Cesiak

There are a lot of great tours in Tulum.  This past weekend I got to take my first tour with Cesiak in the amazing Sian Ka’an Bio reserve.  We took the boat canal tour.  It was truly amazing.  The reserve in itself is so amazing but this rare look at it truly breathtaking. 

The tour with Cesiak started at 8:45 with a hotel pick up.  We drove down into the reserve and began the journey to the Cesiak center.  It was beautiful.  There are also cabanas for rental which I think would be amazing.  We waited on for about 15 minutes and got a chance to take a look at the Laguna and the sea from the top floor of the building.  The view point shows the long stretch of perfect beaches and then vast laguna.

I learned some very interesting things about the variety of birds and wildlife that the Sian Ka’an has and continues to discover.  This beautiful and protected area is home to over 340 known species of birds (of which we got to see many of)  as well as many species of reptiles (a number of crocodiles were also seen on the tour) and countless plants and trees.  After taking in the beautiful landscape and getting a good amount of background about the area and the goals of Cesiak it was off to the boats.

We got on the boat with our guide and boat captain.  A few moments wait and we were speeding through the beautiful laguna.  The amazing colors of this laguna were stunning.  The laguna itself is only 3 meters deep at its deepest.  Most of the laguna is less then ½ a meter deep.   After buzzing through the laguna for a bit it was into the river that led to the other laguna at Muyil.   This was the actual trading route the ancient Maya took to trade with other cities.  In this case it was mostly the cities by the sea trading fish and salt with cities inland for red and white meats and fruits and vegetables.  It really is amazing to see the landscape and feel the energy of civilizations past that followed this same route. 

The canal part of this tour was amazing because you really got to learn more about the landscape of the area and just how rare a part of the world it is geographically.  We past very near by a resting crocodile that was over 2 meters long and we saw countless examples of the amazing birds that call this area home.  The canal part of the tour was curvy and so much fun.  We did not this trip but next time our kids would have loved this trip.

After entering the next laguna we saw some of the natural wells that are in the water of the laguna and open to the cenotes underneath.  It was so beautiful and crazy to see how the various levels of the Earth connect- or are stacked really.   On our way back through the canal we stopped off at a ruin and got to explore a little bit. This site was often visited by the Mayan for safe passage from the crocodiles as they passed back with their traded goods.  They would stop and prey and offer a contribution to the crocodile god.  This worked for the Mayan and there were no reported attacks on the passage way.  While a happy crocodile god is obviously the reason we now know that the high priests from Muyil would come to the temple and throw the offerings to the laguna at sunset.  The current of the river carried the food downstream to the crocodiles, whom after eating, would not attack the Mayan traders as they traveled the canals at night time.

At this point we got to do what was my favorite part of the tour. We got into the canal with life jackets and just floated down the stream.  It was so relaxing and such a rare view of the landscape.  You learn on your way up the canal in the boat just how the water changes from brackish (mix salt and fresh) to the fresh water and why the crocodiles do not come this far upstream.  After about 20 minutes it is back in the boat and a snack of fresh fruit and water as we make our way back through the river and into the other laguna, passing some of our new crocodile friends.  Then it was buzzing down south to Boca Paila. This is well known spot in Tulum and this view from a speeding little boat was so much fun. 

Once we explored all over the lagunas and had dried off in the cool breeze, it was off to lunch at Cesiak.  The lunch was great.  It consisted of grilled chicken breast, rice, salad, tortillas and a great salsa. It was the perfect meal to regain some energy.  We got about 10 more minutes to have another look around and then it was off for a quick dip in the cenote by the arch.   This is a very nice cenote just at the entrance to the Sian Ka’an bioreserve.  After a nice little swim it was off to head back to reality.

This was an amazing tour that really taught me a lot about just how special this part of the world is and why we should all be working hard to protect it.  You can learn a lot more about Cesiak from their website.

If you would like to book a tour, please let us know and we would be happy to help.   

Punta Laguna- Monkey Reserve***

This past Sunday my family loaded up the car and headed due East for Punta Laguna. I had heard that Punta Laguna was a wonderful thing to do while visiting Tulum. What I had heard was right. It was a wonderful place and the whole family. Punta Laguna did not disappoint as a great thing to do in Tulum.  **We know of some great taxi drivers that do this tour Coba ruins and the monkey reserve at a great price-- contact us for more info***

We started our adventure by having our favorite tacos from Tulum town and then we were off due West on the Coba road. After we got to Coba we decided to look around at some cenotes in the area. There were many cenotes to explore but most of them were cave cenotes. I do love cave cenotes but for this particular day we were looking for a wide open cenote that we could enjoy the warm day at. So we doubled back towards Tulum to go to Punta Laguna.

