PRIVATE TOUR: Our top-selling adventure includes a private guided tour of the Tulum ruins, a swim in a stunning cenote, and snorkeling with sea turtles. Plus, savor a delicious lunch at a charming jungle Mexican restaurant!
Scroll down for detailed info, inclusions and itinerary.
Book your tour now and if your plans happen to change, you can cancel for free up to 24 hours prior to the tour!
Experience the magic of the Riviera Maya in one expertly crafted private tour. Our Tulum Ruins, Snorkeling, Cenote & Turtles private tour is a perfect blend of cultural discovery, ocean exploration, and refreshing nature escape. Whether you’re passionate about Mayan history, fascinated by marine life, or simply craving a serene swim in a cenote, this full-day tour offers a personalized adventure away from the crowds.
Led by a certified private guide, this experience is designed to move at your pace. You’ll visit the famous Tulum Ruins, snorkel with wild sea turtles in Akumal Bay, and cool off in a breathtaking cenote. With private transportation, flexible scheduling, and a tailored itinerary, you’ll enjoy comfort, intimacy, and expert insights throughout the day.
Start your day with a visit to the majestic Tulum Ruins, perched on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea. As one of the most iconic Mayan cities, Tulum Mayan ruins offer rich history, stunning ocean views, and well-preserved structures like El Castillo and the Temple of the Frescoes. Your private guide will bring the past to life with fascinating stories of ancient rituals, trade, and daily life in this walled city.
With early access and private transport, you’ll beat the crowds and the heat—perfect for photos and peaceful exploration.
Highlights:After your journey through Mayan history, it’s time to cool off with a swim in one of the Riviera Maya’s magical cenotes. These natural freshwater sinkholes are formed by collapsed limestone, revealing hidden pools of crystal-clear water.
You’ll visit a hand-selected cenote, and on the day of your tour, you can choose between Cenote Nicte-Ha, Taak Bi Ha, or Jaguar. If you prefer to visit the more advanced cenotes like Dos Ojos or Pet Cemetery, we can arrange that for an additional $10 USD per person. Your guide will be happy to help you select the cenote that best matches your expectations and snorkeling skills.
Why you’ll love it:Recharged from your cenote dip, you’ll enjoy a relaxing lunch at a local restaurant in the jungle under a traditional palapa, offering shade and a laid-back jungle vibe.
We serve a variety of freshly prepared Mexican dishes, and vegetarian or special dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.
It’s the perfect moment to fuel up, rest, and reflect on the incredible experiences so far—before heading to the sea for one final highlight of the day.
To end your day, you’ll visit Akumal Bay, a calm, protected marine area known for its resident population of green sea turtles. After a briefing and receiving your gear, your snorkeling guide will lead you into the shallow, clear water where you can spot turtles grazing on seagrass, colorful tropical fish, and perhaps stingrays or coral gardens.
This guided snorkel is suitable for all levels. You don’t need prior experience—just basic swimming ability—and your guide will be with you the whole time for safety and support.
What to expect:
Combine Mayan ruins and cenote experiences with these popular tours:
Book 2 or more tours and enjoy a 10% discount! Perfect for travelers looking to make the most of their stay in the Riviera Maya.
The recommended early pick-up time helps you avoid traffic, crowds, and heat at the sites, but you can opt for a later pick-up when booking. Discover the benefits of early departure to visit Tulum.
Timing may vary based on traffic and your exact location.
We can spend more or less time at each location, moving at your own pace.
FROM PLAYA DEL CARMEN AREA
07:00am - Private transportation from your hotel to Tulum
08:00–10:00am - Visit of Tulum ruins
10:00–10:30am - Transportation
10:30–11:30am - Snorkeling in cenote
11:30–12:30pm - Lunch
12:30–01:00pm - Transportation
01:00–02:00pm - Snorkeling with turtles*
02:00–02:45pm - Return to hotel
FROM TULUM AREA
07:45am - Private transportation from your hotel to Tulum
08:00–10:00am - Visit of Tulum ruins
10:00–10:30am - Transportation
10:30–11:30am - Snorkeling in cenote
11:30–12:30pm - Lunch
12:30–01:00pm - Transportation
01:00–02:00pm - Snorkeling with turtles*
02:00–02:30pm - Return to hotel
FROM CANCUN AREA
06:00am - Private transportation from your hotel to Tulum
08:00–10:00am - Visit of Tulum ruins
10:00–10:30am - Transportation
10:30–11:30am - Snorkeling in cenote
11:30–12:30pm - Lunch
12:30–01:00pm - Transportation
01:00–02:00pm - Snorkeling with turtles*
02:00–03:45pm - Return to hotel
*Swimming with turtles is limited to max 1 hour as per Akumal regulations.
