10 Day Tulum, Cancun, & Chichen Itza Itinerary
Updated: Jul 8, 2021
We understand not everyone has the same schedule or same plans in mind. If you want to skip to a certain place, feel free to click a location below and skip ahead.
Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico
Where to Stay: Stay at an Airbnb: https://abnb.me/K4M5JmUGygb.
Our Review on Airbnb: Such a great and excellent host, his location is prime and his availability and attention are second to none! Lovely home as well, quite quaint :)
Day 1
Arrival & Check-in
Land in Cancun and pick up your vehicle from the car rental, exchange money, and drive to your Airbnb in Valladolid.
Unwind, go out and explore downtown, and prep for an early morning.
(We rented our car from Easy Way Cancun Car Rental after reading several reviews. But our experience wasn't as smooth as others which is why we're not recommending them. But if you decide to give them a try, there is a money exchange place right outside of their rental agency or else you can exchange your money at the airport).
Day 2
Visit Cenote Suytun and Las Coloradas
Cenote Suytun opens at 9am but if you get there earlier, they will usually let you in. From the parking lot you have to walk a little ways in and down some steps to get to the cenote. Depending on the time of year, you will be able to walk onto the platform and capture pictures and swim around OR you can swim on the platform and take pictures with the sunlight peaking in.
Cost: Cenote Suytun costs 120 pesos per person which includes parking and a lifejacket rental.
After the cenote, take a 2 hour drive to Las Coloradas. The best time to visit is around noon when the sun is shining brightly, making the pink color stand out even more. There are two areas you can visit here, one is the pink saltwater and the other is the quiet, peaceful area where the flamingos roam in the water. Each side has its own fee and rules.
For the pink saltwater area you can only visit for 30 minutes at a time and no tripods or drones are allowed. This time frame is to ensure your safety in order to avoid anyone from fainting in the scorching, dry heat. For the flamingo side, a tour guide riding on his scooter will show you where to drive. He will signal when to slow down and stop as to not scare the flamingos off. When he says its okay, you can get out of the vehicle, quietly and walk over to the lake to take photos.
Cost: We honestly think they change their prices whenever they feel like it. But you can expect to pay 300-500 pesos between seeing both the pink lake and flamingos.
Day 3 (Part One)
Chichen Itza and Cenote Ik-Kil
Chichen Itzá opens at 8am and is 40 minutes away from the airbnb we mentioned above. Tour buses only arrive after 9am so it's best to wake up early and visit this wonder of the world. We were able to see the pyramid so peacefully and leave by 9:30am before it got crowded.
Cost: For foreigners the tickets are $25 or 497 pesos. Ticket prices are the same online and in person so we chose to purchase at the ticket booth. The credit card machine doesn’t work at times so its better to pay in dollars/pesos.
Cenote Ik-Kil is 5 minutes away from Chichen Itza and it's another unique cenote to visit. Once you enter and put your belongings into the locker, you must rinse yourself off of any lotions, makeup, etc. before walking down several steps to the cenote. This is also one of the deeper cenotes at 150 feet (45 meters). This makes it a fun place to jump into the water. There are stairs that you can climb up if you are looking to jump. Don't worry, with a lifejacket and lifeguards on duty it is a safe place to go diving.
Cost: 150 pesos per person which includes a lifejacket and locker rental.
Once you're done at the cenote, head back to the airbnb, and get ready to check out. Then drive to Cancun for the weekend.
Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Now that you've experienced a bit of what Valladolid has to offer, it's time to make your way to Cancun. This drive is about 3 hours long, we did this because we wanted to party in Cancun. If you want to save some time and/or want to leave Cancun for the end of your trip then head to Tulum. (skip to day 7)
Day 3 (Part Two)
Where to Stay: Ocean Dream Cancun by GuruHotel
Our Review on Booking.com:
Pros: I loved how close it was to the beach and the party strip. This made our stay in Cancún very easy, from having a place to park to being able to enjoy the beach and party without having to worry about getting back!
Cons: If I had to choose, I’d say the bathroom looks a little old and decrepit.
Day 4 & 5
Chac Mool Beach
If you're staying at Ocean Dream then it's already part of Chac Mool Beach but if you're staying nearby then make your way over to Chac Mool Beach. This beach is perfect for swimming, surfing, or for any water activity, such as jet skiing or parasailing, that you may want to try out while here. It's also near some good beach bars and restaurants.
Lunch/Dinner: Try out The Surfin' Burrito, it is a great place for food and drinks and right at the heart of Chac Mool Beach. We enjoyed the chicken tacos, their chicken quesadillas, and the create your own burritos.
Nightlife: Some of the places that we visited and loved were Mandala Beach Club, La Vaquita, and Señor Frogs. They all had great music and a fun atmosphere. Drinks were pretty well priced too.
Day 6
Playa Delfines
If you want to see some dolphins, drive down to Playa Delfines. The nearby parking lots are free. We can't guarantee you'll see dolphins but that is what this beach is known for. We arrived mid-day when the beach was already crowded. After waiting for a bit and not seeing any dolphins we decided to go back to the beach at our hotel and just relax.
Some things we didn't do in Cancun that might interest you are:
The Cancun Scenic Tower which is said to offer amazing views of the coast and Cancun Downtown. It's open from 9am-9pm every day.
Mercado 28 is in the heart of downtown Cancun and is a huge shopping center with just about everything.
Underwater Museum or MUSA is an underwater attraction filled with about 500 sculptures. There are different types of tours you can book depending on the amount of snorkeling you want to do.
Day 7 (Part One)
Sunrise Swim
Waking up early and catching the sunrise on the beach is one of our favorite memories in Cancun. The water isn't too cold and makes for a great couple of hours of swimming and sunbathing in Cancun before checking out.
Once you've enjoyed your morning, head back to your room, check out, and drive down to Tulum.
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Day 7 (Part Two)
Check into hotel, unwind, explore downtown.
Where to Stay: Hotel Biwa Tulum
Our Review on Booking.com:
Pros: The junior suite was very spacious, exceptionally clean, and had wonderful little touches. The shower was beautiful and water pressure was great. We enjoyed the pool and rooftop very much. The food at the restaurant downstairs was delicious. Staff was friendly. The drive to the beach and nearby attractions wasn’t too far. Overall we really enjoyed our stay and would recommend to others.
Cons: The wifi didn’t work at times. The power seems to go out every night for a second throughout the whole town. And the view from our suite of the streets wasn’t that great. The tiny parking lot did make it a bit of a hassle to find parking at times.
Dinner: Try Burrito Amor, the burritos are delicious especially paired with their sauces.