Orientation -- To visit the Tulum area, get a rental car; it will make everything much easier. Coming from the north you'll pass the entrance to the ruins before arriving at the town. You'll come to a highway intersection with a traffic light. To the right is the highway leading to the ruins of Cobá; to the left is the Tulum hotel zone, which begins about 2km (1 1/2 miles) away. The road sign reads BOCA PAILA, which is a place halfway down the Punta Allen Peninsula. This road eventually goes all the way to the tip of the peninsula and the town of Punta Allen, a lobstering and fishing village. It is a rough road that is slow going for most of the way. A few kilometers down the road, you will enter the Biosphere Reserve.
The town of Tulum is growing quickly. It now extends for 3 or more blocks in either direction from the highway. The highway widens here and is called Avenida Tulum. It is lined with stores, restaurants, and the offices of service providers. One place that I find handy to visit is a travel agency/communications/package center called Savana (tel. 984/871-2081) on the east side of Avenida Tulum between calles Orion and Beta. The staff, for the most part, speaks English and can answer questions about tours and calling home.
