snorkeling - Pitstops for Kids

Fair Wind Big Island Kealakekua Snorkel Cruise review

June 1, 2018 By Amy Hagstrom

Note: The Big Island is tourism-ready and Fair Wind is open for business after Hawaii’s recent lava flows.

Snorkeling on the west coast of Hawaii (the Big Island) is always a hit due to the incredibly clear water on the dry side of the island, and there’s nowhere better than Kealakekua Bay. This calm, sheltered bay is the home of the Captain Cook Monument and is well known for its clear water, pods of dolphins, and the multitude of fish. However, it’s hard to get here on your own!

Fair Wind Big Island Kealakekua Snorkel Cruise review:

Visitors can hike into the Captain Cook Monument (a four mile round trip hike, often hot and exposed), kayak across the bay (with the proper permits only; keep in mind that you are not permitted to dock your kayak at the monument, so you’ll have to have it attached to you while you snorkel), or join a boat tour such as the Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides. We chose the latter, and couldn’t have been happier with our choice!

Upon arrival at the Fair Wind offices in Keauhou Bay, we were fitted for masks and snorkels (fins were supplied on the boat) and provided with plenty of reef-safe sunscreen. If you don’t have your own, don’t worry—there was plenty available on the boat before, during, and after snorkeling. Once on board, we had a continental breakfast of muffins, quiche, fruit, and coffee while we cruised toward Kealakekua Bay. We even had a pod of spinner dolphins escort us around the point and into the bay! After a brief safety talk with info on where and where not to snorkel, we headed into the water for two and a half hours. Of course, because we had kids in our group (7 and 9 years old), they couldn’t resist trying out some of the other entertainment options on board. The Fair Winds II has two slides off the back of the boat that send the rider flying about 6 feet above the water. Needless to say, this was a big hit! There’s also a high dive off the top deck (my favorite!). Because we had so much time to spend in the bay, we found that we had plenty of time to enjoy the slides and high-dive without feeling like we were missing out on snorkeling.

Lunch was served near the end of the snorkel time, and gave us a chance to come in from the water for a little break. I found that one of the best things about having breakfast and lunch included was that we didn’t have to worry about lugging a cooler, sandwiches, etc. onto the boat and were able to pack light and enjoy the ride.

We had a great time on the Morning Kealakekua Snorkel and BBQ Cruise with Fair Wind; I would even say that no trip to the Big Island is complete without a snorkel experience in Kealakekua Bay.

Prices:

The morning cruise (2.5 hours snorkel time, plus breakfast and lunch): $149/adult; $89/child, + taxes and fees

For a less expensive option, consider the afternoon cruise to Kealakekua Bay (1.5 hours snorkel time, snacks only, same boat as the morning cruise): $89/adult; $49/child + taxes and fees

Disclosure: we experienced this snorkel cruise at a discounted media rate, for the purpose of review.

Best snorkeling beaches in Kauai North Shore

March 21, 2018 By Amy Hagstrom

One of the best activities in the Hawaiian islands is snorkeling in Kauai. Need to know where to go? Read on for our top snorkeling beaches on Kauai’s North Shore, compiled after a week of sampling (I know, rough job, right?). Here’s what we found out:

Anini Beach:

This was the first beach we visited on Kauai, and it did not disappoint. Because it’s surrounded by reefs, Anini is very calm and great for young kids…which is why we list it in our best Kauai beaches for babies and toddlers. But it also has great snorkeling. In the first five minutes we were out in the water, we saw multiple sea turtles. Further exploration off the shore rewarded us with schools of fish and sea slugs.

We loved that the shallow water lets you explore further out while still being able to touch, and that the sea turtles came in close enough that even young kids could see them easily. When not in the water, Anini still wins because it has a fun creek running into the ocean, lots of trees to play on with big exposed roots, and usually, a North Shore General Store food truck in the parking lot. How to get there: Take the highway past Princeville (toward Lihue) to Anini Road. You’ll go past a residential area, then end at the beach parking lot.

Hidaways Beach:

Not so hidden anymore, Hideaways, actually called Kenomene Beach is located right in Princeville, by the St. Regis. Getting to the beach can be tough, but that just means fewer other people to contend with, right? Start by hiking down a steep and rocky path…use the hand rails and ropes, and consider wearing sturdy sandals instead of flip-flops.

