Private Cenote Snorkeling Tour — Yalkú Lagoon, Open Cenote & Cave River

Your English-speaking local snorkeling expert will be waiting for you at your hotel or Airbnb lobby from Playa Mujeres, Cancún or Puerto Morelos with a great smile at 7:00 a.m. We recommend this time so we arrive early and avoid the crowds and the midday sun.

We take the highway straight to our first stop in Akumal, arriving at the Yalku Lagoon at 8:45 a.m. — we want to be among the first to arrive. Since this is your private tour, we always take the shortest route and won't make additional stops unless you want. On the way, your local expert shares stories about Mexico, the Riviera Maya, Mexican traditions and local life, plus how the cenotes were formed and how the Yucatán Peninsula was created, and gives you space to relax — or sleep — during the 1 hour 45 minute ride. The van carries plenty of cold water for you.

This adventure was planned by our snorkeling expert, a local who has swum in more than 300 cenotes and built the perfect itinerary. We want you to visit the best cenotes in the Riviera Maya — not crowded, clean, totally crystalline and above all authentic. These might not be the most popular cenotes online, because we've gone the extra mile to find unique places not everyone knows.

This tour is called "Snorkel as Never Before" because it takes you to three totally different water ecosystems in one day: a lagoon that flows into the sea — mixing salt and sweet water and creating a unique environment with hundreds of fish — an open cenote in the middle of the jungle, and a cave under the jungle with underground rivers.

Your guide keeps you safe and protected at all times — if you don't know how to snorkel, he'll teach you, and even if you're a pro, he'll give you tips to improve your experience. He carries a water rattle for guide-tourist communication underwater, and a floater ("the taxi") if you want to look around more relaxed or need a rest. We use professional, no-fogging, leak-proof snorkel equipment, deep cleaned and sanitized every day. If you wear glasses, we have graduated masks — just tell us your prescription when booking.

The Maya believed cenotes are sacred places with magical powers, unique to the Yucatán Peninsula, formed roughly 55 million years ago. Our first stop is the Yalku Lagoon — we arrive a little before 9:00 a.m., before it opens to the general public, to fit your snorkel equipment and make sure everything's working properly. At this hour there are few tourists, but plenty of fish and aquatic life in crystalline water — a unique ecosystem and a beautiful experience.

Our second stop is an open cenote — a natural pool of crystal-clear water in the middle of the jungle, with an incredible landscape. You can jump from a platform or use the stairs.

Our last stop, 12 minutes into the jungle in the middle of a Mayan community, is a cave — a window into the underground and, as the Maya saw it, a door to the underworld. You'll snorkel through underground tunnels and unique rock formations, an experience you won't forget. If you're more adventurous, ask your guide to take you to the back side of the cave.

All three cenotes have restrooms and changing rooms, so bring your swimsuit, towel and dry clothes to change afterward. Time at each cenote is free — you stay as long as you want and tell us when to leave. Photos from your guide are included too.

After a very active day you'll have a big appetite. If you'd like, we can take you to a local, authentic restaurant — seafood or typical Mexican cuisine in Akumal, Xpu-Ha or Playa del Carmen, your choice. If you'd rather skip it, we'll take you back to your hotel or Airbnb as fast as possible so you can keep enjoying the pool or the beach. You decide if and when you want lunch — we adjust the schedule to what works best for you.

If you skip lunch, we head back right after the cave, via the highway — about 1 hour 45 minutes from the Dos Ojos community to Cancún. The tour is planned to finish around 3:00 p.m., but since everything runs at your pace, the exact return time depends on you. If you do have lunch, add roughly 1 to 1.5 hours; you should be back at your hotel or Airbnb between 5:45 and 6:15 p.m.