Located between Carmen beach e TulumAkumal is one of the most beautiful beaches in Riviera Mayano Mexico. Although it becomes more popular every year, the destination is still famous for its diving and the ease of seeing marine animals.
The word “Akumal” precisely means “Turtle Place” and it’s not difficult to see them here, especially in the summer, when they come to lay their eggs.
Despite having hotels, restaurants and becoming more publicized, the beach is very beautiful and worth it if you have time to include it in your itinerary around the region.
AKUMAL AND THE BEAUTY OF TURTLE BEACH
Frequented mainly by Americans and Canadians, the beach has become very popular in recent years, including among Brazilians. A curiosity is that, although it has some hotels, you have to pay to enter due to a very dubious preservation rate. But we’ll talk about that below.
One thing that you can’t deny is the beauty of the place. A water is crystal cleareven with so many tourists. It is worth avoiding the peak season, when the crowds are very uncomfortable. But we will also talk about this later in this post.
YOU HAVE TO PAY TO ENTER
Unless you are guest at a hotel or resort (see discounted options), you have to pay to enter the beach. A taxa is charged due to the fact that we are inside a Natural Park. Don’t listen to the street vendors who surround you on the streets saying they sell ticketsgo straight to the entrance.
The entry of about 5 dollars It’s a little confusing, after all we are in a park, but it’s full of tourists, restaurants and hotels scattered across the sand? I even agree that the place really needs care, especially the corals, where the animals have suffered from mass tourism.
But it’s a bit contradictory…
An alternative to make your dollars or pesos yield more is to use our tactics. You can enter through Akumal Hotel Caribewhich is close to the ticket office, and pay for the day use structure, such as sun loungers.
Each one costs 9 dollars and, in addition to having somewhere to spend the day, you already have access to the beach, without paying the entrance fee. It is worth remembering that there are fees for chairs and umbrellas on all beaches here.
Tourists like us pay for these services, but we saw many Mexicans with their towels and coolers on the beach. If you want to save money, this could be an alternative. Near the main square there is an OXXO convenience store (which even sells Styrofoam) and also some grocery stores.
AKUMAL BEACH
The strip of sand is about 5km, but the most beautiful, rock-free part is practically half that. It is precisely in these places where hotels and restaurants are spread.
+ See hotels and resorts with discounts
The water on the beach is incredible, crystal clear. Even if you don’t dive, you can easily see fish and even turtles in the shallows.
No left cornercloser to the entrance, there are fewer waves, so It is ideal for those who want calm water or have children. One thing we noticed was that there were more sargassum (algae) than on other beaches we visited in the region. We’ll talk about this topic later.
We only eat and use the services of “beach club/restaurant” where we spent the day, in Akumal Hotel Caribe. But in general prices here are higher which on the beaches of Playa del Carmen, are more similar to Tulum.
DIVING
At the place where you pay the entrance fee, it is now possible to book diving with the turtles, either by snorkel or even a cylinder, and even boat trips. Some of the best-known agencies are Dive Shop it’s at Dive Center.
A part of the beach is delimited with buoys, indicating where it is possible or not to go. If you don’t have a guide, but have diving equipment, always follow the signs to do it on your own.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS IN THE REGION
If you want, you can still choose other activities besides Akumal beach for your day.
The best known is Tulumalthough I think it’s worth staying at least a whole day there to at least enjoy the ruins and the Paradise Beach.
Just 14km towards Playa del Carmen, or Crystalline Cenote It’s an attraction that can be easily combined. Just over 2km from the beach entrance, another attraction is the Laguna Yal Kua kind of natural aquarium where you can do snorkel with many animals. A Visit to both places is paid.
WHERE TO STAY
I think the best thing is to stay in a hotel that faces the sandy beach. And there are many options. Secrets Riviera Maya is one of the largest resorts and is all inclusive. Another simpler and still well evaluated is where we spend the day, the Hotel Club Akumal Caribein addition to the Del Sol Beachfrontwhich is not on this beach, but close and facing the sea.
There are many beach houses also here, called villasand some of the best evaluated are Riviera Maya Haciendas, KASA Cooper e Coral House.
There are still many good accommodation options in the surrounding area, worth checking here.
WHEN TO GO TO AKUMAL
We have a post about best time to visit this region of Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya. It’s worth taking a look. In general, the best thing is to travel from December to Maywhen there is less chance of rain, more beautiful days and clearer seas.
In July and August, although there is a greater chance of rain, they are also months of high season and full beaches. Speaking of which, we went on a Friday in January and the beach was already quite crowded. I think it’s even more so at the weekend, mainly because of the residents of the region. It’s worth trying to go during the week.
As I said before, we got lucky and we caught little sargassum in the region. If you don’t know, these are foul-smelling algae that infested the beaches and sands in several seasons in recent years. Unfortunately, it is a difficult phenomenon to predict. But in this post you can know when it is most likely.
HOW TO GET TO AKUMAL
Akumal is about 40km from Playa del Carmen and 28km from Tulum. That is, it remains right in the middle of the Riviera Maya, as this region of the Yucatán Peninsula is called. Cancún, which is north of Playa, is about 110 km.
SAINDO OF PLAYA DEL CARMEN
If you are staying in Playa del Carmen, as was our case, it is very easy to get there and you don’t even need to rent a car or book a tour with an agency.
Already Calle 2between 20th and 25th avenues, are the van point that make the journey to Tulum. Many still go further. They run all day and are a cheap way to get to Akumal. The trip takes around 30 minutes. Just let the driver know where you want to stay.
From the disembarkation point on the highway, just walk for about 10 minutes to the beachit’s very peaceful.
That comes from car, it’s even easier. Just follow Carretera 307 (Cancun – Tulum) and enter the Akumal interchange. There is parking near the beach entrance. Another, more expensive option, is to take a taxi.
LEAVING TULUM
Coming from Tulum, you can also take the vans leaving the region of ruins. The trip only takes about 20 minutes. If you come from car, just do the same, drive along Carretera 307 to the beach. There is also the possibility of taking a taxi.
LEAVING CANCUN
If you are in Cancún, the route public transport can be a little more complex. You will need to go to the city center and, at the bus station, take take a van to Playa del Carmen and change there to another van heading towards Akumal; Another possibility is to take a ADO bus to Playa del Carmen and then the vans.
The ADO buses that go to Tulum pass in front of the Akumal interchange, but you need to confirm with the driver whether you can get off there. If you come from car, just take Carretera 307 (Canún – Tulum) for around 110km. The trip lasts an average of one hour.
+ Hotels with discounts in the region
+ How many days in Cancún and Riviera?
+ How to go to Cozumel
+ How to go to Isla Mujeres
+ All tips for the region
Rafael Carvalho
A native of Minas Gerais, a fan of chicken with okra and good beer, he currently lives in São Paulo. He has a degree in Radio and TV, a postgraduate degree in Journalism and has worked with Digital Content for over 16 years. He has worked for companies such as SBT and Jovem Pan FM. Passionate about traveling, he founded Esse Mundo É Nosso and travels around Brazil and the world all year round, always looking for tips to share.
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