During our trip, we want to try to visit as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible. So when we plopped down in the town of Tulum for a few nights and noticed that the World Heritage site of Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve was just south of us, it was definitely an excursion we would seek out. But I just needed to figure out how.
Information on how to get there on your own was scarce and it took me a bit of researching. But I finally was able to piece it together. If you’re interested on how to visit Sian Ka’an on your own, here you can find my very detailed instructions on how to visit Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve on your own.
Mayan Muyil Ruins
The Mayan ruins of Muyil are near one of the entrances to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, so it’s a very convenient stop to take in before entering the Biosphere Reserve. We enjoyed touring the ruins as we had them nearly all to ourselves since it is not one of the main sites which draw in tourists. They arguably aren’t quite as impressive as some of the major ruin sites either, but nonetheless still well worth a visit and so much more enjoyable to experience without the tourist masses.
El Castillo in Muyil
The Winding Way to Sian Ka’an
We then walked down an old Sacbe that took us to an entrance into the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. Then we hopped up onto the boardwalk that wound its way around the jungle marsh above the water.
After about ten minutes down the boardwalk we arrived at an observation tower where we climbed up to get our first look and a grand birds-eye view of the scenic freshwater lagoon and surrounding marshes.
A Boat Ride in Sian Ka’an
After emerging from the boardwalk and out to the lagoon, we hired a small boat to take us on the water deeper into the Biosphere Reserve. We were soon whisked away on a fun boat ride across the lagoon. We then came to a narrow canal through a sawgrass-like marsh that our guide explained was carved out by the ancient Mayans. The canal connected two lagoons and was used by the Mayans as an easier trade and commerce route. The canal was perhaps about three to four feet deep and the water below was crystal clear and only a few feet wider than the small craft we were traveling on. We could watch fish dart by as our boat approached, slowly glided down the canal.
After crossing the next lagoon, we started to go down another canal but then stopped at a small dock in which our guide directed us to get out and took us to a small Mayan ruin that was used for commerce thousands of years ago.
A Float Through Mayan History
When we went to get back in the boat, our guide instead handed us life jackets and told us to hop in the water and float down this canal the Mayans had dug centuries ago. Awesome! We grabbed some masks and dove on in for a relaxing float through mangrove forests and other habitats. The current of the canal did all the work for us.
It was interesting to see the mangrove habitats not only from above, but also below. There were a number of fish, crabs, and other aquatic life that called these mangroves home. This canal float was the highlight of our little tour.
We were a little unclear as to how or when to exit. After about 20 minutes we questioned if we were going to eventually end up in the ocean.
But after about a half an hour of floating, we came upon another dock and found our guide sitting there. So we popped out and took a fifteen-minute walk across a boardwalk back to where our boat was docked. The views reminded me of the Everglades.
We jetted around the lagoon a bit more and through another canal on our way back to the dock we departed from.
Sian Ka’an is Awesome
This was a fantastic excursion from Tulum that I’m a bit surprised more people don’t embark on. We only briefly crossed paths with one very small tour group of eight people during the entire four hours or so we were in the area. We had the entire beauty of this place to enjoy all to ourselves in the height of the season. I highly recommend taking the time to come out here if you’re ever in the Mayan Riviera.
For detailed instructions on how to get here, see our other post on: How To Visit Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve
Hi!
Thanks for such an amazing post. I do too think this is a much better option than hiring a tour guide with a bunch of other attendants around $150…
Do you just walk down the path and see these guys and ask them to tour you?
What’s the best way to get to Muyil from Tulum Beach?
We don’t have a car and was wondering if a taxi or bike ride or collectivo is best, if so what would be the cost, any idea?
Yes, if you walk down the path to the boat docks, you’ll definitely find the guys operating the canal boat tours.
To get to Muyil from Tulum Beach, just catch a short taxi/colectivo/bike ride to Tulum town, where you can catch the bus from there, following the directions in this guide. It is also possible to take a taxi the entire way from Tulum Beach to Muyil. I’d guestimate a taxi may charge about $250-$300 pesos each way, but that’s just a guess and will depend on the taxi, negotiating, etc.
I saw what looked like many crocodile eggs in the marshland after exiting the boat and walking along the wood planks (during short 1.5 hour trip). My guess is there are crocodiles in those channels, but not the big ones you would see towards the ocean waters. Our guide said indeed there are small crocs in the channels, but they don’t come out until late in the day. If you look around you will actually see pics and video of crocodiles in the marshland habitat and channels (where you float down). I wouldn’t worry about them though.
Interesting to hear, although a bit concerning, lol. I know there are crocs in the saltwater and brackish waters around Sian Ka’an. I haven’t known them to be in the clear freshwater areas, but I don’t doubt that it’s possible.
How early do the the boat tours start from Muyil on a Sunday?
That’s a good question and I don’t know the answer. I’ll actually be back in Sian Ka’an next week, so I’ll try to find out and will update this post. But I imagine there’s likely someone there fairly early. I’d guess at least by 9 am, if not earlier, but that’s pure speculation. Will update this and let you know.
We actually went this past Sunday and had a fantastic time. We showed up at 9:15. There were already a few boatsmen there already so I think 8:30-9 is when they show up. It was so beautiful and so much fun. Well worth the 700 pesos per person. All the info here really helped so thank you!
Liz
Thank u so much for this. It was exactly as u described and we were so happy to have discovered it without having to pay the ridiculous overhead of a tour operator
Glad to hear that your found our guide helpful when visiting Sian Ka’an!
Hi! We as a family just had this wonderful experience in Sian Ka’an doing your recommended DIY trip. The entrance fee for the ruins now is 45 pesos per person and our boat guy charged 700 pesos each although our daughter is 9. But well… it was worth every Peso. Thank you so much for the detailed information – definitely the thing we were looking for. Greetings from Germany. Cristian
We’re delighted to hear that your family enjoyed the Sian Ka’an! Thank you for the update on the entrance fee for visiting the ruins.
Hi. We just did the boat tour some days ago. As we were short on time, it was exactly the right trip for us. So thanks for sharing it. The price is still 600pesos per person.
But our guide was floating with us (some meters behind us) with a waterproof bag where we could put our valuables and flip-flops for walking back. So we had no worries about it.
Thanks for the update! 🙂 Very interesting to hear that the guide floated down with you and with a waterproof bag. That sounds like a new development, but it makes sense. Good to hear!
Hi. Thanks a lot for sharing this. Can you please tell me where you did find that little boat? I am maybe stupid, but I do not see the name of the boat “company”:-)
TX a ot
There is no boat company. You can simply find the little boats at the end of pathway from the Muyil ruin sites. There are boat guides that are simply waiting there that run independently. You can find full instruction on our other post here: http://www.roamingaroundtheworld.com/how-to-visit-sian-kaan-biosphere-preserve/
Hope that helps and you have a great visit to Sian Ka’an!
Thank you so much for these guides. We were desperate to visit Sian Ka’an during our “Once in a lifetime” holiday to Mexico but the staff manning the communicatoon for the reserve itself didn’t respond to either my email or query via their Facebook site. I found just a few guided tours but they were all way above budget. I’m so happy we can go, thanks to you intrepid explorers!
Hi Lauran,
Thanks for the comment! We’re thrilled that you were able to enjoy the beautiful reserve and saved some money as well 🙂 Enjoy your time in beautiful Mexico!
We were just there and ended up paying 700peso/person, however it seems to be the current tourist charge for those not speaking spanish well, as the girl in our boat let it slip that she wasn only paying 600peso. I had guessed that due to the increase prices of everything around Tulum and the info here was a year old that 700 might be the new rate. Seems you can still bargain them down to 600. We did an early trip at 11:30 and were back by 1pm, and it was busy and almost all boats were out at that time. Great explanation on what to do and which order here.
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for the comment and sharing your experience with our readers, especially what to expect with the recent price increase. Sounds like the Sian Ka’an is a very popular attraction at this time of year. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your travels in Mexico!
Did you see any crocodiles while floating down the canal? That makes me a bit nervous 🙂
There are saltwater crocodiles that live in ocean side portions of Sian Ka’an. To the best of my knowledge crocs do not come into the clear fresh waters that the boat tours pass through. I’ve never heard of any croc sitings in that area at all. And during our last float trip, I asked the guide about sharks and crocodiles and he just laughed and said they don’t come here at all. I felt fine in the clear waters. That all said, I am certainly not a wildlife expert of Sian Ka’an and hence would have to defer to someone that is to give you absolutely certainty of any croc risks in this specific area.
