Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula offers plenty of amazing water activities. One of the most fascinating can be found in Akumal Bay, where you can swim with the sea turtles that call these shallow waters home.
In between the touristic hotspots of Tulum and Playa del Carmen lies Akumal. The town’s name translates to ‘Place of the Turtles’ and that is exactly what Akumal is famous for. Green sea turtles come here to feed on the sea grass and nest on the beach.
Although they aren’t as plentiful as they once were, Akumal is still the place to be if you want to swim and snorkel with these mesmerizing creatures. In this blog post, I will tell you everything you need to know to have an amazing snorkelling experience at Akumal Bay.
Where to stay to visit Akumal?
One option, and the one we chose, is to stay the night in Akumal itself. We came here straight from the airport and spent our first night of our Mexico road trip here. As such, we could get to Akumal Bay early in the morning, which is the best time to swim with the sea turtles. Staying in Akumal is thus highly convenient, but keep in mind that it is a pretty pricy place to find accommodation. I won’t recommend the hotel we stayed at in Akumal in this blog post. The reason being that it was definitely the worst accommodation we stayed in during our Mexico trip, despite being one of the most expensive.
If you don’t stay in Akumal, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are good choices. Playa del Carmen is a 36-minute drive from Akumal. We didn’t visit the place, but it is one of the Riviera Maya’s most popular cities to stay in. After Akumal, we did travel to Tulum for a couple of days, and while we didn’t exactly love the town itself, it’s a great base for many trips in the surroundings. From Tulum, it’s only a 27-minute drive to Akumal. If you’re looking for an affordable, yet great hotel in downtown Tulum, Casa Almendro is an absolute delight.
How to get to Akumal Bay?
If you’re not travelling by rental car and aren’t staying in Akumal, you can take a colectivo (minibus) from both Playa del Carmen and Tulum to Akumal. Another option is to book an organized tour from here, which will include transportation to Akumal.
If you do have a rental car, drive up to Akumal Bay and park your car before you drive through the white archway. There are several parking lots and a normal price is 50 Mexican pesos to park for the day.
Once you’ve arrived, go through the white gate and walk on the footpath on the right-hand side. This leads up to a counter and building that give access to the protected area of Akumal Beach. Entry here costs 120 pesos and includes the use of toilets, showers and lockers. If you want to rent a locker you have to leave a cash deposit, which you get back once you return the key.
Snorkelling areas in Akumal Bay
Once you have entered the bay area, it’s time for the key activity here: swimming with the turtles. Akumal Bay is divided into several areas. The first part of the water from the beach is freely accessible. You can swim up to the buoys and rope by yourself but not further. If you don’t want to hire a guide, you’ll be limited to searching for turtles in this area.
With a guide, you can siwm past the buoys from the beach and snorkel in the second demarcated rectangle. This is the option we chose. There are two additional designated turtle areas deeper in the sea, where the boat trips go. As we didn’t go in with a boat, I can’t say much about this type of trip.
Snorkel with or without a guide in Akumal?
I personally would recommend to snorkel in Akumal Bay with a guide, like we did. The chances to find turtles on your own in the most shallow area of the bay seemed rather slim. There isn’t much seagrass for the turtles to eat from on the seafloor here, so they won’t come here as much. In addition, this area is where most people enter and walk, so the sand gets stirred up pretty fast. This makes the visibility in this part of the bay worse than elsewhere.
To find a guide, you can just walk up to one of the huts on the beach. We went with Roberto Tours and paid 500 pesos per person (about 25 euros) for a private tour of about 45 minutes. We found this good value for money, especially as it was just the two of us with the guide. As such, we had plenty of space to admire these wonderful animals, contrary to people in big tour groups who also visit Akumal. Another great perk of swimming in Akumal with a guide is that they know what to look for, so you will spot more animals than on your own.
Swimming with sea turtles
If you go on a guided tour, a life vest is mandatory. The guide will enter the water with you from the beach and will then swim a round with you along the ropes in the water that line the designated swimming area. They will search for animals (not just turtles) and point them out to you.
The guide is a great help, as the sea turtles aren’t as easy to spot as you might think. They hide in the seagrass most of the time, which has about the same colour as their shields. After a while, they get up for a little swim and to gasp for air, but this doesn’t take too long. Thanks to our guide, we saw several turtles – one was huge – but also other sea animals, like rays, an octopus hiding in some sort of pipe and several colourful fish. I honestly don’t think we would have seen as much – if any – turtles without his help, so we were very happy we hired a guide. It made our experience so much more brilliant.
Do I need experience to snorkel in Akumal?
In my opinion, snorkelling in Akumal is fairly easy. As you’re swimming in a bay, the water is much calmer than when you’re out at sea. In fact, this was the first time I went snorkelling since I was a kid and it was the perfect environment to do so. Because you get in the water slowly and the waves are small, you have some time to get used to breathing through the tube. At first, I was struggling a bit with regulating my breath, but after a while I really got the hang of it.
I believe snorkelling with the turtles on a guided 45 minute-tour is doable for most people with an average fitness level who know how to swim. Don’t worry if you do get tired or need some extra help, though. When on a tour, the guide will swim with a buoy attached to them. People who need it, can hold on to it if they wish. This is also great for children who might need some extra support.
To me, the time frame of 45 minutes was also just right. We had enough time to spot several animals and stop to admire them for a while without feeling rushed. The tour was over at the point where I started to get tired from swimming in the sea and breathing through the snorkelling gear.
After snorkelling
Once your snorkel trip is over, I highly recommend to enjoy Akumal’s beach some more. This is one of the few beaches in the Riviera Maya where the sargassum (smelly seaweed) doesn’t seem too much of an issue. It’s actually nice to sit on Akumal beach and enjoy the shallows for a bit, contrary to other areas in the vicinity. The other beaches in Akumal – like the one in front of our accommodation – did have lots of seaweed on them when we were there, so swimming there seemed all but pleasant.
If you get thirsty or hungry, Lol-Ha restaurant sits right on the beach. Do keep in mind that they (or at least the kitchen) might not be open yet when you visit Akumal early in the morning.
Tips for swimming with sea turtles in Akumal
To make your experience of snorkelling with Akumal’s turtles even more magical, I have some additional tips for you:
- Visit Akumal in the early morning, as the visibility is best then. The more people have visited, the cloudier the water gets. Your best bet is to arrive around nine in the morning.
- Sunscreen is not allowed in Akumal Bay, to protect the marine wildlife here. It’s a good idea to wear a swim shirt that offers SPF protection.
- Bring your own snorkel gear if you can. Tour operators will have it for you, but your own gear will sit more comfortable, making the snorkel experience much more enjoyable.
- Fins are not allowed, to protect the animals and the sea floor where the turtles feed from.
- Look for a private tour or a tour with just a small number of people. You’ll get more value for money and will have a better view on the animals.
- Don’t touch or follow the animals and keep some distance. If they do swim up to you, get out of the way as soon as you can. You’re visiting their home, so be a respectful guest.
Enjoy your visit to Akumal and its wonderful turtles. It’s a magical experience!
Want to discover more of Mexico’s natural beauty? Take a day trip to Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve from Tulum.