We booked 2 tours, one turtle snorkel with Gilmer and a 3 hour fishing trip with Manny and wow, I…read morecouldn't have asked for a better experience. I'm seven months pregnant and we have an 18 month old and I appreciated how accommodating both Gilmer and Manny were! Gilmer and Manny made sure to capture our experience so we could focus on the moment and sent us all the photos. Gilmer made sure to point out any creatures and give us insight. Manny & crew were able to help us snag 5 mahi mahi and the last one was a massive 60 pound male! Just incredible. On top of that they took us to a local restaurant to cook up our fresh fish. If we're not too tuckered out we may have to book another trip as I know it will be worth while. Great prices for life lasting memories, thanks again guys for being so awesome.

Gilmer was an amazing tour guide (we did the kayak and snorkeling experience). We were able to see…read morelots of colorful purple coral reef, barracuda, star fish, sting rays, sand dollars, and an assortment of fish! He took us to two different locations, and was very knowledgeable about what we saw! He also was able to show us where octopus live and gave us some cool facts. He was a very caring and fun tour guide. If i could give more than 5 stars I would. Thank you Gilmer! -Nikole & Kristian

Can you imagine swimming away from shore without a lifeguard, going as far as you want and where…read moreyou want in crystal clear 80 degree water to swim and follow schools of fish? That's what you get at Xcacel. I didn't detect any crazy rip tides or strong currents - and went about a mile off shore - far enough that to lose sight of landmarks to return to the beach (forget about remembering where clothing, sandals and water bottle!). I did not see any turtles here but I did see a lot of fish - it was fantastic. One of the best beach experiences I have had in my life - I will definitely go back. This is a DIY, advanced level snorkeling and swimming beach. There are tours showing up with the occasional busload of people to see the tiny cenote and to trek onto the beach but - the beach is so big - I really didn't see many other people. There are no services - just a kiosk on the driveway for your donation/entry fee. Bring your own EVERYTHING.

Amazing beach and decent snorkeling spot for just 20 pesos admission. The water was unbelievably…read morewarm and clear, and the beach never got too crowded. We snorkeled on our own and saw quite a few fish and a barracuda. We didn't see any turtles, but it's possible that we just weren't looking in the right place. There's also a small cenote in the back with a ton of fish. I liked that the price of admission was low enough that we didn't feel compelled to spend too much time in the cold cenote water. The location is kind of hard to spot from the road. There's just one small banner with a picture of a turtle on it on the side of the road, and by the time you see it, it's probably too late to turn in.

Akumal beach is such a great beach for exploring the sea turtles and snorkeling! Not great if you…read moreare looking for white sands and no shells though. Weather is always amazing and so many things to do with the little town and dive shop there. Also several restaurants to eat.

Beautiful white sand beach, turtles in the water, minimal seaweed, what more could you ask for!…read more I understand why people make this beach their home base for their Quintana Roo vacation.! I'm not entirely sure one must pay for the guided tour to get in the water and see the turtles. I want to support the local economy, but perhaps there's a trick to enjoying this beach without paying for guided tour, think life jackets, and locker rooms. There is a restaurant on site, and my friend and I just gave a really big tip to the waiter so he would let us leave our bags at the table for 15 minutes while we snorkeled with our own gear to see the turtles. kind of hush hush, we did it very discreetly and quietly and quickly. I attached the screenshot I showed to the taxi driver upon arrival to get us to the restaurant without going through the Disneyland style entrance line and fee. I'm not sure I recommend this method, however, as I can imagine multiple ways this theory could have gone wrong. Side note, perhaps we were off season in late may, but we actually saw no turtles. maybe we should have paid for the guided tour after all.

Probably the most underwhelming snorkeling experience that I have had. This was my first time…read moresnorkeling in a lagoon and I was really excited because the water looked clear and beautiful on land. We came here with a tour guide around 11am in February, and the water was not only cold, but there were not many fish. When there were fish, it was the same type of fish over and over again. Maybe she just didn't take us to the right places, but I didn't see anything that excited me. I probably wouldn't want to come here again to snorkel. There are probably much better places for it!

Super fun experience. On a recent trip to Cancun for a wedding my friends and I decided to book an…read moreexcursion from our hotel and decided upon one that takes you to both a cenote and a laguna for snorkeling. Yal Ku happened to be the lagoon our guide took us to. Didn't get to explore the area too much but theres a parking lot, small changing rooms, bathrooms, and a small restaurant. Several other groups were there trying to snorkel at the same but it wasn't overly crowded. We first went and got our supplies...lifevests, goggles and fitted them. Once everyone was fitted we jumped into the water and were instructed to go to a certain area of the lagoon. Some areas had slightly poor visibility--I mean, it is a lagoon, can't expect too much. Some cool things I saw included this huge school of sardines swimming right next to me and some rainbow colored fish in another area. Almost didn't want to leave the water because I was so excited to explore. Made me want to book a snorkeling trip to an island asap... Anyway, when you do come out to the parking area, you might run into the ice cream man with those pinwheel crackers~get some!

Absolutely incredible spot to check out, loved the xtun caverns, great for swimming and diving. We…read morevisted years and years ago during our trip to Mexico and took a day trip to Tulum to check out the ruins, swim in cenotes, and try some local spots. It was wonderful!

