Centro Ecologico Akumal
Centro Ecologico Akumal
Centro Ecologico Akumal
4.5
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4.5
504 reviews
Excellent
316
Very good
117
Average
31
Poor
17
Terrible
23
Amy M
San Pedro, Belize145 contributions
Jan 2020
The cenotes and snorkeling were wonderful as was the tour of TULUM ruins. Can't wait to go back to the hotel district of TULUM itself. Wonderfull people, very hospitable and friendly and the food, so fresh and tasty!
Written 2 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
konstanzj
Blue Earth379 contributions
Jan 2013 • Friends
For $20 you get snorkel gear and a guide to point out sea life and provide information. Wonderful! At first, we were not going to do this, but decided to spend the money. It was the best $20 I've ever spent on vacation. We saw 5 different sea turtles and lots of other wild life. I felt like I was the swimmer in a National Geographic film!
Written 3 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barna T
Playa del Carmen, Mexico75 contributions
June 2013
Yesterday we went with my wife to Akumal to do the night turtle walk with these guys. We needed to pay 15 usd before six in the afternoon to reserve our place, only ten people can go per day. After reservation we walked on the beach, had dinner (there are restaurants really close).
The meeting is 8:45, first you watch a very informative video then you head out to the beach with the biologist and the volunteers to look for nesting turtles.
It was truly amazing: we saw two huge green turtles and a smaller loggerhead arriving to the beach, building(digging) the nest. As soon as they start to lay the eggs you can get very close to them. After you just sit, and wait for them to cover their nest and return to the ocean. Unbelievable...
The biologists and vulenteers were very nice and knowledgable, they used only red lights and were careful not to scare the animals away. In this experience the turtles are the first and not the visitors which is great.
Special thanks to Sophia who was our guide and Pascual who was about to wait for us in the office to be able to reserve our spot.
Thanks for CEA for yesterday and for their amazing work for the protection of the sea turtles.
The meeting is 8:45, first you watch a very informative video then you head out to the beach with the biologist and the volunteers to look for nesting turtles.
It was truly amazing: we saw two huge green turtles and a smaller loggerhead arriving to the beach, building(digging) the nest. As soon as they start to lay the eggs you can get very close to them. After you just sit, and wait for them to cover their nest and return to the ocean. Unbelievable...
The biologists and vulenteers were very nice and knowledgable, they used only red lights and were careful not to scare the animals away. In this experience the turtles are the first and not the visitors which is great.
Special thanks to Sophia who was our guide and Pascual who was about to wait for us in the office to be able to reserve our spot.
Thanks for CEA for yesterday and for their amazing work for the protection of the sea turtles.
Written 7 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack M
Tulum Beach, Mexico1 contribution
Oct 2014 • Friends
CEA is making every attempt to close the beach to the local residents. They've gone so far as to erect a fence and place huge boulders directly in the path of the Public Beach Access to Akumal Bay. You can still see the green fence and boulders on the side of the public pathway to the beach! If CEA has it's way, you'll be paying them for access to a beach that should be open to residents and visitors alike. You might also want to ask about the connection between CEA's ownership and the new 480 room hotel that's being built right next door. That's certain to help the turtles. Shame on you CEA!
Written 1 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DU1975
Saint Peters, MO895 contributions
Jan 2016
I've been coming to Akumal for years. I know the area...I know the rules. We struck out from our resort to go into town. On our return, as we approached the beach, a CEA member stopped us and asked us if we were going snorkeling. Well...not just then, but later in the day we were. He told us that the rules of the bay stated that we HAD to have a guide. This is a flat out lie! Moreover, we were staying at a resort on the bay...if we needed a guide, why are we allowed to snorkel without guides at the resort? When I confronted him about it, and told him I had been coming to Akumal for years, he quickly stated that he didn't speak English very well and meant we SHOULD have a guide. They are trying to trap unsuspecting tourists into buying a service that is NOT required nor is it needed.