The best snorkeling is around the rock outcropping that separates the beach areas. Snorkel when the tide is partway in, to avoid it being too shallow. Waves during our visit were existent, but not large. However, we heard they can be quite large depending on the tide. How to get there: It’s easiest to approach Hideaways by the Pali Ke Kua condos by Hanalei Bay Resort. Enter the resort and follow the footpath to the beach. If you want to take the shorter but steeper trail, that starts at the parking lot, which is small (about 10 cars fit). This is also located right at the entrance of the condos and St. Regis, in Princeville. Tip: Go early in the morning to get parking and the beach to yourself!

Ke’e Beach:

The last beach accessible by car before the Na Poli Coast, Ke’e Beach is another good one for young kids, because of the lack of surf. This also makes it great for snorkeling. Ke’e Beach gets crowded, so hit it early to enjoy the gentle lagoon all to yourselves. The Kalalau Trail (Na Poli Coast Trail) starts here, too.

The beach is teeming with fish, and perfect for a snorkeling day. Just stay clear of the current that flows from the lagoon to the sea. Swim just outside the inner reef for the best fish sightings. You can see from the photo below that it looks rough…actually the reef shields the snorkeling area beautifully. Plus, it makes a great spot for using your bodyboards.

How to get there: Take the road to the end! That’s it. The parking lot is small here, which is another incentive to get here early. If you must park on the road, you’ll likely get a ticket to the tune of $35 or so. Many people deem it worth it. Tip: you can start at Ke’e Beach and take a four mile round trip hike along the trail to Hanakapiai Beach as well.

Queen Emma’s Bath:

While not technically a snorkeling beach, Queen Emma’s Bath is not to be missed. Kids can snorkel here, seeing rock formations and exploring the pools, and you’ll likely see sea turtles in the surf off the coast. This special geological feature is located in Princeville (follow signs as you enter this golf-resort community near the St. Regis). Park at the top of a short, downhill hike to the rocky shore, where you can explore along the coastline in either direction. Directly in front of you, after you exit the trail, will be beautiful chasms in the rock that form rocky bays for water to flow in and out of. In some seasons, these are swimmable, but not in spring or winter. Check for sea turtles here, then walk left, where you’ll find fully enclosed pools in the rock near the point. Families can swim and jump here, and snorkel in the crystal clear water. Tip: get to the parking lot early; it fills up fast and there’s no other street parking immediately adjacent.

Note: Queen Emma’s Baths have taken many lives, as noted on a sign when you enter. Never visit during the winter season, and heed all signs and warnings. We recommend never swimming in the exposed inlets at all.

Need a sure bet on the south side of the island? The inlet by the Marriott Vacation Club at Poipu Beach has great snorkeling from shore.

Dominican Republic with kids: Power snorkeling at Sosua Beach

July 18, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

During our Fathom cruise in the Dominican Republic, we knew we wanted to both visit a local beach and take a snorkeling trip. We were able to do both during a power snorkeling trip with Wild Play Adventures.

Usually, we opt to skip official cruise excursions in favor of booking privately. You get a more personalized experience, usually for less. However, in the case of our DR trip, the official excursion was the only snorkeling trip to fit our tight schedule. While there were a lot of people on our trip (at least 25), we still had a great experience, due primarily to the beautiful location and abundance of saline.

Wild Play Adventures picked us up in an air conditioned bus directly from our port at Amber Cove, and drove us 50 minutes to Sosua, a beach town outside of the city of Puerto Plata. The beach at Sosua is gorgeous, and the little town hugging the shoreline is made up of a hodge podge of shops, restaurants, beach bars, and dive shops. It’s a little rough around the edges, and certainly far more local than touristy, and we wished we had more time to explore. Certainly, we’d like to return to Sosua on a return trip to the DR.

We checked into Wild Play’s snorkel center right on the sand, and were given lockers to store our belongings. We were issued fins, snorkels, and masks, and were brought onto the snorkel boat (which came right up to the shore) within minutes. I loved how quickly we were out on the water.

