Chankanaab Park or Tulum?

[Marlena777]

We will be arriving in Cozumel on Friday, December 17th at 8 a.m. Our ship will depart at 6 p.m. We are trying to decide whether to go to Chankanaab Park or Tulum. Do you have any suggestions or comments? We are planning to do our excursion on our own. We are adventurous folks that like the history of Tulum and the beauty of Chankanaab, so it is very hard to decide. Also, we are planning to go snorkeling at Sting Ray city in the Cayman Islands the day before. Let me know what you think!

 

Thanks for your input!

[kathy7558]

Keep in mind that to go to Tulum from Cozumel requires a ferry ride to the mainland at Play del Carmen and then a taxi or rental car to Tulum. You're probably looking at 2 to 2 1/2 hours each way depending on the ferry schedule. Carnival's excursion to Tulum from Cozumel says a 40 minute ferry ride and then a 1 hour bus ride to get there.

 

I've read many threads here that say it's worth it, but I just don't think spending 4 - 5 hours of my day in Cozumel traveling is what I want to do.

 

Hope you enjoy whatever you choose. :D

[CozSally]

Well, it's apples and oranges, isn't it? Both are wonderful places to visit, offering completely different things. I would read the threads written by those who have gone to Tulum on their own, specifically:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=58516&highlight=tulum

 

and the threads it references. This will give you a better idea of what's involved.

 

Enjoy yourselves, wherever you go!

[solita]

The bus from Tulum doesn't run often. I had to wait a couple of hours to return to Cancun. Not a big deal if you want to spend the money on taxi fare though.

[Marlena777]

It is hard to decide. I mean both are supposed to be spectacular places. I wish there was a definite better choice, so then deciding wouldn't be so hard!

[BobbieSu]

I'm with Kathy. I'd love to see Tulum. That was my first choice until I found out how long it would take to get there. I've decided instead to see Cozumel.

 

Su

[pennstategal]

Definately don't do Tulum on your own. It's too far away and requires several modes of transportation where something could go wrong. You wouldn't want to miss the ship.

I've done both, C. park on own from ship in Cozumel and Tulum on own when we were doing a land vacation in Cancun. Both are great but on the cruise, stick with C. park, just safer!

Pennstategal

[zookeeper]

Please no one get mad at me! Since you asked, here's my opinion! We did Tulum last November and absolutely loved it. My 17 year old son told me that he's seen the view from Tulum looking out at the ocean on his history book and many other places since our trip and he thinks is was the prettiest place he's ever been and he was born and lived in Hawaii for 9 years! That being said, Tulum or the "beach" -- what to do? How often can you see Myan ruins? We can play on a beach at many opportunities--especially on a cruise, but the opportunity to go to such an historic site comes along only once-in-awhile. Yes the drive to Tulum is long; however, you see the way the "real" Mexicans live and the ruins are spectacular. I'd got to Tulum this time and do like we are, go back again the next year and hit the beach! Either way, I know you'll have a great time! Oh yes, it is a long excursion to Tulum; therefore, I wouldn't even consider doing a tour one my own--use the one from the ship so you won't get left behind!

[Marlena777]

Any more comments on this topic?

[les888lie]

There is an awesome tour that features the ruins and snorkeling. You visit both Tulum and Xel-Ha. Althought it usually $100, it is well worth it. We took the tour while staying in Playa Del Carmen last year, but I noticed that it is offered from Cozumel on my RCCL cruise in January. Xel-Ha is this HUGE amazing park where you can snorkel, and it a very nice protected bay.

[les888lie]

I forgot to mention, I think the Xel-Ha/Tulum tour runs from 9am-5pm, so it is long, but it should fit within your time frame.

[RedSoxWon]

I went to Tulum ten years ago on a Dolphin Cruise Line excursion. Here's what I remember. Our ship was anchored between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. We took a tender to PDC and were met by a guide on the pier and then walked for about ten minutes through PDC (not a nice walk) to a waiting bus. The bus ride took about 45 minutes if I remember correctly, with a quick stop at a bathroom and tourist stand.

 

Tulum is beautiful and interesting beyond belief. There were a couple of temples that we could climb, and our guide gave us a very intersting and informative tour. There is a way to get down to the beach and I wish I had done that. Some people said it was the highlight of the trip, with scores of lizards sunning on rocks and a view of the largest temple high on the cliff above you. Tulum is built on a cliff and the view from the top is spectacular. This portion of the excursion was one of the highlights of our trip. I still keep a picture of the major temple with the turquoise sea in the background on my desk at work.

 

Our excursion was a combo, Tulum and Xel Ha, which means something like where the river meets the sea. Basically, it is a lagoon with crystal clear water. They don't even allow sunscreen so as not to cloud the water at all. It was a great place to go swimming. There was also a small, quaint zoo there. The monkeys swung right up to the bars of their cages so they could be scratched. There was also a few rows of stands selling stuff. I bought a ceramic mask, and should have bought a blanket I liked, but the vendor would not come down to my price.

