March 3, 2023
Family Travel Destinations•South America Travel
Family Friendly Things to do in the Yucatan Peninsula
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The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is well known for its many beautiful beaches, fascinating ruins, charming towns, and delicious food. It is also a great location for a tropical vacation with the family. There are many family-friendly activities and attractions in the area, including swimming, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, and exploring ancient ruins.
Are you planning a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico with your family? This guide has you covered! Keep reading for the five best activities you can do with your family, including young children, in this beautiful part of the world.
Swim with the Turtles in Akumal
Photo credit: Deposit Photos
Swimming with the turtles in Akumal is one of the most unique activities for families on the Yucatan!
Akumal beach is a haven for wild sea turtles, who flock to graze on the seaweed that grows naturally on the ocean floor at Akumal Beach.
Tourists float 2-3 meters above where the sea turtles are grazing and watch them in their natural habitat while snorkeling.
Regardless of their swimming abilities, everyone must wear a life vest at Akumal Beach, so they don’t swim down and disturb the wildlife. This makes it the perfect activity for little kids who might not be the most confident swimmers!
Sea turtles aren’t the only thing you can spot while snorkeling at Akumal Beach – there’s also an old rusted cannon blaster from a Spanish ship that sunk off the coast of Akumal in the 1700s.
After your snorkel session, you can go to La Buena Vida a bit down the road. La Buena Vida (“The Good Life” in Spanish) is one of the best treehouse cafes in the Yucatan.
Take a dip in a Cenote
Photo Credit: Katie Caf Travel
Did you know the Yucatan is the only place in the world with cenotes?
Cenote is the Mayan word for “sinkhole,” and that’s precisely what they are! All cenotes started out as a sinkhole in the ground that turned into a cave. Because they’re a geological marvel only found in the Yucatan, cenotes are thought to have originated from the asteroid that resulted in the dinosaurs dying off more than 66 million years ago!
These sinkholes are naturally full of freshwater and used to be sources of water for the Mayans, who also used the cenotes in some of their religious ceremonies.
Some Cenotes are entirely underground, sometimes, they’re half in a cave, and sometimes they’re completely above ground. Cenotes that are 100% above ground are sometimes called lagoons.
In addition to being ancient, cenotes are nature’s perfect swimming spot! Locals have been swimming in cenotes for centuries, and in recent decades most of the main cenotes on the Mayan Riviera have opened up for tourism, so you and your family can swim in them too!
Cenotes are a great activity you can do with your family, including small children, because they are usually accommodating to people of all swimming levels. Many commercialized cenotes offer, and some even require, all swimmers to wear lifevests.
Cenotes do not have a current like the ocean, making them easy swimming spots for young children.
To cater to people of all swimming levels, some cenotes, like cenote Oxman also have swimming pools alongside cenotes.
Some cenotes like cenote Oxman have fun additions like rope swings, or cenote Zaci has cliff jumps of varying heights if you’re feeling adventurous!
Tips for Visiting a Cenote
Be careful not to swallow any of the water in a cenote. Keep your eyes closed, or wear goggles in a cenote. Remember to wear a life vest if you’re not a strong swimmer. Remember to shower before entering a cenote! Most commercialized cenotes will have showers available, so you don’t get any contaminants in the delicate cenote ecosystem, like sunscreen.Some cenotes on the Mayan Riviera that offer life vests:
- Cenote Oxman
- Cenote Suytun
- Cenote Zaci
- Cenote Saamal
Spend the day at Laguna Kaan Luum
Photo Credit: Deposit Photos
Laguna Kaan Luum is a vast open-air cenote located just a few kilometers outside of Tulum.
Laguna Kaan Luum is unique because of its size and because of the massive sinkhole in the middle of the lagoon. Laguna Kaan Luum is said to reach over 80 meters in the lake’s center! This makes it a trendy dive spot.
While the ultra-deep center of Laguna Kaan Luum is popular with divers, 80% of the lagoon is only 3 feet deep – perfect for families and people with young children.