We rode in the boat to two nearby snorkel locations, jumping into the water to explore both. Since this was a ‘power snorkel’ trip, we were issued power snorkel machines, which have propellers that allow you to move more quickly through the water. These machines looked more intimidating than they actually were…the snorkel staff handed them to you in the water once you were already floating, so they were easy to manage. The kids enjoyed using them to propel themselves further underwater, and across small currents. Using the machines was optional, and I decided to snorkel once with one, once without.

We saw a wide variety of tropical fish, jellyfish, and coral in both locations…more than we even saw in Hawaii. I do wish our group had been smaller in number, so I recommend a private tour if and when possible. However, the big group was more manageable than you’d think once in the water. Between snorkel locations, we were served fresh cut fruit and beverages, including water bottles and soda. The two locations were only about 10 minutes apart, but if you’re prone to seasickness, I recommend medicating ahead of time.

Cost:

As noted, our snorkel tour was an official excursion on our Fathom cruise. We paid $69 per adult (12 and up). Check the Wild Play website for current pricing and excursion options. Expect the excursion to take half a day. We left at 2 pm and returned at 6:30 pm.

Age group:

For the power snorkel option, kids had to be 10 and up. Younger kids could participate without the power assist, but trust me, they’ll want to use one. I recommend booking a non-power assist tour if you have young kids.

Directions:

Wild Play picks you up from your cruise port at Amber Cove.

Things to do on the Great Barrier Reef with kids

July 6, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

The Great Barrier Reef is a magical place to visit. Most parents wouldn’t think that it is safe to tour Australia’s natural wonder with kids, but there are actually quite a few things you can do. Introducing them at a young age helps them learn about the biodiversity and the beauty first hand. There are over 6,600 species of flora and fauna that live in the Great Barrier Reef; this includes 1,500 species of fish, 400 kinds of coral, and 4,000 species of mollusks. In this article, we will cover the different things you can do with your kids on holiday on the Great Barrier Reef.

Glass Bottom Boat Rides

You can charter a glass bottom boat ride from most port cities in Queensland adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. The clear glass allows you and your children to see the marine life, the brightly coloured fish and the magnificent corals without getting wet or even needing to know how to swim. Safely peer down into the clear blue waters and introduce your children to a whole new world they will come to love and respect.

Island Excursions

There are many different islands among the Great Barrier Reef that make for a great holiday with the kids. You can hire a Budget rent a car easily, and be on your way to one of the islands. Each of the islands boast several white sand beaches just waiting for sand castles. Some islands have accommodations so that you can stay on the island and get to experience so much of the Great Barrier Reef right from the island. The shallow beaches allow little ones to get their feet wet and experience the Coral Sea without getting in too deep. Whatever your tastes and budget is, there are island accommodations for you. If you thought staying on a Great Barrier Reef island was out of reach for a modest single parent budget, think again. All types of accommodations are available from budget camping tents, cabins, cottages, lodges, and luxury resorts. Here are some specific kid friendly island activities:

If you are looking for kid-friendly fun while on the island, check out Hamilton Island where you can plan to go bowling, take art classes, go-kart racing, mini golf, quad bikes and more.
From September to March you can see the Loggerhead and Green sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs and then the babies hatch and make their way back into the water. This is an excellent phenomenon to see with your kids.
On Daydream Island (located in the Whitsunday Islands) the resort there has an amazing living reef that runs through it. The Living Reef is one of the largest man-made living coral reef lagoons in the whole world. Children get to experience a piece of the Great Barrier Reef in the shallow lagoon without the dangers of open water. There are more than 140 species of marine fish and 83 species of coral in the Living Reef. Guests of the resort can wade through the waters, explore, touch, and learn about the marine life swimming through it. There are daily educational seminars and feeding sessions to help educate everyone about the reef, its inhabitants, and the importance of conservation.
Low Isles is a small cay just off the coast of Port Douglas. It is easy to get to but access is limited; so if you plan ahead of time, you can be a part of a limited tour that is perfect for you and your kids. There is a lighthouse on the island and a shallow, sheltered lagoon in the bay that is perfect for swimming.

