The watchtower of El Castillo (The Castle) is the tallest building among Tulum’s Maya remains
See Maya ruins on Mexico’s coast
The classic daydream of a lost Maya city involves pushing through a steamy jungle to a soundtrack of toucans and howler monkeys, before parting back the leaves of some enormous plant to reveal a pyramid decorated with grimacing stone skulls. Tulum’s neighbouring forest is more restrained, but this Maya site has something that the other famous ancient cities of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula lack: a beachside setting. Down the Caribbean Sea coast from Cancún, Tulum has kept its coastal resorts sparser and more low-rise, with the modern town situated a discreet mile-and-a-half inland. At the archaeological site, crumbling stone structures are dotted around an open setting under swaying palms. Unlike many other Maya cities, already abandoned when the Spanish arrived, Tulum lasted until the 16th century. Away from the ruins and miles of golden sand, the Sian Ka’an reserve is home to jaguars, tapirs and a myriad bird species living among the mangroves.