This article is part of our VICE Weekends summer series, presented by WeisThe secret is well and truly out about Tulum. It's a known destination for those who want to do yoga on a surfboard in the ocean, experience the most authentic tacos al pastor out there, and explore an ancient city with Mayan ruins that date back to 564AD. It's a place so enticing it was chosen by otherworldly artist FKA Twigs as the backdrop to her video for 'Hide' and most recently, by Michelin-starred forager René Redzepi as the home of his third Noma pop-up.
Advertisement
The eco-friendly resort town is located two hours south of Cancun, one hour south of Playa del Carmen, and smack bang between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea. It's lauded for its warm blue waves, coral reefs, ancient ruins, and the very wow nature biosphere Sian Ka'an, which is not surprisingly an UNESCO World Heritage Site.There's plenty of places to relax with a plate of chilaquiles and almost endless yoga classes to get your namaste on, but there's a few other things you should make time for. The Coba Mayan ruins are vital so you can leave Tulum with an understanding of the ancient city and the people who built it, not just wonderful memories of eating fresh ceviche in a hammock at Chamico's. Get a tour guide to walk you through, otherwise you're just looking at rocks and trees. Once you finish the super-fascinating Coba history lesson, rent a bike and peddle over to the big pyramid and hike to the top to check out the serenity.If you're an early riser head to Akumal, rent a snorkel, and go swimming with the turtles. Don't worry about hiring a guide to accompany you for this one, just swim in the exact opposite direction to all the tour groups and you're bound to find some cool turts chilling. While we're talking water sports, another must-do activity is diving into as many cenotes as possible. Tara Reid gets it. These natural sinkholes form when the roof of a cave collapses and they make for an excellent day trip adventure. Dos Ojos is one of the largest of its kind in the world, so it's a fun place for scuba divers and cave swimmers alike.
Advertisement
When it comes to dinner, queue to eat at Hartwood if you dare. It'll probably be the open fire-cooked meal of your year, but you'll need a lot of patience if you don't get there early. If you're not down to clown with that kind of wait, try Simple because it's just down the road and it's great. The ultimate move is eating tacos at La Chiapaneca.You can follow Ariel Katz on InstagramThis article is presented by Weis