ocean tour mexico

Ocean Tours

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Viator Exclusive: Tulum Ruins, Reef Snorkeling, Cenote and Caves

Whale Shark Tour from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Riviera Maya

Private 3 in 1 Discovery Combo Tours Tulum Ruins, Snorkeling & Cenotes Adventure

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Ocean Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Ocean Tours

• See all photos

Viator Exclusive: Tulum Ruins, Reef Snorkeling, Cenote and Caves

Whale Shark Tour from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Riviera Maya

Private 3 in 1 Discovery Combo Tours Tulum Ruins, Snorkeling & Cenotes Adventure

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Ocean Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Ocean Tours

• See all photos

Viator Exclusive: Tulum Ruins, Reef Snorkeling, Cenote and Caves

Whale Shark Tour from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Riviera Maya

Private 3 in 1 Discovery Combo Tours Tulum Ruins, Snorkeling & Cenotes Adventure

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Ocean Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Ocean Tours Mexico Review: Tulum Ruins, Snorkeling, plus Cenote

When planning our trip to Mexico, I wanted to see more of the Mayan ruins than just Chichen Itza. I also knew that Mexico was rather well known for their awesome snorkeling and diving spots, so that was on my to do list as well. When I came across a tour that offered not only a tour of Tulum, but also a chance to go snorkeling and explore one of Mexico’s many cenotes, I figured, why not? In the end, it turned out to be one of the best things we did during our time in Mexico! Find out what it’s like to go on the Snorkeling, Tulum Ruins, and Cenote tour in this Ocean Tours Mexico Review!

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links. Find more information about affiliate links on  our policy page .

• Hotel Pickup

Tulum Ruins

Snorkeling at playa maya, cenote caracol, hotel drop off, tour additions – photo package, would i do it again, how can i book this tour.

• What to Wear and Bring?

Things to Know

The tour: package & inclusions, hotel pick up.

Ocean Tours Mexico offers to pick up its guests from hotels and popular locations in the Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum areas of Mexico. Since it is a group tour, the van that picks you up will likely make several stops around town as it picks up the other members of your tour group.

In my opinion, this is one of the most boring parts of tour packages in Mexico. I’m a morning person, and most times I’m excited to wake up and get started on the day’s adventure. However, if we are one of the first guests picked up, it can be a little while before we actually head out on our adventure.

Thankfully though, we had Victor as our tour guide, who made our list of best tour guides in the world ! He kept us entertained and got to know, asking where we were from, things we planned on doing while in Mexico, and other small talk.

If you happen to visit the Tulum Ruins after going to Chichen Itza (like we did), you actually might be a bit disappointed by these ruins. They’re not quite as grand as the Temple of Kukulcan. However, with the Tulum Ruins being right on the ocean, they have their own sense of beauty.

When we arrived, Victor led us through a secondary entrance and then showed us some of the ruins that would have originally been houses for the wealthiest of the Mayans. He also talked about the governor and how he was the head not only of politics, but also their religion.

Next he explained a bit about Mayan history, specifically the three periods: pre-classical, classical, and post-classical. Then he proceeded to inform us of how Mayan city of Tulum was built during the post-classic era, and how it was different from some of the other Mayan ruins in the area.

Lastly, he talked a bit about the fall of the Mayans. From there, we were given a bit of free time to further walk around the ruins, or head down to the beach.

After the archaeological site, we went over to Playa Maya just outside of the Tulum Ruins. There we donned our snorkeling gear and life vests (all of which was provided by Ocean Tours Mexico unless you brought your own) and headed out to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere. Here, we were able to have a school of fish blow past us, swim with some sea turtles, and even see some sting rays! It’s definitely one of the best things to do in Tulum !

After we went snorkeling, we made our way to Cenote Caracol. Here, we were served lunch cooked by some of the locals and had a bit of a break.

Once lunch was over, we explored the “dry” portion of the Cenote. After heading down several steps, we were able to walk through a sort of open cavern, and see some of the greenery that had managed to grow within. A little bit behind this, we entered the actual cavern. Here, we walked on a bridge just above the water where we were able to appreciate all the stalactites and stalagmites. Victor told us a bit about how they were formed, and how tree roots would often break through, actually cracking and splitting the stones.

After the “dry” portion of the cenote, we headed over to the “wet” portion. We put our life vests back on and then descended the very steep steps down into the cavern. Here, we were able to jump off of the deck and into the water, definitely scaring the many fish in the area. Once everybody was in the water, Victor led us through the cavern, once again talking a bit about the history of the caves and the importance of various aspects for the ecosystem. The caves are eternally dark — this means that there is zero light and your eyes will never adjust to the darkness. Thankfully, there are a few lights installed within the cave, and Victor had a flashlight to help us through some of the darker areas.

