Tulum What to Pack

Luggage and bags: I would recommend bringing a backpack as opposed to standard luggage. There is a steep staircase from the restaurant down to the beach. Plus if your planning on exploring the rest of the Yucatan and your using the bus, having a backpack or large duffel bag is a must.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: I would recommend bringing a pair of hiking shoes if your planning on exploring the Mayan ruins around the Yucatan, some of which still allow you to climb the pyramids. Otherwise simple waterproof sandals will work and you can use them in the shared shower facilities as well. Bring a lightweight, jogging style pants to wear at night. This will help to keep the mosquito's from feasting on your legs and they will, repellent or not! Bring a couple pair of swim trunks that have zippered pockets. That way you can carry items with you and not have to have a bag with you all the time. For example I would put money inside a ziploc bag and then put it in my swim suit pockets and swim all day and not only did I have cash when I needed for a drink, snack, etc, the money was dry! Don't try it with your Ipod or camera though!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Bring the strongest Deet Mosquito repellent you can find and bring lots of it! No matter what time of year it is the Yucatan is swarming with them and they are unforgiving! At all times after being in the water, spray every exposed crevice on your body, specifically the feet as thats a favorite target for mosquito's as people rarely spray their feet. I made that mistake my first trip and my feet were covered with bites! If you go into the camping section of any sporting goods store you can by a sort of "mosquito incense" that you can burn in your cabana at night and it does a terrific job of keeping those blood sucking bastards at bay!

Miscellaneous: Bring a combination lock to use to lock up your cabana. The cabanas have old key style locks that are rusted. Plus with a combination lock you don't have to worry about a key!

Miscellaneous: Don't forget to take a good sun lotion - and to apply it liberally.

Walking around in the sun, with few trees, can easily lead to sun burn. And the cool sea breeze may just take your mind off the sun until it is too late. Been there, done that!

Don't forget the tip of the ears, feet and back of the knees and neck. They are specially painful and easily forgoten...

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: "I'm here for the ruins - not to lounge on the beach" - or, at least, so I thought, as I planned my trip. I am a die-hard history fan and not too fond of lying on the beach.

So there I was in Tulum, with the beautiful sea stretched out in front of me, feeling tired and sweating. And not a change of clothes or a beach towel to hand. So I rolled up my pants, took off my shoes and paddled around the edge of the water. Sigh.

Moral of the story: a bathing suit and a small beach towel do not take up much room in your day pack. Take them.

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Luggage and bags: We got by with a big one for me and a small one for the wife, as well as two carry ons.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Sneaks, water sandals like Tivas, bathing suit, t-shirts, one pair of jeans, broad-brimmed hat. Expect everything to get wet and never dry out until you get home.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: DEET (esp. from July to early January), sunscreen by the ton, floss, toothpaste, benadryl to aid sleep and in case you are allergic to something, tums and whatever hangover cure you prefer.

Photo Equipment: Nothing you can't carry with you all the time. Leaving it in the room while you at the beach just ain't smart.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: If you are in a basic cabana on the beach that lacks electricity, a rechargeable Coleman lantern that you recharge during the day comes in really handy. Our snake light really helped too.

Luggage and bags: You might want to bring a small bad to carry your stuff for the day.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Be sure that you have good shoes for walking. There is some rough terrain and a lot of steps, so you will want to be comfortable. You also might want a hat for extra protection from the sun.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sunscreen is a must.

Photo Equipment: You will not want to forget your camera for all the great photo opportunities there.

Miscellaneous: A bottle of water will be greatly appreciated, because of the heat combined with all the walking.

Luggage and bags: - Bag with a lock on it
- Smaller insulated bag for carrying drinks
- Something with lots of zipper compartments

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: - Your bathing suit!
(I can't believe the number of people that end up in Tulum without this. Parts of the beach are nudist, so you may be alright without it.)
- Towel(s)
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Shoes with toe covering
- Very light blanket

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: - Sunscreen and lip balm
- Aloe vera aftersun (maybe Solarcaine)
- Band-aids and polysporin
(For your feet--they will get dinged from the underwater coral and from the rocky pathways)
- Immodium/Pepto
(Just in case, but I've never had any stomach trouble there.)
- The usual: toohbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, washcloth

Photo Equipment: I'm not a photo expert, but notice how most of the photos on VT of Tulum look too dark? It's because Tulum is actually extremely bright, lots of whites and light greys and standard camera exposure/contrast gets screwed up . If you know how to compensate for that with film/filters, bring them.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: - Big bottle of water (maybe a few)
- Several small bags of chips (or something else with lots of salt in it to replenish salt loss caused by sweating)
- Bug/mosquito repellant
- Flashlight
- Candles/T-Lights and matches/lighter
- Battery powered travel clock (or wristwatch)
- Snorkeling stuff
- A big book to read

Miscellaneous: Do not bother to bring electrical equipment. Most places don't have regular electricity. And if they do have lights, there aren't normal electric outlets.
If you get a cabana with a sand floor, bring something like zip-lock bags to keep your jewelery and small valuables in. If you drop something in the sand you may never find it again.
Many of the small cabanas don't even have furniture, so don't pack very much because you don't want to have clothes stacked in the sand.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: You barely need any clothes here, but bringing more than one bathing suit is a good idea. Hats and sunglasses are smart, too.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sunblock!! Lots and lots of it, too. Even the kind for your lips. Otherwise you WILL pay.

Luggage and bags: Bring along a small knapsack to carry your water and bathing suit for those excursions that you'll be taking.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Water shoes are good for climbing over the rocks that you will sometimes encounter in the water.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Pack the sunscreen and insect repellant. It's really expensive in Mexico. Preferably bio-degradeable sunscreen if you can find it, that's all your allowed to use at Xel-Ha. It cost me $10US for a bottle of it at Tulum.

Photo Equipment: Bring lots of film with you, again, it's expensive there! Bring underwater camera for some great pics of fish!

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Scuba diving, snorkelling gear,

Miscellaneous: Pepto bismo, immodium, the usual stuff for encounters with dodgy food and drinks.