Visiting the Yal Ku Lagoon in Akumal, Mexico
If you are staying near the Playa Del Carmen, Akumal, or Tulum areas of Mexico, then you won’t want to miss visiting the Yal Ku Lagoon in Akumal! Yal Ku is a beautiful lagoon where the freshwater of the cenotes meets the ocean. Even though this location is extremely easy to access, it is typically skipped by many tourists – making it the perfect hidden gem for your next trip to Riviera Maya.
We had an extremely enjoyable day exploring and swimming at this beautiful lagoon. Keep reading for a complete guide to visiting the Yal Ku lagoon in Akumal, Mexico!
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What is the Yal Ku Lagoon?
Yal Ku Lagoon, or Caleta Yal Ku / Cenote Yal Ku, is a natural cenote lagoon located in the beach town of Akumal, Mexico (about an hour south of Cancun).
Freshwater from nearby cenotes feeds into a large lagoon where it mixes with the salty seawater of the ocean. This brackish mixed water is home to many freshwater species of fish that live in the lagoon, protected from their natural predators in the ocean.
The lagoon makes for great snorkeling for beginners or families due to the calm waters and shallow depths (5′-15′ deep).
Yal Ku has two distinct ends. The inland end begins where the lagoon is fed by the cenotes. This makes it resemble more of a freshwater river in size as well as color. The bottom is made up of large rocks that the fish call home.
At the lagoon end, this is more of a traditional bay meeting the ocean. The water here is so clear and turquoise. It reminded me of the clear water you would find halfway across the world!
Where is Caleta Yal Ku located?
Yal Ku is located in the beach town of Akumal, which is an area famous for being a sea turtle nesting ground. Akumal is located along Mexico’s Riviera Maya coast, about an hour south of Cancun in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Yal Ku Lagoon is about a mile and a half from Akumal Beach, making it walkable if you are visiting or staying in this area.
Akumal is located almost directly between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, about 30-40 minutes from each town. This makes a great day trip by car if you are staying in one of these areas.
How to Visit Yal Ku
There are two main ways to visit Yal Ku. One is to sign up for a guided tour, through your resort or a local tour company. Or, you can explore on your own as we did.
If you are staying in either the town of Akumal or near Akumal Beach, you could either walk, scooter, or golf-cart if you have access to those means. The lagoon is only about a mile and a half from Akumal and Akumal Beach.
If you are not staying in Akumal, then you will either need to take a taxi from your hotel or resort or drive a rental car. There is plenty of street parking near the lagoon if you are driving. For those without a car and located within a couple miles of Akumal like we were, you may want to consider taking a taxi. However, if you are staying in an area like Playa del Carmen or Tulum, than a taxi would likely be too cost-prohibitive (more on cost below!)
If you opt for the tour route, they will take care of literally everything. They will pick you up from your resort in a shuttle bus and drop you back off at the end of the day. Often, your tour will include lunch/snacks, and sometimes drinks. If you visit Yal Ku via a tour, you will more than likely spend a couple of hours at Yal Ku and then visit another area attraction (like ruins). Tours usually last a full or a half day, and usually cost ballpark $100-$150 per person.
How to Get to There by Car
If you are not taking a tour to Yal Ku, you may be wondering how to get to the lagoon on your own by car or taxi.
If you are driving, the route from Akumal Beach to Yal-Ku is very easy to navigate using GPS. The roads are easy to drive, and there is plenty of street parking near the lagoon. When you come across a security gate, simply tell the guard you are going to Yal Ku and they will let you pass.
It was easier than we thought it would be to take a taxi to Yal Ku from our resort. We simply asked the front desk of our resort to call us one. We were able to even exchange our USD for MXN pesos at the front desk, so that we could pay our driver in pesos. However, we did not think ahead about how to get home from the lagoon, which was a little trickier.
Either way, you will find yourself driving down a long road through Akumal parallel to the ocean until you dead end into the lagoon. This is a cute little area flanked with colorful condos, hotels, and residences. We saw lots of tourists walking about and felt safe driving in this area during the day.
Which Yal Ku entrance should I use?
There is a lot of debate on the internet about which Yal-Ku entrance is the best to use. Honestly, I have seen arguments for each side, and I don’ think you can go wrong with either.
Once you get to the end of this main road, you will find two different signs for Yal Ku. That is because two different companies have set up operations and each can grant visitors access to the lagoon.
