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Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve: How to Visit Without a Tour From Tulum

ByKatie Caf Updated on

Just 20 minutes outside of Tulum, Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve is the largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean. It was established as a preservation in 1986 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Typically tours to Sian Ka’an focus on the side of the reserve that faces the ocean; there’s more diverse marine life there and you can swim with wild dolphins, but you need to go with a tour guide.

Budget Tip: You could book this itinerary online but for $100-$200 dollars, by following this guide the whole trip shouldn’t cost more than $60.

Sian Ka’an Itinerary & Prices

  • Colectivo from Tulum to Muyil: 25 pesos – 20 minutes
  • Entrance to the Muyil Ruins: 50 pesos – 20 minutes
  • Entrance to the Bioreserve boardwalk through the jungle: 50 pesos – 30 minutes
  • Climb the treehouse in the jungle: free – 30 minutes
  • Boat tour through the bio reserve + lazy river: 1,0000 pesos – 2 hours
  • Colectivo back to Tulum: 25 pesos – 20 minutes

How to get to Sian Ka’an

Hours: 9 AM – 3 PM every day – You’re not going to want to leave after 12 PM for this half-day trip from Tulum.

Address: The address you need to use via car or taxi is for Muyil Ruins

FROM TULUM:
Take a Colectivo from Tulum Centro to Muyil (should be no more than 25 pesos ($1.25) per person, one Colectivo tried to charge us 50 but then a second one pulled up and offered us the non-tourist price). Muyil is about a 20-minute drive, so too far to bike. Note: you’re going to be asking the Colectivo to drop you off at Muyil bus stop, and from there walk to the ruins.


FROM PLAYA OR CANCUN:
Muyil Ruins and Sian Ka’an are right outside Tulum, so the best way to get to them would be to travel to Tulum first. You can take an Ado bus directly from Cancun or Playa to Tulum, or you could take a Colectivo. Note: if you take a Colectivo from Cancun to Tulum you’ll need to transfer in Playa del Carmen

You could always rent a car and drive yourself, or hire a driver for the day: Muyil ruins is 20 minutes from Tulum, 1 hour from Playa del Carmen, and 2 hours from Cancun. The price we were quoted for a taxi from Tulum was 400 pesos one way ($20), it really should be more like 300 but since it’s a tourist spot the taxi drivers charge tourist prices.

Map of the path you take from the ruins to the boat tour

Muyil Ruins

The ruins are a short walk from the Muyil bus stop. You can (and should) buy some water from one of the quick-marts near the entrance to the ruins because there’s no way to get water once you’re inside. The entrance fee for the ruins is 50 pesos ($2.50), and at the entrance, you can book your boat tour for 1,000 pesos ($50 USD) cash per person.

If there’s no one at the ruins you can also book the tour once you get to the boat launch, it’s the same price wherever you book it. Once you book your tour they’ll give you a wristband so the tour guides at the dock will know you paid. From there you can explore the Muyil Ruins – there was really only one temple, but even though it’s a small complex it was cool to see.

Past the main temple, following the path, you’ll be led to a sign that points towards a boardwalk entering the jungle. This is one of the coolest parts of the tour. You’re completely in the jungle snaking around on this path for a bit until you reach a gate-post. This is the official entrance to the bio reserve, and you’ll have to pay 50 pesos ($2.50) again to enter – the boat tour price doesn’t include entrance to the reserve.

Almost vertical staircase – more like a ladder

After another 10-20 minutes on the windy boardwalk path, you’ll find a treehouse! This was one of the coolest things I’ve done in Mexico – and since not that many people do this route, we had the whole treehouse to ourselves. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart – the rickety (almost vertical) staircase goes up 3 stories – but if you’re an adventure seeker it was a lot of fun!

The Boat Tour at Sian Ka’an

Following the boardwalk for 10 more minutes past the treehouse, you’ll reach a beach – there are bathrooms at the beach and all you’ll have to do is show them your wristband if you booked your boat tour at the ruins. Your tour guide will give you a life vest, which is mandatory to wear for the whole tour, and then you’ll set off.

I keep saying this but THIS might have been my favorite part of the tour – for about 20 minutes you’re zipping across the lagoon on a motor boat, the weather was perfect when we went in May and the water was so blue. The boats can fit up to 6 people so if you’re in a group this is how many can go together on one boat.

The Lazy River

After about 20 minutes you’ll pull up to a dock and have to leave all your belongings in the boat. The tour guide said he was going to stay with the boat and watch them, but that wound up not being true, so if you have any valuables I would recommend taking a dry bag with you.

The guide took us to this amazing natural water corridor (nature’s lazy river) with crystal clear water. After arriving at the lazy river we were instructed to put our lifevest on…like a diaper. I know – Sounds AND looks stupid, but if you’re ever on a lazy river put your life vest on like a diaper.

I wish I had a photo to post of it but it’s genius for floating downstream. Basically, we put our legs through the armholes of our lifevest so we would float on our backs naturally, and then we jumped in!

Note: I had brought a snorkel but there wasn’t really anything to see – the lazy river is only 4-5 ft deep but there was no fish.

We were carried by the current for about an hour before the guide met us at another dock downstream, then we had to walk about a half a mile back on this boardwalk that cuts through marshlands to our boat.

After that, the guide drove the boat back to the beach, about a 20-minute ride, and then we took a shortcut path to Highway 307 which was on the left side of the beach, and hopped a Colectivo back to Tulum.

What to Bring

  • Sunscreen
  • rashguard
  • bug spray
  • sun hat
  • sunglasses
  • At least 2L of water per person
  • Snacks if you think you’ll get hungry
  • Dry Bag for valuables
  • GoPro / Waterproof camera
  • Water Shoes

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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.

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