Playa del Carmen · SNORKELING
35 tours reviewed
The Mesoamerican reef runs the whole length of this coast and you can be floating over it ten minutes after leaving the beach. Below are the best snorkeling tours out of Playa: the shallow gardens at Puerto Morelos, turtles grazing in the bay at Akumal, cave and cenote swims inland, and the boat runs to Cozumel’s walls, with prices, group sizes and whether gear is included.
One day in the Riviera Maya with **Tulum ruins**, Caribbean reef snorkeling, and a cenote cave swim plus lunch and pickup from Cancun areas.
“fun experience; excellent guide for the Tulum tour, snorkeling and the cenote tour. Miguel was excellent and helped us a lot, especially during the snorkeling.”
Catamaran to Isla Mujeres with an open bar, snorkeling, and Playa Norte beach-club time. Explore the island for about $59.
“Truly amazing experience!! We went as a family of 5 and the whole experience was superb! The staff were so accommodating and made our trip thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you so much!!”
Drive a speedboat through Nichupte Lagoon, snorkel on a major reef, then join a Mayan ceremony. Includes lunch and gear.
“Love the staff all fun captain fox !!! My share ride was also good scuba 👌🏿✌🏾next time bringing the whole fam”
Half-day snorkel for sea turtles at Akumal and swim in Yax-Muul cenote, with pickup, gear, and empanadas. From Cancun.
“First up, our guide, Luisa, was great, with fluent English (and German) and en route provided excellent commentary on what we could expect from both the snorkelling and the cenote. On arrival at Akumal, we were again fully briefed on how to use the snorkels and fitted with life jackets. We had been told that we couldn't - and indeed mustn't- take our phones but not to worry because the company had an excellent photographer, our own personal 'papparazzo'. There was then a slightly forced photoshoot on the beach. After that we boarded a little boat and were taken out to a point beyond the snorkelling area and jumped in.…”
Tulum ruins, Magical cenotes, and lagoon snorkeling from Playa del Carmen, with hotel pickup, gear, snacks, and beachside lunch.
“Great and wonderful tour! Our guide Iker was amazing and super friendly! Highly recommend this tour!”
Half-day Great Maya Reef snorkeling from Cancun, plus Puerto Morelos time and beachside lunch at Boquinete. Hotel pickup included.
“Excellent activity, well coordinated. Pick up at hotel on time toPuerto Morelos, keeps it townish aspect. Very professional guide, captan and team. Pleasent snorkeling in shallow reef with time to enjoy. Later tekila tasting, and a very nice snack/lunck of tacos in a cozy restaurant by the beach.”
Snorkel Isla Mujeres in 3 hours at Lighthouse Reef, MUSA underwater museum, and Manchones coral, with ceviche snacks, gear, and margaritas.
“Had an amazing experience going underwater and Alam was very helpful and excellent during the snorkelling for me and my wife. A big thank you. Water was bumpy for a first timer like me. So if anyone does get sick due to bumpy rides, carry some gum with you”
A small-group Cancun snorkeling day with sea turtles, reef, MUSA art, a shipwreck, and cenote water time, plus hotel pickup.
“Excellent crew, well organized and managed tour. Wonderful experience, exciting underwater scenery. Quique, chuie and Itzel were amazing, took extra care in the water and in the boat.”
ATV 4x4 trails, guided snorkeling from shore, tequila and chocolate tasting, plus a beach club lunch in Cozumel. Pickup included.
“ATV was fun, but would like a little more mud. Food was also very good and satisfying. Our guide, Pedro Yam, was awesome and very friendly.”
Guided snorkeling on Cozumel’s Palancar and Columbia reefs, plus Playa el Cielo starfish sandbar, with gear and drinks in 4 hours.
Swim in a Maya cenote near Tulum, snorkel Akumal sea turtles, then chill with lunch at a beach club for about half a day.
“Swimming with the turtles was amazing! This was also outr 3rd cenote and this was likely our favorite one. Beautiful, mysterious space with lots of interesting passages, including a few tight squeezes. Very clean water and incredible history. Our guide, Omar, even had us sit in the dark for one minute and listen to the space around us - a very surreal experience. The lunch at the end was a nice cap to an amazing day. About Omar (and our driver, Julio) - they are the best! We have had MANY guides over the years and Omar is knowledgeable, fun, and very personable. I highly recommend this tour!”
3-reef snorkeling tour from Cozumel’s Marina Asipona, with gear, guides, drinks, and a snack, plus marine fee and clear-water stops.
“The tour was great - it is on the more expensive side when there (given add ons). We went to three different spots, the water is very clear and pretty, and we were fortunate to see turtles and starfish. Having a beer on stingray beach was a great way to end the trip. Would recommend!”
Swim Mayan cenote caves and snorkel Yal-Ku Lagoon on a small-group half day, with gear, life jackets, and hotel transport.
“Seeing the cenote was very interesting. However, the lagoon snorkel was not great. There was a ton of seaweed in the water. And we did not get a chance to opt for fins which made swimming difficult. Additionally, it was quite a long way from our resort, so the distance to travel to the experience needs to be highlighted in the description. On the positive side, our tour guide Jesus was very knowledgeable, personable and funny. But our driver had to stop at the office to pick him up and then drop him off after the excursion which added time to the day.”
Private Jeep tour in Cozumel with lunch and snorkeling, plus eco parks and Mayan sites. Private guide-led route, $74 value, fees extra.
“Carlos was amazing and great to work with. We had a little mix up about the meeting point so he ended up coming directly to us which made things easy. He has great knowledge about the Island and the Culture as we wanted our kids to actually learn something while on vacation and not just do Waterparks. He tailored this experience to what we wanted from the Caves, to Mayan Ruins, to our Snorkeling adventure. We must have seen 300 fish around us at one time. Simply amazing for my kids to have this experience. I highly recommend this trip for your family and do t forget to ask for…”
Reef snorkeling and birdwatching on Isla Contoy, plus quick beach time and shopping on Isla Mujeres, with hotel pickup and meals included.
“Excellent trip to Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres. The crew picked us up in front of our resort, staff was exceptional from The driver in the van to the guides, boat crew and captain. The staff spoke several different languages effortlessly to help the non English or Spanish speaking visitors enjoy the adventure as well. We were really impressed with the entire operation. Our guides on the boat Susana and Alex were very knowledgeable, personal professional. and fun! Isla Contoy was stunning, we spent three hours on the Island, took a walking tour, relaxed and swam at the beach. We were served the best food we have had so far…”
