Turtles and Cenotes

Where do I start?
Actually, we are still amazed by our trip with Anker Tours ( https://www.ankertours.com/ ) today. Our expectations were more than exceeded.
But let's start from the beginning.
4:00 AM, the alarm goes off. 4:05 AM, the alarm goes off again. 4:10 AM, the same thing again. Okay, it has to be done; we need to get up.
Luckily, I had already packed the backpack for today yesterday, so I just needed a quick trip to the bathroom, get dressed, and I was ready. Just before 5:00 AM, we were ready in front of the hotel. Our guide Stefan and our driver Jesus picked us up exactly on time. From the first hello, it was clear that this was a good match.
I found Stefan, or rather Anker Tours, through Google. Before the vacation, as I do for every trip, I made my list of: what do I want to see? Ideally without huge tourist crowds, and preferably in German this time.

Okay Google: Excursions Cancun in German.

And voila, a few providers came up, one of them being Anker Tours.
I found some interesting offers in German through TUI or GetyourGuide, but none of them could really convince me 100%. After all, it would just be mass tourism again 🤷🏼‍♀️
I can manage with my English, even if it's not the best; but since we wanted to see Maya pyramids and cenotes and also learn a bit about them,... I think for such archaeological things, my English just isn't enough.
I went through various providers, but the best package for us was simply with Stefan. I wrote to him, asked how it looks since we would be in Mexico, and promptly got a reply. But not just that. Stefan immediately provided me with information about entry requirements and more, there were certain things I hadn’t even considered.
A few emails went back and forth, and every one of my questions, no matter how silly, was answered. That's where good service starts for me. In the end, we booked the Turtles and Cenotes & Tulum and Coba tours with Stefan.
The first one was with the turtles, today.

We started right away. A quick stop at the gas station where Stefan provided us with drinks and snacks. Then we headed straight to Akumal.
The bay there is a nature reserve where three different species of sea turtles live. I personally enjoy being able to see animals in their natural habitats, not locked away in zoos or farms for show. And before someone jumps in to say, but you’re disturbing them in their natural habitat,... As mentioned, the bay is a nature reserve. There are zones marked as refuges for the animals, where we humans are not allowed. There are also areas where snorkeling is permitted. If there are no animals there, tough luck. And yes, there are plenty of rules and instructions to follow, but if I start listing them all now, I’ll still be sitting here writing the blog tomorrow 😅
A big plus for Stefan and his team is that the groups are always small, so it’s not like 30 people are circling around one poor little turtle.
And what was really cool was that 1. another couple was supposed to join the tour but canceled at the last minute, so Jörg and I had a private tour, and 2. we were the first ones in Akumal. For nearly an hour, it was just Stefan, Jörg, and me in the water 💪🏼 We were taken behind the calm zone by boat, and then, I don’t know how to describe it. It was once again a real WOW experience. It didn’t take long until we spotted the first turtle grazing on the sea floor. Amazing 🤩 What beautiful creatures! Stefan also provided us with a lot of information about Akumal and the turtles. But again, I can’t provide all the details here without overwhelming you. If you really want to know everything, come here for vacation and book a tour with Anker Tours through the link above, and you can ask Stefan all your questions. Or, it’s simpler but a bit less informative; most people know where we live and that it’s great in the Black Forest, which I’ve mentioned often enough 😉🤷🏼‍♀️
We were incredibly lucky today. Super clear water, lots of turtles, and suddenly Jörg spotted a stingray. Another highlight. A while later, Jörg excitedly spotted another ray. When Stefan saw it, he was just as thrilled. An eagle ray was swimming beneath us. They are quite rare to see. And 'ours' didn’t swim away immediately but glided around us in the water for quite a while. Truly indescribable 🥰 At this point, we were already totally excited and our expectations had been exceeded. When the first big tourist groups arrived, we headed back to the beach, and the next part of our tour would have been visiting three different cenotes. However, since it was just the two of us, Stefan suggested visiting a very special cenote where we could swim a good ways through. But only if we were really okay with it. He assured us it was very beautiful and a special experience. Since we trusted Stefan and thought he knew what he was talking about, we agreed. He called ahead to check if we could come, and the answer was yes, come on over, no one is there, you’ll be completely alone. So we jumped back in the car and headed into the jungle to X.TUN cenote. Wow experience 2.0 of the day. We were truly all alone. A quick briefing from Stefan, we put on life jackets, and then we descended into the cave. Throughout our time there, Stefan provided us with plenty of fascinating information about the Mayans and the cenotes. And once again: book a tour here or visit the beautiful Black Forest 🤷🏼‍♀️ I can't put into words how incredible it was. There are no photos, as the cenotes are sacred places for the Mayans, and cameras, phones, etc. are not allowed. You don’t need them, the pictures stay in your mind.
First, a jump into the 23° warm water 🥶, swimming through a narrow passage into a larger hall, walking through the cave system here and there, past tree roots that have made it down here, again through the water, and again and again getting a lot of useful information or simply floating and allowing the formations that have developed over the centuries to wash over us. A few catfish were swimming in the crystal-clear water, and I happened to be the one to discover a scorpion spider on the wall 🤢 But the little creature was smart and stayed put. A highlight, even if it took some courage, was standing on a rock in a hall with no light except for the beam from Stefan’s flashlight shining down (I am really bad at estimating; spontaneously I would say, 3 meters high, but it was probably less, at least 2 for sure 😅), where it is now going down. Good, one after the other jumped down in the darkness. When do you ever get to experience something like that? And then also completely alone. Just mega cool.
We spent over an hour down in the cave. However, it didn’t feel that long at all. The time passed in a flash.
Once back outside, we enjoyed a cold beer and my new favorite drink (vodka-peach) on the way back. We are still processing everything we experienced. Back at the hotel, there isn’t much more to report. I was at the pool while Jörg preferred the tranquility on our balcony. We just went out to eat, I will pack the backpack again soon, and then it’s off to bed. After all, the alarm goes off tomorrow at 4:45 AM 💪🏼 Our Wednesday tour will be made up. We are going to Tulum and Coba. If you really read this far, you should also know that. Of course, again with Anker Tours.
I can truly recommend it to you. If you are here and want cool all-inclusive excursions where you are truly well taken care of and your wishes are catered to, then you are in the right place. Stefan, and I think the rest of the team too, I can say more about that tomorrow, are really passionate about making sure you have an amazing time. Thank you so much, Stefan. It was a wonderful day that will surely stay in our memories.
So, that’s enough now. I don't feel like writing anymore 😅