Anchorage· Tulum· Mexico
Tulum Ruins Anchorage (Settled-Weather Day Stop)
20° 12.6′ N · 87° 25.5′ W · approximate
A daytime standoff below Tulum's clifftop Maya ruins and the small Tulum light - the one place on this coast where you can look up at a temple from the cockpit.
Practical
Coordinate is approximate: placed about 550 m east of the shore below the ruins and the 'Tulum' minor light (OpenStreetMap seamark at 20.21132, -87.43011), checked to fall in water. No cruising guide or cruiser report we could open describes a yacht anchorage here - treat it as unsurveyed and use it only by day in calm, settled weather, anchoring in sand clear of the fringing reef. The shore is open to the east with no reef or headland shelter. The beach directly below the main temple is restricted; tour boats sold at the ruins entrance show the site from the water (Wikivoyage, March 2025). Ashore by land: ruins M$100 cash plus M$415 national-park bracelet. Go early - crowds arrive after 10 am. Nearest shelter: Puerto Aventuras marina, about 20.5 nm north.
Best for
Photographing the ruins from the sea on a calm day
Season
Calm, settled days only