Just a three hour drive north from Mahahual is the town of Tulum, a fast growing beach resort south of Cancun.

Driving in Mexico has been fairly straightforward so far. There are lots of construction works happening on the roads so you spend most of your time overtaking big lorries and the rest of your time holding your breath as you ride over large cracks in the road.

Don’t get me started on Central America’s obsession with (unmarked) speed bumps!

The beaches are simply stunning, although this time of year they can be subject to seaweed washing in from the warm Caribbean sea, known as Sargassum in Spanish.

Most of the hotels sweep it up but it’s a daily chore.

There are two main areas of Tulum the beaches and the main town, about 3km apart.

The beach side hotels and restaurants are very upscale, with prices to match.

Big hint below on why we do these long trips!

Our hotel had a lovely rooftop pool that was like a fish tank, I often found this water creature swimming in it!

There are thousands of Cenotes in Mexico and there are plenty of them are located near to Tulum, so we checked some of them out.

Our first visit was to Yax-Mull, with a four cenote tour at one location. The tour starts with a Mayan blessing.

The water in the cenotes is cool and refreshing. Swimming in the clear and turquoise coloured water is so refreshing and the limestone caves are stunning.

Small birds and bats live in the caves and can be seen swooping through the air above.

Tree roots grow through the limestone holes and pockets to reach the nutrient rich waters below.

This Cenote required a rapel down into the water in the cave below!

Our next cenote experience was the Gran Cenote, where you get to swim with small turtles in the water.

There are different types of Cenotes, some are underground caves, some caves where the roof has collapsed and others like the last Cenotes we visited are an open water lake.

The last Cenote we went to was called Carwash (Aktun Ha), it’s also popular with scuba divers given its depth.

The water is filled with these underwater stems and leaves.

And this small crocodile was sunning itself, we thought it was fake before we saw it close its gaping jaws! All very safe it seems!

The town’s streets have lots of cool street art too.

And to end our trip in Tulum, we met this David Bowie eyed white cat…

Next stop is Playa Del Carmen, Cancun’s little sister town as we work our way up the coast.