 

All of this was ten years ago, so I don't know if things have changed, but I hope this helps.

[Ag_Cruiser]

We've been to both . . . twice to Chankanaab and once to Tulum. We, too, did the Tulum/Xel-Ha excursion on Carnival from Calica or Playa del Carmen (can't remember which). Both are outstanding, but if I had to go from Cozumel, I'd go to Chankanaab.

 

Tulum is a long ways off and you'd spend most of your time in transit. The ruins are cool, the view is breathtaking (my wallpaper on my home computer is a picture I took from behind the main temple in Tulum . . . it's the prettiest view I've ever seen!). It is definately a great trip. But, as has been stated, you'd take 4 hours roundtrip out of your day . . . meaning the rest of the time would be rushed. The beach there is beautiful (though small), but after you've toured the ruins you're going to be through . . . not much else there. [Edit: And you can't climb the ruins anymore, so that's a bummer.]

 

Chankanaab, on the other hand, is a short taxi or scooter (which we prefer . . . we're adventurous I guess!) ride from the cruise terminal. You can see some shipped-in ruins there and then spend time on the beach. The snorkeling is pretty good, depending on how many people are around, and it's a lot of fun. We spent a couple of hours there both times we went and had a blast! The great thing is, once you're through you can go back into town, go to Paradise Beach, go to Dzul Ha . . . whatever! It's entireley up to you and you can determine what you do and when you do it! That, to me, is a huge advantage.

 

I'd recommend Chankanaab and then a stop downtown for food, drinks and shopping. Cozumel may be one of my favorite places ever, and you can see a lot of it if you rent a scooter (or jeep) and roam around.

[cruzme]

If you go on your own to Chankanaab Park, where do you rent snorkeling equipment? And motor skooters? And how do you know how to get there once in Cozumel? Would you recommend this over using one of the dive companies like Eagle Ray Divers? Thanks for any help.

[CozSally]

Please, please, please do NOT rent a scooter. Everyday here in Cozumel, people are scraped up off the roads as a result of moped accidents.

 

Sally's Top Ten Reasons Not to Rent a Moped

 

10. Most Cozumel streets are one way, except where they aren't.

 

9. Most north-south streets have the right of way, except where they don't.

 

8. Patches of gravel appear in the most unlikely spots, making it easy to skid and topple.

 

7. The brakes on most of the rentals are not in "perfect" condition.

 

6. Beautiful seaside vistas take your breath away, and your attention off the road.

 

5. Many tourists have just been to Carlos 'n' Charlie's and are now behind the wheel of a car.

 

4. Taxis are racing to see how many fares they can transport in one day.

 

3. Mopeds have a short wheel base which makes them less maneuverable than, say, a motorcycle. (That's for all of you thinking that if you have a motorcycle license, a moped is a piece of cake.)

 

2. Mopeds do not have adequate acceleration to get you out of a potentially dangerous situation. (Again, for the motorcyclists out there, you understand what I mean.)

 

1. Given 2-10, a little road rash is enough to ruin any vacation. Going home in a box falls into another category.

 

Please be safe, spend a little more and surround yourself with a rental car. Return from your vacation in one piece. Mopeds are not an adventure, they are a danger.

 

Getting down from my soapbox now...

[LSUtraveler]

We did Tulum on one of our cruises when the ship stopped in Playa del Carmen and then went on to Cozumel. We loved Tulum and glad we didn't miss it. For some it is well worth the trip. No problems with the bus ride there or back. When we went it was very hot but again well worth it.

We had time to do a little shopping in Cozumel after that.

Next trip we just went into Cozumel and did the jeep on our own tour. Great also. Since then we've been on two more of the same cruises and only stop in Cozumel because of the kids but Tulum is a tour that was well worth it.

[CruzinPat]

Just got back from a stop in cozumel and did Tulum on our own with the information we got right here on the boards. It might depend on how much time you have in port but we had no problem at all and feel it was well worth it. The photo ops and adventure are phenomenal! Had to take a taxi, ferry and bus both ways with no problems encountered. Could have taken a taxi instead of the bus to save time but costs more. We were off the ship at 8:30am and were at Tulum by 11:45am. Ferries run every hour and buses run every half hour. Spent 1.5 hours exploring the ruins which were incredible and we were back to the port by 4:45pm and had time to shop at the pier. There were 6 of us in our group and the total cost per person was about $38 US. Really glad we did this one!

[CozInsiderJacq]

Since you will be in Cozumel already, I would suggest going to Chankanaab. If you are set on visiting Tulum...or anywhere on the mainland, I would recommend booking it through your ship. It may be more crowded, but if for some reason you are late getting back the ship will wait.... if you book on your own they won't.