To get to Punta Laguna you take the Coba road from Tulum. After about 35 -40 minutes you will come to a round-a-bout. 1 direction leads you towards Cancun, 1 towards Chichen Itza and the last towards Coba. (The one you are on takes you back to Tulum- obviously!) You want to take the one that goes towards Cancun. You will drive for about 20-30 minutes on this road before you will see the sign for Punta Laguna. There were a number of other cenotes and spots of interest that I cannot wait to get out and see more of- but this trip was about Punta Laguna. So we continued past these places until we reached Punta Laguna.

When we reached the Laguna we went and paid our entrance fee which was very reasonable, something like 30 pesos. They advised us that we would have to walk a ways into the jungle to see the monkeys. Punta Laguna is a monkey reserve so you can easily spot these amazing creatures all around you if you pay attention. And hear them you most defiantly will. – Wow that sounded a bit like yoda- sorry. But you will. They are all around and you can hear the screeches and howls.

When we first started towards the Laguna- we noticed that there was a little corner store. It was the perfect place to buy a few more snacks and some ice. We had brought our cooler with us so we had stuff for sandwiches, juice and some beers- after and ice refill and some sweets for the kids we walked down towards the Laguna. The road is dirt and uneven and in her excitement to get to the water our daughter took a nose dive on the path. As a brand new 7 year old she is starting to get used to the scrapped knees and scuffed hands- but – a little hurt she picked herself back up. While she did so the wonderful family that lives there hurried to her rescue.

This is one of my favorite things about living in Mexico and the Mexican people in general—they love children and they love to help. In the states we have a very hands off approach to getting into each other’s lives. Here in Tulum- that is not the case- people are always there to help you and care for you at every turn. ESPECILLAY children. It is such a wonderful place to visit with kids. You never feel like your kids are imposing or that other people are annoyed with your kids. As a mother- and one who wants to enjoy herself too- I love this. But anyway… side note

As my daughter arose from her newly acquired injury- we were greeted by the warm smiles of a local Mayan woman and her husband who had rushed to her aid, followed closely by her 2 adorable kids. It was so sweet. They came out with tissue, smiles and a balm of some kind that they asked if they could put on her wounds. Knowing full well the magic of anything that Mayan women put on their kids I was willing and even a little eager. The balm they put on her immediately soothed her. I am sure that much of it was also the kindness of these people. After she was clearly okay, the family went one step further by the dad getting his tricycolo, often referred to as the Mayan Limousine, and giving Lena a ride down to the Laguna. It was so sweet.

After about 100 meters we were greeted with one of most beautiful images that I have seen. A large stunning Laguna- completely clear and empty. It was amazing. By the time that we had arrived it was about 1:00 in the afternoon. The sun was already casting shadows off the far end of the Laguna and the colors that rose off the water were incredible. We sat our cooler down and it took all of 4 seconds for the kids to go jumping off the dock into the amazing fresh water of the Laguna. We stayed there for about 2 hours- swimming- playing- talking and laying in the sun.

During our playing we had a few groups that were on walks in the reserve either coming or going stop for a moment to take some pictures. The Laguna does offer walking tours into the reserve and points out monkeys along the way and also give you information about the various plants and animals that you will find there. You can totally do the walk on your won- but you will get so much more out of it if you get the tour. They can tell you so many stories and facts that you would not otherwise hear or know.

We took the kids for a long walk in the jungle and it was so much fun. We walked and walked and took random turns and kept walking. It was great. You could hear the monkeys all around you. We saw many on our walk and such a fun time. Monkeys to kids are such magic. Well to anyone really and this place is full of them. It was a truly magical day and one that I think everyone who visits Tulum should experience.

Yaaj- Ximbal Jungle Tour

I had the wonderful experience of taking a Yaaj-Ximbal tour. This was a truly amazing experience and opened up a whole side of Tulum that I have not seen before. I am so thankful for this unreal opportunity and would strongly recommend that people take the tour.

The day started with my friend picking me up and taking me to the store where all the cooks buy the food fresh for that days meal. I rode out with the crew to one of the locations so that they could work on preparing the food. While we were getting the food out to the location, the rest of the guests were getting picked up at their hotels.

