Akumal Bay Turtles

20° 24.0′ N · 87° 19.3′ W

Akumal - 'place of the turtles' in Maya - is a shallow, sheltered bay where green sea turtles graze on seagrass a few metres from the beach, one of the most famous turtle snorkels in the Caribbean.

Practical

Coordinate is the Akumal reference position on Wikipedia (village by the bay). Akumal Bay was declared a marine refuge on 7 March 2016 to protect the threatened turtles (Wikipedia); CEA Akumal says the bay's fishing-refuge decree allows lionfish capture as the only extractive activity. More than 400,000 tourists visited in 2015 and reef structure has declined by more than half since 2016 (CEA), so follow posted rules strictly: do not touch turtles or coral (illegal), keep clear of the buoyed fire-coral area, and use biodegradable sunscreen or a rash guard. Much of the bay is under 5 ft deep; the beach is public and a guide is not required, but beware touts posing as officials in the car park (parking M$50; Wikivoyage, 2022 prices). No yacht anchorage is described here - visit by road from Puerto Aventuras (about 15 km).

Best for

Snorkelling with green turtles

Practical

Best for

Nearby