Cozumel Snorkeling Tour: Explore Palancar, Columbia and El Cielo Reefs

1,390 Ratings

San Miguel de Cozumel

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Embark on an unforgettable Cozumel snorkeling tour to Palancar, Columbia, and El Cielo reefs. Discover the vibrant marine life and stunning coral formations in the Caribbean’s top attractions. Perfect for all travelers!

Duration: 4 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Marina FONATUR Cozumel - Experience three of the Caribbean’s most famous marine attractions: Palancar Reef, celebrated for its diverse and abundant marine life; Colombia Reef, teeming with vibrant fish, turtles, and coral formations; and El Cielo Beach, renowned for its stunning starfish and considered one of the most beautiful spots in the…

What's Included

Insured shaded boat for comfort and safety
Guidance from experienced, trained guides
Explore Palancar and Columbia reefs, El Cielo Sandbar, and El Cielito Beach
Enjoy a guided snorkeling adventure
Complete snorkel gear provided: Vest, Mask, New tube
Refreshments included: Beers, Water, Sodas, and Snacks

What's Not Included

Marine Fee $11 USD pp

Additional Information

Award-Winning Cozumel Snorkeling Adventure!
Embark on an exciting journey to the Caribbean and marvel at the stunning marine life on this acclaimed Cozumel Snorkeling trip. Experience Cozumel’s premier attractions and the most frequented reefs in the Caribbean.
Discover Palancar Reef, renowned for its diverse and abundant sea life, Columbia Reef,…

Location

Marina FONATUR Cozumel

Carretera Costera Sur

Meeting time is 10 minutes before your Tour time at the MARINA ASIPONA COZUMEL (Formerly Known as Marina Fonatur) located 5 minutes by taxi from SSA and PUERTA MAYA cruise ports and 10 minutes from Downtown. Upon arrival look for our COZUMEL TOURS office located next to the Tequila shop

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.3

(1390 Ratings)

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Katie_s

Oct 18, 2025

We had a great time with... - We had a great time with Lalo, Luis, and Sadie! The water was clear despite a storm the day before. Lots of fish, star fish, sting rays, barracudas, lobster, and a nurse shark and eel as well. Our guide was Lalo, and he was great about pointing things out for us to see as well as accommodating all guests. We had a mixed group of Americans, Italians, and Venezuelans, and he took time to explain everything in multiple languages to the group. Luis was a good driver and kept the music going. Sadie (probably spelled wrong, sorry!) took lots of pictures of everyone and made sure to get multiples of everyone to choose from. She kept little bits of snack for the fish so she could get good angles with the fish in view. We would definitely do this tour again. Check in was easy, gettting a taxi to and from was easy, and finding the location inside the marina wasn't difficult. The kids had a blast. Beers were included, if that's your thing. Wear a shirt and hat if you're prone to sunburn, and you can avoid any drama about suncreen, although nothing was said to our group. If you have a problem with being kind to the ocean, don't get in it. 10/10 would return again if we were in Cozumel in the future.

Review provided by Viator

Sarahmj9148id

Oct 14, 2025

Amazing! - Nicholas, Kristina and Jose were wonderful! We would definitely recommend!! Such a fun day! We saw turtles, starfish, nurse sharks and lots of sting rays!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Iciar_b

Oct 13, 2025

Spectacular - Complete. Always making the most of time in the water. We saw shark morays, ray manta (manta rays), starfish, fish of all kinds, corals... I wanted it, it was amazing. Very happy.

Review provided by Viator

Kimberly_m

Oct 8, 2025

Great snorkeling excursion! - Great excursion! It’s the 2nd time I’ve booked this, once with my mom and this time with a friend. We got to see sting rays, turtles, starfish and lots of colorful fish. The captain and crew were very nice. Would do it again!!

Review provided by Viator

Larry_c

Oct 5, 2025

Fun snorkeling excursion - Excellent tour guide and equipment. Nice lunch and drinks. It was a little challenging to find the place where the excursion began. You have to count on an extra $60 round-trip taxi fair from the cruise port.

Review provided by Viator

818taylork

Sep 28, 2025

Awesome experience on snorkel trip - Incredible experience snorkeling and seeing the beautiful wildlife. Enjoyed the boat ride and drinks/ceviche on the cielito sand bar as well. Awesome guide

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Kevin_f

Oct 12, 2025

Meeting location in the... - Meeting location in the marina was not communicated. Otherwise, the excursion was great. Guide helped those who were not strong swimmers.

Review provided by Viator

527luukr

Oct 6, 2025

Beautiful snorkeling spots, some points of improvement - We had a really nice snorkel tour with a small group of about eight people. The first stop, Columbia Reef, was by far the most beautiful — an amazing variety of fish, plus we saw a nurse shark, sea turtles, and a barracuda. At Palancar Reef, we spotted more big turtles and some stingrays, and at El Cielo we saw the famous starfish, although that spot itself wasn’t particularly exciting. Afterward, we went to a relaxing area where we enjoyed some tasty ceviche and a beer while stingrays swam all around us. The locations themselves were absolutely worth it and really beautiful. However, the organization could have been better. There was a photographer who fed the fish just to take photos and then wanted 1,700 pesos for the pictures, which felt a bit much. The guide also touched the coral and rocks to lure out a baby shark, which didn’t seem very respectful to nature. We also didn’t get fins, which was a pity. Overall, the snorkeling spots were amazing and definitely worth visiting, but I’d recommend choosing a tour operator with a bit more respect for the marine life.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Catarinars93

Oct 6, 2025

Lovely Snorkel - We really liked the activity itself, good equipment available. However guides were not very informative, we asked a few questions about the animals and ignored us. But nothing that would interfere with the experience itself. Good ceviche at the end.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Katecz9298fq

Oct 24, 2025

Choose another company but definitely go. - We booked due to the good reviews for this operator. They outsourced to a company with poorer reviews and I would not have selected that company of my own choice. Tour started late and felt rushed. Tour guide poked a nurse shark with his snorkel, causing it to hide. I didn't like this as it's not right to disturb the sea life and I would have liked to see the shark some more. Great snorkelling and fish. Just book with another company.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $59

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult