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Is There Uber In Tulum? No > 7 Alternative Ways to Get Around

ByKatie Caf Updated on

There are not currently any Uber or ride-sharing apps in Tulum. This is because the local Taxi Mafia pushed out all the ride-sharing apps so they could charge higher prices in tourist areas. It’s rumored that taxi drivers in Tulum make more than doctors because they charge such high prices! Other places in Mexico where more locals live, like Merida, Oaxaca, and Mexico City, have a variety of ride-sharing apps like Uber, Didi, and Cabify, but not the more touristic areas like Tulum and Cancun.

✔️ Essential Info: 8 Main Ways to Get Around

  • ➡️ There is no Uber in Tulum
  • 🚕 Uber Alternative: Local taxis – Must negotiate rate before getting in the cab & pay with Mexican Pesos (cash).
  • 🚶‍♀️Walking: Best for getting around Tulum Centro. 
  • 🚐 Shared Colectivos (Local Buses): Best for getting around Tulum cheaply, and from Tulum to Akumal and Playa del Carmen. 
  • 🚴‍♀️ Biking: The best way to travel within Tulum on a budget.
  • 🛵 Scooters: Hands-down best way to travel within Tulum, need to know how to drive.
  • ✈️ From the Airport: Best to arrange a private or shared transport service ahead of time as taxis at the airport can be scammy.
  • 🚗 Car Rental: Best for families traveling to Tulum. Recommend to rent a car in Cancun and drive down as there’s not much inventory in Tulum.
  • 🚌 ADO Bus: Large inter-city buses with AC. Best for traveling long distances from Tulum and taking day trips. 

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✈️ Cancun > Tulum Airport Transfer Service

There is no Uber available at Cancun Airport (fly-in city for Tulum). The taxi drivers at Cancun Airport are predatory and frequently scam tourists, so I recommend always arranging your airport transfer ahead of time

→ Book It!
Update ✶

Tulum now has its own airport! Felipe Carrillo Puerto Airport (TQO) is now open for business – That being said, lots of travelers will still be flying into Cancun Airport and making the drive into Tulum.

💸 On a budget? You can arrange a shared shuttle bus from Cancun > Tulum for a fraction of the cost Here.

How To Reach Tulum From Cancun Airport

Although Tulum now has its own local airport, if you’re traveling internationally you will most likely be flying into Cancun airport – roughly 2 hours from Tulum town. Here are the best, quickest, and cheapest ways to get from the airport to Tulum.

If you’re flying into Cancun Airport the easiest way to get to Tulum is via the ADO shuttle. Shuttles run from Cancun Airport, all terminals, to Tulum Centro and back over 4 times a day, every day, and cost between $15 – $20 each way for the 2-hour trip. 

Keep in mind that ADO buses run from Cancun Airport to Tulum regularly from 10 AM through 9 PM every day. If you’re arriving either late at night or early in the morning consider taking a private car service. Also, make sure when you book your bus it says it’s departing from “Cancun Airport” and not “Cancun Centro”.

🚌 You can book your shuttle from Cancun Airport to Tulum on BusBud.com.

The ADO only runs from Cancun Airport to Tulum between 10 AM through 9 PM. If you’re arriving at Cancun Airport either late at night or early in the morning I recommend paying a little extra and booking a round-trip shuttle to Tulum. Booking a private shuttle is also a great option if you’re traveling with kids.

👉 Book your Private Round-Trip Transfer from Cancun to Tulum

If you want to rent a car in Tulum, I recommend renting a car in Cancun and driving it to Tulum yourself because it’s very difficult to rent a car in Tulum. The drive from Cancun airport to Tulum is very easy, it’s just straight down the main Highway 307 for two hours. 

If you’re on a budget and don’t have a lot of luggage, you can take a Colectivo from Cancun to Playa del Carmen, and then another Colectivo from Playa del Carmen to Tulum. The Colectivos do not go directly from Cancun airport though, and you will first have to take a $5 ADO bus from Cancun airport to Cancun city center. The Colectivos depart for Playa del Carmen right next to the ADO station in Cancun city center. If you’re traveling late at night, I recommend booking an ADO bus or private shuttle, since Colectivos usually only run frequently between 7 AM – 9 PM. 

