Things to do in Costa Maya
The unmissables
Most booked
Chacchoben Mayan Ruins from Costa Maya: Guided Tour & Beach★ 4.67 (1,661) · 4h 30m
Top rated
Bacalar Lagoon: 7 Colors Day Trip & Cenotes from Costa Maya★ 4.85 (496) · 5h 30m
Best value
Costa Maya: Chacchoben Mayan Ruins Day Trip with Port Pickup★ 4.79 (1,217) · 3h 30m
Recommended (7)
Costa Maya: Chacchoben Ruins & Bacalar Lagoon Day Trip★ 4.60 (395) · 5h 30mUS$ 120View ›
Chacchoben Ruins & Bacalar Lagoon: Day Trip with Lunch★ 4.86 (378) · 7hUS$ 136View ›
Costa Maya snorkeling: Reef, fish and turtles with guide★ 4.78 (288) · 1h 20mUS$ 30View ›
Costa Maya: Chacchoben Mayan Ruins & Jungle Walk with Native Guide★ 4.93 (243) · 4hUS$ 72View ›
Costa Maya Snorkeling: Turtle Encounter in Mahahual Reef★ 4.69 (233) · 1h 30mUS$ 32View ›
Costa Maya: Xahuayxol Private Beach Day with Food & Drinks★ 4.55 (219) · 3h–5hUS$ 129View ›
Costa Maya Snorkeling Tour: 3 reef sites with guide★ 4.90 (175) · 2hUS$ 36View ›Top rated (10)
Mexican Cooking Class Costa Maya: Learn to Cook Tacos al PastorA 2-hour hands-on cooking class at Jaguar Cafe on the Mahahual boardwalk teaches you to press tortillas on a traditional comal and master the achiote marinade for pork al pastor tacos, with a drink included. The cafe sits 5 minutes by taxi from the Costa Maya cruise port and doubles as your home base for the afternoon—you get free beach access, secure lockers for your things, and high-speed Wi-Fi so you can swim and shop without returning to the ship. A live guide teaches in English or Spanish; children from age 6 are welcome, and vegetarian or chicken options are available.Is it for me?The guide teaches in English or Spanish, so you can follow comfortably in your language. If you have a short port day and want to learn something real without losing hours to travel and logistics, the 5-minute taxi ride and the cafe's lockers and Wi-Fi mean you can cook, swim, and shop without once returning to the ship.
Costa Maya: 2 Tank Dive on Barrier Reef with Local GuidesYou’ll slip beneath Costa Maya’s blue water for two guided dives along the Meso-American Barrier Reef—think canyons, bright corals, curious fish, maybe even rays or barracuda if you’re lucky. With experienced local instructors leading each tank dive, you’ll get close guidance plus water and soft drinks after surfacing. It’s less about ticking boxes than soaking up that underwater calm.
Cozumel: Beginner Scuba Dive at Coral Reef with GuideYou’ll start your beginner scuba dive in Cozumel with hands-on guidance from a local instructor—first learning safety basics at the shop before practicing in shallow water. Then comes your guided boat ride out to the coral reef for your first real dive among tropical fish and colorful coral. Expect nerves at first—then pure wonder once you’re under.
Costa Maya cruise excursion: Chacchoben ruins & Bacalar LagoonA shore excursion from Costa Maya Cruise Port combining Chacchoben Mayan ruins with a choice of two Bacalar Lagoon experiences: a 2-hour sailing tour visiting Pirates' Canal and the Black Cenote, or The Rapids swimming area with beach club access. Your guide speaks English, Spanish or French; pickup and return to port are timed around your ship's schedule, and entry fees to the ruins and lagoon sites are paid separately on arrival.Is it for me?Book the sailing option if you want the full lagoon experience—Pirates' Canal and the Black Cenote cenote give you two distinct water environments in one afternoon. Choose The Rapids if you prefer a single swimming location where you can float and relax without moving between stops, and you want the option to eat at the beach club.
PADI Discover Scuba Diving in Costa Maya: First Dive on the ReefPADI Discover Scuba Diving in Costa Maya is an introductory scuba experience for divers without certification or without prior dive time. You complete theory and confined-water training, then descend along a mooring line to a coral garden reef site, diving to a maximum depth of 40 feet with a PADI instructor at your side. The full experience runs about four hours and includes all scuba equipment and bottled water; minimum age is 10 years old.Is it for me?The full session—theory, confined-water practice, and the reef dive—happens in one morning or afternoon without you arranging separate instructors, pools or boat trips. If you are staying in Costa Maya without a car, public transit gets you to the dive shop, and the rest is handled. Divers with high blood pressure, heart conditions, lung surgery, or seizure disorders need a doctor's clearance first, so check before booking.