Thank you for your detailed post. Everything is exactly as you described except the tour guy mentioned a 4-hour boat that takes us to the outside lagoons and the access point to the sea. It is $1,000 pesos. I think it is totally worth the additional $400 pesos. We saw a manatee, a crocodile and many beautiful birds.
That is very interesting and the first I’ve heard of an extended 4-hour boat tour that goes towards the ocean. Thank you for sharing. 1,000 pesos seems pretty steep but I agree with you that it may be worth it. That’s so cool to hear that you saw a croc and a manatee! Those crocs don’t live in the inner lagoons, so you must have gotten pretty close to the sea. Very interesting to hear about this possibility. Thank you again for sharing!
Thanks for the tip Jasper, these are the animals we’d really be wanting to see.
We just got back from doing the trip you outlined (sans-ruins). Beautiful job writing it up. Every detail was noted, and it was incredibly easy to repeat.
Safety of belongings: We also left everything in the boat and it seemed perfectly fine. It’s a really legit operation and the people there aren’t interested in taking your things. Besides, it’d be really obvious who did it.
Price: Though it was a really unique experience, I felt 600 pesos was steep. For comparison, last week I paid 190 pesos for a 2.5 hour lancha tour down the Sumidero in Chiapa de Corzo. The mangroves at Sian Ka’an are really cool, but the most wildlife we saw were fish and airplants.
All in all, it’s a great day trip out of Tulum and an even more incredible write-up. Keep documenting, guys!
Thanks Alex – glad to hear the post was helpful!
Agree with your thoughts on the price being steep, by Mexico standards anyways. Probably one of the more expensive local tours we’ve taken in the Yucatan. I think $200-$400 pesos would be a more fair going-rate. Would be nice if they charged by the boat too so you could at least attempt to split the cost among multiple people. Oh well. But even at $600 pesos, I still think its worth it. And it sure beats the group tour prices!
Sidenote: We are actually headed to Chiapas and plan to take the lancha tour down the Sumidero, so thanks for the heads-up on the pricing there!
Thank you for stopping by and leaving this feedback and review – appreciate it!
A huge *thanks* to you guys! We just did this (28th Jan 2016) and it was a highlight of our week. The lagoon swim/ drift along the canal was just brilliant! We will never forget it. And without your website description we would never have found it! We owe you.
About how long should we plan for this entire thing, if we were to drive ourselves to Muyil?
From the time that you arrive to Muyil, I’d plan for at least 3 hours, or 4 to be safe. We did everyone there in about 3 hours. Touring Muyil, the Sacbe/boardwalk, and the observation tower can all be explored in about an hour, but if you really lingered and took things slow you could stretch that longer, perhaps two hours. The boat ride and floating down the canal should take nearly 2 hours but not more.
Hi!
I’ve found your story very insightful! I must admit, I feel a bit uneasy about leaving my camera and documents in the boat while snorkeling in the canals. Did you feel similar when guide has told you to hop into the water?
Thanks in advance!
Thank you for the information! May I ask, did you see a lot of wildlife on this DIY adventure? Like manatees and birds and crocodiles? I’m just wondering if this is the same location that some other tours go to where I’ve read reviews talking about the wildlife. Thanks again!
We saw birds, fish, and crabs in the water but unfortunately no manatees or crocodiles. The place suggested in this post is most definitely the same area that the tours go to, as we saw a tour group going to the exact same spots as us. However, I cannot confirm for certain if they also go do additional areas and whether or not the official tour guides may know of spots where these animals are more likely to be. So that may be something to consider. Whichever route you take, we hope you get lucky and see some wildlife!
Hi: What day of the week and time did you go out to Muyil? The boat trip seems great. The price seems good. The planned tours seem to cost a lot more.
We went around early afternoon. I don’t remember the day of week but I don’t think it will matter much as I understand the guys running the boat trip are there everyday.
thanks for the post, are there lockers at the reserve?
No lockers. Its all pretty basic. If you have valuables you’re worried about, you can take them on the boat and they should be fine. There wasn’t any water splashing in and the launcha drivers seemed trustworthy.
Hey Guys! Thanks for the great post – definitely going to try the DIY approach when I’m in Tulum in March! One question though – your currency conversions don’t seem right. Isn’t 1200pesos closer to 90USD than 45? Or am I missing something. Thanks!
This comment was actually meant for your other article on this trip, but I don’t see how to delete it! 🙂
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