Cozumel · EL CIELO SNORKELING TOURS
Waist-deep water over white sand, starfish on the bottom, no shore in sight. The 15 trips below all reach El Cielo — what separates them is how long you get to stand there, so each is compared on stop length, boat size and price.
Cozumel reef snorkeling at Palancar, Columbia, and Playa el Cielo with drinks, gear, and small-group guidance for a 4-hour adventure.
Private 39-ft catamaran in Cozumel for El Cielo snorkeling, paddleboarding, lunch, and top-shelf drinks, with your own crew.
“Great day on the water. The crew did a great job with all the food and fun. Getting off on the sand bar is a blast. Really nice boat.”
El Cielo and Palancar snorkeling on a 65-foot catamaran, then a private beach party with beers, margaritas, burgers, slides, and SUP.
“Absolutely loved it! Beautiful catamaran ride to snorkel at Palancar reef, margaritas and beer afterwards, a stop to swim in the shallow turquoise waters close to shore, and a stop at a private beach for an excellent cheeseburger. Amazing staff. The highlight of our trip!”
Private boat snorkel in Cozumel with two reef stops, ceviche and drinks, and a quieter beach break when winds allow.
“Knowledgeable guide. Saw turtles, starfish, nurse sharks, lobster, stingrays, assorted fish. Amazing experience. Only negative comment was photo afterwards was tooooo expensive and you had to buy them all or nothing.”
Cozumel catamaran snorkeling hits Palancar and Colombia reefs, then El Cielo sandbar and Money Bar. Open bar, ceviche, 4 hours.
“Don’t do it. Cattle boat cramming. I would avoid this tour. Nothing but a cattle boat cramming the most people on to make money. They do not care about your comfort. Boat was jammed packed with people. There weren’t enough seats. People were sitting on the floor. Way too many people for the size of the boat. One little skinny ladder to use for 30 people to get in and out of the water. Took forever to get on and off the boat so not much time actually snorkeling. Rude people pushing their way in front of everyone. Food and drink aren’t provided until the last stop. The food was…”
A 4-hour Cozumel catamaran snorkeling tour with reef stops at Palancar and Columbia, plus El Cielo beach time and drinks onboard.
“Although we did get to snorkel our excursion was supposed to include a beach club that we did not get to go to. We only booked this excursion because it said beach club after snorkeling. Half of my group only went on this because of a beach club.”
Cozumel snorkeling at Palancar and Colombia reefs plus El Cielo. Snorkel gear, bilingual guide, unlimited drinks and snacks.
“We were on a cruise and snorkeling was a priority at our stops. Cozumel was by far our favorite. The crew was amazing and showed us so much. Small group of 5 of us and the spent so much time showing us the beautiful reefs. It was amazing”
Private boat snorkeling in Cozumel, with El Cielo, Palancar reefs, Chankanaab stops, snorkeling gear, drinks, ceviche, and photos.
“Are you kidding?? This excursion was not comparable to any we’ve done. We swam right with turtles, starfish, lobsters, barracudas, manta rays, eels, and fish of abundant varieties! Our hosts and photographer added to our experience! They spotted and shared so much marine life! It’s an unforgettable experience!”
Small-group snorkeling in Cozumel with Palancar reefs and El Cielo sandbar. Pickup included, 4.5 hours, food and drinks.
“When booking the tour we asked whether or not it was disabled access friendly as someone has mobility issues. The agent on the chat insisted that it was and kept insisting we book, when we got to the experience though the boat was not disability access as we had been told and staff had to assist with manually lifting a participant. If staff are going to say the experience is disability friendly then it needs to be. Also all the links the people in the chat I spoke to never worked for payment so had to book separately. They also were not patient with me when I was asking questions…”
Private boat snorkeling in Cozumel with Palancar, Colombia, El Cielo starfish, manta rays at El Cielito, plus ceviche, guac, and drinks.
“Our family of five (two adults and three kids) had an incredible day on this cruise excursion! From the start, our boat captain, Ruben, and snorkeling guide, Victor, were at the meeting point early and ready to go. Our first stop was a deeper snorkeling area where Victor was amazing—so patient and helpful, especially when our kids were struggling with their masks. Next, we visited an area full of beautiful starfish, and our last stop was a stunning sandbar with the clearest water I’ve ever seen. While we were swimming, we had large manta rays gliding right by us and even spotted a few barracuda in the distance. To top…”
Private 29ft Mako charter in Cozumel for up to 10, with snorkeling gear, open bar, fresh lunch, and a visit to El Cielo sandbar.
“Team was super awesome and friendly. The meal they prepared was the best food we ate the entire time we were there.”
Spend a full day at KUZÁ Beach Park in Cozumel with El Cielo reef snorkeling, buffet, and a standard open bar.
“Unfortunately due to weather we were not able to go snorkeling or see the celio location, but the beach club was really great. The waiters are really nice and always looking to see if you need anything. The beach there is really nice, water really calm so everyone can swim in the ocean. There is a small reef right at the surf that had quite a few different fish. Plenty of beach and beach chairs for everyone. Overall great place to spend the day if you are in Cozumel.”
Shared snorkeling from Cozumel to Palancar and Colombia reefs, then El Cielo starfish sanctuary and El Cielito snacks and shallow-water rays.
“Amazing experience, very helpful guide (Luis). Saw lots of sting rays, a turtle, baby pufferfish etc. would highly recommend.”
Snorkel Cozumel’s Palancar, Columbia, and El Cielo reefs with guided help, provided gear, and snacks on a 4h 15m small-group boat.
“The tour/reefs we saw were a bit less variee than what I was hoping, but nevertheless the coral reef was beautiful. We swam from Columbia to Palancar and the sun saw a star fish, barracudas and lots of tropical colorful fishes. Not the best coral reef I've seen, but really long, wide and impactful at first sight. The color of the water was incredible. The staff was ok, not very enthusiastic, but the group we were with were really nice. We got offered drinks and some fruit. I had read online that the Playa El Cielo was closed till Jan, however the tour guide said (not sure if true) that…”
Cozumel 4-hour snorkeling at Palancar and Columbia reefs, then El Cielo sandbar for starfish, possible manta rays, drinks, and ceviche.
“It's okay for them to treat tourists like merchandise. The arrival directions were very bad, the tourist does not have to know a location if he is not from the place and although it can be searched on Google Maps, at no time is it said that it is more than 30 minutes walk from where the cruise leaves you (it must be said that they came to pick us up very kindly, perhaps when expressing our surprise at the distance) once we arrived at the dock where the boat picks us up, the manners were very unpleasant, as if we were cattle, they are almost able to ask, as…”
Every kind of day on the island, and the best of each.