🚨 Make sure you have Mexican pesos to pay for your Colectivo because they only accept cash.

white taxi in quintana roo mexico
Tulum taxis are white with a red stripe (Photo by Sharon Hahn Darlin via Flickr

7 Ways to Get Around in Tulum

1. Local Taxis

The taxis in Tulum are white and there are usually enough of them that you won’t have a problem hailing one no matter where you are in town (unless you’re in a remote area in Aldea Zama or La Valeta. From there you’ll have to call a cab via Whatsapp). It’s important to know that taxis in Tulum need to be 1) paid for in cash (Mexican Pesos), and 2) that the price needs to be negotiated before you get in the cab.

📲 Here Are Some WhatsApp numbers of Taxi Drivers I Picked Up While In Tulum

  • +52 998 482 0519 
  • +52 984 215 2557
  • +52 984 165 5805
  • +52 985 138 0487
  • +52 984 319 7391

  • Should cost 50-70 pesos to go somewhere within Centro, but you will likely get asked to pay 100. You have to negotiate before getting in the cab because there are no meters.
  • Tulum Centro to Tulum Ruins should be 100 pesos, tourist price.
  • The flat rate to go from Hotel Zone to Centro is 200 pesos (10 USD) which is way overpriced for the going taxi rate but it’s a service for tourists and usually can’t be negotiated when coming from the beach, going towards the beach (from Centro) it’s more competitive and you could probably argue it down to 150 pesos.
  • Weekends: There’s a “Taxi Mafia” that decides the prices to charge, so even if it’s the same difference it will cost way more to go to a tourist destination at a prime hour. If you’re going to the Hotel/Beach zone on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night expect to pay 350 pesos, and 400 pesos ($20) to get back. Even though there are a ton of taxis, they all decided to charge these prices, so no matter how many you ask you likely won’t be able to negotiate it much.

💡 TIP: There are no meters so negotiate what you want to pay before getting in the cab.

Always check on your maps if you’re in the right place before getting off because sometimes you’ll ask to go somewhere and they’ll drop you off at somewhere similar but closer. This happened to me and my friend when we tried to visit the Muyil ruins, the driver quoted us at a high price for the farther drive to Muyil and dropped us off at Tulum ruins, which was much closer (and in the opposite direction!).

🚩 Taxi Scam II

There are a lot of these but another common one is they’ll show you a laminated piece of paper with “flat rates” to certain locations. These rates are complete BS and fake. For example, one time when I was shown an official flat rate of 140 pesos (for a 5-minute drive) I offered 70 and wound up paying 80.

Yes! It’s just as safe to take a taxi in Tulum as it is anywhere else. I would recommend using the standard white taxi cabs and Colectivos, as these are registered professionals. You’ll be able to notice them because they’re all-white taxis with a large red stripe and a number on the side. 

La Valeta and Aldea Zama are more remote residential areas of Tulum. If you’re staying in this area I recommend having a bike, scooter, or car since it’s more remote and not many Taxis drive by. If you do need a cab you can call one over WhatsApp, remember to arrange a price before they pick you up!

bike in tulum at follow that dream sign
(Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash)

2. Biking: Most Budget Option

Renting a bike in Tulum only costs $4 – $10 USD per day, $4 is the lowest you can get – you’ll likely get a rusty old bike. $10 per day gets you a nicer bike with insurance. All the companies say if you break down any time all you need to do is WhatsApp for assistance and they’ll come to you, but in my experience, that was not the case, and they only respond during business hours.If you’re staying more than 3 weeks, even if you’re renting the cheapest bike, it will make more sense to buy a bike than rent.

I tried to rent a bike in Tulum when I first got there and it was actually stolen my FIRST day! Bikes are being stolen constantly. If you leave your bike out overnight, it WILL get stolen. My friend left hers parked outside of the ADO station, on the main Street with cameras, overnight and that was stolen as well. We both only had to pay about 80 USD for replacement bikes.

  • It’s rumored that some rental companies will take down your info, rent you a bike or scooter, and then steal the bike or scooter from you so you’ll have to pay them twice.
  • Never give a rental company in Tulum your passport or ID unless you really have to. They WILL hold it hostage if something is wrong with the bike, or if they lie and say something is wrong with the bike when you return it.