Costa Maya: Chacchoben Ruins & Mayan Village Cooking TourYou’ll walk ancient Chacchoben ruins with a local guide, then visit a nearby Mayan village where you’ll grind corn, shape tortillas by hand, and share lunch with your hosts. Expect laughter around the table, stories passed down through generations, and flavors you might dream about later.
Mahahual: Two-Tank Boat Dive for Certified Divers & GearYou’ll join a small group for two-tank boat dives on Mahahual’s reef with all your SCUBA gear included. Expect easy logistics, friendly guides like Diego sharing local stories during your surface interval on the beach, and plenty of time underwater based on your air consumption. That feeling when you first drop in? You’ll remember it.
Costa Maya: Chacchoben Mayan Ruins & Village Tour with TastingYou’ll walk ancient Mayan ruins at Chacchoben with a local guide who brings history to life, taste honey-drizzled pineapple under jungle trees, and pass through a colorful village where everyday life unfolds outside your window. Expect warm stone under your hands and real stories in your ears—a day that lingers long after you’re back at port.
Costa Maya Snorkeling: 2 Reef Sites & Underwater PhotosYou spend three hours on the water visiting two snorkeling sites on the Great Mesoamerican Reef, with a certified guide who photographs you underwater. The tour includes all equipment, snacks, and drinks, plus free beach time afterward with kayaks and paddleboards. You don't arrange transport or worry about gear — it's all there, cleaned and ready.Is it for me?Book this if you want to snorkel the reef without arranging your own gear or worrying about which spots are worth visiting — the guide chooses the two sites based on that morning's conditions, which is what keeps you in the water where the fish actually are instead of in a crowded tourist line.
Chacchoben & Bacalar: Ruins Tour with Lagoon Boat, Tacos & DrinksYou’ll walk ancient Mayan ruins at Chacchoben with a local guide, cruise across Bacalar Lagoon’s wild blue waters by boat (drinks included), snack on fresh fruit under open sky, then finish with tacos and guacamole before heading back to Costa Maya. Expect laughter, new flavors, and moments that linger long after you return.
Lowest price (10)
Snorkeling in Costa Maya: Barrier Reef & TurtlesGuided snorkeling in Costa Maya takes you into Mexico's second-largest barrier reef, where you spend an hour in the water exploring two distinct zones: a sandy area where green and white turtles feed, and the reef itself lined with corals and fish. A professional guide and captain lead the outing, which includes snorkeling equipment and bottled water; the boat ride to and from the site takes 15 minutes each way. Children from age 4 are welcome, and the activity suits all fitness levels.Is it for me?Book this if you're staying in Costa Maya without a car—the crew handles boat logistics and timing, so you arrive ready to snorkel rather than coordinating your own transport.
Snorkeling in Costa Maya: Meso-American Barrier ReefSnorkel the Meso-American Barrier Reef in Costa Maya with a live guide, full equipment and water included; the 90-minute activity departs from Yaya Beach Club, a short cab ride from the cruise port. Children from age 10 can enter the water; younger kids can ride the boat. Guides speak English, Spanish and Italian. Minimum two participants required.Is it for me?Book this if you're arriving by cruise ship without a car—it starts at Yaya Beach Club, a 10-minute cab ride from port, so you can snorkel and return to your ship on a predictable timeline. Choose it for hands-on guidance throughout if you're new to snorkeling or want to understand what you're seeing underwater.
Chacchoben Mayan Ruins Tour from Costa Maya: Guided 2-Hour WalkChacchoben is a guided tour of ancient Mayan ruins in Costa Maya, where you walk the temples with a certified guide who speaks English or Spanish and explains the site's history and culture. The tour runs 3.5 hours and includes entrance to the site, air-conditioned vehicle transport, bottled water and soda. Children from age 3 are welcome, and the site is wheelchair accessible.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want a guide who knows the site and can explain what you're looking at, rather than walking the ruins on your own. The 3.5-hour length keeps it manageable for families with young children and for anyone who doesn't want to spend a full day on archaeology.
