Discover the remote UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Sian Ka'an on a full-day trip from Tulum. Your guide points out the protected area’s immense biodiversity, including coastal and mangrove habitat teeming with marine life. Search for elusive manatees at Boca Paila Lagoon, snorkel on the Mesoamerican reef (weather-permitting) and find nesting birds at Ascension Bay. Boat ride with lunch and free time in Punta Allen is included.

Sian Ka'an day trip from Tulum
Enjoy a Caribbean lunch in Punta Allen
Hotel pickup and drop-off included
Small-group tour ensures personalized attention

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tulum (revise confirmation email for pick up time)
Local guide
Boat with snorkeling equipment
Fruits, water and snacks
Lunch
The use of life vest is mandatory in all boat tours (provided by Mexico Kan Tours)

Extra Transportation Fees (North of Tulum)
+$10USD per person extra for pick-ups between Conrad Tulum by Hilton and Puerto Aventuras.
+$20USD per person extra for pick-ups between Puerto Aventuras and Paradisus Playa del Carmen.
+$30USD per person extra for pick-ups between Sandos Caracol PDC and Iberostar Gran Paraíso.
+$40USD per person extra for pick-ups between Playa Maroma (Vidanta) and Cancun Airport Area.
+$45USD per person extra for pick-ups between Cancun Airport Area and Cancun Downtown.
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Tulum Tours - Mexico Kan Tours - Eco Tours Riviera Maya
Avenida Tulum S/N. Entre Orion y, C. Centauro Sur, Tulum Centro, Centro, 77760 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:00 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

If you do not find your hotel/apartment in the list, please enter your own pick up location. The exact pick up time will be confirmed to you once you have provided us with the pick up location. Please revise confirmation email from Mexico Kan Tours to know your exact Pick Up Time and not the automatic confirmation as it will depend on your accommodation’s localization. Pick up and Drop off within the immediate Tulum area is included in the price, additional price applies for areas outside of Tulum. Ask us a quote for extra Transportation Fees (North of Tulum).

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Don't Forget to Bring:
Towel.
Bathing Suit.
Comfortable Shoes.
Extra T-Shirt.
Hat.
Sun glasses.
Camera.
Cash (Most of the local vendors only accept cash).
Only if necessary: Bio degradable Sun Screen & Bio Degradable Mosquito Repellent.

A maximum of 6 people per booking.
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide.
Not recommended for pregnant women.
Snorkeling is subject to weather conditions.
Minimum age is 5 years.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Not wheelchair accessible
Necessary COVID-19 prevention measures are implemented during the tour (50% capacity, Antibactial gel available and facemasks complusory, sanitization of vehicles and equipment, safe distance between all participants, groups from 2 to 6 people maximum, private tour possible)
If you present any of the following symptoms (fever, dry cough, tiredness, headaches, aches and pains), please refrain from joining the tour, contact us as soon as possible and look for medical assistance
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

Do: This tour is taking very much care of the ecosystem of the Sian Ka'an National Park.

It was a fabulous day if you're the adventurous type.

Reviews

5.0

622 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 622 reviews

A Must Do for Nature Lovers

Mark_S, Mar 2023

If you enjoy nature, this adventure is for you! My daughter and I had an amazing day out on the boat touring Sian Ka'an. We saw way more animals from the boat than we expected, including multiple manatees, many dolphins, countless birds and a few crocodiles. I recommend a pair of polarized sun glasses to view under the surface of the water. The snorkeling at the off shore reef was beautiful. We were the only group there and saw many turtles, sharks, rays and a ton of beautiful fish. Our guide Nikita was a fountain of knowledge about the wildlife and Sian Ka'an. I highly recommend this tour operator Mexico Kan Tours. We took 2 of tours with them and they were much better than other operators we used. Their guides were much more knowledgeable and tour groups smaller than others.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello Mark, Thank you for this great feedback! Amazing that you've seen a lot of wildlife and you could spot them in their natural habitat without disturbing them. Don't forget to keep traveling with intention!

Great tour of coastal beauty!

Alyssa_L, Feb 2023

This trip was incredible! Our guide, Thomas, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wildlife and the area. We saw several types of birds, dolphins, crocodiles, and sea turtles. The weather was favorable, so we were able to snorkel on the reef and swim in a natural pool by the shoreline. This adventure is a must!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hello Alyssa, Thank you for choosing us to explore the beautiful coast of the Caribbean Sea and you could be able to swim in observing sea turtles, corals... Join us fr a next trip.

Cool trip; highly recommend

Jen_S, Feb 2023

Marco and Nikita were amazing guides who were very knowledgable about Sian Ka’an and the various wildlife within. Top priority was given to respecting the animals. Sea Lion, our boat captain, was top notch and safely took us to all the places in order to view the manatees, dolphins, turtles, crocodiles, and various birds.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hello Jen, It's great that with the help of your captain you could see manatees, dolphins, turtles, crocodiles and birds in their natural habitat just observing them to respect them carefully.