Kid Friendly Activities in Port Cities

Up and down the Queensland coast along the Great Barrier Reef are a series of major port cities: Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Mackay, and Rockhampton. Each port city allows for easy access to destinations and charters on the Great Barrier Reef.

Things to Do in Cairns:

Cairns Zoo
Mossman Gorge
Kuranda Rainforest
Barron Gorge National Park

Things to Do in Port Douglas:

Daintree Rainforest
The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures

Things to Do in Townsville:

The Strand Water Park
The Rockpool
Museum of Tropical Queensland
Reef HQ Aquarium
Billabong Sanctuary

Photo credit: Flickr/SummerDay, Flickr/RobertLinsdell, Flickr/PaulTooGood

How to see the Na Pali Coast Kauai: Holo Holo Charters

April 29, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

Wondering how to see the Na Pali Coast Kauai? There are four ways to see the famous (and roadless) Na Pali Coast along Kauai’s west shore. Families can take a helicopter tour, kayak tour, hike the Kalalau Trail, or take a chartered sailing tour.

We opted for two of the four: we hiked several miles of the trail (the entire 11 miles requires a permit), and saw more of the coastline via catamaran with Holo Holo Charters. ‘Holo’ means adventure in Hawaiian; if someone says they’re going to ‘go holo’, they’re going adventuring. ‘Holo holo’ means a big adventure. Our excursion with Holo Holo Charters was just that: an exciting adventure.

We took their Napali Snorkel Sail, which took us from Port Allen to the Na Pali Coast on the Leila, a 50’ sailing catamaran that sailed at up to 18 knots. Our sailing was in March, and we experienced a mixed bag of winter and summer sailing conditions: the water was choppy and waves were quite large (in the opinion of this non-sailor).

Our tour began at 8 am (which required an early wake up for us on the North Shore, in order to complete the 1.5 hour commute to the South Shore in time to depart). After a brief safety talk, we were off to find an ideal snorkel spot along the South coast, where we were issued snorkel gear and spent about an hour in the water. While we had snorkeled off the shore several times already in Kauai, we saw more varieties of fish here than anywhere else, even in slightly murky water (due to waves). If you plan to focus on finding the best snorkeling beaches on Kauai, you may not ‘need’ this snorkel cruise, but if you want to be sure to find at least one good spot, this is your best bet.

Next, we set sail (literally) for the Na Pali, while the crew set out a continental breakfast. During the entire day, the coolers were self-serve for juice, water, and soda, and crew members were on-hand to assist with the open bar of wine and beer. Our captain even opened a bottle of champagne to make ‘Hawaiian mimosas’ with guava juice. We past empty beaches near the western end of the Na Pali (also where the Kalalau Trail ends), and saw its famed rugged cliffs and sea caves. It was fun for us to see this side of the Na Pali, since we’d hiked a bit on the eastern end. Now we’d seen both ends of the trail and coastline.

While our kids enjoyed the snorkeling, the most memorable part of the trip for them was laying flat on the mesh fabric at the front of the catamaran, allowing waves to rock them and soak them with spray as we sailed. If your kids like this sort of thing, they’ll have a blast!

On the return journey, we ate a nice deli lunch of sandwich fixings, pasta salad, and cookies, and along the way, we stopped to see humpback whales and spinner dolphins. Tours such as this one can never guarantee to see such wildlife, of course, so this was a very special treat: for the first time, our family saw whales fully breach, and we were close enough to note the calf—baby whale—jumping and playing while his/her mother swam beside. The dolphins surrounded our boat, playing in the waves and talking amongst themselves…a beautiful sight. We were indeed lucky.

A note about seasickness:

I get seasick easily, so I was concerned about this trip. I was right to be: several people did succumb to seasickness. I believe the only reason I did not was the Bonine I took beforehand. The crew also had ginger candies to suck on, and ginger ale. We may have sailed at a particularly choppy time, but the crew said they’d seen worse…and our boat was really rocking over the waves. While you can see shoreline at all times, you are on open ocean. It helps to sit at the back of the boat where there’s less movement, and it’s easy to be outside in the fresh air, but once sick, there’s little you can do. Take something for seasickness if you think it will be a problem. The crew was very helpful to those who did get sick.

