Bestseller! Tulum Private Tour with Turtles and Cenote Snorkeling

Our family of five had the absolute pleasure of booking two private tours with Absolute Adventure Mexico during our February holiday in Cancun, and it was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Our first excursion was scheduled to be a half-day reef snorkeling tour in Puerto Morelos, but due to high winds the port authority closed the reef that morning. Instead of cancelling, the tour operator immediately offered flexible options and allowed us to switch days, giving us the opportunity to do our Tulum tour first and hopefully reschedule the reef snorkeling later in the week. We really appreciated how proactive and accommodating they were. That day, we explored the beautiful ruins of Tulum and swam in two incredible cenotes with our guide, Arturo. He was absolutely amazing with our family — especially our three daughters. One of our daughters had just completed a Grade 11 history course and learned a little bit about Mayan culture, and Arturo encouraged her to share what she knew as we walked through the ruins. He made the experience interactive, educational, and fun, mixing history with humor in a way that kept everyone engaged. Although the tour was originally supposed to include swimming with sea turtles, the winds made that unsafe. The company offered us an additional cenote instead, and we were so glad they did. Swimming in the cenotes was unforgettable — learning about the vegetation and fish in one, and then exploring stalagmites and stalactites in the other (Dos Ojos). Arturo guided us through caves and even into a dark bat cave that attracts many cave divers. He spoke with our oldest daughter about lichen (she’s majoring in biology), and gently reassured our youngest daughter as we navigated some narrow cave passages. His knowledge, patience, and warmth made the entire experience both exciting and comfortable. We wrapped up the day with lunch at a local restaurant, still chatting about everything we had seen and learned. It was truly a memorable and meaningful family experience. Later in the week — despite continued windy conditions — we were lucky enough to get out for our private reef snorkeling tour in Puerto Morelos with our second guide, Joshua. The town was buzzing with activity due to a local swimming event, and there were plenty of other tour groups around. Joshua did a fantastic job keeping us together and organized as we navigated to the boat and out to the reef. Snorkeling over the reef was absolutely incredible. We saw a sleeping nurse shark, several barracudas, and countless colorful fish. The highlight for me was floating above a sea turtle — a moment I will never forget. Having already snorkeled in the cenotes earlier in the week helped us feel very comfortable and confident in the water. Both tours reinforced the value of booking private experiences. Having full access to our guides allowed us to move at our own pace, ask questions, focus on what interested us most, and truly connect as a family. Everything was seamless — from resort pick-up and drop-off to having all equipment ready for us. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely passionate about what they do. We highly recommend this company to any family looking for a personalized, educational, and unforgettable adventure in Cancun. We would book with them again in a heartbeat!

Three of us (first timers in Yucatan) took the full day tour to Chichen Itza offered by Absolute Adventures. One advantage of this outfit is the opportunity to get to the site before the hordes of bus tours arrive. The site opens at 8AM (Central Time), and we were picked up at a hotel near Playa del Cwrmen at 6:15 (Eastern time), and were almost first in line when it opened. We had several hours of leisurely wandering around the site before the crowd surge began. Our guide, Dulce, was fantastic. Exploring the ruins with her was like being with a knowledgeable friend, rather than a standard tour guide. We had read up on the site before visiting, and she she was able to answer all our questions, remaining flexible to our requests to visit some of the non-standard places on the site. After chichen itza, the tour offers a choice of cenotes to swim in, depending on how much light comes in, from none to full opening. We chose the middle option, which was a delight. Before returning to the hotel, we ate at a local restaurant in Valladolid, across from the old monastery, and then went to the city center near the cathedral. As expected, there were lots of shops, but we opted to sit on a bench and enjoy the ambiance of a pleasant gathering place for local families and tourists alike. All in all, a great introduction to the history, culture, and geology of the Yucatan.

The whole day was incredible! We got to the ruins very early to avoid the crowds. From there, we swam in a cenote and had an incredible lunch. We were lucky enough to see sea turtles, sting rays, baby squids and more! Ivan was a wonderful driver and Cristina was an incredible tour guide. We learned so much from her!