The main differences between the two is location of the entrance. The first entrance, with a blue sign, has access to the cenote end of the lagoon. It feels more like a river with darker water, lots of rocks, and the fish below for great snorkeling. This is the entrance we utilized.
The second company has access at the lagoon end, which has a beach and is closer to the ocean. This one is marked by a purple sign, and further down the road from the first one. It is also said to have more amenities, such as beach palapas for rent, a beach area, and a restaurant. However, I have heard prices are more expensive here.
No matter which end you enter from, you are free to swim the entirety of the lagoon. Just keep in mind it is an upriver swim back to the first entrance!
How much does it cost to visit Yal Ku?
You may be wondering how much money we spent to enjoy the day at Yal Ku. The admission costs and rentable snorkeling equipment was actually quite affordable!
We took a taxi from our resort (approximately 4mi away) and it cost about $25 USD / $500 MXN. We also took a return taxi from Akumal Beach (about 3mi away from the resort) and that cost about $20 USD / $400 MXN.
Our entrance fee to the park was $14 USD / $300 MXN per adult. If you have children, they cost $10 USD / $215 MXN per child. We also rented a locker for $5 USD / $110 MXN and life vests for $5 USD / $110 MXN each. If we visit again, we would definitely opt to rent the fins to make swimming back easier.
Here are the rentable options:
- Life vest – $5 USD / $110 MXN
- Visor mask – $5 USD / $110 MXN
- Fins – $5 USD / $110 MXN
- Set (vest, mask, fins) – $12 USD / $260 MXN
- Snorkle – $5 USD / $110 MXN
- Locker – $5 USD / $110 MXN
Make sure you bring your photo ID (aka, passport), as that is required to rent your gear and leave as collateral.
Overall, our day at Yal Ku cost $88 USD / $1830 MXN.
What to Pack for Yal Ku
Wondering to pack for Yal Ku? Here is a simple Yal Ku Lagoon packing list. You don’t need much, since the facilities offer lockers, snorkels, fins, and life jackets. Here are a few other items you may want to bring:
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How long should I spend there?
The beauty of this location is that you can spend as much or as little time at Yal Ku Lagoon as you wish! Of course if you are on a tour you will be operating under their timelines but if you explore on your own your options are wide open.
I would plan for a minimum of a two hours to get to the lagoon and enjoy the water for a bit. Or, if you use the second entrance, you can easily rent a palapa and spend the entire day by the lagoon’s beach.
Just note that the lagoon can get extremely busy on weekends and during lunch time. If you visit during a popular time, you may need to swim further out to get away from the crowds.
Leaving Yal Ku
Once you have enjoyed your time at Yal Ku, it’s easy to hop back in your rental car and head back to your hotel or resort. However, if you took a taxi, this can be a little trickier.
There are no taxis hanging out near Yal-Ku. Taxis can be found back at Akumal Beach and the town of Akumal. Therefore, the only option we had was to walk the mile and a half back to Akumal Beach.
However, it only took us about 40 minutes and was a really nice walk. We felt very safe walking through this area during the day and it was a straight shot down the road. Just make sure to use normal safety precautions as you would traveling anywhere.
We even found a cool little cut through path on our walk between Yal Ku and Akumal. While not a beach area you can hang out at, it was neat to take a little adventure and get a few photos.
Extending Your Trip with Akumal Beach
Before leaving, we spent some time hanging out at Akumal Beach as well. This is a beautiful public beach and snorkeling area lined with beach clubs. It’s a great location to lay out, continue snorkeling, or grabbing a bite to eat.
It cost us $6 USD per person to enter the beach, and we also purchased two margaritas for $18 USD. Keep in mind this area caters to tourists, so the prices of the bars and restaurants reflect this. We were quite shocked at the prices of those margaritas.
And after relaxing a bit on the beach, we walked just a few minutes into the town center of Akumal, and we easily able to hail a taxi back to our resort, which cost about $30 USD. Even though we don’t speak Spanish, we didn’t have any trouble with this process.
Yal Ku & Akumal Video
Make sure you check out our Yal Ku Lagoon and Akumal vlog, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more!
Have you visited Yal Ku Lagoon or plan to add it to your list? I would love to hear from you in the comments! And click here for more Mexico travel resources to help plan your next vacation.
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