Tulum seaweed (Sargassum) seasons. Discover if it is worth travelling to Tulum while its beach is plagued by Seaweed.
Seaweed, or as locals call it - Sargassum - in recent years, has been a menace for Tulum.
Nothing can ruin an expensive getaway more than a long, wide, and highly stinky line of seaweed, or as locals call it - Sargassum, stretching through an entire beach.
Note: If you are already in Tulum and discovered that you can't stay longer due to the Seaweed find out what options you have here.
Table of content:
Intro.
Just imagine your room is fifteen meters away from the sea. Your ears are pleased by the sound of waves gently stroking fine-grained sand on the shore. As you, still a bit sleepy, open the windows of your boho room, the tender wind of the sea comes inside and softly wraps itself around your body. Morning sun rays light the space behind you as you inhale the natural perfumes of the sea. Oh, sweet Paradise.
Or this is what you dream of booking that $300 per night (minimum, lol) room in one of the boutique hotels of Tulum.
In reality, you arrive, impatient to taste that peace of Paradise, but as the van (or a car) opens its doors in front of the hotel of your dreams, a strong odour of the rotten eggs instantly strikes your nose.
"That's not how I imagined a paradise would smell," - you think to yourself.
Nonetheless, that dream of yours still convinces you that all be O'kay. And maybe that's just the garbage taken away recently. You check-in in the reception and get escorted to your room. Oh yes, baby, the dream is about to hit its pinnacle! Here, one turn away, the ocean lays! You have been dreaming about these smooth turquoise waves since that time, a year ago, when you saw a beautiful Instagram post of Tulum's natural treasures. You turn the corner, and... are you feeling deceived? Where is turquoise? And more importantly, where is beautiful? All you see is brown. And, even thou you do not want to be too judgmental, after all, $300 per night, remember? But this, really? Wait, where is the sand? A few meters wide, a long stripe of green and brown grass spans through an entire beach. And then comes the punchline - a strong gust of wind drives the smell of rotten eggs right into your nose, which has been mentally fine-tuned to expect the best odours the world can offer.
Is it worth it or not?
Simple answer. It is not.
Let's look at it objectively: unless your only purpose travelling to Tulum is a day-two rave party, you most probably want to 1) relax and 2) experience the beauty of the beach and nature in general. The magical experience that Tulum is known for is a large number of pleasant smaller experiences perfectly mixed. Take away a few most essential ones, and the place loses its original meaning. Without a beach or ocean, you will still have pools, hotels, restaurants, and other experiences that, with time, grew around that one main Tulum attraction - its beach and nature.
With Sargassum dominating, Tulum's sea becomes inaccessible. At times the amount of seaweed is such that it can lay on the beach a few meters wide and half a meter high. If you make it to the water, not only you won't even be able to move your arms due to the density of seaweed inside the sea, but some dangerous creatures or sharp objects can be entangled in Sargassum (not to mention how disgusting the experience swimming in dead seaweed could be). And lastly, you will not even want to try to come close to the weed, as the first unbreachable obstacle you will encounter is a sharp and pungent smell of rotten eggs.
The smell, in fact, can be so strong - depending on the wind - that hotels in the Zona Hotelera can be hard to stay at as well.
You might still be able to hit hot Instagram spots and flex later that you did go to Tulum, but other than that, your only memorable experience would be that of seaweed and a price tag.
More complex answer: depending on your tolerance levels and amount of sargassum volumes on the bach.
It is not always that seaweed levels are such that it is impossible to be on the beach; sometimes, it is toleratable. The problem is that it is like playing Russian roulette, and you need to have good luck since the inflows of seaweed can be unpredictable. One day the ocean can be alright (although you still won't see that famous turquoise colour); another day, you will want to stay as further away from it as possible.
Sargassum seasons in Tulum.
Although there is no scientifically established consensus of any natural law currently guiding periods at which Tulum's, Cnacun's, and Playa Del Carmen's shores are hit with such extreme amounts of seaweed, throughout the years, I noticed that a pattern is present nonetheless.
Before highlighting the likelihood of the Sargassum appearing during each season, I always recommend, regardless of the time of the year, that everyone should check the internet for any signs of the seaweed on the beach before coming to Tulum.
Check Instagram stories from the Tulum recently dated. Posts on themselves might be misleading since people might post old pictures.
Winter season, December to April. In the past 4-5 years, the seaweed affected only one winter.
May-August. This is my favourite season, but unfortunately, this is the most likely season Tulum's beach will get hit with unprecedented levels of Sargassum. With pick levels typically coming in the month of June-July.
Septemeber-November. Tulum beach is less likely to be hit with seaweed. Even if it does get Sargassum, the levels are tolerable enough.
But again, always check the internet for signs of the seaweed at least a week before your trip.
What to do and where to go if you are already in Tulum and it’s a seaweed season?
First of all, if the situation is very dire and you know you won't enjoy your stay, we recommend to chek with your hotel for a refund. In my opinion, this is not the case where you should be mindful of the hotel's trouble. You spent so much money and time getting to Tulum. Not to mention that online information is often misleading, whether on Instagram or Hotel websites, Tulum is beautiful 247/7. Hotel cancellations are a very sensitive topic, and unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that it will go smoothly; from my experience, they do go forward with refunds even thou reluctantly. But again, every hotel is different.
You left your hotel, now what? Where to go when Tulum, Playa, and Cancun are in the seaweed season?
Gladly there are a few other spots that are not too far away (2-4 hours drive)
1) Valladolid.
Discover Valladolid in our full article dedicated to this magnificent and culturally rich city - click here.
A small and vibrant in-land town not too far from the famous Chechenitza Pyramid.
Travel time: 1-2 hours drive from Tulum.
2) Merida. Playa Progreso and Playa Rosa.
A bit further than Valladolid. In fact, you will pass Valladolid on the way to Merida.
Merida is the biggest city in the Yucatan. It has malls cultural city center, and several beaches half an hour's drive away.
Travel time: about 4 hours drive from Tulum.
In conclusion:
Unless your sole purpose in visiting Tulum is to attend a rave party and you can't care less about the rest, you are most likely to find disappointment in your experience if, during your stay beach of Tulum is full of Seaweed. Before coming to Tulum, check social media or our Telegram channel if Tulum is experiencing seaweed problems close to your trip's dates.
Join the TrueTulum telegram channel, where we can answer your direct questions right away.
If you are decided on your trip to Tulum but do not know when to go, where to stay, or what places to visit, consider checking out the following arteries:
Tulum Hotels VS Tulum Airbnb: Which is better?
Where to stay? Zona Hotelera vs Pueblo.
Is it safe to go to Tulum in 2020/2021?
What is the best time of year to go to Tulum Mexico?
The best way to spend one day in Tulum. Perfect Tulum guide.
For any questions related to Tulum, you can contact me using the form below.
Best regards,
Alex, your personal Tulum insider.