Tulum, Akumal Turtles and Cenote Tours Compared

Most day trips to the Akumal turtles add a cenote, the freshwater sinkholes of the Yucatán, and many add the Tulum ruins as well. The choice comes down to three things: an open cenote or a cave, the ruins or not, and how long you get with the turtles. For the classic three-stop day, EKINOX TOURS’ trip from the Riviera Maya takes in the Tulum ruins, the open Cenote Mariposa with a buffet lunch and about an hour and a half at Akumal, from $87 in current promotion (usually $108) a person (checked October 2026), with US$40 of fees for an adult paid on the day.

Where the stops are

Map of the coast between Akumal and Tulum: Akumal Bay in the north, the Yax-Muul cenotes inland, the town of Tulum and the Tulum ruins on the cliff above the sea in the south, joined by Highway 307 — Akumal Bay, the Yax-Muul cenotes and the Tulum ruins: the stops on these trips sit along about 27 km of Highway 307.

The days side by side

Trip	The cenote	Tulum ruins	With the turtles	Listing price	Paid on the day
EKINOX TOURS, from the Riviera Maya	Cenote Mariposa, open, with a buffet lunch	Yes, with a guide	About 1 h 30	From $87 in current promotion (usually $108)	Fees US$40 an adult, US$20 a child
EKINOX TOURS, from Cancun	Cenote Mariposa in Canamayte park, with lunch	Yes, with a guide	About 1 hour	From $87 in current promotion (usually $108)	Fees US$40 an adult, US$25 a child
Ocean Tours Mexico	A cave cenote with stalactites; taco lunch included	Yes, with a guide	About 90 minutes	From $129	Marine conservation and Tulum park fees
Blue Caribe, small group	Three cenotes at Yax-Muul, one a cavern	No	Not stated; the first stop	From $85	Marine tax US$20, operation fee US$15
COROSAN, small group	Two cenotes, one an underground cave, then lunch in Akumal	No	About 75 minutes	From $149	Conservation fee US$40
Local Travel Mexico, private	The Xunnaha cenote, open, and lunch	No	About an hour	From $186	Nothing listed

Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked October 2026; Viator checked October 2026. The charges on the day are those each listing states.

Open cenote or cave

An open cenote is a pool under the sky, sunlit and easy for anyone who can float. A cave or cavern cenote is underground, lit by openings in the rock and lined with stalactites, cooler and darker; snorkeling there means following a guide through the formations. If anyone in your group is uneasy in enclosed water, choose a day with an open cenote, such as EKINOX TOURS’ Cenote Mariposa. For the cenotes themselves, cenotesguide.com covers the cenotes around Tulum one by one.

Illustration: swimmers in life jackets floating in the clear green water of an open cenote ringed by limestone walls and hanging roots, sunlight falling through the opening above — Illustration. An open cenote: limestone walls, roots and daylight on still fresh water.

Ruins or not

The Tulum ruins, a walled Maya city on a cliff above the sea, take about two hours on the EKINOX TOURS days and about 90 minutes on Ocean Tours Mexico’s. They make the day long: eight hours from the Riviera Maya, ten from Cancun. Leave them out and the day shrinks to about five hours, as on Blue Caribe’s turtles-and-cenotes morning, which leaves the afternoon free.

Pick your day

Ruins, open cenote, turtles

Tulum Ruins, a Cenote and the Akumal Turtle Swim from the Riviera Maya

From $87 per person · 4.6 ★ (345 reviews) · 8 hours · GetYourGuide

The three-stop day from Riviera Maya hotels, with a buffet lunch at Cenote Mariposa and about an hour and a half at Akumal.

Check dates →

Ruins and a cave

Tulum Ruins, Akumal Turtles and a Cave Cenote in One Day

From $129 per person · 4.9 ★ (2,338 reviews) · 8 hours · Viator

Ocean Tours Mexico's day with a cave cenote instead of an open one, and about 90 minutes with the turtles; pickup from Cancun too.

See the cave day →

No ruins, three cenotes

Akumal Turtles and Cave Cenotes, Small Group from Cancun

From $85 per person · 4.8 ★ (234 reviews) · 5 hours · Viator

Blue Caribe's five-hour small-group morning: the turtles first, then the Yax-Muul cenotes, with snacks.

See the cenote morning →

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked October 2026; Viator checked October 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Good to know

The Akumal swim on every one of these trips is guided, in a life jacket, inside the refuge’s buoyed circuits: see the Akumal turtle rules.
EKINOX TOURS' fees on the day cover the Tulum archaeological site, the Jaguar Park, the cenote park and government fees; Mexican nationals with an INE card pay less.
Ordinary sunscreen is not allowed in Akumal Bay; see what to bring.
Coming from Cancun? See Akumal from Cancun for the pickup times.

Turtles and Cenotes in One Day