* It is forbidden to apply sunblock and repellent before swimming or snorkeling activities to prevent water pollution and preserve the reefs, even if they are biodegradable products. Compliance with this rule is essential for the protection of the environment.
You can bring personal belongings you require during the tour (phone, camera, extra set of clothes…). While you are visiting or snorkeling you can leave the things you don’t need in the van. Our driver will always be in the van, so keeping your things safe!
You must be logged in to post a review.
Experience the magic of the Riviera Maya in one expertly crafted private tour. Our Tulum Ruins, Snorkeling, Cenote & Turtles private tour is a perfect blend of cultural discovery, ocean exploration, and refreshing nature escape. Whether you’re passionate about Mayan history, fascinated by marine life, or simply craving a serene swim in a cenote, this full-day tour offers a personalized adventure away from the crowds.
Led by a certified private guide, this experience is designed to move at your pace. You’ll visit the famous Tulum Ruins, snorkel with wild sea turtles in Akumal Bay, and cool off in a breathtaking cenote. With private transportation, flexible scheduling, and a tailored itinerary, you’ll enjoy comfort, intimacy, and expert insights throughout the day.
Start your day with a visit to the majestic Tulum Ruins, perched on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea. As one of the most iconic Mayan cities, Tulum Mayan ruins offer rich history, stunning ocean views, and well-preserved structures like El Castillo and the Temple of the Frescoes. Your private guide will bring the past to life with fascinating stories of ancient rituals, trade, and daily life in this walled city.
With early access and private transport, you’ll beat the crowds and the heat—perfect for photos and peaceful exploration.
Highlights:After your journey through Mayan history, it’s time to cool off with a swim in one of the Riviera Maya’s magical cenotes. These natural freshwater sinkholes are formed by collapsed limestone, revealing hidden pools of crystal-clear water.
You’ll visit a hand-selected cenote, and on the day of your tour, you can choose between Cenote Nicte-Ha, Taak Bi Ha, or Jaguar. If you prefer to visit the more advanced cenotes like Dos Ojos or Pet Cemetery, we can arrange that for an additional $10 USD per person. Your guide will be happy to help you select the cenote that best matches your expectations and snorkeling skills.
Why you’ll love it:Recharged from your cenote dip, you’ll enjoy a relaxing lunch at a local restaurant in the jungle under a traditional palapa, offering shade and a laid-back jungle vibe.
We serve a variety of freshly prepared Mexican dishes, and vegetarian or special dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.
It’s the perfect moment to fuel up, rest, and reflect on the incredible experiences so far—before heading to the sea for one final highlight of the day.
To end your day, you’ll visit Akumal Bay, a calm, protected marine area known for its resident population of green sea turtles. After a briefing and receiving your gear, your snorkeling guide will lead you into the shallow, clear water where you can spot turtles grazing on seagrass, colorful tropical fish, and perhaps stingrays or coral gardens.
This guided snorkel is suitable for all levels. You don’t need prior experience—just basic swimming ability—and your guide will be with you the whole time for safety and support.
What to expect:
Combine Mayan ruins and cenote experiences with these popular tours:
Book 2 or more tours and enjoy a 10% discount! Perfect for travelers looking to make the most of their stay in the Riviera Maya.
The recommended early pick-up time helps you avoid traffic, crowds, and heat at the sites, but you can opt for a later pick-up when booking. Discover the benefits of early departure to visit Tulum.
Timing may vary based on traffic and your exact location.
We can spend more or less time at each location, moving at your own pace.
FROM PLAYA DEL CARMEN AREA
07:00am - Private transportation from your hotel to Tulum
08:00–10:00am - Visit of Tulum ruins
10:00–10:30am - Transportation
10:30–11:30am - Snorkeling in cenote
11:30–12:30pm - Lunch
12:30–01:00pm - Transportation
01:00–02:00pm - Snorkeling with turtles*
02:00–02:45pm - Return to hotel
FROM TULUM AREA
07:45am - Private transportation from your hotel to Tulum
08:00–10:00am - Visit of Tulum ruins
10:00–10:30am - Transportation
10:30–11:30am - Snorkeling in cenote
11:30–12:30pm - Lunch
12:30–01:00pm - Transportation
01:00–02:00pm - Snorkeling with turtles*
02:00–02:30pm - Return to hotel
FROM CANCUN AREA
06:00am - Private transportation from your hotel to Tulum
08:00–10:00am - Visit of Tulum ruins
10:00–10:30am - Transportation
10:30–11:30am - Snorkeling in cenote
11:30–12:30pm - Lunch
12:30–01:00pm - Transportation
01:00–02:00pm - Snorkeling with turtles*
02:00–03:45pm - Return to hotel
*Swimming with turtles is limited to max 1 hour as per Akumal regulations.
