Day trip to Sian Ka'an and Punto Allen

Sian Ka'an, a national park, biosphere reserve, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located south of Tulum and its nature and wildlife are stunning. We drove there in a Jeep with our guide Alejandro, an older French couple, and a silent Russian. So we were a small group - very good. After a short drive through bumpy sand roads, we continued by a small motorboat. Soon we saw a crocodile. Everyone jumped to the side where the crocodile was. Alejandro told us to be careful, if the boat overturns, we will have a problem. Uh yes... he's probably right. We also saw an eagle in its nest and many birds in the mangroves. When we went out to sea, we transferred to another boat in Punto Allen, a small fishing village. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to snorkel as announced, as the weather was not so good and too windy. What a pity. However, we saw a giant turtle and dolphins jumping out of the water again and again. After a swim in a shallow spot - the natural swimming pool, as our guide called it - we returned to Punto Allen, where we had lunch. After a short boat ride, we returned to Tulum, this time by bus and for a long distance, about 60km, with a van. The over an hour-long ride was absolutely horrible. Lots of potholes and the driver seemed to be in a hurry. Elena and I sat all the way in the back of the bus. We had to hold on tight and still got tossed up and down. When we arrived, I felt like I had multiple concussions and needed to recover. After dinner at a nearby restaurant, we went straight to bed. We were exhausted.