Wonderful experience

Kimberly_O, Jan 2023

Nico was a great guide. He was very knowledgeable and I felt very safe on the tour. It was a highlight of our vacation.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Kimberly, Nice to hear you felt very confortable during the tour and your guide made his possible to enjoy the experience at 100%. Thank you for your comment, and we will be happy to host you again.

Incredible Tour

Daniel_B, Jan 2023

A full day of beautiful weather and amazing experiences. There is never a dull moment on this tour. The guides are a well spring of knowledge and they truly care about preserving the biosphere.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hello Daniel, Thank you for leaving us a review! We are so happy that you didn't feel any dull moment in the Sian Ka'an adventure and you share our insight for the preservation of the nature learning about the reserve. See you!

Incredible day of wildlife spotting

Madelaine_S, Dec 2022

WHAT a tour this was. Firstly our guide and boat captain were both amazing, incredibly knowledgeable and quite evidently passionate about wildlife and conservation which made the trip even better. The tour itself is incredible. The mangroves were insanely beautiful, and the merge into the Caribbean Sea just breathtaking. We were very very lucky to see everything the biosphere has to offer; manatee, osprey, crocodiles, green turtle, dolphins and a huge suite of water birds. Unfortunately it was far too windy and choppy to snorkel but we didn’t care, as our captain treated us to a fantastic ride alongside a pod of wild dolphins! Lunch was in the beautiful Punta Cana with views of the sea and mangroves, and time to relax with a cold drink. Overall would recommend this to ANYONE, but particularly if you love observing nature respectfully and learning all about Mexican fauna.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hi Madelaine, We are delighted you had an incredible day of wildlife spotting in Sian Kaan ! Thanks a lot for your awesome review.

A Favorite Tour Location

Wendy_B, Dec 2022

Sian Ka’an was our favorite tour in Tulum. We saw a manatee, crocodiles, and several other animals in our tour. Our guide Lea was knowledgeable and spoke several languages. The snorkeling guide was great at spotting animals and pointing them out as we snorkeled. The spot in Punta Allen was beautiful and it was great learning about the town. We had a great time and we highly recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Wendy, Such a nice review that you gave us. Thank you. We are delighted to read that Sian Kaan is your favorite place in Tulum and you could seen marine and tropicals animals witht he help of your captain and guide. Thank you for visiting this amazing and natural reserve with respect!

Great Experience

Benjamin_S, Oct 2022

It was a great experience, I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. I had such a great experience. I would recommend everyone to try it.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Hello Benjamin. Thanks for your great review. We are happy you had a great experience and you learned a lot and had fun in the Sian Ka'an Adventure. Hasta luego.

Amazing experience at the Biosphere!

Sofia_P, Aug 2022

This tour was an amazing experience! We were lucky enough to see a lot of wildlife and snorkel at the reef with good weather. Marco and Pablo made the tour interesting, funny and gave us a lot of information about the biosphere. They are great guides and I totally recommend them!

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hello Sofia, We are happy you got to see a lot of wildlife during the snorkel at the reef and you liked the natural Biosphere explications that your informative and funny guide gave to you. Have a perfect end of trip in this amazing Yucatan.

Amazing sea safari

Michael_P, Apr 2022

Wildlife and the colour of the sea. The trip was a wonderful way of experiencing a small part of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere. I saw all of the expected mammals and enjoyed beautiful snorkelling alongside the Mesoamerica Reef.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Hi Michael, Thanks a lot for your amazing feedback ! We are glad you saw all of the expected mammals and enjoyed beautiful snorkeling alongside the Meso american Reef. See you soon !

Incredible

Letitia_a, Apr 2022

The entire day was incredible, definitely the best day tour I've ever done! Thanks to Pablo for making it an unforgettable day!

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Hi Letitia, Thank you for your Incredible feedback, We are delighted to hear our Sian Kaan Adventure tour is the best day tour you have ever done ! Come back soon for more unforgettable tours !

Must Experience

Edgar_C, Apr 2022

It Was Great To Learn And See EveryThing Sian Ka’an Had To Offer. Though The Ride Was ABit Much On Way Back.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Hi Edgar, Thank you for your 5 stars feedback, We are glad you learned a lot about Sian Kaan and could see everything it can offer. Indeed the ride can be rough, we are glad it was worth it!

Sian Ka'an is Beautiful!