I bought my bike for around 150 USD at Punto Moda in Tulum Centro. Punto Moda is cash-only. Punto Moda just closed a few months ago, but any other beach supply shop on the main road should have beach bikes. I bought it brand new and was able to sell it a few months later for $75. $75 for two months for a new bike is a much better price than if I was renting at the lowest price of $25 per week for a rusty old one.

All the bikes being sold in Tulum are 1-speed beach bikes, and they’re not good with the rough unpaved roads you’ll find in Tulum. If you want a nicer bike you’ll need to shop for it in Playa del Carmin or Cancun.

Tulum from above
Tulum from above

3. Walking

If you’re staying in the Centro area of Tulum you can easily get around to other areas by walking. The main streets in Centro all have sidewalks, and you can access the beach by walking down Avenida Coba from Centro to the Beach Zone. If you’re staying in the Hotel Zone by the beach it’s much harder to get around via walking since there’s no sidewalk. The Hotel Zone is known for being difficult to travel in since there’s just one street that wasn’t built to withstand the level of traffic it gets. 

Even though you can get around Tulum just by walking, you might not want to. Tulum is pretty spread out and the walk from Tulum Centro to the beach can easily take an hour. 

scooter in tulum mexico
The very best way to get around Tulum is by renting a scooter

4. Renting A Scooter – Overall Best Way to Get Around

Renting a scooter is hands-down the best way to travel around Tulum. Tulum was originally just a sleepy beach village, and although it has become very built-up in recent years the infrastructure hasn’t kept up. The roads are tiny and unpaved in some areas and much of the town is short on parking. 

A scooter can navigate some of the smaller unpaved roads, like the main road in the Hotel Zone, better than a car can. It also is a lot easier to park a scooter than a car. You’ll see tourists, ex-pats, and locals zipping around town on their scooters every day in Tulum because it’s the easiest way to get around. If you feel comfortable riding a scooter or have prior experience with a motorcycle, I would highly recommend renting a scooter for your trip to Tulum. 

💸 🛵 How Much Does Renting A Scooter Cost In Tulum? 

Renting a scooter can cost more than renting a car in Tulum. My Airbnb host told me a rental scooter would be about 1,000 USD per month. Since this was more than my housing cost for the month, I decided to skip it. The going rate now is $40-$50 per day, $1,200 per month, it’s an agreed-upon price between all the companies so it’s very hard to get discounts. 

👉 Book your Tulum scooter rental ahead of time by clicking here. 👈

renting cars in tulum
(Photo by Simon Tartarotti on Unsplash)

5. Renting a Car

  • Renting a budget automatic transmission car for a day should be around $30 USD, you could get it cheaper but you’d be forgoing insurance.
  • Mexico requires you to have rental car insurance. So, if you have gone through your credit card you don’t have to buy the additional one through the rental agency, if they say you do it’s a salesman tactic. Just have a printout of your travel rental insurance from your bank as proof. 
  • I double up on insurance. I read my travel card’s insurance and asked them for a printout of the rental car insurance they offer.

Now, take all the information on renting a car I just gave you and throw it out the window. It’s almost impossible to rent a car in Tulum. Read the reviews for all the rental agencies. What happens is you rent a car online, with all the specifications you want, and then when you show up they simply won’t have the car. Either there will be no cars available, and they’ll ask you to wait (while lying to you and saying all sorts of stuff about the “misunderstanding”.

This happens with every car company every day, there’s no misunderstanding). Sometimes you’ll wait for hours for a car so it’s not worth it. If they have any cars in stock it won’t be the one you ordered. 

We booked a $30-per-day compact economy car with an automatic transmission on 3 separate days with three different companies in Tulum. Every time we went they said, “Sorry that car is not in stock *insert reason* all we have is this $180 per day much nicer car”. That, of course, is a complete scam and it’s often cheaper to take cabs everywhere you need to go.

The absolute cheapest we got was $80 per day, and it simply wasn’t worth it once you factor in the other risks of driving yourself since rental companies (and police) are corrupt and predatory in the Cancun area.

Scarcity drives up prices; they intentionally never have enough cars in stock in Tulum so people will pay 5X the price for the “one car left”. You’ll have better luck renting a car in Playa or Cancun where they have more inventory.

✅ Don’t do it! If you want to rent a car for your travels in Tulum, do it in Cancun when you fly into Cancun Airport. From there you can drive it the two hours to Tulum. There’s a much better selection of rental cars in Cancun than in Tulum. 

