Beach 36 km northeast of Tulum
A long white beach with calm water north of Akumal, with a public access point among the hotels and cenotes nearby.
Xpu-Ha is a long, wide beach of fine white sand on the coast between Akumal and Puerto Aventuras, about 35 minutes north of Tulum. Much of the shore is backed by hotels and private homes, but there is a public access point, and the beach itself is open to everyone, as all beaches in Mexico are by law.
Compared with Tulum's beaches, the water here is usually calmer, sheltered by the reef offshore, which makes it good for swimming and for families. The sand is wide and soft, palm trees give some shade, and a few beach restaurants rent loungers and serve fresh fish. It is a classic quiet day at the beach rather than a scene.
The area also has several cenotes within a few minutes' drive, including Cenote Xpu-Ha and other open swimming cenotes along the highway, so it is easy to combine a morning in a cenote with an afternoon on the sand. In some years sargassum seaweed reaches this coast in the warm months, so it is worth checking conditions before you go.
What to see and do
Swim in the calm water behind the reef.
Spend the day at one of the beach restaurants with loungers.
Visit one of the cenotes along the highway near Xpu-Ha.
Check sargassum reports in the warm months before you go.
Getting there
Drive north from Tulum on Highway 307 for about 35 minutes; Xpu-Ha is past Akumal, before Puerto Aventuras. The public access is signed from the highway, and a small fee is usually charged for parking or entry there. Colectivos between Tulum and Playa del Carmen stop at the Xpu-Ha turnoff.
36 km northeast of Tulum
Directions from Tulum on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Xpu-Ha
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Xpu-Ha.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Weather warm
Xpu-Ha shares the climate of Tulum, 36 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.
Make Tulum your base
Xpu-Ha is an easy trip from Tulum, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Tulum
-
Cenote Calavera
· Cenote · 2 km away
A small cenote just outside town with three holes in the rock like a skull; people jump in through the biggest one. -
Gran Cenote
· Cenote · 4 km away
Tulum's best-known cenote, a few minutes up the Cobá road: clear water, cave passages and turtles that swim among the snorkelers. -
Cenote Carwash
· Cenote · 7 km away
An open, pond-like cenote on the Cobá road, named for the taxi drivers who once washed their cars here; famous among cave divers. -
Cenote Zacil-Ha
· Cenote · 7 km away
A small, round open cenote on the Cobá road with a zipline that drops you into the water, plus a pool and restaurant. -
Sian Ka'an
· Nature reserve · 9 km away
A vast UNESCO-listed reserve of lagoons, mangroves and reef south of Tulum, with boat trips to see dolphins, birds and manatees. -
Casa Cenote
· Cenote · 10 km away
A mangrove-lined cenote at Tankah that flows like a river and connects to the sea underground; fish from the reef swim in it. -
Laguna Kaan Luum
· Lake · 11 km away
A shallow turquoise lagoon south of Tulum with an 80-meter-deep cenote at its center, ringed by a wooden pier. -
Cenote Angelita
· Cenote · 14 km away
A 60-meter-deep dive cenote south of Tulum where a cloud of hydrogen sulfide looks like an underwater river; for experienced divers. -
Cenote Dos Ojos
· Cenote · 15 km away
Two linked sinkholes about 20 minutes north, the entrance to a vast flooded cave system; superb for snorkeling and cavern diving. -
Xel-Há ruins
· Archaeological site · 16 km away
A Maya port with rare painted murals of birds, reopened in July 2026 after four years of work, with a new regional museum. -
Xcacel
· Beach · 19 km away
A protected sea turtle sanctuary with an undeveloped beach and a freshwater cenote in the mangroves behind it. -
Muyil
· Archaeological site · 21 km away
One of the oldest Maya sites on the coast, in the forest beside the Sian Ka'an lagoons; reopened in 2026 after restoration work. -
Akumal
· Town · 26 km away
A bay north of Tulum where sea turtles graze on seagrass; snorkel with an authorized guide in small groups, as reserve rules require. -
Cobá
· Archaeological site · 41 km away
A huge Maya city in the forest between two lakes, with long white roads to bike and the 42-meter Nohoch Mul pyramid. -
Punta Allen
· Town · 46 km away
A lobster-fishing village at the end of the Sian Ka'an road, with boat trips to see dolphins and good fly fishing in the flats.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.