| Akumal |
| Akumal is located just 65 miles south of Cancun and is a wonderful place to relax and get away from it all. It's meaning is "Places of the Turtles". It is one of the last nesting spots for turles along the Mayan coast. Akumal is made up of several bays(Half Moon Bay, Akumal Bay) which are protected by the coral reef just offshore. The bays are lined with small hotels and private condos for rent. Also at the south part there are some larger AI resorts. Although Akumal is small there are plenty of restaurants, a bakery(which I've heard is awesome) and even 2 grocery stores to buy food at. Akumal also has several dive shops that you can book diving tours thru or rent snorkeling equipment($8 for snorkel and fins) for Yal-Ku or one of the many other areas in Akumal to snorkel in. Half Moon Bay the beach is made up of dead coral that has washed up. The bay is very shallow and has lots of coral in it. If you plan on snorkeling here be careful that you don't get to close to the reef as it being so shallow you can get thrown against the reef at anytime. At the north end of Akumal is Yal-Ku lagoon. It is one of the best places that I have ever experienced snorkeling in. At the upper end of the lagoon there are several large rock formations and the water depth can go from 10ft to depths of 30ft where the rocks drop off. At this area of the lagoon you can find many different types of fish, from French Angels to Parrotfish to hundereds of Seargent Majors. Swimming toward the ocean can even be more rewarding. There is an area that has a sandy bottom. Keep your eyes open here. We saw turtles and stingrays as well as other types of fish here. Swim even farther toward the sea and you will notice dark spots in the water. These are huge coral formations. The coral here was very beautiful. Huge fan corals sway in the current as well as many other types of coral. I saw several different types of fish here including Parrotfish, Grouper and rumor has it there are also a few Moray Eels there. Akumal and Yal-Ku are very wonderful places to visit either just for a day or if you make it your whole vacation. I highly recommend a visit here. To see photos of Akumal and Yal-Ku visit my photo page |
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