El Camaleon Mayakoba: 2026 Access and Booking Update
The Riviera Maya's headline course weaves from jungle to mangrove to the Caribbean shore and has hosted three professional tours. Here is where El Camaleon stands in 2026 and how to book around its tournament calendar.
Photo via Google.
The news: a multi tour venue with a busy calendar
El Camaleon is the Greg Norman design at the heart of the Mayakoba development on Mexico's Riviera Maya, between Playa del Carmen and Cancun. It opened in 2006, plays as a par 72 of roughly 7,116 yards, and routes through three distinct ecosystems: tropical jungle, mangrove wetland and the Caribbean coast.
The story for 2026 is its standing as one of the most decorated tournament venues in the Americas. El Camaleon is one of very few courses anywhere to have staged the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the LPGA, and in 2026 it again hosted the LPGA's Riviera Maya Open, which closed the course to public play for a short window in late April and early May. For a visitor that is the one practical wrinkle: the golf itself is settled, but the calendar is worth checking before you fly.
Three ecosystems and a hole over a cenote
What makes El Camaleon memorable is how often the picture changes. The round opens in thick jungle, threads through mangrove channels where the fairways are carved from the wetland, and finishes out on the wind exposed coast with the Caribbean in view. The name, the chameleon, is earned: few resort courses shift character this much in eighteen holes.
Its signature moment is a par 3 played directly over a natural limestone cenote, a sunken freshwater sinkhole that sits in the middle of the property, the kind of hazard you will not find anywhere else. The full facts box, signature holes and our verdict sit on our El Camaleon Mayakoba course page.
Indicative 2026 green fees and access
El Camaleon is a public resort course open to outside players as well as guests of the Mayakoba hotels, with the resort guests getting preferred rates. Fees are highest in the winter dry season and ease off peak, and prices typically include cart. Treat the bands below as indicative and confirm before booking.
| When | Typically included | Indicative 18 holes |
|---|---|---|
| Winter high season | green fee, cart | around 329 US dollars |
| Off peak or twilight | green fee, cart | below the headline rate |
Indicative 2025 to 2026 rates including cart. The course closes for short windows around its professional events. Always confirm directly before booking.
For value and access, look at the shoulder months and stay inside Mayakoba, where the Fairmont, Banyan Tree and Rosewood hotels share the course and the preferred tee times. Avoid the days around the LPGA event unless you are there to watch.
Our take
Our take is that El Camaleon is the most complete resort round on the Riviera Maya. It is not the longest or the hardest course in Mexico, but the variety, the conditioning fit for a tour field, and that cenote par 3 make it the one to book first on a Cancun or Playa del Carmen trip. The tournament pedigree is real, and you play the same holes the professionals do.
Pair it with the Moon Palace Nicklaus course and Iberostar Playa Paraiso for a full Riviera Maya itinerary. Set the wider picture with our best golf courses in Mexico ranking and the Mexico golf hub, then use plan my trip to put it together.
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Questions
Who designed El Camaleon Mayakoba and where is it?
El Camaleon is a Greg Norman design that opened in 2006 inside the Mayakoba development on Mexico's Riviera Maya, between Playa del Carmen and Cancun. It plays as a par 72 of about 7,116 yards and routes through three ecosystems: tropical jungle, mangrove wetland and the Caribbean coast.
Can visitors play El Camaleon in 2026, and what does it cost?
Yes. El Camaleon is a public resort course open to outside play as well as guests of the Mayakoba hotels, who receive preferred rates. Indicative green fees run around 329 US dollars in the winter high season, lower off peak. The course closes for short windows around its professional events, so check the calendar and confirm the current rate before booking.
What is special about El Camaleon?
El Camaleon is one of very few courses in the world to have hosted the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the LPGA. Its calling card is variety, with holes weaving from jungle to mangrove to a wind exposed finish by the sea, and a celebrated par 3 played directly over a natural limestone cenote.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, history and indicative fees verified June 2026 from club, golf travel and ratings sources; rates, seasons and access change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.