Looking for the best Cancun snorkeling tours? Riviera Maya boasts magnificent underwater gems, and snorkeling is the number one activity. Find out which tour is best!
If there is one activity you cannot miss for the world during your visit in Cancun is snorkeling. The Riviera Maya is home to the world’s second-largest coral barrier, and features incredible marine life and coral reefs, becoming one of the top snorkeling and diving destinations.
Here you’ll find the best Cancun snorkeling tours on offer, so you can choose the perfect one for you to enjoy one of the most memorable things to do in Cancun: witnessing the underwater life.
Most of the activities featured in this post are from Viator. I personally use and recommend Viator when booking activities around the world, especially because it offers an excellent cancelation policy. You can actually cancel most tours up to 24 hours in advance and get a full refund.
The Very Best Cancun Snorkeling Tours
➤ The Reef and Shipwreck Snorkeling Tour in Cancun takes you to swim among tropical fish, coral reefs, and giant sea turtles. As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also get to snorkel through a shipwreck filled with corals and colorful fish.
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation from your hotel, snorkeling equipment and bottled water. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
➤ One of the most comprehensive snorkeling excursions in Cancun is the 5 in 1 Cancun Snorkeling Tour: Swim with Turtles, Reef, Musa, Shipwreck, and Cenote. Not only will you get to swim among colorful fish in a reef, but you’ll also admire statues from the MUSA underwater art galleries, snorkel in a shipwreck and get to dive in a cenote. The tour is kid-friendly and suitable for beginners.
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation from your hotel, snorkeling equipment, showers and lockers and bottled water. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
➤ One of the best places for snorkeling near Cancun is Isla Mujeres, and you can do it with the Isla Mujeres Unlimited Snorkel tour. You’ll set sail on a vessel toward the island, and stop at 2 incredible snorkeling spots along the way to swim with the marine life.
You’ll also have some free time to explore the island or relax at the beach, and enjoy the complimentary breakfast and buffet lunch.
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation from your hotel, unlimited drinks and refreshments. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
➤ This Cancun Snorkeling Tour offers you the chance of swimming in the world’s second-largest coral reef barrier, and it’s a suitable tour both for experienced snorkelers and beginners.
The 2-hour tour begins at a beach club, where you’ll enjoy access to its facilities and relax after the experience. You’ll get to swim among colorful fish, magnificent corals and, if you’re lucky, turtles!
This tour operator specializes just in snorkeling tours from Cancun and the whole Riviera Maya, and I personally know the people behind it, which is why I feel comfortable recommending this tour as a great option.
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation from your hotel, snorkeling gear, water, and food. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Snorkeling at the Cancun Underwater museum
The Underwater Museum of Art, situated in the waters around Isla Mujeres and Cancun, features more than 500 sculptures that are used to promote coral life in the area.
With the Cancun Underwater Museum Snorkel Tour you’ll take a high-speed boat ride to the site and explore the underwater art galleries, mingling amongst the life-size sculptures and schools of fish that inhabit the area.
This tour also includes: Use of snorkeling equipment, fruit and refreshments.➥ BOOK IT HERE
Snorkeling in Cenotes in Cancun
The Tour Cenotes Oasis Maya by Xcaret offers a full-day eco-adventure in which you’ll get to explore the wonderful Yucatan’s jungle cenotes. Besides snorkeling in four different sinkholes and caves in Cancun, you’ll also paddle through underground caverns, zipline over a cenote, and rappel down rock walls.
You’ll savor a gourmet picnic lunch to gather up your strengths and listen to the cenotes’ folktales from your guide. It’s one of the best Cancun snorkel tours out there!
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation from your hotel, beverages and light refreshments, use of equipment, and priority access to the park. The tour operates with small groups, ensuring personalization. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
For the Adventurous Ones: Jet ski, Snorkel, and Parasail
One of the most adventurous Cancun snorkeling excursions is the Jet Ski, Snorkeling, and Parasail. Not only will you spend the day snorkeling with turtles, schools of fish, and corals, as well as exploring a shipwreck and visiting one of the most fascinating museums in Cancun, snorkeling along underwater statues.
You’ll also enjoy some exhilarating activities to get you an adrenaline rush, like jet skiing and parasailing in the Caribbean waters.
