Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Sian Ka'an is one of the largest protected areas in Mexico, a vast stretch of tropical forest, mangrove swamp, lagoons and coral reef along the Caribbean coast just south of Tulum. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar wetland, and much of it can only be explored by boat.
Punta Allen
The Great Mesoamerican Reef
Manatees and crocodiles
Birds
The reserve was created in 1986, became a World Heritage Site in 1987 and was named a Ramsar wetland in 2003. It covers more than 5,000 square kilometres, and its mix of tropical forest, salt marsh, mangroves and reef shelters hundreds of bird species, jaguars, pumas, tapirs and manatees.
Even in ancient times the Maya did not heavily settle its swamps and marshes, so it remains one of the most lightly touched natural areas in Mexico. Visitors come to float, snorkel, watch birds and enjoy quiet water that feels far from the resort coast.
Muyil, also called Chunyaxche, is the one significant Maya site in the reserve that is set up for visitors. It was occupied from at least 350 BC and was still inhabited when the Spanish arrived.
A boardwalk leads from the ruins through forest to the edge of Muyil Lagoon, where tour boats wait. You pay a small extra entry for the boardwalk, and early morning is best for birds and cooler air.
Boat tours from the village of Chunyaxche cross the lagoon and follow a passage the Maya used to link Muyil with the Caribbean.
Chunyaxche is the gateway village on Highway 307, with convenience stores, a few restaurants and tour operators. Combis from Tulum run here and take about an hour.
Follow the beach road south of Tulum and you reach a stone arch, the formal entrance to the reserve. You pay the entrance fee here and receive a coloured bracelet as proof.
Punta Allen is a small fishing village at the end of the dirt road, about 45 kilometres from the arch, and the trip typically takes around three hours.
Punta Allen is a small fishing village at the end of a long dirt road. Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
From Punta Allen or Chunyaxche you can hire a boat to snorkel on the reef offshore, which belongs to the Great Mesoamerican Reef system. Divers also use the reserve, though sites here are less visited than around Cozumel.
The reef offshore is part of the Great Mesoamerican Reef. Photo: M.Gray97, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lagoons and marshes are home to the West Indian manatee, which a lucky boat tour may spot. You are more likely to see American crocodiles sunning on the banks, and the smaller Morelet's crocodile is also common.
American crocodiles live in the reserve's lagoons and marshes. Photo: Emőke Dénes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
More than 300 bird species have been identified, including roseate spoonbills, great blue herons, wood storks and magnificent frigatebirds.
The roseate spoonbill is among the many bird species recorded in the reserve. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Most visitors base themselves in Tulum, whose walled Maya ruins stand on cliffs above the sea. Tour operators run to Sian Ka'an from town, and the beach road south begins close to the hotel zone.
Seafood is the story along the coast. At Punta Allen, small restaurants serve fish, shrimp and octopus fresh from the boats. Look for tikin xic, a whole fish, often grouper or red snapper, marinated in achiote and sour orange and cooked in banana leaf.
Most boat tours include a simple lunch, and you can pick up water and snacks at the small shops along Highway 307. Cash is the safest way to pay almost everywhere in the reserve.
Popular dishes to try in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
Tulum Pueblo, the town centre along Highway 307, suits travellers who want restaurants, bus links and tour offices within easy reach.
The Tulum hotel zone sits on the beach and suits those who want a seaside stay with easy road access to the reserve entrance.
Punta Allen is for visitors who want to disconnect.
Chunyaxche offers a few basic rooms beside the highway, which can be handy for an early start at Muyil.
Where to stay in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
The Mexican Caribbean is hot and humid year round. December to April is the driest and sunniest period, which also means the largest crowds on tours. June to November is hurricane season, and the rainy months can leave the dirt road to Punta Allen covered in water, with deep potholes hidden beneath it.
Beaches are natural, so sargassum seaweed and driftwood may appear at some points of the year. Check the forecast before you commit to the long road, and ask a local tour operator about current conditions.
Tulum International, Cancún International and Chetumal International airports are the nearest. The Tren Maya station for the reserve is Tulum town, not the airport.
From Tulum, you can take a combi south to Muyil and Chunyaxche, or follow the beach road to the stone arch and on to Punta Allen.
Once inside the reserve, you need a boat. Hire one in Chunyaxche or Punta Allen, or join a tour, where the operator usually pays the entry fee and gives you the bracelet.
Reach Chunyaxche early, tour the ruins and boardwalk, then take a boat through the lagoon and canal.
Drive the beach road to the stone arch, stop for a swim at the cenote, and continue to Punta Allen for a seafood lunch and a boat trip to the reef.
Spend a slow morning in the village, watch for birds from the shore and head back to Tulum or on toward Cobá.
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