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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 30 May, 2023
Expert travel writer: Alex Robinson

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.

Akumal Reef
Experience

Akumal Reef

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

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Cenote Aktun Ha
Experience

Cenote Aktun Ha

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

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Cenote Azul
Experience

Cenote Azul

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

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Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 6+
When: All year around
Duration: 1+ hours

Getting there & doing it

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.

When to do it

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

Hotel Esencia

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:

Hotel Jashita

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:

Thompson Playa del Carmen

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:

Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort

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

Mayan Riviera

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.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

World-class diving on the Mayan Riviera

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

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Mayan ruins of Coba

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

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Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Aktun-Chen

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

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Mayan ruins of Tulum

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

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Cenote Cristalino
Experience

Cenote Cristalino

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

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