ATV Excursion: Discover El Cedral Town & Ruins, Cenote Swim
Description
Ride into the adventurer side of Cozumel on an ATV adventure that combines rural roads, colorful village scenery, local history, and a refreshing cenote stop. This shared experience begins at a designated meeting point in Cozumel, where travelers check in with the team before taking included transportation toward El Cedral, one of the island’s most traditional and peaceful towns. Once in El Cedral, the adventure begins with safety equipment and ATV organization before heading out through rural paths and picturesque village streets. As you ride, you’ll discover a different side of Cozumel beyond the beaches: colorful surroundings, a calm local atmosphere, and small archaeological remains connected to the island’s early inhabitants. The route continues to Jade Cenote, a natural stop where travelers can pause, enjoy the scenery, cool off in the cenote waters, and take photos in a peaceful setting.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The experience begins at the designated meeting point in Cozumel, where travelers will check in with the team and join the group for their selected departure time. After check-in, everyone will board the included transportation that takes the group toward El Cedral. This first part of the experience opens the route in a simple and organized way before the ATV adventure begins.
Travelers will ride from the meeting point toward El Cedral, a quiet and traditional village in Cozumel. This short transfer brings guests away from the busier coastal areas and closer to the rural side of the island, where the ATV route will begin. Upon arrival, the group will prepare with safety equipment and receive the necessary organization before taking the ATVs. The ATV adventure begins through rural roads and the colorful streets of El Cedral. Travelers will ride through a peaceful village setting known for its local charm, calm atmosphere, and small archaeological remains that reflect the history of those who lived in the area hundreds of years ago. This part of the route gives the experience a special Cozumel character: outdoor adventure mixed with village scenery, history, and a more authentic view of the island.
After riding through El Cedral, travelers will continue by ATV toward Jade Cenote, a natural stop surrounded by local vegetation and a peaceful atmosphere. Here, guests can take a short break, admire the cenote setting, cool off in the water, take photos, or enjoy the view from the dock. Travelers who want a more active moment can also jump into the cenote waters from the available high point, adding a refreshing highlight to the route before continuing the ride.
After the cenote visit, travelers will ride the ATVs back toward El Cedral and return to the ATV base. From there, the group will board the included transportation for the return to the original meeting point in Cozumel. This final part closes the experience after a route filled with rural landscapes, village charm, ATV riding, and a refreshing cenote stop.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Remember that when choosing the "Shared ATV" option, the number of participants in the reservation must be even, each vehicle can carry a maximum of 2 passengers. If the reservation is made for an odd number of participants and this option is chosen, the difference is automatically charged to the individual ATV at the time of check-in with the guide.
Reviews(13)
We arrived at 9:43am for a 10am tour. There was no sign, no van, nothing. We finally found a woman who could help us at 10:15am. We then waited for other tour participants to show up until 10:53am (they never did). Our tour guide, Pedro, was terrible. He identified a tree whose trunk was covered in 3 inch thorns as a "cedar" tree. Then he turned up the music in the van so he wouldn't have to talk to us. He made us go on the hike alone while he chatted with friends (every other group had a guide with them). He did not take our pictures or offer us water bottles or engage in conversation. Because we had such a late start he cut our ATV ride short, leaving the fun trail and bringing us to a flat dirt road. Every other group we passed was provided with goggles/glasses and bandanas to help with the dust, but not us. Our tour only had one size helmet for us, which was enormous. The tour description claims that we would see Mayan ruins; there are no Mayan ruins at the single stop we made, only touristy reproductions. The 2 good things that kept this from being a single star review were the chocolate tasting, and Hugo, the person who drove us back to the pickup point. Hugo chatted with us, sharing stories and information. He was great, knowledgeable and friendly.
We had an incredible time exploring Cozumel on ATVs. The landscapes were lush and vibrant, and every stop felt like a postcard. Our guide made the tour extra special — super warm, funny, and shared lots of interesting facts about the island. This is a must-do if you’re visiting Cozumel!
