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Tulum & Snorkeling with Sea Turtles in Akumal?

M

M&M

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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Has anyone done the Snorkeling in Akumal?
We're looking at a combined Tulum/Akumal Snorkel Tour and are wondering if anyone has done this and what was their experience?
 
Yes, but on our own, not as part of a tour. It was probably 10+ years ago, so things may have changed.

There were four of us; we rented a car and drove to Akumal and Tulum. Both were pretty low key and I don't think either requires the cost or constraints of an organized tour. We brought our snorkeling gear and towels from RR. I recommend doing Tulum first, then Akumal to cool off.

Snorkeling at Akumal was ok, not gorgeous, but pleasant and relatively close to the beach. There was no cost at all, as it's a public beach. We did see some sea turtles as well as a bunch of other sea life. Bring a camera that works underwater. We bought an inexpensive disposable film camera that worked very well.

At the time we went, there was a floating dock not too far out that was good for taking breaks. There also was a small restaurant right on the beach that was good and inexpensive.
 
Tulum: We stayed in the playa del Carmen area and took the collectivo to Tulum. Where it drops you off, you can walk to the ruins or take an open air train for about $2 per person. Entrance fee to Tulum is very inexpensive. We printed out fact sheets on the ruins and my son had studied them before the day and toured us around. The beach at the base of the ruins is very nice but can be a little rough. No snorkelling. Several minutes walk south of Tulum ruins you will find a longer and wider beach. It is a fabulous beach. No real snorkelling. We had taken a bus to Coba in the morning from Tulum and then found our way back to Tulum and spent the afternoon there. If we had more time, we would have spent the whole day at the ruins and the lovely beaches.

Akumal Bay: Very easy to reach using collective, or taxi. We go on each trip to see the turtles. No palapas/loungers to rent but lots of palm trees offer shade. Make sure to bring beach towels with you. There are two dive shops at Akumal Bay. One is right on the beach beside Lol-Ha restaurant (large palapa restaurant which is bathing suit with a light t-shirt or some type of coverup friendly). The dive shop on the beach rents very secure lockers, snorkelling gear if you need to, life vests etc. Very friendly staff. We always rent a locker and a life jacket for our pre-teen (even though I end up wearing it most of the time). I find the beach gets crowded so try to get there around 10am latest. Sea life (especially the turtles) is great. Calm water so good for younger kids. Lol-ha restaurant is always busy and again staff are super friendly. We just grab some food to go and eat on the beach but they have dozens of tables as well. We always end up spending the better part of the day here and always meet the most interesting people. For added snorkelling, you can take a cheap taxi ride (8US I think) from the beach to Yal-Ku Lagoon. Entrance fee is under $10 per person. Rental equipment, lockers etc. are available for rent. This is a really great place to snorkel as the water is very calm. If you like to swim down and see fish there are some awesome rock formations under the water where you can see incredible fish. I wouldn't do Yal-Ku by itself but have fun adding it to a snorkelling day at Akumal Bay.
 
Love Akumal - the sandy beach is just spectacular and the water so calm and clear on a clear, sunny day but is murky on a windy day. It's been years since we were there but there was one year we swam past the buoy where the boats come in and saw acres of beautiful staghorn? coral and as far as the eye can see. I'm guessing we were on the other side of the reef. We didn't stay long because it was just dead silence and rather eerie since it was just my young daughter and I snorkelling in this vast coral garden. Love snorkelling and exploring in Akumal Bay because it's not deep. There is a nice restaurant where the condos are - it has a sandyfloor and swings as seats and open out to the beach. Great Shrimp tacos.
 
EdventureTours. Loved our day with them. They are based inside of the shops at Tulum. We didn't do the Ruins part, but created a snorkeling day with them.

Our experience was just the two of us, we did this a few years back but everyone I've read about that has used Eddie has had a great day.

We snorkeled Dos Ojos (awesome!), YalKu (ok), and Akumal Bay (great reef and the turtles!!). We drove to Tulum from Cancun, and Eddie hopped in the back of my car to guide us along the way and to each spot. YMMV depending on how many people end up in your group. We didn't set out to do this as a private tour, it just happened that way.

http://www.edventuretours.com.mx

Even now we still consider our day spent with Eddie one of our best days ever of any vacation we've had.
 
Although I have not done a tour like the OP mentions, my family has snorkeled in Akumal twice.

In the summer of 2012 we were able to walk directly off the main beach and snorkel out to the reef without a guide. Access to the beach/snorkeling is free. It was fantastic - some of the best snorkeling I have ever done. We bring our own masks and snorkels (which I highly recommend investing in) and we rented vests, but did not even need flippers. You can rent equipment from a dive shop right on the beach. The reef is approx. 150 yards out from shore and was full of everything, including a small ray and sea turtles- really excellent, especially because the whole day was such a bargain. My wife and I did this with our 9 and 10 year old sons - they loved it. We parked in one of the lots just off of the beach - I think it cost 50MXN or something nominal like that.

We wanted to repeat that in March of this year, but there was a strong off-shore breeze that led them to prohibit direct snorkeling from the beach. the water also looked very cloudy due to the rough weather. The dive shop suggested that we go to Yal-Ku Lagoon, which is about a 10 minute drive away. We did so and had a great time, although they charge an admission fee which I seem to remember was on the slightly steep side. (Something like $15 per adult, less for kids).

After leaving Yal-Ku we had dinner at La Buena Vida, which is on the road back to Akumal. It was really good - right on the beach, hammocks, good food, cold beer, etc. - even though it looks a little like a cheesy touristy-trap type of place. We will definitely go back.

Hope this helps - and please post if you have any luck with a guided trip between Akumal and Tulum.

Chris
 
Ahhh La Buena Vida. Great spot.

Back in 96 I rented a Harley in Cancun and rode down and visited Tulum and Akumal and other spots. I had my snorkeling gear in one of the side bags.

I had a young lass from Mexico city as my passenger and we rode through pouring rain followed by intense sun. I think I stayed in Cancun for about 9 days.

That was all before responsibility got in the way.
 
BSQ said:
EdventureTours. Loved our day with them. They are based inside of the shops at Tulum. We didn't do the Ruins part, but created a snorkeling day with them.

http://www.edventuretours.com.mx

Even now we still consider our day spent with Eddie one of our best days ever of any vacation we've had.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with this. I had a group of 22 people last week in Cancun for my wedding. Edventure tours picked us up at our hotel and had us touring Tulum by 9am.

I didn't really think Tulum was all the great, but the rest of the day was amazing. I am sure you can work with Edventure to work out the tour you would like to take.

I loved the cenote snorkeling. Some of our group felt a little claustrophobic, but most really enjoyed it. Snorkeling with Sea Turtles in Akumal bay was great. We saw a lot of turtles, a stingray and a school of very little squid. Yal-Ku lagoon was nice too. It's slightly weird swimming in there because of the freshwater and sea water mixing. It almost looks oily when you are swimming in the water. A lot of really pretty fish.

Edventure tours was great. I know it is somewhat easy to do all of this on your own, but it was really nice not to have to worry about anything.
 
The restaurant I mentioned above with the swings and sand floor is La Buena Vida! We always stop there when in Akumal and always on the ground floor.
 
Another vote for Edventures! Our family of 4 did a private tour with them and loved every moment!
 
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