Practical Guide to the Ruta Puuc Near Merida, Mexico
- Maria DiCicco
- 21 minutes ago
- 10 min read
If you are traveling near Merida and around the Yucatan, it's absolutely worth your while to plan for 1-3 days along the fascinating Ruta Puuc (Puuc Route).
The Ruta Puuc, fairly far off the traditional touristic route in the Yucatan, starts just over an hour south of Colonial Merida, and stretches across an easy 36 minute drive.
Along the 40 kilometer route experience places like Uxmal, the largest and grandest structure along the Ruta Puuc, which is a UNESCO site like it's famous cousin, Chitzen Itza. From there the sites get slightly smaller in scale, but no less impressive.
Take your time and see Pueblos Magicos (the Magical Towns of Mexico), enjoy cozy bungalows in the jungle for an overnight stay, and spend your days exploring the ancient ruins of half a dozen Mayan sites.
Below, learn the best way to visit the Puuc Route on your own or with a tour, including costs, practical and important advice for staying healthy and safe while you are visiting, and learn about my first-hand experience to assist you in choosing which sites to visit.
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What you will find in this article:
The Ruta Puuc Mayan Sites to visit (and how)
To really enjoy and immerse yourself in the Ruta Puuc, it is recommended to start your journey at the North point of the Puuc Route, continuing South along the 40 km stretch until you burn out on stamina.
WARNING: I do NOT recommend trying to tackle this all in one day. We did, and it was brutal. (More on that fun adventure below).
The more ideal way to do this would be:
Day 1: Uxmal and Chocostory, spend the night at the Pickled Onion
Day 2: Kabah-Labna, lunch in Mani
More on all of this below.
Start at the northernmost of the Puuc Route ruins and work your way down in this order:
Each stop is only 5-10 minutes apart, making for a very easy travel day!
However, despite the short distance between stops, each site offers something different. It is up to the traveler on which sites are worth stopping at, if not all of them. From grandiose to simple photo stops of the intricate carvings, the Ruta Puuc sites are sure to impress.
Extremely Important Tips for Visiting Ruta Puuc
Don't let me scare you off, but there are some really important things to note before you start your journey!
If you are visiting the Ruta Puuc with your own vehicle, be sure to gas up before you head out on the road - there are next to no facilities out there.
Road conditions are mostly good, but there are long stretches of bad potholes. We were virtually the only car we saw the entire day. Keep this in mind!!
You'll see a lot of fire damage out this way, which eventually leads into gorgeous green fields when you get to the end towards Mani.
Do not start this journey without this next tip: DOWNLOAD OFFLINE MAPS - there is no cell service on the Ruta Puuc. Not sure what I'm talking about? Head over to my Do's and Don'ts for renting a car abroad here.
Bring lots of water with you!
Like most travelers will tell you, try and go in the early parts of the day, because by noon the sun is scorching and you will feel it. Even during the morning opening hours, these places are hot, dry, dusty and extremely limited in shade.
For our visit in May, the temperatures got up to 105 degrees by noon.
With UV indexes hovering around 11+, it is important to wear sunblock on at least your face and arms, and wear bug spray.
Always wear a wide brimmed hat to protect your face, neck and shoulders, and I suggest good hiking boots and loose clothing as well. (Consult my Mexico Packing List here for more ideas).
Also, expect that most of these destinations will not have any accommodations as far as food, water or restrooms, so plan accordingly.
Parking is free at each site.
All ticket sales are made en efectivo (in cash!).
Be sure to have enough to pay for your entry.
Read more below to understand the offerings at each site (and my first hand accounts), then continue on to learn more about the area.
If you are ready for adventure, read on!
Uxmal Visitor Information
Arriving at Uxmal, resist the temptation to be waved into parking lots as you approach. There is an official parking lot about a half mile further, past the car museum.
Pay to park ($120 MXN), then get to the ticket booth (after dodging aggressive vendors selling embroidered blouses).
Uxmal, as you might expect, is heavily touristed and there is a fee for that. You will have clean bathrooms, air conditioned souvenir shops and even a restaurant on site, but all that comes at a high price tag.
At the ticket booth, expect to pay two fees - one at the first counter is $100 MXN per person in cash.