Vera_V, Apr 2022

This was the best part of our trip to Tulum. Sian Ka'an is gorgeous, and the guides were very knowledgeable about where to spot wildlife, snorkel and take a beautiful swim. Punta Allen is an adorable ocean front community to stop for lunch, much quieter than the Tulum area, so it was a welcome reprieve. We hardly saw any other tour groups so it really felt like we had the reserve to ourselves, highly recommend checking it out.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Hi Vera, Thanks a lot for your awesome feedback! We are glad to read you had a beautiful day in Sian Kaan with us and that you could spot all the wildlife you expected to see. It's great that you felt that you had the nature reserve just for you ! Thank you for the recommendation, take care.

Water safari -- amazing adventure

Kiley_P, Mar 2022

We got to see everything promised -- manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays and more. Truly an incredible experience, made better by our tour guides Felipe and Nico. Would absolutely recommend to those who love nature and want to get out of town for a day to see some pristine ecosystems.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Hi Kiley, It's a delight to read you had an amazing adventure in Sian Kaan with Mexico Kan Tours and that you saw every animal you expected to see. Thanks a lot for your recommendation ! This is indeed the perfect tour for Nature Lovers !

Bumpy, great trip

Wylie_C, Mar 2022

This trip was entertaining and enjoyable. I will give a big warning that bumpy is an understatement of the trip into the bio reserve, expect anywhere from 45-60 minutes of non stop potholes, which bounce you around a lot. Martin our guide was good, but he split his time between the two boats on our excursion, so information was sparse. To the good stuff - our captain Carlos was excellent, eyes like a hawk and we saw all the wildlife we were expecting. Turtles, dolphins, maniti and alligator. It was a really good trip overall. The only reas9n 4 stars was the drive to and from the reserve.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Hi Wylie, Thank you for your feedbacks about your Sian Kaan Adventure with us. It is indeed a bumpy ride into the biosphere but we are glad that overall it was a great trip for you and that you saw all the animals you expected. We hope you can come back soon in Tulum !

Amazing experience

Eva_K, Mar 2022

Seeing the dolphins and crocodiles. Also lunch spot was amazing. We got to relax on the hammocks afterwards

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thanks Eva for taking the Sian Kaan Adventure tour with us. We are delighted to read you had an amazing experience seeing dolphins, crocodiles... and having lunch in paradise.

Great time in biosphere!!

Samantha_L, Mar 2022

Was a great adventure in the biosphere. So many cool birds up close and we saw a giant sea turtle and manatee come up a few times. Too windy to snorkel, which is how it goes sometimes, but we went swimming near a beach which was amazing! The road to get there is bumping but the driver was great at handling the roads, because roads around town even are rough. But if you’re up for an adventure then this was a good one and we felt safe with the team who took us out!! Great memories!!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thanks a lot Samantha for your feedbacks, We are glad you had a great adventure in the biosphere and that you could see plenty of birds, a sea turtle and a manatee. Indeed the road is bumpy, we are glad to hear the driver made you feel safe and that you are going back home with great memories.

Great wildlife, poor organisation

Lynne_R, Feb 2022

Mangrove boat ride was fantastic saw manatees, close up ospreys and other colourful birds. But no pickup time was given and extra transportation charge was hidden in the ticket exclusions which caused embarrassment. Boat captain was late and there wasn't enough snorkling equipment, also needed to better quality. Good trip but disorganised.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Hi Lynne, We are sorry that you did not receive your confirmation message via Viator letting you know your Pick Up time and the extra fee as you were not based in Tulum. We checked and the message was sent. Please be careful next time you book a tour via Viator to check you accounts' messages. All our tours include pick up in the area of Tulum and there is an extra fee in case clients are staying north of Tulum. We are very transparent about that online and remind our customers about it in the confirmation email. Anyways, we are glad you had a nice day and that you could see manatees, ospreys and colourful birds. Take care.

Fantastic sights to see and experience

Dermott_W, Feb 2022

Was a great day with tons of nature to see and experience and great people we met. Our guidespoke fluent German, Spanish, French and English. She was very friendly and made sure everyone was having a great time.

Go visit Sian Ka'an now!

Lilian_L, Jan 2022

Carlos was the perfect guide! He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, definitely made the adventure even better. It's a jam packed day full of boat rides, searching for animals in the wild, we saw plenty of birds, sea turtles, dolphins (so lucky!) and let's not forget crocodiles! We had the opportunity to go snorkeling and take a dip in the crystal clear Caribbean sea. We eventually got to Punta Allen where we had a lovely lunch. I did lots of research beforehand and the tour exceeded my expectations, obviously based on the reviews I noticed many people have mentioned the bumpy ride there, they were not lying, it's bearable and worth it! Overall my friend and I had a great time and it was nice getting to know others on the trip too! Carlos was always so approachable and would answer any questions you throw at him, we were split into two groups on two boats and he would split his time between us and made sure we were ok - just fab!

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Hi Lilian, That's right : Sian Kaan is a must see when visiting Tulum. We are glad you chose Mexico Kan Tours after checking the reviews online and that the tour exceeded your expectations! Come back soon for more amazing adventures.

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