We trekked in heat with our son for an hour but no monkeys. It’s expensive and tiring and not guaranteed to see them as they are roaming wild. Don’t go around lunch time as apparently they sleep so don’t see them (we were only told this after already paid!)
Expensive and tiring not to see them
A genuine Mayan experience
This place was INCREDIBLE. After doing a lot of touristy things in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, it was refreshing to visit this small Mayan village and see how they live. Our guide was super friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. Throughout the tour he and some of the others spoke to each other in Mayan and taught us a few words. The overall feel was incredible. We were literally in a somewhat remote Mayan village where there were still some who didn’t speak Spanish.
Monkeys: first we went into the jungle and saw TONS of monkey! Whole families of them swinging through the trees and playing.
Mayan Ceremony: the shaman of the village did a Mayan ceremony for good luck in and we drank some ceremonial, non alcoholic wine. It was a neat experience.
Cenote: The Cenote was such a cool experience. They repeal you down 30 feet or so into an underground cavern. The place is full of bats and looks amazing. I suggest bringing googles or renting at the front because apparently the bottom is covered with bones of more than 120 of their Mayan ancestors. We didn’t have goggles to see them, unfortunately. Don’t worry, the water is super clean (drinkable).
Canoes: the canoes were fun and relaxing. Nothing super exciting.
Zip line: we skipped the zip line (they discounted us 400 pesos) but I’m sure it’s great.
Do not miss this place!!!
What an amazing place! We had a walk around the jungle and saw quite a few spider monkeys that were very curious about us, even some babies! Make sure you take a guide with you, those monkeys are quite tricky to spot. Our guide was awesome, very knowledgeable in pretty much everything - in just one afternoon we learned so much about local flora, fauna, even about the Maya communities that live nearby, their language and practices. Afterwards we swam in the lagoon for a bit, beautiful scenery.
PS. They have special tours to see birds and amphibians in the morning and evening, respectively.
This was the best recommendation of the trip and it is well worth your time! Starting with a Mayan ceremony, we explored the jungle and our guide was really what made the experience! We spotted howlers, enjoyed the best zip line of the trip, canoed, enjoyed birds, Mayan ruins, gorgeous flora and more monkeys, we only regretted not coming prepared for the cenote! They do an excellent job in a beautiful place!
We loved our experience at Punta Laguna! According to some other reviewers, the best time to visit and see the monkeys is between 3-5 PM, and so we'd intended to arrive during that window. Alas, we arrived at 1 PM. Even still, our guide pointed out spider monkeys galore! The grownups were swinging in the branches, eating or watching their young. A youngster even climbed down from the trees and approached us. (Our guide asked us to stand still until he left.)
Then we found howler monkeys, who were screeching their hearts out.
It's obvious how much the folks working at the refuge care about these wild souls. Our guide was terrific, and he spoke fondly of the animals. Everyone is respectful, and gives the monkeys lots of space in which to enjoy their natural behavior.
One hour hike in the forest looking for spider monkeys. Recommending hiring a guide, he was fast at finding the spider monkeys
Best lagoon all inclusive for my private tours
Avoid the crowds on the cost a head out to a less traveled place like Punta Laguna. We got there with Tulum Bike Tours and the day was a blessing. The zipline over the lake was fun, and the canoeing relaxing. Most people come here to see Spider Monkey and we were not disappointed, there was a lot of them (I heard you could be unlucky and not see any). The highlight of the day however was visiting a Mayan family living in the woods not far from this place.
We have seen spider monkeys there. Worth a visit
Give the local kids a good tip and they'll show you where all the monkeys are in the treetops! Nice place off the beaten path.
Best part of our week-long trip to Tulum. So amazing to get away from the town for a few hours. We did the $30 tour per person which took about 2 hours and included monkey sightings, a short zipline and canoe, rapel into a cenote, and see a short Mayan ceremony. The people running the place were proud to showcase and promote conservation of their land. We ended up hiring a taxi for 6 hours instead of doing a tour or bus and saved significantly. Totally recommend getting here if you can!
Beautiful and remote place. Do not expect too much comfort there, you are in the middle of nowhere. They offer guided tours, have a cenote with rappel, a zip-lines (250 meters), canoes and the chance to see spider monkeys in their natural habitat. Great for kids!