If you are coming to Mexico, and more precisely Playa del Carmen, consider booking a boat day in Cozumel, to the southern reefs and El Cielo area! You will get to discover the stunning starfish sandbar, swim with turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays, see beautiful corals, and much more.
The easiest way and what I would recommend is to look for local boat tours on Google Maps. We chose to go with The Original Snorkeling Cozumel as we wanted a complete and affordable boat tour with very few people.
The tour is 4 hours long, and you will have four stops for snorkelling in beautiful surroundings, including Palancar and Colombia reefs, El Cielo, the famous starfish sandbar, plus a final stop at the lagoon El Cielito to enjoy a swim with a delicious food break.
We booked through Claudia, who’s been very reactive and gave us a lot of details regarding the excursion.
The price is 850 MXN per person, which equals to around 38€, which is really fair for a 4 hour excursion in Cozumel with a small boat !
Here is Claudia phone number if you want to book a tour, I can only recommend this agency, they have been really nice and helpful :
Note : You have to get to Cozumel on your own, so if you are coming from Playa del Carmen, you need to take the Winjet ferry. It costs 545 MXN round trip, which equals to 24€ and lasts around 45 minutes. They are many departures hours, you can check them directly on their website here.
First thing to think of is some cash to pay the captain. You will probably pay a small down payment the day before in Playa del Carmen to reserve your slot, but the main part of the payment needs to be done during the excursion, in cash.
Definitely bring sunscreen, as it gets hot from the first hours of the day until sundown. Of course, don’t forget your swimsuit, beach towel and sunglasses.
They will provide snorkelling equipment (mask and fins), as well as refreshments and a food break. On the day of our excursion, the chef made a delicious ceviche with nachos !
You will meet the crew at the taxi line in front of the ferry terminal in Cozumel.
From there, they will have a taxi already paid and waiting for you to take you to the marina, which is on the other side of the island.
After a few minutes, you will arrive to the boat and embark for your exploration in this world-renowned snorkelling area.
The journey starts with a half-hour boat trip to reach the first stop. The decor is absolutely paradise-like and the water is incredibly turquoise and crystal clear :
The first stop is Palancar reef, one of Cozumel’s most famous reefs, known for its stunning corals and marine life.
On the second stop, Colombia reef, you will get to see a wide variety of tropical fish, see turtles, stingrays, and even nurse sharks !
We then continued to see El Cielo, a sandbank with the most turquoise water, but most importantly, dozens of starfish.
Finally, you will end the tour at El Cielito, a shallow lagoon with the water so clear you can see the stingrays swimming around you ! The perfect place to relax and swim after all the snorkelling !
There are many refreshments on the boat such as water, juice, beers and an amazing lunch break with a ceviche served with nachos to eat straight in the lagoon !
And that concludes this breathtaking boat tour in Cozumel !
If you are not in a rush after the excursion, you can explore the little town of Cozumel. It will take only a few minutes as it is quite small, but very nice. If you are looking for a place to have lunch, I can recommend Burritos Gorditos, they make delicious tortas, which are basically bread sandwich with meat, avocado, tomato, onions and salsa.
I would definitely recommend booking a boat tour if you are coming to Playa del Carmen or Cozumel. You will see incredible marine life, in a heavenly decor.
A small boat really makes a difference, as you can enjoy a more organised and calm tour. We were only 3 couples, so no waiting time, no loud background noise and more ceviche to share !
We had a really good captain and the tour was really well organised.
If you need more inspiration you can check out my articles about A boat day in Bacalar or A day tour in Sian Kaan as well.
If you need a custom itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll make your own personalised itinerary.