Because it is an open-air cenote, there’s no tide at Laguna Kaan Luum, which also makes it great for kids or people who aren’t the strongest swimmers.
At Laguna Kaan Luum, you’ll find a variety of activities; there’s kayaking, paddle boarding, swings, hammocks, snorkeling, and just chilling out on the docks.
While many people come to Laguna Kaan Luum and stay the whole day, keep in mind that no food or drink is sold there. So, pack a picnic lunch and bring lots of water to ensure you have a good time!
Learn about Ancient Mayan History at Tulum Ruins
Photo Credit: Katie Caf Travel
Nowadays, Tulum is one of the most popular spots to vacation on the Yucatan, known for its gorgeous beaches and luxury resorts. But did you know that 500 years ago, Tulum was a bustling Mayan Metropolis?
Tulum was initially called Zama by the Mayan people and was a significant port city in pre-Colombian Mexico.
“Zama” means “morning” or “dawn” in Mayan. Today you’ll see the ancient name honored by lots of different places and businesses having “Zama’ in their name, most notably the Aldea Zama region, a residential neighborhood in Tulum.
Although the Mayan city of Zama no longer exists, you can still see the ruins of Zama at the Tulum Ruins archeological site in modern-day Tulum.
I recommend hiring a local guide at the ruins to get the most out of your experience. The Tulum Ruins is one of the most famous Mayan Ruins in Mexico and makes for a great educational activity to do with your family!
Tips for Visiting Tulum Ruins
Go early in the morning to avoid the most intense periods of sun Bring a hat to protect your head from the sun! If you have very young children, do know that some parts of the archeological complex can only be reached by stairs and is not stroller accessible. Pack lots of water or bring cash to buy water there! The heat is no joke.Float down a Natural Lazy River at Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve
Photo Credit: Deposit Photos
The lazy river at the Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve is one of the best-kept secrets on the Yucatan Peninsula and the perfect activity to do with your family!
Sian Ka’an has everything a perfect outing in Mexico could ask for – there are Mayan ruins, natural beauty, crystal clear blue water, and a sense of adventure.
Most tours to Sian Ka’an start from the beach and go out into the sea, where you can snorkel with animals like dolphins. This is a fun activity, but Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve is a much more fun place to visit if you enter from the interior side, starting at the Muyil Ruins.
The Muyil Ruins are a small Mayan Ruin Archeological site that gets much fewer tourists than the more popular Tulum Ruins.
I think the Muyil Ruins are not worth a visit on their own, but it’s a very excellent entry point to the Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve
At the front desk for the Muyil Ruins, tour guides will be selling boat tours. This is where you can purchase a lazy river tour for your family. The tour guides at the front desk will give you a wristband to show once you get to the boat docks.
From the Muyil Ruins, a boardwalk snakes through the jungle to the boat launch for the lazy river. Kids love the jungle boardwalk!
However, please note that it’s not a suitable activity for strollers, as the boardwalk can be pretty narrow.
After a 15-minute walk on the boardwalk, you’ll exit the jungle to the beach where boats launch. Here you can show your wristband to a boat operator who will ferry your family on a 15-minute ride to the natural lazy river across the bay.
Once you get to the lazy river, everyone must wear a life vest, making it the perfect activity for people of all swimming levels.
The natural lazy river is an unforgettable 45 minutes of slowly floating downstream through a mangrove forest.
Because it is natural, no inner tubes or floaties are used to propel you forward – just a natural gentle current.
Family-Friendly things to do in the Yucatan Peninsula: Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this post on the best activities to do with your family on the Yucatan Peninsula.
To recap, the best activities are swimming with the wild sea turtles at Akumal Beach, spending the day soaking up the sun at Laguna Kaan Luum, taking a dip in a natural Cenote, learning about ancient Mayan culture at the Tulum Ruins, and taking a ride down a wild lazy river at the Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve.
Submitted by Katie from KatieCafTravel.com
Katie is a full-time traveling Digital Nomad who loves adventure, art, good wifi & even better coffee.
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