Playa del Carmen · SNORKELING
57 reviewed
Between the reef, the cenotes and the turtle bays, this coast is one of the best places on earth to put a mask on. Ranked below are the best snorkeling tours from Playa: what you will actually see on each, what gear is included, and which suit nervous first-timers.
Early-morning snorkeling at Akumal for sea turtles, then a guided swim in the Yucatan’s Yax-Muul cenote. Value, gear, and timing.
“Take a waterproof camera. I’d do it again. Sea turtles and the cenote all in one trip ! Hope that’s how you spell it. Lol”
Tulum ruins, a cave-style cenote swim, and snorkeling at Yal-Kú Lagoon, finished with beach club lunch and round-trip transport.
“Excellent activities, guide, driver, scheduling. If you suffer from motion sickness--the full day of activities requires a long time in the van, sometimes with bumpy dirt roads. My daughter and husband had a tough time with the full day of travel, though loved the activities. I loved the whole thing!”
Swim a Tulum cenote, snorkel with sea turtles in Akumal, then unwind at a beach club with lunch and included gear.
“The can that we were travelling in broke down twice on the way there. The driver (Ricardo) and the guide ( Henry ) were very good. If you have a moustache beware your snorkeling mask may not fit. Consequently the snorkeling part was a bust for me. The Cenote part of the trip was super Interesting however the pictures that they offered you to purchase at the end you had to buy all of them at 120$ US dollars . You couldn’t just buy a certain package for a reasonable amount. There loss because we would have purchased something reasonable.”
Swim Mayan cenotes and snorkel Yal-Ku Lagoon on a small-group half-day trip from Playa del Carmen with gear, snacks, and pickup.
“The cenote tour was beautiful and informative. The school of sardines in the lagoon was incredible! I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Early pickup, reef snorkeling near Isla Contoy, 3 hours in a bird sanctuary, then 1 hour to shop Isla Mujeres with lunch and drinks.
“Isla Mujeres was amazing and fun. I highly recommend getting a cab to Punta Sur, you will NOT be disappointed by the amazing views. The real jewel is Isla Contoy, though. Like my title says, it gives Gilligan's Island vibes and I could have stayed forever. Don't miss this opportunity if you get the chance, it's a 100% worth the money experience. The guides were amazing and very knowledgeable. I can not give them enough praise.”
Tulum in one day: ruins, cenote swim, sea turtle snorkeling in Akumal, plus beach club lunch—round-trip transport and gear included.
“This was an A+ experience. Very much worth your time and money. Our guide Michael and driver Omar were so knowledgeable and helpful it really made a difference in our experience”
Catamaran cruise from Maroma Beach with two snorkeling sessions, marine-life commentary, drinks, and beach-club time in Riviera Maya.
“The staff was super friendly and energetic. Our tour guide in the water navigated us to some great sea life. Super knowledgeable as well”
Private snorkeling in Akumal Bay with green turtles in a protected circuit, led by Darwin and Marlene, 1-hour swim plus optional photos.
“Our family had an amazing experience. We had 2 extra guests than originally planned. Darwin and Marlene were more than accommodating. We seen several sea turtles among other sea life. They took pictures as well as videos of everyone with their GoPro and shared them with us at no extra cost.”
7-hour snorkeling from Playa del Carmen with Yal Ku Lagoon, a jungle cenote, and an underground river plus lunch and hotel pickup.
“Wonderful excursion being able to snorkel in three different areas: cenote, underground river, and Lagoon. Luis was an excellent guide and took really good care of everyone. Loved that we were able to snorkel freely without having to follow a guide.”
Two-hour snorkeling in Tulum National Park with sea turtles and stingrays, plus Tulum ruins photos from the water. Value tips included.
“This was a great trip! We saw so many turtles and stingrays and fish. It was a little hard to figure out how to get to the beach since you have to go through Jaguar Park, but luckily the boat waited for us! Overall I would definitely recommend.”
Private Tulum and cenote day from Playa del Carmen: early ruins entry, a cenote swim choice, and shore snorkeling with sea turtles.
“The travel guide was very knowledgeable, and her English was impeccable. Communication is very important to understand the tour and history. Highly recommend.”
Playa del Carmen jungle day with Tulum ruins, cenote snorkeling, ziplining, and lunch plus hotel pickup. Max 20 guests.
“Alan was very attentive and made the day fun. But, don't drink the water! Within 24 hours 4 out of 9 of us were confined to our rooms. Then another 3 dropped the next day.”
Luxury catamaran sailing in Cozumel with snorkeling gear, paddleboards, open bar, and lunch—plus hotel pickup from select areas in Mexico.
“Our group of 10 had the best day! Russell and his crew did an outstanding job; they kept the drinks flowing, the food was delicious, and the snorkeling views were beautiful!”
Snorkel calm Tankah waters, then explore a private 600m cenote cave with lunch and Tulum pickup for $169.
“A friend of mine and I did this excursion in January 2019 and had a fabulous time! There were only 3 of us plus the guide, which made it feel like a personalized tour all day long. We were picked up at our hotel and everything ran on time. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and he taught us tons about Cenotes and the history of the area. The snorkeling was pretty good. Not the best I've ever done, but still fun. We had to fight the current and tides a little bit, but still saw lots of fish and coral. The highlight was definitely the Cenote tour. It was…”
A 2-hour Tulum reef snorkel with two stops, a boat ride past the ruins coast, and a strong chance of turtles and stingrays.
“It was very nice to snorkel in Tulum, see the ruins from the sea, the coral reef with tropical fish (not as spectacular as in some other places in the world, but still beautiful), sea turtles and sting rays. Visiting two different places in the reef didn’t add to the experience as in both places the reef looked the same. Overall enjoyable and recommended activity.”
