I'm a first time cruiser. Anybody been to Chankanaad Beach in Cozumel? How's the snorkeling? Do they have a nice beach area? Hows the weather there around the 1st week of June. Any recommendations? .
Chankanaab is great for snorkeling. Much better the Playa Sol. The beach is real nice, the only draw back is that it does not have a gentall sloping beach into the water, its rocky at the edge of the water, but they have steps cut out of the rocks. You should were some type of aqua shoe or something. Once in the water it drops off quite rapidly to about 35-40 feet, but is crystal clear all the way to the bottom. They have a swim platform in the middle so you can rest on it. If snorkeling is what you really like to do, this is the place for it. There is a small section of the beach on the right side(when looking at the water) that has a sloping beach, but it is a big swim to the good snorkeling area from there. This area would be great for toddlers, its kinda like a litlle wading pool, but all natural.
Just returned from Cozumel. We went to Chankanaab Park. We'd booked the Dolphin Swim there and it was great. We also had the time to see much of the park and there were many people there just for the snorkeling. The park itself is gorgeous and the beaches were too. There are places to eat, drink, small shops etc... to escape the sun there are beautiful walking paths cut through the jungle where you can stroll in the shade and enjoy seeing huge iguanas and other animals.
It's a $10.00 taxi ride - round trip - they give you a return voucher. I'm glad I had the chance to see this great place.
I can't comment on the weather there in early June. I don't know why it still wouldn't be great though.
Do they rent snorkeling equipment at Chankanaab Park and if so how much was it? I was also wondering if the dolphin swim are offered through the cruise line or if you can prebook them on the internet?
Yes, they rent snorkel equipment at Chankanaab Park. I'm sorry I don't know what it costs though. We booked the Dolphin Swim through the cruiseline, but we were on Princess this cruise- Maybe you can call Carnival to see if this excursion is offered through the ship you will be on?
Do a google search on Chankanaab National Park Cozumel - tons of information comes up- maybe you can find out how to book the dolphin swim direct through the company that runs it there. The company is called Dolphin Discovery and they are located on Ilsa Mujeras, Puerto Aventuras and Cozumel. They also have a web site-
Don't skip Cankanaab, you'll absolutely love the park. We went there 4 times last year and are going again in 2 weeks. The snorkeling is the best we've done. Take some crackers off of the ship and take them in the water with you and feed the fish...they will totally surround you, and it makes a great picture. I believe the snorkel gear is 8.00. Its very reasonable, and has seemed to be in good repair. You won't be bored, there is much to do. Its an incredible value at 10.00 per adult, children are free. Enjoy your cruise!
Just got back from the cruise today. We went to the park. Carnival offered trips to the park as a package. Snorkeling was $35 per person from the boat. If you are just interested in snorkeling, just get off the boat and hail a taxi (there were dozens waiting). The boat offered the dolphin swin, SNUBA, and Sea Trek Helmet diving which all took place at the park. I'm not sure how prices compared to going to the park on your own. The taxi was $10 for 4 people. No one told us about a return pass. We headed straight to downtown for $10. Park admission was $10 per person. Snorkel gear was $6 per set for all day. They had 4 dive shops right on the beach that also offered scuba lessons and gear. Around $50 for an intro lesson. I think it was around $10 for a tank of air...didn't rent so don't quite remember. There were 2 restaurants on the beach. They also had a guy walking around bringing drinks from the bar. The beach had plastic lounge chairs and thatched huts to sit under. There was a bathroom with toilets and showers. The bathroom was gross smelling. You couldn't flush paper down, so there was a bucket....yum. Try to get there early because the chairs filled up by noon. The snorkeling was good. Best I've done in the Carribean. The water was crystal clear. The fish were plentiful and there was a lot of variety. There were a few large coral formations with fish. They have als sunk some statues, anchors, and cannons to look at. Overall we had a fun time there.
Chankanaad Beach
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