This ATV tour was the perfect mix of adrenaline and stunning scenery. The trails through the jungle were beautiful, and the views were unforgettable. What really stood out was our guide — so friendly, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel comfortable and safe. You can tell they truly love what they do!
This was a pretty fun excursion for us with the ATV ride and getting to jump into the Cenote. A problem that we encountered was that the tour provider, Hi Travel Tours, has their meeting point in front of a sports store outside of the older cruise port/terminal area (where Carnival and others dock) and we were on MSC Cruises which docks a couple miles away from their location. So we had to take a taxi to get to the meeting location. This was our mistake when we booked but if you sail on MSC then just know that you will need to take a taxi to get to the meeting point if you book with this company. We arrived early for our tour so we ended up wondering around the shopping area until our booked time came around. Once the tour started, we had a 10 minute shuttle ride to El Cedral where we moved over to the ATV's. We did a little tour of the town and received a nice history lesson on the area by one of the locals. Then we headed out to the Cenote. The drive on the ATV's was fun and when we got to the Cenote our tour guide gave us a little lesson on the Cenotes which was pretty interesting. Then we got to jump in the Cenote which was a cool experience. We were able to jump a couple times before we had to make our way back to the town. After we got back to El Cedral we had a tequila tasting which was nice and then we went on a little ATV tour of the jungle which was fun. Once we finished, we headed back into Cozumel and our tour guide was nice enough to drop us back off near our ship which we really appreciated since it saved us another taxi ride. Overall, the tour guide was great and we had a fun time. It is definitely an excursion that we would recommend.
I had a terrible experience on this tour and feel compelled to warn others. Our guide arrived more than an hour late. We were told to wait inside a sporting goods store, which quickly became awkward as the staff there clearly weren't expecting us. After some time, they asked us to leave. We tried calling the guide many times. Once the tour started, we visited a cenote. I asked the guide if it was safe to jump in, and he assured me it was. After jumping in, I immediately noticed thousands of bats hanging overhead. When I asked the guide directly if they were bats, he denied it. As a veterinarian, I knew this was inaccurate and misleading. Exposure to bat droppings can lead to serious illnesses, including histoplasmosis, leptospirosis, and campylobacteriosis. I became severely ill shortly after returning home to the US and my MD diagnosed me with a GI campylobacter infection from comsuming guano (feces), which caused me to be bedridden for several days. Another local guide friend later confirmed that it’s widely known that that cenote poses health risks, yet none of this was disclosed by the guide We were then taken to a so-called tequila tasting, which turned out to be a high-pressure sales scam. It began with a basic, low-grade tequila and ended with a flavored, overly sweet “family reserve” that allegedly costs $380 USD a bottle. The tequila was later found infused with additives like sugar or caramel to appeal to unsuspecting visitors. We know this because we bought a bottle and brought it to our local distillery to have it analyzed. The packaging hides key identifiers like the NOM number and QR code – likely because they don't match any legitimate distillery. It's highly misleading and is an intentional effort to deceive tourists. Finally, we were brought to a chocolate shop that claimed to make artisanal chocolate. Nothing is produced on site, and the prices were extremely inflated ($25/small bar). This tour was not only dishonest but also potentially VERY dangerous to your health. I strongly recommend avoiding it. Transparency, honesty, and safety should be the bare minimum on any guided excursion – and this experience failed on all counts.
Very fun excursion we had a blast ! Our guide was very helpful and took many pictures of us so we can always look back on a perfect day
Amazing experience! Driving four-wheelers through the jungle was exciting and fun. The Mayan ruins we visited were impressive, and the guide explained everything with great passion. To close with a golden clasp, we swim in a cenote of crystal clear waters. A perfect day!
Was expecting more ruins but had a great time on the ATV's. The whole tour was great fun and our guide was very knowledgeable Enjoyed Cenote Jade and the village of El Cedral. There were several cultural events also.
Adrenaline to the maximum, I love adventure and meeting new places, I brought my family and we had a great time, the very friendly and friendly staff.
I had an amazing time that day, the staff very friendly and clearing my doubts. The climate of these destinations is exhausting but worth everything for adventure!
