Tesoros de Mexico: Yal-Ku

Yal-Ku

Our amiga Leslie, of Holbox fame, is always on the hunt for beautiful and exciting snorkeling

Akumal Beach

adventures. Recently she returned from the Yucatan and wanted to share her experience at Yal Ku

Yal-Ku

lagoon in the small community of Akumal. Akumal is a small beach-front tourist resort community south of Cancún, between the towns of Playa del Carmen and Tulum Yal Ku is an estuary where salt and fresh water meet. The water is about 6 to 15 ft deep and is so clear and calm you just can’t wait to jump in!! Leslie started her adventure in Playa del Carmen. She negotiated directly with her driver for a mutually

Cenotes

acceptable fee for the ride there and back and the driver agreed to wait a couple of hours for her. Can’t beat that!!! On her drive down she noticed “cenotes”  (surface connections to subterranean bodies of water) on the

Yal-Ku Statue

other side of the highway. Conceivably you could combine the two activities in one day, that is Yal Ku and the cenotes… but Leslie warns that even though the cenote water is crystal clear, it’s very cold so it would be better to wait on a warm day to dive into that chilly water.

Yal-Ku Statue

Yal Ku is like a little park. There is a small entrance fee and there are bathrooms and outdoor showers at the entrance. You can rent cabanas along the estuary for about $20 if you want. Leslie walked down the rustic pathway through the woods when all of a sudden she saw this beautiful sculpture. Suddenly there were beautiful sculptures and works of art everywhere!!! They’re all unique and genuine original pieces.

There are these little tiny paths going in all different directions to these small little coves. Sometimes people are there…. sometimes not. If you want privacy just take another path that will lead to another little cove area.

Great snorkeling at Yal-Ku

To help snorkelers there are platforms and stairs in the water for easy entering and exiting. Once in the water there is an abundance of exotic marine life. Another interesting feature is the underwater landscape, which is really quite amazing! If you’re lucky you can swim with the sea turtles.

Seaturtle

Actually Akumal means “place where the turtles nest” in Mayan. Leslie says she snorkeled for about 2 hours and then took the little path that leads back to the entrance. There is a little snack shop at the lagoon but you can have a first class meal on the Akumal beach. Sounds like a great afternoon! Next time I won’t miss it!!!!

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