What an amazing experience getting to dive into and explore inside caves in the Cenotes…read more Got to take a dip after visiting the Tulum Ruins which was one of the best tours by far in my traveling experience this past year. So much history, so much care for them still! We have to protect them at all costs! Wonders of our world I say. This tour from our cruise ship was a 9 hour day but if you're there on your own time and more freely to explore, definitely still take your time and enjoy! But do gotta warn the humidity especially in July when we went, it was atrocious. Pile on the sunblock and cover up still. Bring a towel to wipe the constant drenching sweat off of ya. lol

Great place to snorkel. I Can't improve on the other reviews with more pictures so I'll try just…read moregive you some other thoughts and advice. Take fins and a waterproof flashlight to enhance your experience. If you have your own snorkeling gear bring it. Rent a locker for five dollars and bring a change of clothes. If you are arriving by taxi be sure to negotiate a price that includes them sticking around for the return ride back to your hotel, otherwise you may be there a while waiting for another taxi that you will have to call for.

So hard to go wrong experiencing a sin of tough for the first time. Was lucky enough to swim with…read morethe turtle down below. Acquaint little Village and a beautiful jungle setting. Highly recommend this when visiting this area of Mexico.

We came here to visit the sea turtle sanctuary as part of our tour through Cancun adventures…read more The dive center itself is cute. They had bathrooms with showers as well as outdoor showers. I did not appreciate the requirement to wear a life jacket in shallow water to snorkel with the turtles. The amount of people in the snorkeling areas was way too much. People were kicking up sand, flailing in the water and pushing people (me) to get in front of where any turtles were. It was extremely disappointing. The only reasons I got any photos was because I have a GoPro on a stick. I would NOT do the turtle thing again. I would however go scuba diving. That seemed like they took out small groups on small boats so it wouldn't be overcrowded.

This is an efficiently-run dive operation, and also offers a lot of group snorkeling opportunities…read more We dove with ADS through Blue Experience Diving, and we were pleased with the facility and the dive sites offered. The boats are small, with room for 8 or 9 divers. Back roll entries are required, as these boats aren't large enough for a dive platform. The boat captains were very good and able to deal with both calm and rough water efficiently. They also helped carry gear when needed, and helped divers deal with gear as they got on and off the boats. I observed ADS dive staff working with student divers, and they seemed patient and thorough (I'm a dive instructor myself, so I can recognize when other dive pros are doing a good job). Safety was a high priority. Overall, a great experience and we were glad to have a chance to dive with Blue Experience Diving and the Akumal Dive Shop.

Not a good place to eat at all. While the view is nice the service is Curt and half of what we…read moreasked for was unavailable. In the dirt parking lot the owner actually asked us to move our car so he could park his. While it was eight of us there he sat at a table across the room and never came over to say hello. Food was slow to come out and flavorless. Go drink a beer if you like but would not waste time with anything else.

WARNING! Someone broke into my car that was parked only 25 feet from the ticket booth. I went to…read moreCasa Cenote because it was a close drive from the Tulum ruins. I swam for about an hour or so and when i got back to my car, all the doors were unlocked when i was 100% sure i locked all of them them. I'm not the only person this happened to. I spoke to other tourist that afternoon and the same thing happened to them. They broke into another person's trunk and stole their belongings. Luckily it was only my cell phone in the glove compartment that was stolen. This place is a trap for tourist. Please if you're planning to go, don't leave anything in the car. I also did some research and noticed it happened to others in the past so please go somewhere safer unless you want your car to get vandalized! And I get that you have to be a smart traveler. Trust me, your car will get damaged and you can't even call the police. Even the car rental lady told me that the cops will try to get a bribe from you so make sure you hold your phone camera up and record him!! You can't win!

The staff were super friendly and checked up on us to make sure everything was good going above and…read morebeyond. The food was amazing quality and taste was amazing.

We stayed 3 minutes walk from this place, was recommended by our Airbnb receptionist since theirs…read moreopen later on the day, quick service good lattes great view! Thanks

We had an amazing Cenote tour with our guide Alex. They took us to 3 very unique cenotes which gave…read moreus an incredible variety of experiences. Alex was super informative and had a ton of really interesting knowledge about the area. The cenotes were absolutely incredible. Alex showed us a bunch of cool spots to dive and some secret areas that the other tours that were there didn't seem to be going to. I can't even describe how cool the cenotes were. It's like being on another planet! I highly recommend this tour company. Worth every penny and seriously made my trip so memorable.

Super fun tour learning and exploring nature's beauty…read more Booked the 3 cenote tour and had a blast with ATC. Alex, our guide; was super knowledgable explaining to us how cenotes form and also the cultural importance. He made us feel right at home, especially since I'm not the best swimmer. I've had issues before with snorkeling equipment malfunctioning on other trips but everything worked great this time with Alex's tips. We explored 3 unique cenotes and had plenty of time to relax and enjoy exploring them. Alex showed us how to free-dive (it's important to equilibrate your ears) which came in handy when he showed us hidden spots in the mangroves and even had us explore some underwater caves fully submerged (only if you felt comfortable). In between swims, he had ice cold sweet pineapples and water for us. Although you could technically do the cenote swims yourself, I believe it's worth the little bit extra to have a guide show you how to use the equipment properly (nothing worse than a water-filled snorkel mask) and also the hidden spots (all of the other tourists that came on their own to the grand cenote just stayed attached to the buoyed lines that were laid out). Well worth it in my opinion.