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Yelredda

Feb 12, 2003, 10:19 AM

Post #1 of 6 (1216 views)

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Driving from Merida to Tulum

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I will be staying in Merida for two weeks in March (exploring the nearby archeological sites) and want to head to a nice beach area for a few days. I am considering driving from Merida to Tulum but have heard that the drive can take anywhere from 5 - 7 hours. The distance at approx 425 km does not seem too bad (especially for a Canadian used to driving long distances) but I am not certain as to road quality etc. We were considering stopping in Chichen Itza on the way there.

Is there anyone out there who knows the distance, time it will take, best route and road conditions for the drive from Merida to Tulum?

Thanks for your help.

David

Feb 15, 2003, 9:13 PM

Post #2 of 6 (1115 views)

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Re: [Yelredda] Driving from Merida to Tulum

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We will be going the nearly the same route as you, except from the opposite direction. We will drive from Cancun to Merida (actually Progreso) with an overnight stop at Cichen Itza, so we can get an early morning look at the ruins. Since time is important to us, we will be taking the toll road (cuota 180) instead of the old highway (libre 180). Five and a half hours of driving time to Tulum sounds about right, as you will need to get off the toll road at Nuevo Xcan and take the Coba road (which is still full of potholes last I heard) to Tulum. If you take the old libre 180 it will probably take longer, many more towns, topes, slower speed - but more interesting no doubt.

Traveler

Feb 16, 2003, 2:48 PM

Post #3 of 6 (1096 views)

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Re: [DD] Driving from Merida to Tulum

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DD is correct, Coba road is in very bad shape as of a couple of weeks ago. Save the Chichen part of your trip to you start your trip to Tulum, get a room near Chichen or in Valladolid, there is so much to see in that area, maybe allow 2 days for Chichen, nearby caves, cenoted and Ek Balam, 17 miles north of Ek Balam(a must). Also there is Tizimin and Izamal. It is nice to have a car but the trip can be done on a good bus system.

Feb 16, 2003, 7:49 PM

Post #4 of 6 (1094 views)

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Re: [Traveler] Ouch! How bad is it?

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Traveler, do you think it may be worthwhile going all the way back to Cancun and then down 307? Hate to take out an axel on a rental car! We've only got a 7 day vacation to drive to Progreso, take a quick look around then back to the Akumal area. I agree, buses are the way to go -- if we had more time, that's what we'd do.

DD

Joyce Kelly

Feb 17, 2003, 7:50 AM

Post #5 of 6 (1079 views)

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Re: [DD] Ouch! How bad is it?

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You don't really hve to go ALL THE WAY back to Cancun. If you are taking the cuota toward Cancun, you can take a cutoff to 307 about 12 to 15 miles before (west of) Cancun. This goes 10 miles to 307 near the Cancun airport, effectively bypassing the congested area of the city.

Joyce

Traveler

Feb 17, 2003, 6:30 PM

Post #6 of 6 (1059 views)

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Re: [DD] Ouch! How bad is it?

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DD you can save time by taking the toll road to Cancun and the taking the bypass to 307 south, Drive time to Tulum should be around 5.5 hours. There is a rest area near Valladolid, a good place to stretch your legs. Drive safe and don't drive at night!