Mahahual Beach: Best Costa Maya Shore Excursion With Teens (2025)
Last Updated on March 13, 2024 by Nicole
Our family of 5 (15, 13 and 12 years old children) went on a 6 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Liberty of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. Our ports of call were Costa Maya, Cozumel and Belize. Before we left on vacation, I organized our own excursions at each port. One of my favourites was our private snorkelling and fishing trip off of Mahahual Beach, a short distance from Costa Maya cruise port. It is the best Costa Maya shore excursion with teens.
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At A Glance
I know you are busy. If you only have a couple minutes to spare, here are the key takeaways from this article.
- Make sure you leave the Costa Maya Port and go to Mahahual. It is a cheap 10 minute taxi ride.
- The half day private boating, snorkeling and fishing trip was a fantastic shore excursion with my teens. It was easy to find, safe to do, and lots of fun.
- During the tour, we swam with sea turtles, and snorkeled with exotic tropical fish. We spent time on a lovely sandy beach, paddle boarded and kayaked, all away from the crowds from the cruise ship.
If you can find more time, try to read my full article. It explains my suggestions, gives you details about experiences that you will have, and provides travel tips.
Costa Maya Cruise Port Details
Our cruise ship arrived late morning at the Costa Maya cruise port. We only had from 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm to explore the area. This might seem like a lot of time, but it really isn’t.
In my experience, exiting a cruise ship takes a lot of time. Everybody wants to leave as soon as possible, especially when you only have a half day to explore.
In addition, you absolutely can not be even a minute late back to the boat. The cruise ship will not wait for anyone unless they are on a shore excursion booked through the cruise. So, to be safe, you normally return to the ship with lots of time to spare.
Then, it usually takes around 20 minutes or more to walk along the dock which connects the cruise ship to land and go through the port itself which could be very large.
All in all, you really lose about 2 hours waiting to get off the ship, allowing yourself to get through the port, and then, giving yourself a time buffer so you are back on board in good time.
In this case, the Costa Maya cruise port wasn’t too big (compared to Cozumel, for instance). It took us around 15 minutes to walk from the ship, through the port past a a nice collection of little shops, and then, through the exit.
Why Did We Choose This Costa Maya Shore Excursion With Our Teens?
I chose our private snorkelling and fishing trip for many reasons. I was looking for something that would take us away from the cruise ship crowds and give us some quiet time enjoying the Caribbean Sea.
This tour was not offered by Royal Caribbean and I did not want to book another tour with them as they were very expensive relative to the cost of this tour. I also wanted a private experience on the water for me and my family.
In addition, I knew that my teens would love time on a boat and at the beach. The snorkelling would allow them to experience the tropical seaworld, and fishing is something they love to do wherever we are.
We also did a fantastic shore excursion in Cozumel on the same cruise. We toured Punta Sur Eco Beach Park on electric bikes or e-bikes, and came across untouched deserted beaches, iguanas and crocodiles.
For more information about this excursion, please see my article Best Cozumel Shore Excursion With Teens.
Mahahual
Mahahual is a former fishing village that has now been turned into a beautiful beach and vacation town. However, it still has a laid back feel to it.
The hotels are small, only a couple stories tall, and are found just on the other side of a pedestrian walking zone mere steps to the Caribbean Sea.
There are tons of beach restaurants and bars, with table service. However, everything is small, quaint and welcoming. Most importantly, it feels safe. I immediately fell in love with the look and vibe of Mahahual Beach.
From Costa Maya Cruise Port To Mahahual Beach With Teens
We were responsible to meet our guide and boat on Mahahual beach. Initially, this seemed a bit daunting. We had limited time, didn’t know where we were going, and couldn’t be late returning to the cruise ship. We had no time to get lost or figure out the lay of the land. So, when the website said it would be an easy cab ride from the Cost Maya Port to Mahahual, we crossed our fingers and hoped that it actually would be the case.
And it was. We walked through the Costa Maya Port, exited and found the taxi stand right outside with dozens of taxis waiting. For $2 USD per person (in cash), we were off. Ten minutes later, we arrived!
After arriving in Mahahual, we walked a couple minutes and came across the beach and the hotel where we had to check in for our boat tour.
While we waited for our boat and guide, we were invited to go to the beach and have a drink. We sat and enjoyed our drinks while admiring the beautiful sandy beach and the crystal blue water of the Caribbean Sea. Moreover, the waves were gentle and the beaches were quiet and calm.
Snorkelling and Fishing With Teens In Mahahual
After a delicious Tequila cocktail, we met our captain and crew and we were off.
Our boat was a Mexican skiff called a Panga and was just the right size for us. There was a small roof that provided a little bit of sun cover, but not a lot. You should make sure you put on lots of sunscreen, wear a hat and have a cover up as much as you can to protect yourself from the sun.
After 20 – 30 minutes of boating, we arrived at the coral reef where we snorkelled with a guide. We saw beautiful coral, tropical fish and even swam with some sea turtles. It was fantastic. The water was lovely and warm.
Afterwards, we trolled. Trolling is a type of fishing where fishing lines are baited and are drawn through the water usually with a motorized boat. In our case, our boat cruised all around the bay with a couple of lines in the water trying to hook “the big one”. Unfortunately, we were out of luck.
After awhile we gave up and the lines were pulled in. We asked the captain if we could crank the engine and do a bit of speed boating to end our tour, and he obliged. We all loved that and it was a great way to end our tour.
Once back on shore, we were invited to lounge on the beach chairs, swim, paddle board and kayak.
