Akumal Vacations, Akumal Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Akumal Vacation Guide

Akumal is a small beach community located on the Caribbean Sea in Quintana Roo State, about 100km south of Cancun, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. The year round population is about 1,200 persons. Akumal is a tourist destination, but is most popular with perennial visitors and winter vacationers or "snowbirds" who are repeat and longer stay customers. Although there are a couple of hotels available, most accommodations are condominiums and rental houses. The majority of the land is all privately owned so that the big corporate hotels and resorts are excluded, giving Akumal a more personal feel.

Meaning "Place of Turtles" in Yucatec Maya, Akumal is a beach and SCUBA diving destination. It was originally established as a diver's community in 1958. Akumal encompasses two large bays separated by a rocky outcrop. The bay to the north is Turtle Bay, while the southern most is Akumal Bay. The beaches are composed of relatively fine-grained white sand which is perfect for turtle nesting. Both Hawksbill and Green Turtles nest here and are frequently seen feeding on the sponges and seagrass of the reef and lagoon. Nesting season spans April to October, while hatchling emergence season coincides with hurricane season from June 1 - November 30.

A local agency, Centro Ecologico Akumal (CEA), was created to study the turtles of Akumal and its other important natural resources. CEA has an office on north Akumal Bay Beach where you can seek further information.