The popular travelling website Tripadvisor was flooded with enquiries about which is the best place to go for snorkeling, is it Akumal or Cozumel. Read on to find out which destination you should consider visiting.

In Mexico, there are many spots where one of the major attractions is to go for snorkeling. One of them is Puerto Morelos. It is the easiest and while all snorkel experiences change with conditions, Puerto Morelos is quite same. There is so much to see and one can go out by boat which is cheap. The reef in Puerto Morelos is shallow and you can be closer to nature.  Then there is Cozumel famous for diving. But Akumal is famous for turtles when compared to Puerto Morelos and Cozumel.

The little beach town of Akumal attracts tourists who love snorkeling with endangered green sea turtles. Interestingly, you don’t need to rent a boat or even a guide to go snorkeling with the turtles like in the case of Puerto Morelos. Turtles are a short swim away. The ocean floor at Akumal is covered with sea grass, one of the turtles’ favorite foods. The turtles hang out there for hours in the bay, casually munching on the grass. Aside from turtles, there isn’t much other marine life in the shallow waters of Akumal Bay.

You can reach Akumal for a wonderful experience from Playa del Carmen by collectivo. Collectivos are small, so if you have a lot of luggage, you may want to take a bus or taxi. The collective from Playa del Carmen will usually drop you off by the pedestrian overpass on the highway. Cross over the overpass and keep following the road and you’ll be on the beach. If the collectivo drops you off in Akumal town, you will have to just follow the road back across the highway. Another option for getting to Akumal from Playa is to take a bus. The ADO buses do not stop in Akumal, so you’ll need to take a second class Mayab bus.

After reaching Akumal, you can rent snorkels, fins and masks right in the bay. You’ll need to bring your own towels, ID and a deposit. The dive sites also rent lockers.

So, get your snorkeling gears and dive in to enjoy the clear waters with turtles.

Tripadvisor – the popular travel website got flooded with queries regarding Tulum and Akumal Bay. Can they be covered in a single day or not. Read on to know more…

Want to visit both of these amazing places in one day? It’s not you alone who wants to do that, there are many tourists who are thinking the same. First starting off with Akumal and do snorkelling and see some turtles in the morning as the later in the day the more likely choppy water. Spend until mid day and go to Tulum. You know what, it’s absolutely doable and depends on how much time you wish to devote to Tulum. You should be able to catch a collectivo heading to Tulum from Akumal. Just be aware that if you are planning on traveling only by collectivo, there will be quite a bit of walking involved from the highway. You get off on the highway and you are right there where they sell the tickets to their little “train” for super cheap and its a few minutes ride to the entrance. But be aware because by the time you may reach Tulum, it will be hot.

Otherwise you can try the other way round. Take the colectivo to the ruins first in the morning before it gets too hot and it is right off the highway and later go to Akumal for snorkelling and lunch. Now to figure out the best option and transportation and if you don’t want to spend all your money on Taxi’s which seems to be easy to do there, get a collective to take you around. You can also check prices with one of the private transfer companies – likely less as Canada Transfers, AGI Transfers and USA Transfers. In the Akumal area, many great places to go and eat.

So, plan accordingly and pack some essentials and get ready to explore the serene blue water and Mayan ruins together.

Tripadvisor – the popular travel website got flooded with queries regarding Tulum and Akumal Bay. Can they be covered in a single day or not. Read on to know more…

Want to visit both of these amazing places in one day? It’s not you alone who wants to do that, there are many tourists who are thinking the same. First starting off with Akumal and do snorkelling and see some turtles in the morning as the later in the day the more likely choppy water. Spend until mid day and go to Tulum. You know what, it’s absolutely doable and depends on how much time you wish to devote to Tulum. You should be able to catch a collectivo heading to Tulum from Akumal. Just be aware that if you are planning on traveling only by collectivo, there will be quite a bit of walking involved from the highway. You get off on the highway and you are right there where they sell the tickets to their little “train” for super cheap and its a few minutes ride to the entrance. But be aware because by the time you may reach Tulum, it will be hot.

Otherwise you can try the other way round. Take the colectivo to the ruins first in the morning before it gets too hot and it is right off the highway and later go to Akumal for snorkelling and lunch. Now to figure out the best option and transportation and if you don’t want to spend all your money on Taxi’s which seems to be easy to do there, get a collective to take you around. You can also check prices with one of the private transfer companies – likely less as Canada Transfers, AGI Transfers and USA Transfers. In the Akumal area, many great places to go and eat.

So, plan accordingly and pack some essentials and get ready to explore the serene blue water and Mayan ruins together.

Popular travel website Tripadvisor got a query about snorkeling at the Turtle Bay of Akumal Yucatan Peninsula and how to reach. Read on to find out what people had to say and it may answer your doubts too –

To reach Turtle Bay you can either hire a taxi or hop on a collectivo. Taxi will take you right to the beach. collectivo will drop you off on the highway and from there, take the pedestrian overpass to cross the highway and then walk in. You can rent the dive in gear for the surrounding shops and the pricing too is affordable. The snorkel tours start by 10 am, so make sure to reach there early. Ignore the people called piratas who will try and tell you it is the law that you must have a guide. But that is not true, you will only require the guide if it’s an organized tour.  Act like you know what you are doing and get far from them and start snorkeling peacefully.

Snorkeling at the Turtle Bay is one thing where you need to keep your patience and concentrate, so any crowd will disturb you. You will find lots of over enthusiastic fellow snorkelers who will bump and run into you. Find a lone spot and concentrate for 5 minutes, your eyes will become accustomed, and you will be able to see turtles. Best things come to you in the ocean, when you just let them, don’t race around chasing what you think you are going to miss.

Turtles begin laying eggs in late May until September (at darkness – bring a red flashlight which will not disturb them). It takes 55-60 days to hatch (late July to early November). You can also swim around them. Turtles in Akumal Bay live there year around and eat turtle grass. If you want to see turtle hatchings you will have to coordinate with CEA. Sometimes if a nest hatches during the day, the CEA volunteers collect the turtles and then release them later around dusk, so it is harder for their predators to see them.

Get your snorkeling gears and to head to Turtle Bay with your family.