I am reviewing the main attraction in Cozumel, Mexico called Parque Chankanaab.

Chankanaab or Parque Chankanaab is described as Cozumel’s best attraction. It claims to have the best snorkeling and diving on the island.

It is open daily from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.

In spite of the literature saying that the entrance fees were between $3.00 and $5.00 depending on what I read, it actually cost $10.00 a person to get in. Since you will spend the day, I think it is a fair amount to pay we just weren't prepared for the large discrepancy. We rode bikes there and if your hotel is close enough consider doing that or walking. It is on the south side of the island. If you are staying a distance, it is worth the taxi ride. Don’t go here on a day you are renting your scooter. You’ll need your scooter for touring the island.

1. Plan to spend the whole day there. It is very pretty, there are a lot of things to do, and if you have small children it is the only beach I saw that has an area in which to swim that isn’t rocky. There is a playground for children also.

2. Swimming with the dolphins is a much-advertised attraction at Parque Chankanaab. A friend swam with the dolphins in the United States and said it was worth every penny. $120 are a lot of pennies so we did not swim with them but we were able to watch. If you don’t swim with them, go watch; take your camera because even watching is fun. The dolphins are in a very, very large enclosure and there is a wooden walkway above the water from which you can watch them with the paying customers.

If you love dolphins or want to have an unusual experience save up your money because this did look like a lot of fun. The dolphins let you ride on them; two dolphins come up next to you and let you grab their fins and take you for a ride one on each side; they purposely will splash you; kiss you and talk to you. The fun lasts for about 45 minutes so it isn’t a quick romp. It seemed people were very pleased with the experience. They will try to sell you a video that they make and I would opt to buy it unless I had brought my own video camera.

3. One major flaw with this park is the charge for the Sea Lion Show. For an additional $10.00 a show runs several times a day. We didn’t do that either. I think that is a lot of money unless you have never seen a sea lion. We swam with them on a vacation, so weren’t interested. If you have children who are hankering to go, perhaps some of the family can go and others might not want to. That would be a way not to blow $50.00 to see Sea Lions.

4. Chankanaab was declared a National Park in 1980 as well as a refuge area for protecting marine flora and fauna on the western coast of the island. Another main attraction of the Parque is the Lagoon. Chankanaab is a renowned ecosystem with coral and limestone formations wearing away over time to form it. One area, the Lagoon, is closed to swimmers because it is being protected. Go look at it, though, and make sure you look around for some of the largest iguanas outside the Galapagos Islands I have seen. They are harmless unless you provoke them, which you wouldn’t do. They are quite used to visitors, but just be forewarned, their size may scare young children.

5. There is a Botanical Garden, which is nice to walk through although after a few minutes of seeing some trees we headed out. But if flora and fauna are especially interesting to you, spend some time looking around. There are 60 different types of palm trees, along with water lilies and orchids.

6. Side roads or walkways will take you through an archaeological area where we saw among other things 60 exact replicas of famous sculptures by the Maya, Toltec and Aztec cultures. There was a man in the area who worked for the Parque who asked if we would like him to take us on a tour. We passed, but again, if this is something you are very interested in you might want an explanation of what you are seeing. It was interesting, but the fact they are replicas and not the real thing is somewhat disappointing.

7. There are a couple of very casual open-air restaurants where you can get sandwiches and a drink. The shower/locker room was very nice if you want to change before you leave you can do that comfortably here.

8. You can also rent everything you need to snorkel or dive. If you dive, most likely you are bringing most of your own equipment; if you snorkel you may not. I would recommend that you do if you go to Cozumel. Since there are a number of places in which to snorkel, if you don’t have your own equipment you will be paying $3.00 each time to rent fins or $5.00 each time for goggles, mask and fins. That may be worth it to you, but we did prefer to bring our own and they are easy enough to carry.

9. Cozumel was extremely hot in February. Don’t stay out in the sun for long even with lotion on. People were getting burnt through clothes while snorkeling. Keep that in mind. Lotion is sold everywhere so if you run out, you have no excuse! There are plenty of shaded palms and chairs. You may also read to get there early to get a chair. We arrived around 11:00, not particularly early and there were plenty of chairs.

10. So what is the snorkeling like since that is the main attraction of Chankanaab and supposedly the best on the island? It was ok, nothing to write home about. I think what is very attractive is you don’t even have to go in the water to see beautiful and quite large fish! So for people who want to snorkel without getting wet, they can do that here!

We did see the largest and most beautiful starfish I have ever seen while snorkeling but compared to the snorkeling we did close to our hotel, this was not as “wonderful.” What is unusual are a few things under the water. You will get a map and it will show you where to dive to find them and with a little effort we found them all. They include a cannon, an anchor, a Mayan looking goddess, and a figure of the Virgin Mary and a statue of Jesus Christ. So I must say that was unique!

In summary: if you find yourself in Cozumel diving and have some time off, it is worth the $10.00 and a trip just to see a different beach, the gardens, the dolphins and the underwater goodies. If you are not diving and find yourself in Cozumel you will definitely want to go here because you will run out of things to do and this is a nice way to spend the day.

If you have any questions about the Parque or Cozumel, please feel free to e-mail me.

To read more about Mexico, please visit these reviews:


Cozumel

Chankanaab Park

Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort
Puerto Villarta
Mexicana Airlines









Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime