Tulum / Lake Bacalar (Quintana Roo, Mexico)

After wrapping up our time in Mérida, Barbie and I embarked on a 4.5-hour trek—the longest drive of our entire Yucatán Peninsula road trip. Getting away from the city noise in Merida and back to the water was exactly what we needed.

Lake Bacalar:

The second we rolled into the small town of Lake Bacalar, we could immediately feel that unpretentious, completely relaxed vibe. Now, the town itself is a definitely rough around the edges, but honestly? That’s exactly what appealed to us.

Don’t let the gritty town streets fool you, though. Just behind the tree line lies a lake that will absolutely knock your socks off. There’s no ocean here, just a spectacular, mind-blowing freshwater lagoon boasting seven distinct shades of blue. I’ve been backpacking for 30 years, and it is rare to see water this vibrant. When that midday sun hits the surface, the colors completely ignite.
However, a word of warning: If you arrive during the wrong time of the year, this beautiful blue lake may not display its true colors and its possible you may be let down.

The Flashpacker Vibe Check

The Bacalar Lagoon is easily one of the most impressive bodies of water we have ever seen in all of our global travels. It instantly reminded me of my favorite lake on planet Earth—Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island in Australia—and it easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the spectacular lakes scattered across New Zealand.

Right now, Bacalar is still a bit under the radar and slightly off the beaten path, but I can see the writing on the wall: this won’t last forever. Fortunately, the local community takes a massive amount of pride in keeping the lake pristine. I’m just crossing my fingers that tourism doesn’t inevitably ruin this fragile environment.

The Action is on the Lake

Because all life here centers around the water, you have a ton of beach clubs and restaurants lining the shore where you can eat, swim, and chillax. The key flashpacker move here is doing your homework to locate the best, highest-comfort spots beforehand, because it makes a massive difference. These places get slammed, so just like with the cenotes, you need to get down there early to beat the crowds and lock in maximum serenity.

You also must book a boat tour. We went with Amir Adventures and had a blast. While we were out on the water, I spotted a unique luxury boat that looked completely different from the standard tour vessels—it was decked out with actual couches and massage beds. It’s called Nimfa Tours Bacalar, and if we return, that’s the one I’m booking for a private excursion.

Pro Travel Tip: We rented a really nice Airbnb in town, but it wasn’t directly on the water. Big mistake. Next time, I will gladly pay the extra bucks to stay directly on the lake in a house with its own private dock. Learn from my scouting report!

You can easily spend all your time on Lake Bacalar but a visit to Cenote Azul is a must. This cenote in the below video looks like a huge round lake and on a sunny day, it’s fabulous for a swim.

Tulum: The Beautiful, Fashionable Clusterfuck

Moving along the Riviera Maya, you hit Tulum. This place is a tale of two entirely different worlds. On one hand, you’ve got a laid-back, spiritual hippie haven. On the other hand, it’s a runway for the young, fashionable Instagram crowd. As a general rule in this region, the further away you get from Cancún and Playa del Carmen, the more relaxed things get, and Tulum used to be the poster child for that.

There is a massive stretch of beach just outside the main town center. If you want a down-to-earth vibe, head to the public beaches on the northern end like Playa Las Palmas and Playa Paraíso to set up your own towels and chairs.

If you head further south along that same narrow beach road, you enter the “fashionista” zone. This is where the chic, ultra-trendy—and in my opinion, wildly overpriced—boutique beach resorts are located. The jungle road running through here is a total clusterfuck. It is tightly packed with hipster resorts, boutique shops, and restaurants. Visually, it’s beautiful because you’re surrounded by a lush tropical forest, but it felt incredibly congested to us. Maybe it’s just because we hit it during high season, but the bumper-to-bumper traffic honestly reminded me of the chaos running along the main beach roads in Seminyak and Kuta over in Bali.

While Barbie and I loved hanging out on these beaches during the day, we were incredibly glad to leave the gridlock behind at night and retreat to our spacious Airbnb located in the main town where the locals actually live.
Note: Keep an eye on a new, hip neighborhood currently being developed called Aldea Zama. It’s a solid alternative base sitting right between the main town and the beach. However, I can envision this area in time being completely overdeveloped.

Sniffing Out the Hidden Gems

You know we aren’t going to sit around in a tourist bottleneck. We used our travel instincts to find the alternative spots to get away from the masses.

The Soliman Bay Escape

If you want to escape the main Tulum beach crowd, head just a bit north to Soliman Bay. It’s a hidden gem that most tourists completely overlook. Pull up a chair at a feet-in-the-sand, hole-in-the-wall joint called Chamico’s and get yourself sorted with some of the freshest seafood around. Once you finish gorging, simply walk a little further south down the coastline. You’ll find a completely isolated beach area with barely a human in sight.

The 75-Cent Taco Hunt

In most beach towns, the itinerary is simple: find sand, grab a hammock, track down a cold coconut. But Tulum has a ton of moving parts. When we weren’t exploring, we went on a dedicated taco hunt to source the absolute best cheap eats in town. We unearthed two legendary local spots in the main town serving up kickass 75-cent tacos: Taquería Honorio and Antojitos La Chiapaneca. If you do find yourself trapped in the hipster hotel zone and need a fix, hit up Taquería La Eufemia—it’s a solid choice.

The Tulum Outdoor Checklist

When you aren’t eating your weight in tacos, there are two mandatory outdoor activities you have to check off:

1. The Archaeological Ruins

You’ve got Cobá and the main Tulum Ruins. The Tulum site is spectacular because the ancient ruins sit right on top of rugged cliffs overlooking a postcard-perfect beach. It is an absolute, non-negotiable MUST to get there right at opening. If you show up before the armada of tour buses arrives, it is a completely different, much better experience.

2. The Cenote Circuit

There is a straight-up shitload of cenotes around Tulum, and they are incredible for swimming, snorkeling, or even scuba diving through underwater cave tunnels. We hit four visually stunning spots that are worth every penny:

Gran Cenote: Beautiful, spacious grounds with a killer grassy area to relax on. Arrive early to beat the crowds!
Cenote Dos Ojos: Massive footprint with awesome hammock areas to chillax in between swims. Another one where early arrival is mandatory for quiet reflection.
Cenote Aktun Ha: My personal favorite for its gorgeous, completely untouched natural setting.
Cenote Sac Actun: We missed this one on this leg, but fellow travelers told us it’s a total gem.

The real flashpacker challenge out here is locating the “under-the-radar” cenotes that are tougher to reach and completely unknown to the average tourist. The reward for doing your homework? Absolute solitude in a crystal-clear natural wonderland.

Now that we’ve checked off the best of the Yucatán and Quintana Roo, it’s time to see what the Pacific coast has in store for us!