Bacalar Lagoon 7 Colors tour from Costa Maya: Swim & cenotesA 5-hour boat tour of Bacalar Lagoon departing from Costa Maya cruise port, with a certified bilingual guide, pontoon ride through Pirates Channel and two cenotes, lunch, and guaranteed return to your ship. The tour includes round-trip transport from the port, life vests, drinks, tequila tasting, and 30 minutes of free swimming time in the lagoon's shallow turquoise water.Is it for me?The tour runs 5 hours total with a pontoon boat ride and 30 minutes of active swimming, so it suits cruise passengers who want water time and sightseeing without a full day away from the port. If you're traveling with infants or prefer minimal walking, the pram-friendly stops and calm lagoon water make this workable for families of any age.
Costa Maya: Chacchoben Ruins & Bacalar Lagoon Cruise ExcursionYou visit a 200 BC Mayan city hidden in the jungle, climb its temples, then kayak or swim in a seven-color lagoon while eating lunch by the water. The tour includes a certified guide, transport, kayaks, and all drinks and food. It departs one hour after your ship arrives and times your return to match your ship's departure window, so you don't have to calculate it yourself.Is it for me?Book this if you're on a cruise with limited port time and want to see both an actual archaeological site and a natural landmark without arranging transport or timing yourself—the one-hour departure window and coordinated return are what make both stops fit into a single afternoon.
Costa Maya Snorkeling Day Pass: Massage, Open Bar & LunchThe Pitaya Costa Maya Day Pass is a six-hour beach day at Mahahual with snorkeling, massage, food and drinks all arranged. You get a shaded lounge chair, a 1.5-hour boat snorkeling tour with underwater photos, a 50-minute massage, an open bar with national alcoholic drinks, and one lunch plate of tacos or ceviche. Restrooms and showers are on site, and the package suits families, couples and groups who want both activity and downtime without planning separate bookings.Is it for me?Families, couples and small groups looking for a full beach day without splitting time between different vendors will find everything here—the snorkeling, the food, the drinks and the downtime all happen in one place and one price.
Mahahual Birdwatching Tour: Mangroves, Jungle & PhotographyA guided birdwatching tour in Costa Maya's mangroves, jungle and grassland, led by a naturalist guide in English or Spanish, with park fees, lunch and transportation included. The tour runs five hours and departs from Mahahual. Victor Rosales, the owner, spent seven years working in tourism before opening Mahahual Ecotours in 2013, and brings local expertise to finding the birds most visitors miss. Pickup is included; the route is wheelchair accessible.Is it for me?The five-hour pace means you're moving through three different habitats—mangroves, jungle and grassland—rather than staying in one spot, so you see the range of species the peninsula holds. If you want to cover ground and maximize what you encounter, this structure works; if you prefer a slower, deeper look at one ecosystem, ask the operator about options when you book.
Bacalar Seven Color Lagoon Boat Tour from Costa MayaYou're picked up at the Costa Maya cruise port and driven to Bacalar Lagoon, where you swim and relax on a pontoon boat with fruit snacks and drinks included. After a couple of hours on the water, you eat authentic Mexican tacos at a local restaurant before returning to the port. The whole day takes six to seven hours, so you're back well before departure.Is it for me?Book this if you're docked at Costa Maya and want a full lagoon experience without arranging your own transport or timing—the pickup and return are built around the cruise schedule, so you don't have to negotiate getting back to the port.
Costa Maya Fishing and Snorkeling: 3.5 Hours in MahahualA 3.5-hour fishing and snorkeling activity in Mahahual, Costa Maya, where you board a 25-foot panga at Hotel 40 Cañones to fish coastal and deeper waters, then snorkel the Great Mesoamerican Reef. The operator has 50 years of experience in the area and provides Penn fishing equipment, semi-professional snorkeling gear, water, beer, sodas, fresh fruit and homemade guacamole on the boat. Guides speak English and Spanish.Is it for me?The booth is at Hotel 40 Cañones in Mahahual, so you don't need a car or a ride from your hotel — walk there or arrange a short taxi if you're staying elsewhere in town. After the activity, the beach and the Barba Negra club are right there, which means the half-day doesn't require planning a second location or waiting for transport back.
Costa Maya: Private Beach Club Day with Food & TransportYou’ll step onto a peaceful Costa Maya beach club where your own private deck waits—no crowds or noise, just soft sand and turquoise water. Enjoy fresh-grilled seafood or steak with drinks included, swim or kayak near the reef, and unwind as local staff take care of everything. This day trip feels like a true escape—you might not want to leave.