Written 20 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bryanmantezoni
Houston, TX2,784 contributions
July 2017 • Family
This place is very pretty, the mexicans saw the opportunity to squeeze every dime out of the gullible tourists who visit the beach and they put a big rope so you cannot pass UNLESS you have what they call a private guide who is someone that will take you 30 feet away from the beach and will let you see the turtles for a price....some charge you 500 pesos , some 600 you can negotiate when it is low season but when it is high they know people will pay so they DO NOT negotiate, you can see tons of people carrying oxygen tanks and going to see the turtles, the coral is damaged and non existent and the turtles are bothered by tourists who want the selfies, gross show if you love nature and appreciate animals DO NOT go.....very disappointing.
Written 6 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
electra369
Minneapolis15 contributions
Apr 2016 • Friends
I've been coming to Akumal since 2010. Currently this marks my 12th trip to the area where I spend 7-14 days at a time. Akumal was once a quite, small beach town. Not anymore. With the addition of Secrets All-Inclusive and the remodel of Akumal Beach Resort, along with a 200% increase in snorkel tours, this town has gotten out of control. This group claims they are trying to protect the turtles, but really they want to make money by privatizing the beach to capitalize on increased tourism which started with the remodel of ABR and the addition of Secrets. Now when you drive into town during the day, you are bombarded with people yelling at you to "park here" or "pay a fee". I know better and ignore everyone, Further down at Half Moon Bay, the beach access has been totally blocked and hidden with colored fencing. Akumal is not what it once was. The beauty is being destroyed by greed. I sure hope Tulum doesn't end up in the same way. Shame on you CEA, you claim you are helping the turtles, but you are really just trying to turn a profit - disguised by the Akumal Dive Shop.
Written 29 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
akumalgal
Highland, NY18 contributions
Jan 2015 • Family
People on the board are directly responsible for allowing the bay to be ruined by having a conflict of interest with the pirates and dive shops that are renting snorkle equipment to hundreds of people everyday. The turtle grass is being destroyed. And there does not seem to be any restrictions in site.
MOney is being made today without any planning for the future. This is such a sad moment for Akumal
MOney is being made today without any planning for the future. This is such a sad moment for Akumal
Written 2 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane D
canada77 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
Do the turtle walk while you can! CEA has evening turtle walks but you must go to their office and sign up for an evening as they only take 10 people a night during nesting season. They ask for a 15$ usd donation per person. We went last night from 9 pm to 1am and it was amazing..you start with a video about CEA's work and the turtles that come to nest along this coast. After you hike down the beach stopping when turtles come up off the beach, are laying eggs, or if there is a hatch happening. The CEA crew is amazing in answering questions and making sure everyone understands what is happening, what they are doing and why. They also helped other people on the beach understand that some of their actions were frightening the turtles or preventing them from laying. We saw many turtles come up on the beach, had the rare opportunity to see a loggerhead laying eggs, and saw 2 nests hatch with the hatchlings racing to the sea in the moonlight!
Written 4 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fryme3
Phoenix, AZ3 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
The best area in the bay that has sea turtles, large fish, and big reefs is CLOSED for snorkeling. There are three RED sections next to each other that are roped off with buoys. Around the RED sections are roped-off GREEN lanes that the Dive Center uses for tours ($45), but they are CLOSED as well. If you enter the CLOSED area, staff in kayaks, boats (from Dive Center), and walking the beach will yell and whistle at you until you leave.
The Dive Center takes people snorkeling “tours”(floating with life jackets) between the CLOSED area and the outer reef, west of the boating lane in a fairly small area where the water is about 16 feet deep. The CLOSED area is where most of the sea grass grows that the turtles eat. In the past, too many people uprooted the sea grass and beat up the reef so the area has been CLOSED for a few years. Based on the size and location of the concrete anchors, chains, and ropes for buoys and signs (on the beach), it looks like 50% of the bay will be CLOSED for a very long time.
Snorkeling west of the CLOSED area is nice and there are a few smaller reefs, but very few turtles and mostly smaller fish.
The current in the bay is soft until you get near the outer reef. The water was very warm. Average depth west of the CLOSED area is about 7 feet all the way to the outer reef. The Dive Center (50 yards west of the Dive Shop) runs snorkeling tours inside the bay and rents equipment/life jackets. The Dive Shop (polite, relaxed staff) runs scuba dives outside of the bay. My wife did a deep dive for $50 with the Dive Shop and had a great time. The majority of the scuba dives are within 10 to 20 minutes outside the bay. Visibility in the bay was 40 feet, after you get 50 yards out from the beach. My wife said visibility was 80 feet outside of the bay.