What you’ll need to bring:

waterproof camera
sunscreen
sunglasses
sun-protective clothing
an extra long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt for everyone (it does get chilly in the wind)
towels (at least 2-3)
wear any shoes…you’ll take them off before boarding

Safety onboard:

We had a crew of four for our tour (with approximately 20 people), and we felt safety was a priority. There are rules onboard the catamaran, such as how to hold on and walk on the decks, and crew members let people know when it’s best to stay seated. However, it’s a catamaran, so there are no railings along the edges of the boat. Children absolutely must be able (and willing) to listen to instructions and follow rules.

Cost:

The snorkel sail costs $134 for adults and $94 for kids (up to age 12), if you pre-order online. You pay when you arrive. Once you make your reservation, you cannot cancel for a full refund (only a half-refund). The only exception: if the tour is cancelled due to weather, you get a full refund. Please plan on tipping your guides.

Directions:

Holo Holo is located in the marina shopping center in Port Allen, at 4353 Waialo Road. After passing Lihue from the North Shore, take 50 until you reach 541, then turn at the McDonalds at Waialo Road.

Want a preview of additional excursions and activities to try on Kauai? Check out our video:

As we disclose whenever applicable, we toured with Holo Holo at a media rate, for the purpose of review.

Warm weather vacations to book now

February 6, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

Ready to get away from cold winter weather, but a ‘lie on the beach’ vacation isn’t quite your style? The following warm weather vacations at family-friendly resorts offer some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving for kids and teens. Stay active, be warm!

Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Key West, Florida:

Tucked away on Key West’s southern edge along the largest private beach on the island, Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort provides a family-friendly dive location with ease of access to a North American living barrier reef. Offering both a non-certified divers resort course and a full PADI certification course, the resort tailors to aspiring divers who do not yet possess scuba diving certification. Through the resort’s non-certified divers course, participants begin with a pool work lesson in the morning followed by a two-tank reef dive in the surrounding reefs with a certified dive instructor in the tranquil Gulf of Mexico waters. For an exhilarating escape for every family member, Casa Marina provides a large array of awe-inspiring activities in the stunning natural beauty of Key West.

Azul Beach Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico:

Families can’t go wrong with Azul Beach Hotel, which is an all-inclusive, luxury boutique hotel just 20 minutes from Cancun. The largest reef outside of Australia sits just feet from the beach at Azul, an easy water taxi ride away. Young kids will love snorkeling here, but everyone will find plenty else to do, including swimming at pools that span right to your suite, kids’ club activities, and beach games with Azul staff. Read more about Cancun-area activities.

El Conquistador, A Waldorf Astoria Resort (Fajardo, Puerto Rico):

Dramatically set atop a 300-foot cliff on the eastern tip of Puerto Rico with its own private tropical oasis set off the mainland, El Conquistador Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort provides a waterside haven for families. And did we mention the private island? A luxury catamaran sweeps families off to Palomino, the resort’s 100-acre private island where snorkeling among rainbows of coral, or a scuba discovery program waits. After an hour scuba skills orientation practice, families who have never tried diving before can experience the thrill of breathing underwater in the clear waters of the Palomino reef among small reef fishes.

The Condado Plaza Hilton (San Juan, Puerto Rico):

Home to the stunning Condado Lagoon Reef, the lagoon-side setting of The Condado Plaza Hilton in Puerto Rico makes it the perfect plunge point for families to snorkel azure blue waters through a guided snorkeling reef tour. Led by a member of the Condado Lagoon Reef Restoration Project, the tour allows families to explore the nearby eco-friendly reef featuring more than 300 varieties of fish via the resort’s beach. As the only hotel to boast uninterrupted views of both the Condado Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean, The Condado Plaza Hilton provides countless opportunities for family fun including Puerto Rico’s only saltwater pool among three other oasis-style pools throughout the resort grounds.

Tip: Remember, families don’t need passports to visit Puerto Rico!

ATV adventures and snorkeling with Punta Venado

January 20, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

There are as many Riviera Maya eco-tours as there are amazing natural wonders along this part of the Caribbean, and each offer something a little bit different. We’ve reviewed the fast-action activities with Alltournative, but for a change of pace, a day with Punta Venado offers both ATV adventures and snorkeling, plus relaxation.

