Yellow Earth, Blue Hole

Kaan Luum Palapa

September 18th, 2020

Today we’re at Kaan Luum (yellow earth), just a few miles/kms southwest of Tulum. I don’t normally include images that aren’t my own, but this uncredited photo on Google Maps is helpful in understanding the size and form of Kaan Luum:

Uncredited Google Maps image of Kaan Luum

The lagoon is several miles/kms inland from the coast of Tulum. The wide, shallow perimeter suddenly drops off near the center into a sapphire blue column of water more than 250 feet/75 meters deep. A fence around the center depth keeps swimmers in the shallow area but scuba and free divers come here often to venture into the abyss.

Boardwalk to Kaan Luum

Dock at Kaan Luum

Kaan Luum

A boardwalk takes you to the shoreline where a dock takes you farther out above the water. Lounge here or dip in. The bottom is clay… soft and silty, supposedly good for your skin. This “yellow earth” underneath makes the shallow water an unusual shade of green.

Kaan Luum

Kaan Luum Panorama

Kaan Luum under a cloudy sky

Even in the shade of a cloudy sky, Kaan Luum starts the weekend off right.

Tomorrow, I think we’ll stop in Valladolid for a quick peek before moving on to Chichen Itza.

Until then,
Kelly

P.S. Happy Birthday, Wenda! Great memory here with you. What a fun afternoon!

Photo of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together. This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying close to home.