Family Travel: Snorkel Xtreme Tour with Aventuras Mayas

If you are looking to experience some adventure during your stay in the Mayan Riviera you’ll find it with Aventuras Mayas.

This premiere tour company in the Mayan Riviera offers five exciting excursions. Our family enjoyed the Snorkel Xtreme Tour that included a swim with sea turtles in Akumal as well as swimming in a cenote, ziplining and rappelling.

We started our day by heading to the beach in Akumal to find some turtles. Akumal means “place of turtles” in Mayan and as the name suggests, we found several turtles just hanging around at the bottom of the ocean snacking on sea grass not too far from shore. It was a little heart stopping being so close to these gentle giants in the open sea. As instructed by our guide, we kept our distance to ensure we did not disturb them. During our swim, a guide towed our kids on a ring so they could keep up and we could get up close to the turtles without fretting about the kids floating away while we were face down oohing and aahing.

I’ve never been a strong swimmer and normally never venture very far away from the beach but because we were with a capable guide who knows the area well we got a chance to see the famous coral reef, a gorgeous school of fish and lots of turtles, something I would have never seen if not for this tour.

After spending some time at the beach we headed deep into the jungle for the next part of our tour. Our kids were famished after all the excitement of seeing huge turtles in their natural habitat so we took a break to eat. Lunch was included with the tour and although the dining area was rustic, the food was delicious. The kids especially loved the tub of treats they were able to indulge in once they finished all their veggies, of course.

We visited the Mayan Riviera the end of September and although it’s a great time to go to avoid the crowds, it was hot. Really, really hot. Thankfully the cenotes found everywhere in the Mayan Riviera offer a refreshing respite from the heat. We went for a quick dip in the icy cave. The temperature of the water was 24 degrees but it felt positively glacial compared to the air outside.

Our next stop on our adventure-filled day was the ziplines! Aventuras Mayas is completely geared for a family ziplining experience. My little 3 year old daughter rode tandem with her dad, my 7 year old bravely flew by himself and of course, I followed my brave kids who had the thrill of a lifetime zipping over the Mayan jungle.

After our legs stopped wobbling from ziplining across the Mayan jungle, we headed over to learn rappelling basics from our guide before attempting a 60 ft rappel into the depths of a cenote. My son was up for anything but my 3 year old daughter seemed a little frightened to just drop down a cliff. She finally mustered up the courage and ended up begging to go again. Thankfully it wasn’t too busy the day were were there so we got to go a second time, much to my daughter’s delight.

Overall, this day was one of the highlights on our vacation. When I ask my daughter what her favourite thing about her holiday was, without skipping a beat she tells me, “going on the rope”. Rapelling was the thing that terrified her the most but ultimately it is her favourite memory about our trip.

If you are heading to the Mayan Riviera, this is an adventure you won’t want to miss.

Aventuras Mayas Contact Info:

Address: 50 Avenida Sur, 77712 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo México
Telephone: 1 (888)-844-5010 (Toll-Free from Canada)
Email: info@aventurasmayas.com
Website: www.aventurasmayas.com/
Pricing: Snorkel Xtreme Tour from $126.00 (adults ages 12 and up) $89.00 (child ages 5 and up)
Photo CDs are available for purchase for $25.00 USD and are worth every penny as well. They do a great job of capturing the best moments during your visit.

A big thank you to Aventuras Mayas for hosting our family on this incredible adventure of a lifetime.

For more great ideas of family fun things to see and do in the Mayan Riviera, be sure to visit www.RivieraMaya.com.