The Dive Center takes people snorkeling “tours”(floating with life jackets) between the CLOSED area and the outer reef, west of the boating lane in a fairly small area where the water is about 16 feet deep. The CLOSED area is where most of the sea grass grows that the turtles eat. In the past, too many people uprooted the sea grass and beat up the reef so the area has been CLOSED for a few years. Based on the size and location of the concrete anchors, chains, and ropes for buoys and signs (on the beach), it looks like 50% of the bay will be CLOSED for a very long time.
Snorkeling west of the CLOSED area is nice and there are a few smaller reefs, but very few turtles and mostly smaller fish.
The current in the bay is soft until you get near the outer reef. The water was very warm. Average depth west of the CLOSED area is about 7 feet all the way to the outer reef. The Dive Center (50 yards west of the Dive Shop) runs snorkeling tours inside the bay and rents equipment/life jackets. The Dive Shop (polite, relaxed staff) runs scuba dives outside of the bay. My wife did a deep dive for $50 with the Dive Shop and had a great time. The majority of the scuba dives are within 10 to 20 minutes outside the bay. Visibility in the bay was 40 feet, after you get 50 yards out from the beach. My wife said visibility was 80 feet outside of the bay.
Written 17 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leandro Ariel L
Lanus, Argentina
Hola buenas tardes queria saber como puedo solicitar qe me lleven unas ramas de un arbol qe podé vivo en remedios de escalada muchas gracias
Written 27 June 2020
Alguien sabe cual es la temporada para liberar tortugas?
Written 4 March 2020
Hola! Para ver las tortugas es necesario pagar 35 dolares? O desde la playa publica ya se observan?Gracias!
Written 1 April 2019
Si no te llevan en barca no se ve nada
Written 2 April 2019
hay fotografos para contratar y q te saquen las fotos con las tortugas??
Written 2 February 2018
Yo no vi fotografos alli, lo que si si tu tienes camara el guia te podria sacar alguna foto.SINO llevas guia no te dejan nadar y bucear cerca de donde estan las tortugas.
Written 3 February 2018
cual es el valor en dolares de los guias?hay q pagar entradas.
Written 31 January 2018
Si nosotros pagamos en dolares, no me acuerdo cuantos pero no era muy escandaloso, ademas te dejan el salvavidas y las gafas y el tubo.
Written 3 February 2018
vamos a ir en octubre . hay tortugas en esa epoca???
Written 31 January 2018
no estoy seguro pero los guias que hay alli si lo saben, pienso que si, porque estan pastando en el fondo de la bahia, no obstante el pueblecito de akumal merece una visita y la playa esta muy bien.
Written 3 February 2018
bonjour! est-ce que le mois de décembre prochain est propice a nager avec les tortues? le site est fermé?
Written 9 August 2017
hola si haces caso de las indicaciones de profepa el lugar esta cerrado por protección a las tortugas!
sin embargo hay personas que van a los extremos para nadar con ella pero eso ya es bajo tu propio riesgo! saludos
Written 20 August 2017
Hi I was in playa del carmen end Feb thro to 1st week in March and wanted to visit this beach but was told it was closed off to the public to protect the turtles...does this happen often? I'm coming back out same time next year and would love to visit this beautiful beach.
Written 3 April 2017
I think it's the time of year you are going because it's breeding season.
We went early October and there were no restrictions.
Written 27 August 2017
Salve verremo a febbraio con 2 bambini e vorrei sapere se sarà possibile vedere la schiusa delle uova di tartaruga :) grazie
Written 13 January 2017
Ti ringrazio delle info :) ultimamente mi sono documentata un po' e ho qualche dubbio sull'etica di questa riserva..
Written 22 January 2017
Thanks for your review Sandra....headed that way in a couple of weeks. Was this a particular organized event at Centro Ecologico Akumal?
Written 22 August 2016
I would love to help you, but I don't know what event is being discussed here. I know that CEA organizes a lot of events throughout the year.
Written 23 August 2016
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