The wet Cenote was probably my favorite part of the day. I’d been to various caves with stalactites and stalagmites, but being able to swim among them and through them was truly amazing. Just be careful not to whack your foot!

Similar to the hotel pick-up, at the end of the day, the van will take guests back to their respective hotels, or drop them off at popular locations around town. It takes about an hour to get back to the Playa Del Carmen area from Cenote Caracol, and about 2 hours to get back to Cancun, so sit back, relax, and maybe even take a nap after your long, adventurous day.

Also accompanying us on this tour was Leandro , our professional photographer. He joined our group at the end of our tour of the Tulum ruins, and stayed with us for the rest of the tour. As we went snorkeling and explored the various areas of Cenote Caracol, he took pictures not only of the tour members, but also of the various things we passed along the way.

For just $40 USD, we got copies of not only the photos he had taken that day, but also copies of photos from his personal galleries, which consisted of stunning photos of Tulum, the stalactites and stalagmites of Cenote Caracol, and the beautiful fish seen near the Mesoamerican Reef. Compared to some of the photo packages available on other tours throughout Mexico, this is an amazing price and 100% worth it.

Most definitely. I don’t know that there was a single thing we disliked about this tour. We had an absolutely amazing tour guide. There was a good mix of information sessions as well as time to just explore. Plus, we had a good sized tour group – not too large, but not too small. Tulum Ruins was a bit crowded, but we seemed to have the place to ourselves when it came to snorkeling and exploring Cenote Caracol. Overall, it was probably one of the best tours we did while in Mexico.

We booked most of our Mexico tours through Viator. I found that most times booking through Viator was the same price as booking directly with the tour operator, so there wasn’t any additional cost. Plus, by booking everything through Viator, I had all of my tickets and tour information in one place, so I just found it easier to do it this way. Book your tickets now!

If you want more information about this tour or other tours offered, you can check out the Ocean Tours Mexico website .

What to Wear and Bring

Extra water.

Ocean Tours Mexico will provide bottled water and soft drinks, but I recommend bringing some of your own water bottles as well. The Tulum Ruins especially can get really hot, and if you’re not used to hotter climates, you’ll want the additional water.

Bathing Suit & Cover Up

You’ll want to have regular clothes for when you visit Tulum (such as shorts and a t-shirt), but I recommend wearing your bathing suit underneath. After visiting the Tulum Ruins, you’ll head straight to the beach for snorkeling. They have bathrooms, but they’re more like outhouses, and aren’t the easiest to change in.

For girls, I also recommend bringing a bathing suit cover up to wear after you go snorkeling. It will be useful for when you are exploring the “dry” portion of Cenote Caracol. It’s just not worth putting your clothes back on after snorkeling since you’ll eventually be getting back in the water for the “wet” portion of Cenote Caracol. Guys could probably just throw their t-shirt back on and be fine.

Beach Towel

What always goes with a bathing suit? A beach towel. Definitely going to want to bring one with you since you’ll be getting in the water on more than one occasion during this tour.

Tennis Shoes & Sandals

As for shoes, you may want tennis shoes for when you walk around Tulum Ruins as the path is somewhat rocky. However, after this you’ll likely want to wear sandals the rest of the day as you will be getting in and out of the water.

If you are someone who burns easily in the sun, you may want to look into rash guards. Due to conservation efforts, most places won’t allow you to put on sunscreen right before you get into the water. I found out from our tour guide that even sunscreens claiming to be “biodegradable” or “reef safe” can still potentially be harmful to the environment. For this reason, many beaches and cenotes will actually require you to take a quick shower before getting in the water to wash off any potentially harmful chemicals. Rash guards are a great alternative for protecting yourself from sunburn without harming the environment.

Waterproof Camera

If you are big into photography, an waterproof camera or waterproof sleeve for your phone may be beneficial on this tour. You could likely get some awesome photos of the reef and fish while you are snorkeling and some cool pictures of stalactites and stalagmites while swimming in the cenote. However, thanks to the professional photographer on the tour, you won’t miss out on too much if you don’t bring one.

Lastly, I recommend bringing some pesos with you. There aren’t too many places to buy souvenirs throughout this tour, but you may find a vendor or two in the Tulum area selling souvenirs. Plus, it’s common practice to tip your tour guide.