The second booth, after you have just paid, is to pay another fee of $481 MXN for your actual entry ticket.
This comes out to about $30 USD per person in total.
This is because there is essentially a state fee and a federal fee. The second fee can be paid with your credit card.
As weird as this is, then you take each ticket and go through two different turnstiles to actually enter the Uxmal site. One for each ticket.
Once you are in, follow the green route signs, which are pretty easy to follow. There's a good amount of shade at Uxmal, but bring an umbrella or a UV shirt to cover up.
The sites are incredibly awe-worthy. Take your time, and lots of photos!
Spot the ornate carvings, statues, and the pok a tok court. It's a sprawling complex and fascinating to imagine the lives lived there.
Cost:Â $581 MXN in total, split in two payments. $100 federal cost in cash, $481 state payment (can be credit card)
Time needed to visit:Â 45 minutes to 2 hours
Onsite amenities: Everything you could need is here, and it is very clean. If you would like to hire a guide once you arrive, look to the right of the ticket booth and find the signs for guided tours. They are offered in half a dozen languages ranging from $800-950 MXN.
Overall opinion: This site is not to be missed. For tours that Visit Uxmal, consult the numerous featured experiences at this link on Tripadvisor.
Kabah Visitor Information
Arguably the most impressive site on this list (after Uxmal, of course), Kabah was the most fun to tour around.
With a reasonable amount of shade, we started our 15-20 minutes on site by scrambling up a very steep stone stairwell.
The carvings at this site were incredibly intricate, and fascinating.
With unique arches and stone structures, and the compact nature of the visit, this was my favorite site to visit of all the Puuc Route.
Cost:Â $80 MXN pesos
Time needed to visit:Â 20 minutes
Onsite amenities: There were very rustic facilities here, but they did offer bathrooms (for a $5MXN fee). I recommend using the restrooms at Uxmal if you are coming from there first.
There were limited snacks and cold drinks on offer and just a few souvenir items. There is a dirt parking lot across the way. Do not be confused if you see the site blocked off with a chain - that is just to keep cars out.
Overall opinion: Prioritize this site, it's the best of the bunch!
Sayil Visitor Information
Sayil offers visitors a chance to walk around the stunning Gran Palacio. Truly, it is quite impressive.
It's the dreadful walk afterwards that may leave you turning back for the car. Let me explain:
At this point in your southward journey, you need to be very mindful of a few things:
The rising temperatures
Your nature skills
Your stamina
I say this because after seeing the Gran Palacio, you'll head into a jungle path towards more buildings in the Sayil complex.
You'll pass foreboding signs warning of the dangerous wildlife (snakes!) and then you'll continue walking through sauna-like heat with no visible sign of a positive outcome (I.e. a neat building at the other end).
It is up to you at this point whether you would like to continue further or turn back. We consulted the map, and the complex was simply too large for us.
We didn't bring our water from the car (thinking we'd have a quick visit like at Kabah), and we weren't well equipped to be traipsing through a hazardous, hot jungle.
BUT on the flip side, those with the time and stamina will supposedly be rewarded with some cool sites on the other end of that trail.
If I could give some advice to the Mexican folks running this place - this site could use Tuk Tuks like at Coba to get visitors from one end of the complex to the other.
Cost:Â $75 MXN pesos
Time needed to visit:Â 10 minutes - ???
Onsite amenities: None, but they are building out some impressive bathrooms and other tourist items onsite.
Overall opinion: Pay your admission for the Gran Palacio then go back to the car.
Xlapak Visitor Information
Xlapak was the most underwhelming of the sites visited. After our slog through the jungle at Sayil, we hoped for a small site (again like Kabah) that would be easy to tour without too much jungle trekking.
We even asked the man at the ticket booth about the level of activity, and he assured us it was not as bad as Sayil. Right.
While he wasn't completely misleading us, Xlapak operates in a sort of circular route around some dilapidated ruins, with the path going straight through similar jungle flora and fauna (beware of snakes!).
Like Sayil, the best building to see was the very first one near the entrance.
Even with my umbrella (completely broken and inside out from hot wind at this point), we survived only by dumping cold water all over our heads to manage through the hike.
When we happened upon some ruins, the general response was, "that's it?". And on we slogged.