Don’t worry: the kids will still be highly entertained with Punta Venado, located on almost 2000 acres and along 2.5 miles of pristine private beach. But you’ll enjoy some downtime as well. The eco-park is comprised of two sections: the Punta Venado ranch, with activities ranging from horseback riding, ATV-riding, and snorkeling, to the Blue Venado Beach Club, which sits on pristine white sand and offers a lovely open-air restaurant, cabanas, and miles of coastline. Families looking to get the most of their stay will take advantage of both.

We started our day at Punta Venado with an ATV tour through the jungle. Since we experienced a brief downpour during our tour, the dirt paths were nice and muddy…perfect for some messy fun! The ATVs seat two, and adults must drive (age 16 and up). A guide takes your through the jungle to a dry cenote cave, where you get off the ATVs to explore a bit. If you’ve been swimming in cenotes earlier in your trip, this field trip isn’t too big of a thrill, but still fun. We then continued on ATVs to a cenote pool, where we jumped into the fresh water to cool off and wash the mud off our legs from the drive. This pool was very fun for the kids to explore, as it included a small creek-like waterway at one end, surrounded by jungle.

We rode on to Punta Venado’s private beach (as pretty as any along the Riviera Maya) where their snorkel and dive shop team outfitted us to snorkel on the Mayan Reef. The reef sits only feet off the shore at this location, making Punta Venado the only place we knew of in the Riviera Maya to snorkel the reef directly from shore. Even though the water was choppy after the morning storm, we were able to reach the reef area fairly easily (we were given fins and life jackets in addition to snorkels and masks), and our guide offered recycled water bottles filled with soggy tortillas…perfect fish food! The tropical fish surrounded us to access the food (which is squeezed from the bottle), making for a very impressive showing.

On a calmer day, we could have accessed more of the reef, but even in not-ideal conditions, we saw hundreds of fish. We swam back to shore to ride the ATVs back to the ranch area.

When booking a Punta Venado tour, families can choose between a menu of options: in addition to ATVing and snorkeling, we opted for lunch at the Blue Venado Beach Club, a short dirt road drive away. This private beach club is directly on the water, offers bathrooms, showers, a restaurant, a bar, and beach cabanas. After lunch, you’re invited to stay as long as you’d like. If you have your own snorkel gear, you could certainly snorkel off the shore here as well, and if not, the body surfing is great.

Tip: Eco-tours are expensive: if you want a more economical day, opt for the beach club only. Access is free: we were told the only requirement is to buy $20 worth of food or drinks per person from the restaurant. At $20/person, this is the cheapest excursion in Riviera Maya. If you have a car or rent a taxi, access to the beach club is directly off the coastal highway linking Cancun to Tulum.

Date last visited:

August 2013

Cost:

Punta Venado ATV tours are $83/per person. They also have an option called All In, which includes everything on offer for $150/per person.

Directions:

Look for the Punta Venado and Blue Venado Beach Club sign right after Calica on the Riviera Maya.

Disclaimer: we experienced Punta Venado as guests of the tour company, for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.

A day with Alltournative tours: Tulum and Jungle Maya adventure with tweens and teens

January 13, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Mexico’s Riviera Maya is rich with geological and cultural excursions for active families. It’s system of cenotes (underground rivers) and abundance of Mayan ruins are accessed by many tour operators, but which one to pick? We spent the day with Alltournative Tours, a leading eco-archaeological guide service specializing in active, adventurous tours.

Like most local tour companies, Alltournative works with Mayan property owners and archaeological sites to gain access to some of the most impressive (and most fun) sites along the Yucatan peninsula. We opted for their Tulum and Jungle Maya tour, which offers a history lesson at ancient Tulum and explorative fun in the jungle in their Mayan eco park.

We started the day at Tulum, the beautiful Mayan ruins on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. (Alltournative will pick up from most Cancun and Riviera Maya hotels.) Right away, we knew our bilingual guide, Robbie, would be fantastic: a native of Mexico City who is part-Mayan himself, Robbie was passionate about the Mayan culture, knowledgeable about their history, and great about tailoring the educational content to kids. Tulum is open to the public and easy to access on your own, but once on-site, we saw the value of a guide: many of the sites have little information in English to explain their significance. Without Robbie, we wouldn’t have known what we were looking at most of the time. We toured the sites for approximately 45 minutes, then Robbie left us to explore on our own for another hour. We opted to take a much-needed dip in the ocean at the beach on-site (voted by National Geographic as one of the most beautiful in the world!) then took advantage of some photo ops.

