Chankanaab National Park

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Bstrieg

Guest
Hey everybody.

Have read mixed reviews of Chankanaab National Park, but am wondering if it's crowded. Cozumel is the last stop of a cruise during which we're snorkeling 4 days in a row. My wife and I are just looking for a laid back spot where we could snorkel if we wanted (we heard that Chak. is not the best snorkeling), but we're interested in beaching it that day.

Is it crowded? Can we kick back/relax there?

Thanks!
 
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Darlene

Guest
The snorkeling was great at Chankanaab. You didn't need bread crumbs. We had fish following us around. It is crowded. Mr. Sanchos is not crowded and was free when we were there. That is the only place where we had lunch off the ship in 4 cruises. Remember the prices are in pesos. You can divide by 10 to get the price in dollars.
 
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BurBunny

Guest
Chankanaab can be crowded as it is the place everyone's heard of for snorkeling or beach day. You might also look into Dzul Ha. Snorkeling can be better there, and it's generally less crowded.
 
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Cruise_fly

Guest
I usually get to Chankanaab in the morning just after the ship arrives and have always been the first to lay steps on the virgin sand. It's almost empty for the first hour and not too crowded in the morning. I suppose by the time I'm ready to leave, (noon-1) it's a bit more crowded but I've never really noticed, It's a big park and I've already claimed my spot under in the shade. It's a beautiful park with great snorkeling! The coral is not the finest, but it grows more and more each year. The fish are plentiful.
 
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KMac

Guest
I'm with Cruise_fly. Been there twice and got there early and there was no crowd at all. I got in a lot of great snorkling. Have fun.
 
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callandre

Guest
HI,
I have been to Chan. several times over the past four years, and unfortunately, the reef is suffering from overexposure to humans. That means the snorkelling is not as good as it once was, but the beach is NEVER crowded, and two of my four trips there were with cruise ships. I highly recommend taking a taxi to the park from the pier yourself, they are plentiful and every driver I ever encountered was most interested in coming back to get us...both of those times we got the ride there free, paid him upon his returning us to the pier...how much more fair can you get? AND the fares were $5usd/pp for the full round trip. The park entrance is $10 per person, so for $15 per person, we did it WAY cheaper than anything the ships had offered! The beach is GREAT, there are nice palapas (palm thatched huts) for shade, great soft sand, a nice outdoor snack bar/restaurant with very good authentic nachos and cervesos. The park itself is lovely to walk along the cement walkways, we saw wonderful iguanas and fish and birds. Bring your gear with you just in case the sun is bright and that huge grouper I saw last year hanging under the stairway is still there!
 
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