Worth it? Only if you are really into ruins and suffering from heat stroke.
Cost:Â
Time needed to visit:Â 30 minutes
Onsite amenities: None, but they are building out some impressive bathrooms and other tourist items onsite.
Overall Opinion: If you have one to skip, this is the one.
Labna Visitor Information
I'm going to be honest here - we didn't visit Labna. We drove straight up to the parking lot, snapped a pic of the sign, and turned around.
After exhausting ourselves from heat, this was the sane thing to do, but I understand we did miss some pretty cool archway structures and carvings.
According to the Yucatan Today magazine we picked up on our first day in Merida, Labna offers a pre-hispanic walkway called a sacbe, leading to one of the "most famous structures of the Maya world: the Arch of Labna", which still has some of the pre-hispanic Maya paint adorned on it.
You can also get a glimpse at junquillos, which were "stone cylinders that evoke the wooden sticks used in traditional Maya homes".
Darn, I guess we missed a good one!
Cost:Â $75 MXN pesos
Overall opinion: pace yourself and make decisions that are right for you. The jungle heat can be really brutal, so don't overdo it. Take lots of breaks, drink plenty of water, and don't be ashamed to say you've had enough for the day!
Which leads me to...
Where to Stay the Night Near Ruta Puuc
This is time and time again the most recommended place to stay near Uxmal and the Puuc Route, and for great reason.
At the Pickled Onion enjoy air conditioning, cutesy jungle bungalows, included breakfast, and optional lunch and dinner as well.
There's of course a pool for cooling off after your day of touring the ruins, and plenty of relaxation corners for meditating on your day.
In our experience, we found the meal to be the highlight - with clear nods to Spanish cuisine (like gazpacho) and comforting hugs from our food, like the sumptuously spiced chicken wings.
Although some amenities at this hotel were rustic (individual water tanks provided little shower water and lots of rules on flushing and water use), the best perk is that the AC in our room was tremendous.
When you weigh your options near the Puuc Route for lodging, you can't come up with much better, despite some of the rustic trappings. You'll have a cool and comfortable night, and a great meal.
Great alternatives if the Pickled Onion isn't available:
Learn more about the hacienda hotels in the area here.
Towns and Other Attractions to Add to Your Itinerary
Road Trip Itinerary and More Ruins
A typical Cancun to Merida road trip itinerary will more often than not include the towns of Valladolid, the yellow magical town of Izamal, and stops at numerous ruins like Coba and Ek Balam along the way.
Beach Destinations
Be sure to also spend time in Merida's beach towns of Celestun or Progreso, visit where the dinosaur-destroying asteroid (and its massive crater) set pockets of cenotes (swim holes) into the earth, and check out the salty pink lakes in the beach region.
Cenotes
Don't forget to pack your adrenaline, because the Cuzama Cenotes, easy to pair on the Puuc Route trip, offers a really unique way to visit the swim holes - a horse cart! Take an exciting horse cart ride on old rail tracks to different cenotes for swimming and a very unusual good time! (Or go the more bougie and gorgeous route at the cenotes at Hacienda Mucuyche).
Visit Mani
Another tip is to make a stop in Mani for lunch one day - it's one of Mexico's Pueblos Magicos, worth a looky loo.
In town you'll see a beautiful church, a mercado with some souvenir shops, and some quaint lovers archways for evening strolls.
We ate at El PrÃncipe Tutul Xiu, which was recommended by many online. In fact, we had other options up our sleeve for the day, but you'll find entering town that this one is easily accessible and quite inviting.
Get the poc chuc, it looked wonderful! (We chose egg-based papadzules and queso relleno, both just alright).
Visit Chocostory
Lastly, if you are going to Uxmal (and you WILL be going to Uxmal), check out Chocostory across the street.
It may seem lame and hyped up for tourists but it is actually really well done.
Learn about the process of making chocolate, visit their outdoor paths and animal life, and learn more about the region.
We got to attend a Mayan ceremony, sample hot bitter chocolate (and add our own flavorings), and even see a Jaguar.
My recommendation is to spend 2 hours here, which we had not accounted for. You'll need 1.5 hours but 2 will give you time to slow down. Pair Chocostory with your visit to Uxmal, then call it a day!