This snorkeling adventure in Cancun also includes: Equipment for all the activities and bottled water. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Cancun Snorkeling at Nichupte Lagoon
The Jungle Tour Adventure combines the peacefulness of visiting Punta Nizuc, snorkeling among its coral reef, with the exhilaration of cruising around Nichupte Lagoon on a speedboat. Punta Nizuc is probably the best place to snorkel in Cancun if you want to explore both the marine life and corals and underwater sculptures.
This tour also includes: Life jacket, snorkeling equipment, and bottled water. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Cancun Snorkeling + Tulum Ruins
Want to include some history and culture on your snorkeling tour? Then choose the 3-in-1 Discovery Combo Tour, with which you’ll visit the Tulum Ruins, a Mayan archaeological zone with mind-blowing views, before heading to the sea.
Besides enjoying the finest Cancun reef snorkeling in its pristine waters, you’ll also get to swim in a cenote, explore a limestone cave and take a walk in the jungle.
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation from your hotel, entrance fees, snorkeling equipment, and a buffet lunch. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Whale Shark Snorkeling in Cancun
Snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun is the ultimate goal for many travelers, and you can make it a reality with the Whale Shark Tour from Cancun.
You’ll get to swim alongside these magnificent animals accompanied by guides that will make sure you experience a safe snorkel. On the way to the viewing location you may also spot rays and dolphins.
This tour also includes: Breakfast, snacks, unlimited beverages, and roundtrip transportation. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Snorkel & Explore Xcaret Park
Xcaret is an ecological park in the Riviera Maya that offers plenty of natural and cultural attractions to entertain you all day long. As expected, besides its lush jungle and archaeological sites it also boasts cenotes, subterranean rivers, and lagoons in which you can enjoy some of the best snorkeling in Cancun.
The Priority Access: Xcaret Day Trip with Transportation takes you to the park from your hotel in Cancun and grants you access to all of Xcaret’s activities, so you can choose the ones that appeal to you the most.
From snorkeling in the underground rivers to swimming at the beach or in the natural lagoons, meeting the wildlife, checking out the butterfly pavilion or the orchid garden, and enjoying a buffet lunch, you’ll have the option of ending your fantastic day witnessing the renowned Xcaret Mexico Espectacular show.
This tour also includes: Roundtrip transportation, life jackets and equipment, access to the park and activities, and use of the Plus Area facility if the option is selected. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Snorkel Off the Beaten Path in Isla Contoy + Isla Mujeres
Take the Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres Tour to explore these two fantastic islands and the rich underwater world that surrounds them. After enjoying a continental breakfast, you’ll head to Isla Contoy’s thriving coral reef on a high-speed catamaran, where you’ll get to snorkel, relax at the beach and walk around the most important bird sanctuary on the coast.
You’ll enjoy lunch and visit the picturesque Isla Mujeres before heading back.
This tour also includes: Buffet lunch, drinks, equipment, and roundtrip transportation from your hotel. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Cancun Snorkeling Tours FAQ
Cancun is situated right next to the Caribbean Sea, and one of its most popular attractions are its beaches and crystal clear waters, making it the perfect destination for snorkeling, swimming, and diving.
You can snorkel for free all along the coastline; just head to the beach with your mask and tube. Bear in mind, however, that most of the marine life and corals are in deeper areas and access by boat is necessary.
There are plenty of snorkeling tours in Cancun, and prices vary depending on the facilities offered and the length of the tour. One of the most comprehensive and affordable ones is the 5-in-1 Cancun Snorkeling Tour which takes you to a shipwreck, underwater art galleries, coral reefs, and swimming with turtles. You can check their prices here.
Yes! There are plenty of coral reefs all along Cancun’s coast and its surroundings. The world’s second-largest reef barrier encompasses all of the Yucatan Peninsula, therefore snorkeling and diving are the top activities in the area.
You can snorkel off the beach in Cancun, although most marine life can be found far from the shore, near the reefs, and the only way to get there is by boat.
Akumal, a coastal resort near Cancun, boasts coral reefs with rich marine life and it’s especially known for being the home of hundreds of sea turtles. Akumal, in fact, means ‘‘place of the turtles’’. You can visit with a tour like this one, one of the best Cancun excursions for snorkeling, or get there on your own.
Cancun snorkeling excursions abound, but some of the ultimate experiences are the following:
• Reef and Shipwreck Snorkeling Tour in Cancun
• 5 in 1 Cancun Snorkeling Tour
• Isla Mujeres Unlimited Snorkel
