The 7 Turtle Snorkeling in Playa del Carmen That Earn Their Price

1.Half-Day Sea Turtle and Cenote Snorkeling Tour from Cancun & Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,039 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $99Our pick

Start early with hotel pickup, then snorkel at Akumal Beach for sea turtles, rays, squid, and tropical fish. After empanadas and snacks, walk through Parque de Cenotes Yax-Muul and swim in a cave-filled freshwater cenote. Guides such as Max, Marina, and Daniel are praised for safety and humor, but expect crowds and optional photo costs.

“Our tour guide, Daniel San Francisco, and photographer Maxi, were amazing. Daniel was extremely knowledgeable about the areas we visited, was very friendly, funny, and easy to get along with. Maxi was very nice, though quiet, but his photography spoke volumes. The photos he showed the group at the end were amazing. They were a great pair, and took good care of the group. It was a little bit of a colder day (by Mexico standards), so the cenote and snorkeling with turtles were not busy at all. We saw multiple turtles, sting rays, and beautiful coral formations.”

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2.Hidden Cenote Swim: Snorkeling, Sea Turtles and Beachside Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,222 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $169

Spend a morning swimming through a Maya-era cenote near Tulum, then snorkel from a boat toward Akumal Beach to look for sea turtles, fish, coral, and rays. Guides such as Omar, Iker, Andrea, and Jesus Salas have led this outing. Lunch and beach time at Punta Venado follow, but long transfers from Cancun can stretch the day.

“Absolutely amazing experience. Our guide Henry was amazing and our driver Victor was also amazing. Incredible experience definitely rememberable.”

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3.Full Day Tulum Ruins Tour Cenote and Swimming with Sea Turtles

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,171 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $131

Spend about nine hours visiting Tulum, swimming through the underground Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich, and snorkeling at Akumal Beach. Guides lead each activity, with lunch, equipment, water, and transfers included. The group is capped at 18, but expect extra fees of $15 for turtle protection and $20 for the Tulum reserve.

“Pablo was absolutely amazing, accommodating and an all around wonderful person. A great guide, he did a wonderful job keeping us all close together during activities and was very safety oriented during the portions of our trip that involved water. The trip was everything I imagined and more!”

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4.Private Tulum Ruins, Turtles in Akumal and Cenote Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 581 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $375

You’ll visit Tulum with a private bilingual guide, snorkel with sea turtles at Akumal, and swim in a crystal-clear cenote. Guides such as Claudia, Carlos, Alma, and JP have led this route, with private transport, equipment, lunch, water, and hotel pickup included. Expect a full but flexible day for up to 10 people.

“JP , our guide, made this private tour a great one. Alphonse, our driver, was wonderful as well. I would not hesitate to book this again. We did the ruins, snorkeling with the turtles, and the cenote with lunch and everything was top notch.”

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5.Swim with sea turtles

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 445 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $45Best value

Meet at Akumal Beach for a private snorkel with a guide such as Santiago, Angel, Francisco, or Orlando. In water about 2 meters deep, you can watch green sea turtles, rays, squid, and colorful fish without touching them. Gear, entrance fees, insurance, lockers, showers, and bathrooms are included.

“This was a great experience. The pick up was seamless and the experience itself was exceptional with the guide seeking out a few turtles for us to observe. Highly recommended.”

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6.Private Turtles & Cenotes Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 424 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $310

Start with hotel pickup between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. and head to Puerto Aventuras for guided snorkeling with guaranteed turtle sightings. Then cool off in a Yucatan cenote surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. Private guides such as Alejandra, Juan Pablo, and Rachelle tailor the pace, with gear, snacks, water, and transport included.

“This tour was full of incredible memories from start to finish. Rachelle was the very best guide and we loved the photos that Luisa took for us. Everyone went above and beyond to make it a great experience. The food was amazing and rachelle was so friendly and knowledgeable. We saw multiple sea turtles. One of the turtles was so close to me coming up to the surface I almost got a kiss. 😂 Our driver Esdras was very good also. Highly recommend!”

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7.Private Snorkeling with Sea Turtles in Akumal Beach

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 364 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $65

Meet Darwin and Marlene at Playa Akumal for a private, open-ocean snorkel in the protected CONANP circuit. Darwin guides your group for about 50 minutes, helping you spot green turtles, rays, fish, and reef life. Equipment, life jackets, lockers, showers, restrooms, and the park fee are included. Swimming ability is required.

“Positives: The providers were kind and flexible in our booking, allowing us to reschedule due to weather for a date that worked for us. They also provided a prescription mask upon request for our family member with bad eyesight - a lifesaver, and Marlene loaned us her own 100 peso bill for the locker rental. Darwin graciously pulled us (3 adults) all around the reef on a life raft, even as decent swimmers we would've struggled to keep up without it as the snorkels added an extra layer of difficulty. He also managed to locate many turtles for us and it was wonderful to see them so close up. He…”

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