:

  • ‘Private beaches’: While some hotels like to stake out beaches in a way that makes it seem they are private, all beaches are public under Mexican law. Enjoy the sun and surf in whatever spot you like!

  • Beach toys/gear: You can of course bring your beach/sand toys from home, but many hotels and AirBNBs have toys for guests’ use (try messaging them to ask if you’re worried). The many local shops offer a great variety as well.

🐢 Hang out with Turtles on the Beach or in the Ocean

June to October is turtle breeding season and the beaches from Tulum to Akumal beaches are very popular turtle nesting sites! If you’re lucky early in the season, you’ll see loggerhead, green, and/or hawksbill turtle moms making their way up the beach to dig their nests and lay their eggs on the same beach they came from! Later in the season, you may get to see the babies making their mad dash to the waves (and even help some along the way). Be sure to keep calm and listen to any conservationists’ directions!

If you want to snorkel with turtles, we suggest joining a tour that can check out favorite turtle spots to (almost) guarantee you’ll see them - here’s a great tour option.

🐬 See & swim with dolphins in Akumal

Dolphin Discovery just a little ways up the coastal highway in the small-but-growing town of Akumal offers the opportunity to swim and interact with happy, well-kept dolphins in a lovely new facility with beautiful views. Its also special for its MIRACLE program certification: all the dolphins there are born and raised under human care with the objective of preserving and better understanding marine life. There are a few different packages to pick from - their FAQs (bottom of the page linked above) are helpful in determining which kinds of activities are suited to your family members. We recommend reserving ahead of time to make sure you have a spot.

Important note: Don’t put sunscreen, oil, fragrance, or lotion before you go! These can irritate the dolphins’ skin! Just bring your swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes :)

🐒Visit the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary

Akumal is a little ways north on the highway, and the Monkey Sanctuary is a big hit with kids and has many different animals - not only monkeys! They’ve rescued and rehabilitated over 55 different species of animals. They have a few different tour packages to pick from, some including cenotes, ATVs, and/or snorkeling!

The core monkey sanctuary tours shows off over 50 animals, with the chance to interact with parrots, snakes, and monkeys. Important note: They ask that you use biodegradable sunscreen and/or insect repellent to reduce harm to the animals you touch.

Here’s a tour where they pick you up from Tulum, if you don’t have your own transport :)

⚱️More Ruins, you say? Go see Coba!

If you loved Tulum and want to see more ruins (but maybe don’t want to make the long drive out to Chichen Itza), one of the most interesting archeological sites in the Yucatan, Coba, is only a 1-hour drive from Tulum. The city flourished from 300-1000 AD, once housing ~40,000 people, and sits at the center of the sacbeob (“white roads”) network of stone roads connecting Mayan settlements to each other across the peninsula. As with most Mesoamerican sites, only a portion of Coba has been excavated and much is still covered by jungle (and feels like a Tomb Raider movie).

Go early to get the least crowdy experience. There are 3 group of buildings with long walks between them - if seeing all of them is important to you, we recommend renting a bike, and definitely take a stroller if you have very little ones. The two major attractions are the ballcourt and the grand pyramid called Nohoch Mul, which is the 2nd largest pyramid in the Yucatan rising 138ft/42m). If you have the courage and stamina to climb Nohoch Mul’s many and old steps, there is an amazing view of the jungle from the top. - just remember that the scarier part of these steps is actually the coming down, not the going up. If you prefer, there are many good tour options that include lunch and transport - here is one.

Add a cenote to your day-trip! As you drive into the peninsula, the cenotes generally get deeper - rather than open-to-the-sky pools, they are often in caves. Cenotes Choo-Ha, Tankach-Ha, and Multun-Ha are very close to Coba and lovely for swimming and snorkeling.

Other posts you may enjoy!

There is so much more to do with kids if you head north or inland - check out our other posts below and make a day trip of it!

Keep in mind for getting around the Maya Riviera and inland: Mexico has been building the Maya Train (Tren Maya) for the past few years, and they’re making speedy progress. Soon, visitors will be able to expediently visit all of these spots via the train. For more and updated information, go here.

Also check out our Post Directory for a full listing of our articles to date

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