Tulum CenotesA Cenote, the Ruins and the Turtles at Akumal
This Tulum cenote and turtle tour runs out of the Riviera Maya and stacks three stops into one day: the cliffside ruins, a swim and lunch at Cenote Mariposa, and 90 minutes snorkelling with green turtles in the protected bay at Akumal. Transport, lunch, lockers and the snorkel guide are included; US$40 per adult and US$25 per child in taxes and entries are collected as you board. Compare it against every Tulum cenotes tour.
About This Cenote Tour
8 to 10 hours
$84 per person, checked September 2026
4.6 from 298 reviews
Coach group; a private option is sold
Cenote Mariposa, open to the sky
US$40 adult and US$25 child in conservation taxes, paid when boarding; drinks beyond those served with lunch
Listing at a Glance
The same fields on every tour page here, read from the operator's live listing in September 2026. Prices and availability are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
- Tour name Tulum, Cenote and Akumal Turtle Swim from the Riviera Maya
- Operator EKINOX TOURS
- Booking platform GetYourGuide
- Product ID 503731
- Starting price $84
- Price note Listed at $121, showing $84 in September 2026; ecotaxes of US$40 per adult and US$25 per child are collected when you board
- Price last checked September 2026
- Rating 4.6
- Review count 298
- Review source GetYourGuide verified bookings
- Listed duration 8 to 10 hours
- Cenotes visited Cenote Mariposa, open to the sky
- Type of cenote Open cenote
- Time in the water Two hours at the cenote including lunch, then 90 minutes snorkelling at Akumal
- Entry fees included Mariposa entry and the Akumal snorkel guide yes; the Tulum site, Parque del Jaguar and ecotaxes are collected on board at US$40 per adult and US$25 per child
- Paid on the day US$40 adult and US$25 child in conservation taxes, paid when boarding; drinks beyond those served with lunch
- Transport Round-trip coach from most Riviera Maya hotels
- Hotel pickup Yes
- Pickup areas Most hotels across the Riviera Maya; the address is confirmed at checkout
- Pickup window Early hotel pickup across the Riviera Maya, confirmed by the operator's own email
- Expected return Back 8 to 10 hours later
- Group size Coach group; a private option is sold
- Guide Yes, plus a snorkel guide in the water at Akumal
- Guide languages English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian
- Gear Snorkel guiding, life jacket and lockers
- Life jacket Yes
- Lunch Yes
- Drinks Two water bottles and drinks with the buffet
- Cancellation 24 hours before the activity
- Reserve now, pay later Yes
- Minimum age Not for children under 3
- Difficulty Easy - swimming in open water at Akumal is the only demanding part
- Accessibility None stated
- Not suitable for Children under three
- Weather Runs rain or shine; the Akumal swim is called off when the sea turns, and the bay closes to swimmers above 25 km/h of wind
Check Dates and Availability
Live availability and current pricing for this listing, straight from the booking platform.
Quick answer A cenote, the ruins and a turtle bay in one day - and US$40 collected as you board
A full day out of the Riviera Maya that stacks three things: the Tulum ruins, a swim in Cenote Mariposa with lunch beside it, and 90 minutes snorkelling with green turtles in the protected bay at Akumal. Transport, buffet lunch, snorkel guiding, life jackets and lockers are in the price. The conservation taxes are not: the operator collects US$40 per adult and US$25 per child when you board, and says so in its own exclusions.
Key takeaways
- US$40 per adult and US$25 per child in taxes and entries, paid on boarding
- Akumal is a protected turtle bay - certified guides, life jackets and daily caps are federal rules there
- Buffet lunch, two water bottles, lockers and the snorkel guide are included
- Eight to ten hours door to door, from most Riviera Maya hotels
- Staying in Cancun instead? The same day runs from there
The Day Trip on Video
The ruins, the cenote and the coast in one film - the same shape as this itinerary, minus the Akumal leg.
How the Day Is Built
What you are paying, in full
The ticket buys the transport, the guide, entry to Cenote Mariposa, the guided snorkel at Akumal, life jacket, lockers, a buffet lunch and two bottles of water. Then, under exclusions, the listing names what is collected when you board - the figures below are the operator's own, quoted as printed.
