Playa del Carmen Snorkeling Tours: Our Top 10

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

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

You’ll snorkel with sea turtles, rays, squid, and tropical fish at Akumal Beach, then walk through caves and swim in Parque de Cenotes Yax-Muul. Guides such as Max, Marina, and Daniel keep the day moving, while an early pickup helps you beat some of the crowds.

“We truly relished snorkeling with the turtles and swimming through the cenote caverns. The cenote cavern was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. Our guide, Maryna, did an excellent job managing the activities and making sure everyone was safe and enjoying themselves.”

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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

You’ll swim through a Mayan cenote with guides such as Omar, Paulina, or Iker, then snorkel from a boat toward Akumal Beach to look for turtles, rays, fish, and coral. A beach-club lunch follows. Pickup is included, but long hotel transfers can turn this 4.5-hour outing into most of a day.

“Really enjoyed the tour in the cenote. We were expecting a quick swim but got much more and it was a nice surprise. Only negatives were we didn’t get much detail before and spent a lot of time in the van but that part is on us bc we didn’t check location before”

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3.Beach Escape: Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres with Snorkeling.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 717 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $169

Travel by boat to protected Isla Contoy for reef snorkeling, a guided nature walk, beach time, and a Mexican lunch, then spend an hour on Isla Mujeres. Guides such as Susana, Alex, Pepe, and JP have led departures. Expect an early start, a $20 reserve fee, and weather-dependent snorkeling.

“Great day enjoying the beautifull Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres. Especially 3 hours on the stunning island of Contoy was a highlight. Not many people so you really get to enjoy a more remote Caribbean island style. Clear water, fish, turtles and pelicans. We did not snorkel due to rocky wawes, which meant more time on Isla Mujeres. Fun island to visit but very crowded compate to the peacefull Contoy. From Playa del Carmen it ended up being almost 12 hours from pick up to drop off.”

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4.Catamaran Cruise in Riviera Maya With Snorkeling & Beach Club

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 440 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $85

Cruise from Maroma Beach with an English or Spanish-speaking crew, stopping at two reef sites for guided snorkeling. Guides such as Carlos, Nato, Juan Carlos, and Luciano have helped swimmers spot marine life. Water, soft drinks, and beer after snorkeling are included, with a $15 marina fee extra.

“The beach was clean and not crowded. I would have liked other beer options. But, snorkeling and the staff were good.”

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5.Private Snorkeling with Sea Turtles in Akumal Beach

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

Meet Darwin and Marlene at Akumal Beach for a private, open-ocean snorkel through the official 1-kilometer CONANP circuit. You will wear a life jacket, swim for about 50 minutes, and look for guaranteed green turtles, rays, tropical fish, and other sea life. Swimming ability is required.

“It was SO COOL to see the underwater world! Its hard to even put it into words. Darwin was great, and we saw a bunch of turtles, fish, and even a cannon! Highly recommend!”

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6.Mayan Adventure Snorkeling Tour from Playa del Carmen or Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 313 reviews · 7 hours (approx.)

Spend about seven hours swimming in Yal Ku Lagoon, an open jungle cenote, and an underground river. Guides such as Luis, Pedro, and Alejandro have earned strong praise for safety and humor. Expect gear, drinks, buffet lunch, and pickup, with a maximum of 14 people.

“My girlfriend and I loved this excursion. We saw a lot of fish as well as a sea turtle just casually swimming past us. We loved the open cenote where we could zipline into the water multiple times. Our tour guide/DJ/Comedian Ignacio was by far the best tour guide we ever had.”

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7.Bestseller! Tulum Private Tour with Turtles and Cenote Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $279

Travel by private air-conditioned van from Playa del Carmen or Tulum with guides such as Alex, Arturo, or Joshua. Visit Tulum before the crowds, choose an open-air or cave cenote, enjoy an à la carte Mexican lunch, then snorkel from shore with turtles at Akumal.

“This was such a wonderful experience. Josh (our guide) and Carlos (our driver) were fantastic. It was exactly the experience we were looking for. We wanted a variety of activities in a day trip without the hassle of navigating everything on our own. The pickup time was prompt and we never felt rushed through any of the activities. We appreciated the option of choosing our cenote experience and chose Taak Bi Ha. Snorkeling there was my favorite part of the day. A recommendation for anyone booking this trip…schedule an early pickup time to avoid crowds at the national park. We did this and felt we had the place to ourselves.”

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8.4 hours snorkel & beach tour – Private Yacht 47 ft

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 249 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Set out from Puerto Aventuras on a private 47-foot yacht with Captain Francisco, Valerie, Lester, or another assigned crew. Snorkel a reef, relax at a cove or beach, eat fresh ceviche or fajitas, and enjoy an open bar for up to 15 people.

“We had the best time! Felix, Francisco, and Valerie took great care of us and made sure we had lots of fun. Snorkeling was super fun - we saw a turtle and stingray!”

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9.Cozumel Luxury Sailing & Snorkeling with Lunch and Open Bar Onboard

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 244 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $139

Sail from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel aboard a catamaran for snorkeling, swimming, paddleboarding, lunch, and an open bar. Bilingual crew members such as Hugo, Diego, Russell, and Arturo have earned strong praise, but ferry transfers, early pickups, and limited shore time require patience.

“Our group of 10 had the best day! Russell and his crew did an outstanding job; they kept the drinks flowing, the food was delicious, and the snorkeling views were beautiful!”

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10.Playa del Carmen Jungle Tour: Tulum, Cenote Snorkeling, Ziplining and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 244 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $148

Start with a guided visit to Tulum, then head to Chemuyil for jungle zip lines, a rappel, and a short cenote swim and snorkel. Guides such as Alex, Alan, Christian, and José Alfredo have earned warm praise for their humor and care. Expect a long, active day with lunch and transport included.

“The guides(Alex, David etc) are all hilarious and awesome! We had a blast in Tulum, Ziplines and Cenote is amazing! Wish I could stay in the Cenote forever!”

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