As we all met up and were introduced to the tour guides and each other I could tell that I was in for a treat. We were riding in very comfortable Land Rovers and I knew that these vehicles could handle any road in Mexico.

Thanks god because as we set off into the jungle it became very clear just how off road we were going to get. The road was very bumpy and all over the place but in a very fun and safe way.


For anyone who has ever been on the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland can totally relate to the journey. This is just real and much more fun. There was a younger child in our group but I am not sure how much fun it was for him.

I would say that for both the parents and the kids to have the best of the experience probably kids 10 and older would be good. (If you need a babysitter you can contact mindyintulum@yahoo.com for babysitters in the area.)

As we forged ahead on the trail we were pointed out various trees and important foliage and given a lot of history and mythical tradition along the way. There were many beautiful sites to see along the trail.


There were stunning cenotes filled with lilies and beautiful foliage all around. At one point we came to a watchtower that was built of Zapote trees. This wood is amazingly strong and durable not to mention stunningly beautiful. The views from this tower were so beautiful.

Just beneath the tower is a cenote that also has a repel from the middle of the tower. I can imagine that would be very cool to do. We explored a cave and the Aluxes that lived there. These are mythical spirits, resembling trolls, that are believed to live all over the Yucatan. They are associated with nature such as jungles and caves which are numerous in the Tulum area. These mischievous little spirits are known to move things around a lot and cause quite a ruckus. Taking the form of stone during the day, they awaken at night to cause their mischief. You can see the old man in stone in this picture.

After continuing on our journey we made our way over to the location of the cenote, dry cave and zip line. This was very cool. With the help of our tour guides we got into our harnesses.

There was a group of 12 of us. All 4 daughters ranging with high school age all went on as did almost everyone else in the group. Including the 7 year old boy although he went tandem with one of the guides.



The zip line was very easy, fun and was over quick. Definitely not too bad for all who go on the tour. The "Mayan brakes" were large pieces of wood that would help to slow you down. One of the guides was also down at the bottom with the secondary and emergency breaks. I felt very safe and we all had a really good time.

This is probably a good time to mention one of my favorite parts of the tour... There is professional photographer following you around through out the whole thing taking great pictures. This is particularly handy at the moment when you are flying down the zip line. But you also get to pose at the bottom just in case your face is doing some crazy face.

After the zip line you continue the tour into a dry cave. For people who do not want to do the zip line there is an easy way to join the group at the bottom. The dry cave was beautiful. You could clearly see the stalagmites and stalactites. They are so beautiful and the guides are really full of knowledge and are a lot of fun.

We headed off to get in our swim suits for the cenote part of the day. Almost all of my favorite days involve a cenote and this day was no exception. We walked down a long steep stair case and came into a beautiful cave. The water was as clear and perfect as you could imagine.

There was a very nice area to swim right then we were taken around a little area, through a tunnel area that showed some really beautiful roots, stalagmites and stalactites.

There was one point were once the roots of the trees above ground reach the water they eventually build a base. These bases are floating. It is a very cool site. I wish I had a waterproof camera with me at the time. It was very beautiful and such a unique look at the under side of Yucatan. I am not a cave diver as of yet but the guides did take me and show me some of the entrances to the caves. Once I try my hands at diving I really want to go back and explore.

After we all climbed up and dried off it was time to eat. I have been on tours before that included lunch and it was usually some bagged lunch or something. This meal was amazing. There was a very large grill on which a very traditional meal was being prepared.

There was pot of black beans, fluffy rice, a fantastic salsa and warm tortillas. There were 2 different meats on the grill. One was a marinated chicken and the other a flat steak. There was also a large amount of cut fruit and salad. Lunch was truly amazing and the perfect conclusion to the day.



The group loaded up into the van to get taken back to their hotels. It was a wonderful tour and one that really shows a side of the jungle that not many people get to see. Tulum and the whole Rivera Maya have so much to offer and this tour really puts some of the best parts into one trip.

Some important things to note when you go... 1) Take bug spray but please make sure that it is eco-friendly and or biodegradable. You will be in contact with a very delicate eco system. The waters of the cenotes feed the lively hood of the entire Yucatan peninsula. It is important to respect them and care for them. and 2)I would start your day off with a good meal. Lunch is the last part of the day and you do not want to be hungry. This tour is a full day thing.


This tour is amazing. Again, probably best for kids 10 and over although they will accommodate children, it will probably be more fun for parents and kids if there is a babysitter. Again... if you are looking for a babysitter you can email mindyintulum@yahoo.com to find a babysitter in the Tulum area.