* It is forbidden to apply sunblock and repellent before swimming or snorkeling activities to prevent water pollution and preserve the reefs, even if they are biodegradable products. Compliance with this rule is essential for the protection of the environment.
You can bring personal belongings you require during the tour (phone, camera, extra set of clothes…). While you are visiting or snorkeling you can leave the things you don’t need in the van. Our driver will always be in the van, so keeping your things safe!
You must be logged in to post a review.
You’ll have a dedicated guide and vehicle all to yourselves—no crowds, no waiting, just a smooth and personalized experience.
It typically lasts between 6 to 8 hours, depending on your hotel location and how much time you’d like to spend at each site.
Yes, round-trip transportation is included from Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal and Tulum. We’ll pick you up right from your hotel, resort, or Airbnb for a stress-free start to your day.
Please note: we don’t offer pick up from Cancun Playa Mujeres hotels unless your group has 6 or more adults.
Yes, you’re welcome to choose your preferred pick-up time when booking.
That said, we recommend an early morning start to help you beat the crowds, skip the traffic, and enjoy cooler temperatures—it really makes a difference!
We take a shuttle from the parking lot to the main ruins entrance, so you won’t need to walk far to get to the site.
The guided visit lasts about 45 minutes and we go at a comfortable pace, with breaks if needed.
Just a heads-up—there aren’t many spots to sit. If you have any limitations with walking or taking steps, keep in mind that a few are required to get in and out of the site and to reach the cliff area.
No, unfortunately, we cannot. The beach located within the Tulum ruins has been closed since 2020 and remains inaccessible to visitors.
Additionally, this tour does not include any stops at the Tulum beach area, the hotel zone, or Tulum town center.
No previous snorkeling experience is required, but basic swimming skills are necessary.
We provide mandatory life vests, and our guide ensures a safe and comfortable experience for everyone.
You can view the list of cenotes available for this tour under the ‘Tour Description and General Info’ tab, where you'll also find links to full descriptions of each cenote.
We offer a variety of cenote types, including open-air, semi-open, and cave cenotes.
Unless you've already made your choice, you can decide which cenote to visit together with your tour guide on the day of your tour.
Turtle sightings are very likely but not guaranteed, as they are wild animals.
Akumal is one of the best places in the region to see them.
There is no boat involved. The swim starts directly from the shore, and you’ll enter the water with your guide to reach the turtle area.
Yes. Facilities include clean showers, restrooms, and changing areas at both locations.
Essentials include swimwear, a towel and comfortable shoes.
You can safely leave your belongings in the van—our driver stays with it the entire time while you're out enjoying the activities.
Yes, we’re happy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other dietary needs or allergies.
After booking, you can let us know your needs by filling out the check-in form—just follow the link in your booking confirmation email.
You can cancel free of charge or reschedule (subject to availability) up to 24 hours before your tour.
We’re a small team and often fully booked 1–2 weeks in advance, so we recommend booking early to secure your spot.
Bonus: if you book at least 2 months in advance (60 days), you’ll qualify for our early bird discount*!
For full details, check out our booking policy page.
Meg –
Joshua was a phenomenal tour guide. He was informative, kind, and funny! He kept our group of 7 engaged and safe the entire day. If we return to this area, we will absolutely book another tour with him!
Christel –
What a wonderful day! We were picked up at 7:30 am by our guide Alex and driver Enrique and what a wonderful day we had. It felt good from the first moment. The ruins of Tulum were made extra special by Alex through all his stories. They were also constantly there to guide us during our trip to a cenote and snorkeling in Akumal. All very sincere and super friendly! Highly recommended!
Daniel –
We spent a full day excursion exploring the Tulum ruins, Jaguar Cenote, and swimming with sea turtles at Akumal. Rodrigo was our driver and Joshua was our guide. We had a perfect day of fun and adventure. Joshua had so much information to share. Both were great with an our group of 7 including 3 kiddos. If we come back to the area, we will definitely book with Absolute Adventure again.
Dylan –
Great tour day with AAM
We have done lots of tours while traveling, and Alex and Rodrigo were some of the best tour guides we have had. Prompt, friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The Tulum, cenote, and turtle tour packs in a lot of activity (including lunch) so involves some logistics, and everything was very smooth. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
John –
Claire was responsive. Alex was incredible. Loved every part of our day. Could not recommend more. 100% happy.
Cathy –
Great day! Very pleased with this tour
We chose the private tour of the Tulum ruins, our choice of cenote and snorkeling with sea turtles. Arturo and Omar picked us up right on time and we arrived at the Tulum ruins before the crowds (8am). Arturo was extremely knowledgable and explained so many things on the tour. We really learned quite a bit.
After that, Arturo explained the three cenotes to choose from. We decided to go to Cenote Jajuar with ziplining and cliff jumping. We were pretty much the only people there so that was really nice. Arturo never hurried us along-he made it clear we could stay as long as we wanted.
We had a very nice lunch at a local restaraunt and then headed to snorkel with the seat turtles. Once inside, Arturo set us up with a guide to take us out into the water. Very fun and unique experience-we were able to see several sea turtles with the help of the guide.
Overall, a great day with an extremely knowledgable, easy going guide who let us go at our own pace and a friendly driver who made getting in and out of places convenient and easy! Highly recommend!
Cari –
Amazing sights and an equally amazing guide.
Private tour of the Mayan ruins, snorkeling in a cenote and snorkeling
with turtles (and lunch at a wonderful local restaurant-Juanita’s).
Our guide (Alex) was absolutely top-notch. He was pleasant, engaging, knowledgeable- and every other guide we passed by elicited that Alex was the best- and our group agree 100%. Highly recommended .
Monica & Greg –
Absolutely Amazing
Our Absolute Adventure excursion was SO amazing – and definitely the highlight of our trip! Tulum was breathtaking and snorkeling in Cenote Taak Bi Ha was such an unforgettable experience. Our guide, Joshua, was fantastic, and we would absolutely request him again if given the opportunity. He was so knowledgeable and engaging in his retelling of history, and he was happy to answer our many, many questions – about Tulum, the cenotes, and life in Mexico. From Monica & Greg
Josh –
This company provided a hassle free and extremely enjoyable experience. We chose the day trip in Tulum which included a morning tour through the Mayan ruins, snorkeling in a cenote (choice of three options), lunch, and swimming with sea turtles in Akumal. The guide (Josh) and driver (Carlos) were friendly, professional, and informative. We did not feel rushed through any experience and appreciated the planning/timing of the day. This was a fantastic experience.
David –
Arturo was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer evey question we had. Highly recommend 👌
Shannon –
Juan was our guide and Omar our driver. This was exactly what we hoped to achieve with day traveling from Playa to Tulum. Juan was an incredibly knowledgeable and personable guide and we made fast friends. Take this tour you will not be disappointed! Loved how eco minded this operator was!
Rana –
Our family had a fantastic day visiting the Mayan Ruins, a cenote, lunch and swimming with
turtles. Our guide Joshua was very knowledgeable and fun to be around, he really made the
whole experience a great one. I would highly recommend this tour to any one!
Rob –
Fabulous day at Tulum, then snorkelling in the Cave Cenotes, lunch in a great local restaurant and finally swimming with Turtles at Akumal. Joshua was a brilliant guide, super friendly and really knowledgeable and well well supported by our friendly driver Omar. Couldn’t recommend the trip highly enough..
soonerjd –
Family vacation – highly recommend
We were a party of nine (my family and my sister’s family) and had an age range from 7 years old to 49 years old, so a very large range. Throughout the three different activities, every single one of us felt attended to and engaged in the tour. The food was also great. We never felt rushed or shuffled along. Our tour guide had exceptional historic knowledge of Tulum and we learned a lot too!
JLG –
Perfect day in Tulum
Highly recommend! Such an amazing private tour with an amazing guide (Joshua). Wonderful family experience exploring Tulum (and beating the crowds!), swimming in Jaguar cenote and snorkeling with turtles in Akumel.
Matthew –
This was an amazing private tour. Joshua was an awesome tour guide. Easily the best part of our trip to Tulum! Highly recommend
Jonathon –
Juan was awesome! Very knowledgeable and friendly.
Kamie –
Very fun tour and our guide Juan very helpful and knowledgeable
Sarah –
Amazing! Alex, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, funny and helpful. We did the Tulum ruins, cenotes and swam with turtles. The restaurant on the tour had incredible food, and the cutest puppy EVER! Highly recommend this company.
Emily –
Our guide, Joshua, took us on a tour of the Mayan ruins, snorkelling with sea turtles, and cenote Taak Bi Ha. We had a fabulous time and it was definitely the highlight of our trip. Joshua was so informative and we loved that we could customize how long we spent at each location. We highly recommend booking with Absolute Adventures, you won’t regret it!
– Emily & Kaya