We rejoined Robbie and the Alltourative transportation and drove the short distance to the Sac-Actun xenote cave system. Located on Mayan property at a small eco park run by Alltournative, we were given lockers, took showers to rinse off, then met the Mayan family who owns the property for a short purifying ceremony in the Mayan language. (The cenotes are spiritual to the Mayans, and treated with upmost respect.)

We were then led to an opening in the underground xenote system, where we rappelled down to swim in the cool, fresh water. Popping out through a cave entrance a few meters away, we climbed into the back of a Mercedes Benz all-terrain truck called an Unimog and enjoyed a bumpy ride through the jungle to Alltournative’s series of zip lines.

I expected this jungle ride to be merely a means to an end (the park is divided into two sections), but instead, it was one of the kids’ favorite parts, due to driver Willi’s sense of fun. Willi took the Unimog along the pot-holed dirt road at a rolling pace, to the delight of the boys.

Once we’d departed the vehicle, we were outfitted for zip-lining (still with our faithful guide Robbie) and shown how to climb the steep ramps to the zip line towers. We took two lines across the jungle, then were surprised by an entirely new-to-us zip-line experience: zipping into water. The last line concluded in the cool water of an open xenote, which was all kinds of fun. We swam to the shore, then grabbed snorkels and masks for a swim through the Nohoch Nah Chiich cenote cavern. Note: If this itinerary seems whirlwind, that’s because it is! We recommend Alltournative to families who have active kids looking for fast-paced outdoor fun.

The Nohoch Nah Chiich is renown to divers (scuba is offered at this location for cave-certified divers), but for snorkelers, it’s a pretty easy swim through open-air caves with the guide. The swim takes about 15 minutes, and stalactites and stalagmites are pointed out along the way, in addition to hanging bats. Using your mask, it’s an unique experience to see the cave bottom as well as look up at the ceiling.

By this time in our day, we’d worked up quite an appetite. Last but not least, we were shown to the Mayan dining area and kitchen on-site, where the family owning the land prepares authentic Mayan cuisine. Tables as communal, and food is buffet-style, with a traditional Mayan soup, empanadas, beans, rice, chicken, and tortillas. Beware the hot sauce…it’s truly hot!

After the meal, guests are returned to the first section of the park to retrieve the items in their locker, offered a MAYArita (their version of a margarita), and invited to rest a while in the many hanging hammocks and lounge chairs dotting the landscaped jungle space.

Alltournative has photographers who shadow you during your tour, and they ask you to view your photos on computer stations before leaving. The photo packages are expensive, but if you don’t have your own underwater camera or video camera to capture the action, they may well be worth it. (You can always take your own photos.)

A word about sustainability and ecotourism: We were impressed by how well the flora and fauna were cared for at the Alltournative eco park site, and liked hearing how our ecotourism aided the Mayan people who owned the land. The xenotes here are spotless, and while they don’t have a completely ‘wild’ feel due to being part of a tour, they are clearly authentic (as opposed to aided by human construction at the large eco parks along the coast). If you have dive experience, you can certainly seek out more isolated xenotes on your own, but for an introductory family experience in a safe environment, Alltournative will fit the bill nicely.

A note about Coba: Alltournative also offers a tour of Coba, the Mayan ruins further inland. This tour does take longer, with a longer drive, which is why we opted to tour Tulum instead. However, it is still possible to climb the ruins in Coba, which can be a draw to families.

Date last visited:

August 2013

Cost:

the Tulum and Jungle Maya tour we experienced runs $129 for adults and $99 for kids. Alternatively, families can book the Jungle Maya only for less, but we don’t recommend skipping Tulum.

Directions:

It’s not possible to drive to Alltournative’s eco park on your own, so leave the rental car at your hotel and let them pick you up.

Disclaimer: we experienced Alltournative as guests of the tour company, for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.