Bucket list experience:
Mayan Riviera, Mexico
The Mayan Riviera cannot compare with Indonesia or the Barrier Reef for spectacular corals, or the Maldives for fish life, but there are few locations anywhere which offer a better variety of snorkel experiences.
Reefs lie in swimming distance of the shore, plunging coral walls are a boat ride away, there are underwater art galleries, lakes fringed with jungle and hundreds of cenotes: sink holes filled with terrapins and fish that drop into stalactite-encrusted caverns. You can even snorkel with whale sharks, manatees or crocodiles
Most snorkel excursions are easy to do alone, there are designated family-friendly water parks like Xel-Ha and myriad agencies in the main towns offer boat trips.
Want more recommendations in this destination?
Destination Guide >Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Want to swim off a beach and see turtles right offshore? Your best chance is at Akumal, where the coral shallows attract many and offer safe, easy snorkelling in glassy-clear water.
Best for ages: 6+ | Free | 30+ mins
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
This large, lily-covered pool filled with wispy water weed, terrapins, fish, and the occasional small crocodile, has water as clear as air. It’s easy to visit from Tulum, yet it’s far less busy than nearby Gran Cenote.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Mexico
This big, open swimming hole – set in low jungle and filled with fish is safe enough for small kids, has changing rooms, life jackets and water-entry platforms. It’s easy to reach, sitting right off the main Cancún-Chetumal highway 15 minutes’ drive from Playa.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
A stunning cenote with spectacular cave formations and glassy water, passing through caverns encrusted with stalactites. Mind-bogglingly beautiful for both snorkellers and PADI divers.
Best for ages: 8+ | £12
The main Mayan Riviera’s barrier reef is within swimming distance of the shore in Isla Mujeres and around Tulum and in Cozumel and Playa.
Dive shops also take snorkellers on trips to locations (try Deep Blue Cozumel). Cenotes are best snorkelled self-guided; that way you avoid the crowds which congregate in the middle of the day.
Use biodegradable, reef-friendly sunblock in the water or a UV-blocking shirt and leggings. The sun is fierce and the coral along the Riviera Maya has been damaged by careless use of sun creams.
Snorkelling is good all year round, and snorkelling experiences are run daily, all year round.
The weather in the Mayan Riviera is generally pleasant all year round, and the water is always warm enough for swimming, but if you can, avoid peak season in December to January, when it gets oppressively crowded, especially around Christmas and New Year.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[3.6 miles]
This intimate, couples-focused beach-and-jungle retreat mixes romantic Eden-like surrounds with sharp, modern design. Playa del Carmen is a short drive away.
Official star rating:
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico[22.3 miles]
Luxurious couples-focused beach pavilions overlooking one of the Yucatan’s few bays, twenty-minutes north of Tulum
Official star rating:
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[27.2 miles]
Feeling very Miami, this upscale hotel is split between an urban singles hotel in downtown Playa and an intimate balcony-fronted, ocean-view annexe. Adults only.
Official star rating:
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[27.8 miles]
This big beachside resort in the heart of Playa del Carmen offers great value stays with a view and five-star amenities. Great for families, with good facilities for kids.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Mexico
Talc-white beaches, reefs teeming with life, ruined temples in misty rainforests – the Riviera Maya offers a family or romantic beach holiday with a dash of Indian Jones adventure.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Mayan Riviera, Mexico[0 miles]
Dive with whale sharks or crocodiles, drift over spectacular drop-offs or through stalactite-filled caves: the Mayan Riviera is a world-class scuba destination
Best for ages: 18+ | £100 | 2+ hours
Mayan Riviera, Mexico[0 miles]
With caverns covered with stalactites, glassy water, terrapins and cave fish, these natural sinkholes offer uniquely spectacular swims, snorkels and scuba dives.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free | 1+ hours
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[28.5 miles]
An adrenaline-pumping close encounter with this top of the food chain predator, in glassy-clear water.
Best for ages: 16+ | £150 | 6-8 hours
Quintana Roo, Mexico[50.3 miles]
An authentic, atmospheric and less-visited Mayan site, set in lush, wildlife-rich forest. Climb to the summit of the 126ft-high Nohoc Mul pyramid – the tallest on the Mayan Riviera.
Best for ages: 13+ | £5
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico[13.7 miles]
A simple nature-based theme park with a safari-park zoo, a cenote for swimming, a spectacular cave and a rainforest canopy zip-line adventure.
Best for ages: 4+ | £30
Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico[27 miles]
Small, touristy and mediocre aquatic theme park offering swims with dolphins, sea lions and manatees. Fun for kids.
Best for ages: 4+ | £21
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico[32 miles]
Iconic, though modest, Maya ruins perched on a cliff overlooking a beautiful beach and a turquoise ocean.
Best for ages: 10+ | £2
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[32.4 miles]
A family-friendly cenote adventure park – with cliff-jumps, rope-swings, jungle trails and onsite changing rooms and lockers. Cristalino sits right outside Playa del Carmen, making it easy to reach, and immensely popular.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
![Cenote Dos Ojos [swimming, snorkelling & scuba diving]](https://familyhotelfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/Yucatan-Cancun-and-Tulum-Cenotes-Dos-Ojos3-SH.jpg)
![Swim in a cenote [snorkelling & scuba diving]](https://familyhotelfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/Yucatan-Cancun-and-Tulum-Cenotes-lead-SH...jpg)