The first and most important thing to know is that there is an additional $10 USD natural reserve fee that is not included in the tour price. A lot of the public beaches in the Riviera Maya are now charging this fee to help with conservation efforts, so be prepared for this when visiting some of the beaches in the area.

Also, you will go on a very short boat ride to get to the snorkeling area. If you are somebody who gets sea sick or motion sick easily, you may want to take some medication beforehand.

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Private Tulum Express

Tulum express.

From $472.5

Great guides, lots of information. Eduardo, Guillermo and Carlos were very nice and helpful. They knew much of the history and offered to help where they could.

General Info

What to Bring

Why With Us

Family Friendly

Ruin exploring, about this tour:.

The Tulum Express Private tour is a unique opportunity to visit the Tulum ruins with an expert guide. During the tour, you will learn about the history and culture of this ancient Mayan city while enjoying stunning views of the Caribbean Sea. You will also have time to explore the site on your own and take unforgettable photos. Don’t miss this chance to experience a one-of-a-kind adventure in Tulum!

Tour Time Table

* Times can vary depending the conditions.

08:00 - 10:00 AM

10:00 - 12:00 am, cancel up to 24 hs before your tour for a full refund..

100% refund will apply in the following cases:

• If the service is canceled by the supplier. For example in case of bad weather and rescheduling is not possible. Due to illness, presenting a doctor's report.
• If the cancellation is made at least 24 hours prior to the day of the tour.
• If a date change is requested at least 24 hours prior to the date of the tour and a new date cannot be agreed upon.

50% refund will apply:

• If the cancellation is made after 5pm (local time) the day before the tour.
• If a date change is requested after 5pm (local time) on the day before the tour, and a new date cannot be agreed upon.

No refunds will apply:

• If the client does not show on the date and time of the tour.

Photo Gallery

About Cenotes

General tour questions, what exactly are cenotes, and why are they so special in the riviera maya.

Cenotes are natural wonders found in the Yucatan Peninsula, essentially limestone caves filled with crystal-clear water. What makes them truly remarkable is their unique geological formation and the lush environment that surrounds them. In the Riviera Maya, snorkeling inside cenotes is a highly sought-after aquatic activity due to the unparalleled experience they offer.

Are there any safety precautions to take when visiting a cenote?

When visiting a cenote, it is important to follow the safety instructions provided by your tour guide or the cenote's staff. This include wearing a life jacket if you are not a strong swimmer, using provided safety equipment such as flashlights and watershoes, and not touching or disturbing any of the natural features or wildlife in the cenote.

Which cenotes will we have the opportunity to explore on this tour?

Our exclusive cenotes, nestled in the heart of the Riviera Maya, are known as Ix Balam and Yum Balam. When we first discovered these cenotes, we were captivated by the presence of both large and small jaguar footprints in the area. This remarkable sighting inspired us to name this pristine cenote region after this magnificent jaguar family.

What is the average water temperature in the cenotes?

The average water temperature of cenotes varies depending on the location and time of year. Most of the time, the water in cenotes is typically cool and refreshing, with temperatures ranging from around 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 27 degrees Celsius). In some cases, the water may be warmer or colder, depending on factors such as the depth of the cenote and the surrounding air temperature.

Do you pick me up from my Airbnb or Private residence?

Yes, we will happily schedule your pickup from your Airbnb or Private Excursion. As soon as you arrive at your destination let us know your exact location. For some locations, we have special nearby meeting points.

Can I be dropped off at another hotel or location?

Please ask our Ocean Tours Team before booking if you want to be dropped off at another location. We will try our best to accommodate your request. We cannot take luggage like suitcases and backpacks on our coach excursion. We can accommodate you on our Private Excursion.

How safe are my belongings whilst on the trip?

We take all the precautions we can to make sure your belongings are safe; our guides will recommend the places where you can leave your belongings safely. Please take in mind that we can only take small bags with personal items you need on the excursion. In our coach, we cannot take suitcases or backpacks.  If you need to move from one hotel to the other on the day of your excursion a Private Trip will be perfect for you.

I have special dietary requirements – will they be catered for?

Please let us know at the time of booking of any food requirements or allergies and we’ll pass the information to our provider. We offer vegetarian and gluten-free options without any cost, but please let us know, as we need to know this at least 24 hours before the excursion starts.

Which language does my guide speak?

All our guides speak English and Spanish. 

We also have international staff, and we can offer our excursions on specific days with other languages like German, French, Italian Dutch, Polish, and Russian. If you want another language guide, please contact our customer service.  Spanish and English language is always available.