You can get the legally required insurance for Mexico through your travel credit card. I had Bank of America send me a formal letter about my included rental car insurance in Spanish so there would be no misunderstanding.

The kicker here is usually you’ll have to put the cost of the damage on your card and wait for the travel card company to reimburse you. A lot of the time the rental company will put a huge hold on your card as well (I’ve read it’s $5,000).

This should cover the legally required insurance in Mexico. You can also opt for additional insurance from your rental company, which they will say is obligatory (but it is not if you’re also providing insurance from your card).

  • Crooked Cops: Even for Mexican citizens, cops in the Cancun area will hold up tourists for bribes. Usually demanding $20-50 USD. Don’t give them your passport because they’ll hold it hostage for more money. carry a copy of your passport if you plan on renting a car in Tulum.
  • Fake Damage: Bike, scooter, and rental companies all do this. If you return a car damaged in any way they’ll say it was you who damaged it even if it came like that. If they have your Passport or ID, they’ll hold it hostage for a crazy amount of cash. Rental places are SO predatory in the Cancun area. I’ve had someone try to scam me out of $20 just for a snorkel rental.

💡 TIP: Take time-stamped photos & videos every time you rent anything in Mexico in case they try to scam you after by saying you’re returning damaged goods.

ADO bus (Photo by VasenkaPhotography via Flickr)

6. Taking the Intercity ADO Bus

ADO Bus (pronounced Ah-Dio) is the main service that runs all over the Yucatán, but there are also Mayab and Oriente buses. ADO is considered the “first-class” bus and offers online booking and schedules. For the other bus companies, you’ll have to ask at the bus station when the service is running.

You can book ADO bus on their website directly, but I usually have a problem with the ADO site accepting non-Mexican debit and credit cards. The other option is booking through 🚌 BusBud.com, which is a lot easier. Sometimes not even all the Ado buses are listed online, so it’s good to check at the local station.I always take the Ado shuttle from and to the airport, it runs frequently and goes right to the terminals. 

👉 To book bus trips ahead of time, go to Busbud.com  👈

Tulum colectivo van
Tulum colectivo shared van

7. Local Colectivos (Shared Shuttles)

Colectivos can be hailed from any major highway/bus station; they’re large white vans that drop people off along the way. From what I’ve found a Colectivo should cost about 1 peso per minute per person. For instance, a 20-minute ride in a Colectivo costs about 25 pesos per person, but you might have to negotiate it down.

  • From/to the hotel zone to Tulum Central should be 10-20 pesos, if you’re not a native Spanish speaker they will charge you more.
  • Tulum to Akumal or vice versa should be 35 pesos
  • Tulum to Playa or vice versa should be 50 pesos
  • Tulum to Xel-Ha or the other theme parks should cost 50 pesos as well since they drop you off close to Playa.
  • Playa del Carmen to Chiquila (Isla Holbox ferry port) is 250 pesos.

Some, not all, will lie and tell you they’re going wherever just to fill seats. I had a Colectivo driver lie to me when I was coming back from Akumal; the Colectivo driver said he would take me and my friend to Tulum but dropped us off 40 minutes away in the wrong direction in Playa Del Carmen. The driver said, “well, you can take a Colectivo from Playa to Tulum now so I didn’t lie to you!”. It was really frustrating and added 2 hours to our trip. 🚨 Make SURE the Colectivo you take is going in the right direction before you hop in.

When is it better to take a Colectivo to/from Tulum?
  • Tulum > Playa del Carmen
  • Tulum > Akumal
  • Tulum > Xel Ha or Xcaret
  • Tulum > Muyil
  • Tulum > Kaan Luum
When is it better to take a Bus to/from Tulum?
  • Tulum > Isla Holbox (Chiquila ferry port)
  • Tulum > Cancun airport
  • Tulum > Coba (no legal Colectivos were running)
  • Tulum > Valladolid (no legal Colectivos were running)
Katie Caf

Katie Caf, founder of Katie Caf Travel, is a seasoned travel expert who has explored over 30 countries and lived abroad in places like Egypt, Morocco, Mexico, India, Indonesia Thailand, Europe, and the USA. Her goal is to help other traveler see the world by providing first-hand accounts of what to expect on the road.