Ann

We're planning a visit early next year. <BR>We're going to Playa del Carmen. <BR>Only 7 days, so we want to relax and also like snorkeling. <BR>Heard Akumel and Cozumel are great placec to snorkel but we want to visit a "park" also. <BR>Want to see lots of tropical fish in waters not to deep. <BR>Who can help us out??? <BR>Thanks.

Doug

My wife and I were at Xel Ha in January. It is nice but very touristy. There are lots of fish to see and we had a nice time. This is a fresh water saltwater combination lagoon. This makes for a very strange effect while you are snorkeling. You can take a tour from Playa that includes Xel Ha and Tulum, it cost $55/person when we were there. You only get a couple hours at Tulum and a couple more at Xel Ha. If you are a little more adventurous you can rent a car and drive to these places. This will save you quite a bit of money if you have 4 people. You can also stay as long as you want at Xel Ha. The last way is to take the bus. This is extremely cheap, only a few dollars round trip. <BR> <BR>There is a park on cozumel called Chankanaab, it costs about $7 and you will see a lot of fish and coral. This is in the ocean so it is much different than Xel Ha. Get there early so you don't have to fight with the Cruise ship Passengers for a lounge chair. Take the ferry($10rt) from Playa to Cozumel. Take a taxi to Chankanaab, you can spend an entire day they have a botanical garden, beach, snorkeling, food and diving. <BR> <BR>Have fun

Emily Connolly

Well Ann, this topic is very interesting to me and I hope that you get a lot of responses. I snorkeled at Xel- Ha and at Chankanaab about 1984, and they were both fantastic. <BR>This past April, I returned to both places and things have changed a lot! The major problem was that the visibility in the water at both locations was awful and that the amount of fish is dramatically decreased. My suspicion is that the water quality in both of these areas is negatively impacted from the hordes of cruise ship passengers and tourists that swim there daily. <BR>The third issue is that once the cruise ship passengers arrive, both of these areas are terribly crowded. <BR>I would love to hear the opinions of others on this topic. <BR>If you go to Cozumel, go snorkeling at the beach at the Presidente Hotel. The water is terrific there!! <BR>

Doug

I agree with Emily about these places, they are very touristy. I didn't have much problem with visability at either, but we were able to stay away from most of the people when we were at both places. I think this may be due to the fact that we were there when there were not that many people (January). I have never snorkeled at the beach at the Presidente Hotel, but you can stop at almost any beach along the west coast of Cozumel and have great snorkeling. The best part about that is that it's free. <BR> <BR>Doug

Susan

I've been to both Xcaret and Chankanaab. The last time was in February '97. I wasn't too impressed with the snorkeling at Xcaret, but I would recommend the park. There is a lot more there - a butterfly pavilion, birds, underground river (which is actually fun), etc. We spent a full day and then stayed on to catch some of the evening show - there was a Mexican 'new age' duo playing that night who were terrific. We had avoided going to Xcaret on other trips to Playa del Carmen and we were really surprised that we enjoyed it so much. We found the price of admission very reasonable and if you're staying in Playa del Carmen, you can take a taxi there for very little money. But the snorkeling was not impressive. No experience with Xel-Ha. I was surprised to hear that the water was so bad at Chankanaab - when we were there in Feb'97 (and Feb'95), it was excellent. However, I agree - try to go there when there isn't a cruise ship visiting. We had tried to snorkel on the mainland (Akumel and a couple of other places), but the water was just too rough. That's why we moved from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel for a few days. I agree with the other writer - there are other beaches on Cozumel that are good for snorkeling - one is Playa Corona and you can take a taxi out there for a few hours. It's easy to flag one down on the road when you're ready to leave. We found it very shallow, with lots of fish and coral. If you haven't already booked a hotel in Playa del Carmen, you might want to consider spending a night or 2 in Cozumel - lots of hotels in town and they aren't expensive. Have fun! <BR> <BR> <BR>

Claudia

<BR>Xel-ha is much better than Xcaret. <BR>Both of them are very tourist but xcaret is more. <BR>If you arrive early in the morning the park will be empty because almost all the people go to Tulum and after go xel-ha. I think you may spend a whole day in xel-ha. <BR> <BR>Cláudia

dan

Haven't been to Xcaret, but I have been to Xel-Ha. I would guess that the above poster is correct about which is more touristy, since Xcaret is advertised very very heavily everywhere in Cancun. We got to Xel-Ha within the first quarter hour or so after it opened (the first ones there). It really didn't get crowded at all until about two hours later, but it was never bad at all. We had planned on being there for half a day but ended up spending the entire day there - there is snorkeling, rafting, and a beach nearby to walk to. Make sure that if you are out in the water long to use lots of sunscreen. They sell a type at the shops there that is not supposed to be harmful to the fish. I would recommend to go there yourself and not as part of a Tulum/Xel-Ha tour, unless you don't mind not having long at the park.