Can I skip the transportation and take my own car?

Although we recommend our hassle-free transportation from your hotel or Airbnb you can take your car and leave the car at a meeting point. In between the activities, we will take you with our transportation and after the excursion, we bring you back to the car. Please take note that parking fees are not included. Please contact our customer service if you want to bring your own car.

How many people can sign up for an excursion?

In our excursions, we create small groups so that you can enjoy the freedom of movement and be able to interact closely with your surroundings, as well as so that you can receive more personalized attention from our guides. This small size ensures that your group will not encroach on your personal experience. Most of our transportations fits 12 persons but some of our excursions involve boat trips, which may have specific capacity limitations.

May I tip the driver and guide? Is it obligatory?

Although not obligatory, it's standard practice in Mexico, and for many of our visitors is a form of thanks on finishing the excursion, always when the service and attention of these professionals have been as expected or has surpassed your expectations.

But we repeat, this is NOT OBLIGATORY.

Can people with disabilities participate in the excursion?

Our existing itineraries are not specifically designed for travelers with disabilities, but that doesn’t mean you will not be able to enjoy one of our small group excursions – it’s largely dependent on your specific needs and the location you wish to visit.

Some destinations are better suited for travelers with disabilities than others. Many destinations we visit lack accessible public infrastructure or facilities designed to accommodate travelers with disabilities, but we will do our best to arrange suitable alternatives where possible.  

You may also prefer to speak to our Customer Service and arrange a customized itinerary to suit your needs.

Do you offer photos from the snorkeling excursion?

Of course! On most of our tours, professional photographer will do their best to make your day with Ocean Excursions as memorable as possible. They carry top-quality (underwater) cameras and take high-resolution photos of both participants and their surroundings. You can view the pictures after your excursion and decide if you want to purchase them. The images are sold as a package, where you receive access to all the photos taken by your guide and our "Best Ocean Tours Excursions" collection folder, all of which will be made available to you via a link . The price for the photo package depends on the group size of your booking. For 2 persons the package is $66 USD and for 6 persons the package is $106 USD. Private Tours have different pricing depending on your group size  and tour. 

Can I take my (underwater) camera to the excursion?

You are free to take your own photos or video on tour with us, but we ask, while snorkeling, that your equipment is attached to your body in one way or another, for example with a wrist band. We do however not advise that you take your phone in a waterproof case, because it is generally not possible to operate it whilst doing the activities. At all archeological sites non-professional cameras are permitted at no cost. Video cameras GoPro tablets and selfie sticks have a charge which is paid directly at the box office upon entry. The use of professional photography equipment is strictly prohibited - including tripods. 

We do not take any responsibility of lost or damage photography gear that may happen on tour with us.

What to Bring:

Non-disposable bottle or thermo.

Bring your own non-disposable bottle or thermos to comply with environmental regulations and enjoy an eco-friendly visit.

Extra Money for souvenirs and tips

Credit card and cash payments

Wear lightweight, light-colored, comfortable clothing

Comfortable, lightweight clothes, and long-sleeved-cotton shirt

What’s Included:

Certified bilingual guide, potable water, round-trip transportation.

Round-Trip Transportation with AC

Why With Us:

Our first concern is the total satisfaction of our clients, professional photographers team.

Our professional photographers' team will come with you on the tour and get the best shots at these fantastic locations.

We are Dedicated

We are dedicated to make your tour a memorable one. Our customer-centric approach aims to exceed your expectations.

We are Experienced

We have over 15 years of experience in operating tours as Ocean Tours started in year 2005.

We are Professional

Our guides are enthusiastic, experienced, and knowledgeable. The whole team will make your tour unforgettable.

We are Safe

Our professional guides are certified in First-Aid. Our transportation is very safe and comfortable, and our drivers are very experienced.

We are the Tour Operator

Every service and every part of the tour is directly operated by Ocean Tours. This is why we’re able to guarantee excellent and high-quality service. Most of the web pages you see are simply selling tours as a middle-man, providing little to no guarantee of quality, safety, or assurance. Here, you buy directly from the tour operator.

We strive to be the Best

We are rated excellent on Tripadvisor, Google, and other rating platforms thanks to our commitment to excellence.

We want you to remember your tour forever!

One professional photographer per group!

Our Guides:

Make it a trip.

Combine this tour with other activities and save time during checkout!

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Adults : 12+ years old

Children : 4-11 years old

Infants : Under 4 years old

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