Nobody is hiding it, but it does mean two adults are $80 into the day before the coach leaves, and that is the number to compare against the all-inclusive cenote days elsewhere on this site.
| Collected on boarding | Amount |
|---|---|
| Adult, foreign visitor | US$40 |
| Child, foreign visitor | US$25 |
| Adult, Mexican national with INE | MX$700 |
| Child, Mexican national with INE | MX$450 |
Akumal, and why the rules are strict
The turtle bay at Akumal runs under a federal conservation programme published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 6 October 2017: six visitors at a time with an authorised guide, compulsory life jacket and snorkel gear, set circuits and a 09:00 start, announced by CONANP here. Snorkelling stops when the wind gets up.
None of that is the operator being cautious - it is the condition on which the bay stays open to visitors at all. It also means the turtles are wild animals in their own seagrass, not a show. Most groups see them; the ones that do not are told so afterwards, which is the honest way round.
The cenote stop
Cenote Mariposa is open to the sky, easy to swim, and here it comes with lunch beside it - two hours in total, which is the most relaxed part of a long day. It is not a cave, there is no lamp-lit chamber, and if that is what you came for this is the wrong booking: the small-group day with lunch swims a cave cenote by lamplight instead.
What Mariposa does well is contrast. After two hours in the sun at the ruins, cold fresh water lands differently.
The length of it
Eight to ten hours, most of it moving: two hours to the ruins, half an hour to the cenote, forty minutes to Akumal, an hour and a half back. The operator asks you to disregard the platform's own notification times and use its confirmation email instead, which is a detail worth acting on rather than discovering at 07:00.
Children under three are not accepted. For everyone else it is a long, full, well-drilled day - the 4.6 across nearly 300 reviews reflects that.
Tour Itinerary, Hour by Hour
From the operator's published itinerary. The day is long and most of it moves - use the operator's own confirmation email for your real pickup time.
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Pickup
Collection in the Riviera Maya
Coach pickup from most hotels, then about two hours south to Tulum.
-
+2 h
Tulum ruins, guided
Two hours in the archaeological site. This is where the fees collected on boarding are spent.
-
+4 h 30
Cenote Mariposa and lunch
Half an hour's drive to the cenote, then two hours there including the buffet lunch, life jacket and locker provided.
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+7 h
Akumal, snorkelling with turtles
Forty minutes up the coast, then 90 minutes in the bay with a certified guide over the seagrass.
-
+9 h
An hour and a half home
Drop-off at the same hotels, eight to ten hours after collection.
Where It Is
The turtle bay sits between Tulum and Playa del Carmen; the cenote stop is inland, roughly forty minutes away.
Tulum, Cenote and Akumal Day: Questions Before You Book
What extra fees does this tour collect?
US$40 per adult and US$25 per child in admissions, ecotaxes and the Parque del Jaguar entry, collected when you board. Mexican nationals with an INE card pay MX$700 adult and MX$450 child. Drinks beyond those served with lunch and tips are also extra.
Will we definitely see turtles at Akumal?
They are wild green turtles feeding on seagrass in a protected bay, so sightings are usual but never promised. The bay operates on a federal conservation programme with certified guides, compulsory life jackets and capped numbers, and the snorkel is suspended when the wind gets up.
Which cenote does this tour visit?
Cenote Mariposa, an open cenote where the group also has lunch - about two hours in total including the meal.
How long is the day?
Eight to ten hours from pickup to drop-off across the Riviera Maya. The operator sends its own confirmation email with the real pickup time and asks travellers to use it rather than the platform's automatic notification.
Is a Tulum excursion worth it from the Riviera Maya?
It is if you want three different things in one day and do not have a car - ruins, a cenote and a protected turtle bay are spread across 40 kilometres of coast and awkward to link by colectivo. It is not if you want a slow morning in one cenote: this day gives Mariposa two hours including lunch and keeps moving. Budget the US$40 per adult collected on boarding before comparing it with the shorter cenote-only days.
What Travellers Said
Absolutely amazing day! Felt like we covered so much in just a day and it was well led, curated and ran. Highly recommend.
Verified reviews for this listing, quoted in excerpt with their original dates.
Page last reviewed September 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on September 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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