We have had many wonderful adventures in Central And South America with our teens. For more information about other destinations and our experiences, please see:
Returning To The Ship From Mahahual
Returning to the cruise ship port in Costa Maya was as easy as leaving.
Lots of taxis were waiting in Mahahual at the same spot where we were dropped off. It cost another $2 USD in cash per person for the trip.
In addition, we had more than enough time to sit down at one of the many restaurants and bars at the Costa Maya cruise port, have a drink, poke around the shops, and go for a walk along the esplanade before we had to return to the ship.
Impressions Of The Costa Maya Shore Excursion With Teens
Our teens loved this tour. It got us away from the busy cruise ship, and allowed us to see a very pretty part of Mahahual. The beaches and natural beauty were lovely.
My teens loved the boating, snorkeling and fishing. They had fun discovering the sea life, especially swimming with sea turtles.
It was nice being able to relax at the beach as well and take advantage of the water sports offered. We were able to relax and get back to the Port without being stressed for time.
Last Word
I would highly recommend this half day private snorkelling trip with your teenagers for your time at the Port of Costa Maya. We loved how quiet Mahahual was. It was easy to walk through and depart from the Port, travel by taxi, and find the start of our excursion.
If the actual tour itself doesn’t sound appealing, I would still strongly encourage you to leave the Port and spend your time at Mahahual Beach, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and the beautiful beach and waters of the Caribbean Sea. You will leave the cruise ship crowds behind and feel like you have found a little bit of paradise.
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The ship is far too big for me. Ivan
It is big but it is easy to find spots tucked away from the large crowds.
I have never visited this place. I have been to the most popular Riviera Maya but I know the Costa is less hectic (that is how I like places). I think it is a good idea to book your own excursions while on a cruise. They are of better value and your money goes directly to local businesses.
I agree. I prefer to book excursions with local companies rather than the cruise ships to save money but also to deal directly with the locals. I have found it to be a much better experience. It is also nice to get away from all the other passengers for awhile!
Good story ! Hope I get there one day 😎
Looks really nice. I could use a bit of beach and surf at this point!
Just was there 3 weeks ago. There was 2 cruise ship tourists for every local, it was shoulder-to-shoulder on the boardwalk. This was with only one cruise ship in that day. The locals told us that now there are up to 4 (Four) cruise ships coming some days. There were lines of jeeps filled drunk tourists roaring south on the dirt road. We told our Mexican hotel hosts to keep the money and we left town. A beautiful little Mexican town ruined!
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That makes me so sad! I loved how remote and untouched it felt when we were there. It sounds awful now.
Wow! I’ve been on a cruise once and it did not have such a cool waterpark on it! We also didn’t get to go fishing/trolling. I think I need to check out Royal
Royal Caribbean is a great all round cruise liner. It has amazing kid activities like water slides, wave runner, and rock climbing walls. It also has great adult entertainment.
That is one giant cruise ship, but I am guessing that the size offers a few dozen way to enjoy the cruise, I just hope it wasn’t too crowded.
Private tours are usually the best tours that you can get, so the guide doesn’t have to divide their attention among a lot of people, the private snorkeling does sound fun, but we only have your word to go on, if there were some more pictures then we might have gotten a a real feel or at least I would have, but that is beside the point, the beach does look real nice, and the water is crystal clear and so inviting, also wow 2$ per person for a cab ride, that is a steal, anywhere else cab drivers would take like 20$ minimum. Too bad you weren’t able to catch that big fish, but maybe next time.
The cruise looks fantastic and I must say you made good use of the stop at Costa Maya. Mahahual Beach seems to be really pretty from the pictures you had put up in this blog. I love snorkeling. It must be so much of fun for your kids.
Thanks Shreya. The water was warm and the snorkelling was wonderful. My kids love that and also love it when the captain decides to crank up the speed!
12 – 7 pm is NOT a lot of time to explore the island, I am sure. That’s is what I do not like about cruising (probably the ONLY thing) – the limited time you have to explore the cities the cruise stops at. It is never enough. Snorkeling and fishing trips at Costa Maya sounds like a great way to spend your time. Mahahual Beach looks pretty awesome too. I love cruises otherwise, look at yours, such a lovely swimming pool with so many activities for kids.
I agree. The time constraints in port are the biggest downfall to cruising. I wish that there were cruises that offered overnights at ports so that you could explore without worrying about the time. Mahahual Beach was lovely and a nice way to explore the area.
We’re going on a cruise in March, stopping at this port and I’m excited that there are a lot of options, but also nervous about not having enough time. We’re considering going to the water park, because it’s close to the port and won’t require a lot of travel time to visit, but it says the water park closes at 5:00pm so we’ll really only have about 4 hours there if we’re lucky.
Planning in that extra time as a new cruiser will definitely ease the level of annoyance though. If you don’t know it takes forever to offboard, it will surely put you in a bad mood when you’ve got places to be!
You are so smart to be looking into all of these details before your cruise. You want to maximize your time in port, not be trying to figure things out as you leave the boat. I don’t know much about the water park, but 4 hours may be enough time depending on its size and location. However, if it is really expensive, then it might not be worth it. Unlike other cruise ports, Costa Maya is small and pretty laid back so you will get to properly enjoy your time there as long as you pick a half day experience. Good luck and have an amazing time.
This is such a useful guide for families travelling with teens! Mahahual Beach looks like the perfect mix of relaxation and fun. I loved how you highlighted the best activities—it makes planning a shore excursion so much easier. The tips for keeping teens entertained are super helpful too. Thanks for sharing this.
You are welcome.