The Yal kú cove is one of the Caribbean corners with which you will surely be surprised on your way. In this exit from the fresh groundwater to the open sea, you will enjoy a unique landscape.

Along the coast of Riviera Maya we find different landscapes such as that of Yal-kú: the fresh waters that run through the water table of the Peninsula making their way to the sea, artistically eroding the limestone. Here the sweet and salty waters meet, in a delicate ecosystem that we must take care of.

yal ku lagoon

CALETA YAL KÚ, CENOTE YAL KÚ OR LAGUNA YAL KÚ IN AKUMAL

In these three ways you can find the place written: as a cove, cenote or lagoon.

The best-known coves of this coastal strip are the Xel-ha water park and Park of Xcaret. Both coves became Tourist parks with great visitor success. They are strong claims for mass tourism that comes to Riviera Maya and really the place where they are located is extraordinary.

Yal Kú cove would become the poor sister of the others, or the most authentic and unknown. Yal-Kú's landscape has nothing to envy the others.

I'm more from places like caleta Yal-kú that of XelHá or Xcaret. These parks, when modified by man, make them lose their charm as paraje natural, something that I prioritize in my tastes.

Yalkú Akumal lagoon
Snorkeling in Caleta Yal Ku, Akumal, Riviera Maya, Mexico.
Mangrove. Caleta Yalku, Akumal, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

SWIM IN LAGUNA YAL KÚ

After paying the entrance fee and renting snorkeling equipment, you can bring your own, you will be ready to discover among colorful fish one of the most beautiful landscapes of this Mexican coast plagued with paradises.

As you swim in these irresistible crystal clear waters you enjoy the life hidden by the roots of the mangroves, of the birds in their habitat, the different salt and fresh water fish. Here two ecosystems merge where fauna and flora must know how to survive between salty and sweet, two worlds of very different densities.

An amazing world awaits you from the viewer, it is really nice to see the mangrove roots and the inhabitants of this beautiful lagoon.

Caleta Yalku, Akumal, Riviera Maya, Mexico.
Yalku Cove Akumal
cenote yalku akumal

ENJOY THE HALOCLINES IN LAGOON YALKU

Discovering the aquatic landscape of this place is very entertaining. You can swim towards the ocean, just watch carefully with the currents. The mangrove, the great treasure as a natural regulator of this ecosystem, gathers among its roots a large part of the life of its inhabitants. It is simply beautiful to observe this private place with the mask.

Another thing to experience are haloclines, blurry effect that is created from the mixture of fresh and salty waters. When you see blurred, it is not necessarily your mask misted, it is that you are in a halocline, very dreamlike.

Yalku cove offers you the best opportunities on the Caribbean coast to enjoy haloclines. Play and enjoy the environment, nature provides us with impressive playgrounds.

yalku akumal lagoon
Blurred effect of the halocline

LAGUNA YALKÚ 2020 PRICES, TIMETABLE AND SERVICES

When we arrived in 2007 to live in the Mexican Caribbean, the Yal kú lagoon was not one of the most visited places and the prices were very popular. We could affirm that in Riviera Maya nothing or almost nothing is cheap, but if we compare the price of YalKú cove with the tickets to XelHá or Xcaret, both coves too, we can say that it is economical.

  • ADULT TICKET PRICE: 280 Mexican pesos.
  • PRICE FOR CHILDREN FROM 4 TO 12 YEARS OLD: 200 Mexican pesos.
  • EQUIPMENT RENTAL: 100 pesos each part of the equipment, either the vest, visor or fins. You can bring your own equipment.
  • HOURS: from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon daily.

CAN I ENTER THE LAGOON YAL KÚ WITH FOOD?

If you go in with some snacks they won't tell you anything, but the plan is not to go with the ice chest, the tortillas and all the food. There are nearby restaurants to eat. With the bracelet that you place at the entrance you can enter and exit without problem until 4 in the afternoon.

HOW CAN I TAKE CARE OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF LAGUNA YALKÚ?

  • Do not use sunscreen in the water, and if you use it it is biodegradable. Personally, I prefer to cover my body with a special lycra shirt for water, and so I do not cover my body with creams. These creams are harmful to water, and many of us visit these places.
  • Also don't use insect repellents if you are going to enter the water, neither chemical nor natural repellents.
  • Take with you all the trash you generate, or put it in a garbage can.
  • You can bring your own thermos or bottled water bottle so as not to be buying plastic bottles.
  • If you see someone who does not follow the rules, you can painfully express your thinking assertively and politely: caring for the environment belongs to everyone and by everyone.
Yalku Cove Akumal

WHAT ELSE TO DO IN AKUMAL

Caleta Yal-kú is one of my favorite places on the Mexican Caribbean coast. In Akumal you have options to spend a day more than fabulous. You swimming with turtles in Akumal in their natural habitat, eat in The good life and end the day discovering the caleta Yal-Kú.

I assure you that this menu is a happiness pill, but you will tell me. And of cherry, in turtle spawning season, stroll along the beach at night and watch them spawn. Akumal is a jewel, really, and the cove of YalKú its most hidden treasure.

palya Akumal Riviera Maya, Mexico
Akumal turtle swim

Do not miss Akumal, don't miss Yal-ku. It is almost a mandatory visit in Riviera Maya?

Yal-kú cove, beautiful corner in Akumal where you can enjoy the water 1

Yal-kú, nature

LOCATION: Yal-kú is located in Akumal, 3 km from the entrance to the beach. Akumal is located 37 km from Playa del Carmen and 26 from Tulum.
SCHEDULE AND SERVICES: open every day from 8 a.m. to 17:30 p.m. Sundays is the busiest day. There are showers, lockers, bathrooms, rental of snorkel equipment, palapas and a restaurant. There is parking. The use of non-biodegradable body creams is not allowed, nor is it allowed to feed the fish. I recommend you bring your own snorkeling equipment.
PRICE ENTRY: 280 pesos adults, children 200 (14 usd and 10 usd). Discount for locals in Quintana Roo, take your ID: 173 adults, 115 pesos children (9 dollars adult and 6 usd children). Equipment rental: visor or mask. fins and vest 100 pesos (5 usd), and a locker or locker 58 pesos (3 dollars).
HOW TO GET IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? Buses leave from Tulum on the main street. From Cancun (the collective They leave near the ADO terminal) you must get off at the last stop in Playa del Carmen and from here take another bus to Akumal (from calle 2 between avenida 15 y 20). Public transport leaves you on federal highway 307, on the bridge at the entrance of the town (tell the driver, he knows). From here you walk 1 km to the beach. The ADO (large bus) does not stop in Akumal, you must go by bus. There is service taxis at the entrance of Akumal to Yal-kú (which is 3 km). At the exit of the cove, they call you a taxi if you need it.

Good way,

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Sandra Salvadó Training photographer, traveler by vocation and certified tourism guide by the Government of Mexico. We promote natural wonders and contemporary Mayan culture. Great fan of pre-Hispanic history. Author of the blog and co-founder of The Shortest Path Travel, agency that guides you through alternative paths in Mayan lands. Social and sustainable tourism in the Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas.
I am at your disposal for whatever you need. Let's talk.

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