Snorkeling with Sea Turtles in Akumal
Akumal is a tiny beach town located about 37km south of Playa Del Carmen. There are a couple of small hotels and restaurants located here. The main draw is the beautiful powder white beach and the sea turtles that graze the seagrass just a few metres from the beach. All you need is a snorkel, mask, and a quick 15m swim out to the sea turtles. Unless you don’t know how to swim, there’s really no need to do a guided tour. One to thing to note is that you’re not allowed to chase the turtles; it scares them a bit.
In comparison to Playa, the food here is quite expensive so if you’re on a budget you should bring your own food. There’s a small convenience store nearby to pick up beer and snacks. And thankfully there are quite a few palms on the beach for shade.
Getting Here The easiest way to get here is by taking a collectivo (shared taxi). The one – way fare is about 35 pesos per person and it’ll drop you off on the main highway. From here, it’s about a 5 minute walk to the beach. There’s a collectivo stand on the beach side of the road for the return trip.