Archives May 2022

What’s perhaps the strangest thing about the Yucatán Peninsula? That this rain-rich, jungle-clad region of Mexico features a complete lack of rivers.

Rather than pooling in streams, the water that falls here seeps through the peninsula’s base of permeable limestone.

The result is an underworld of interconnected subterranean rivers and semi-submerged caverns – a unique geographical calling card that has spawned millennia of myths, and which continues to intrigue to this day.

Over the centuries, many of these cavern roofs have collapsed, exposing the underground water to the sky – forming Yucatán’s famous cenotes, ideal spots for swimming, diving and beating the brutal heat.

Since thousands of these watering holes dot Yucatán, we’ve suggested a few of the best ones to add to your list – 10 reasons why the peninsula is a place of singular natural wonders. 

Overall planning tip: Unless stated otherwise below, most cenotes can only be accessed by car or by taking a tour. Prices start at around M$80 (US$4) per person, but can rise to 10 times that when including guided tours and equipment rental. 

1. Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich

Best for a full Maya experience
8 miles north of Tulum

Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich (or “giant bird cage” in the Mayan language) is located on land owned and operated by a Mayan family – a parcel locally known as Rancho San Felipe.

Although you can visit the cenote solo, with your entry fee including rental of a life jacket and a snorkel, we highly recommend guided snorkeling tours of the cenote and caves.

This way, you can explore the stalactite- and stalagmite-covered caverns that aren’t accessible to general visitors.

These spaces are just about accessible with a snorkel, thanks to the sliver of air at the top of the caverns, which form part of the Sistema Sac Altun, thought to be the world’s longest underwater cave system at 229 miles (369km) long.

You can also take in a traditional Maya purification ceremony and buffet that includes typical Maya dishes such as panuchos and papdzules.

Planning tip: As with all swimmable cenotes on this list (unless stated otherwise), you’ll need to bring your own towel, bathing suit, sandals or similar, along with some money (cash is the best option) for renting lockers and buying refreshments.

2. Cenote Dos Ojos

Best for snorkeling
11 miles north of Tulum

The jungle surrounding Cenote Dos Ojos (“two eyes”) is packed with hundreds of small cenotes, which in turn attract plenty of wildlife in the early morning and evening.

The main pool at Dos Ojos consists of a “pupil” of rock in the center, around which sits an azure “iris” of crystalline water, partly exposed to the sky.

Such a configuration makes it ideal for snorkeling. More-adventurous visitors may want to swim deeper into the caves of the gloomier second “eye.”

Experienced divers (equipment and flashlights are available to rent) can delve deeper into either of the cenotes, which are both connected to an extensive underground system. The Dos Ojos site also has a (water-free) bat cave, shower rooms, hammocks and laid-back cafe.

Planning tip: The best way to get to Dos Ojos is by car or as part of a tour. To reach the site on a budget, you can hop on a colectivo in Playa del Carmen or Tulum, disembark at Jacinto Pat and walk the 1.6 (2½km) miles along a dirt road. Bring plenty of water.

3.  Gran Cenote

Best for experienced cave divers
2.5 miles north of Tulum

While generally considered to be a top choice for scuba diving and snorkeling, Gran Cenote’s assortment of pools and caverns allow for many activities.

Scuba divers can explore submerged caverns – being sure to take care to avoid the clusters of stalactites and stalagmites above and below.

Because precise diving is required to avoid damaging these unique structures, only fully certified cave divers are allowed into Gran Cenote’s depths.

Yet there’s plenty to be said for the combination of clear water and snorkeling gear back on the surface, where turtles and fish ply the water.

Planning tip: To maintain the clarity of the water and protect the species living within, visitors are not allowed to swim while wearing sunscreen. You’ll need to take a shower (facilities are available on-site) before entering the water.

4. Cenote Zací

Best for easy access
In Valladolid’s historic center

The city of Valladolid is a great base for visiting many of the best cenotes in the Yucatán, as well as the ruins at Chichén Itzá.

But no cenote is easier to reach than Cenote Zací, which lies at the core of the city, only three blocks east of the Parque Principal.

The cenote is named for the Maya settlement that existed here until the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.

Although the water may not be as clear and the cavern roof not quite as impressive as some cenotes on this list, it still makes for an impressive swimming spot – not least given the busy city streets surrounding it.

Vegetation grows up the sides of the sinkhole, and water occasionally cascades down into the pool from above.  

Planning tip: If you’re staying nearby and plan to swim, it might be worth coming prepared with a swimsuit under your clothes since use of the changing rooms costs extra. Wearing of life jackets (provided at the site) is obligatory.

5. Cenote de Dzitnup

Best for swimming in dramatic caverns
3 miles southwest of Valladolid

Legend has it that a snuffling pig discovered Cenote de Dzitnup in the 1950s. Today, steps lead down into the cavern, whose small opening allows sunlight to paint the pool of water below turquoise.

Curiously, the cenote is also known as X’kekén and is often confused for Cenote Samulá, a smaller, shallower cavern cenote located on the grounds of Parque X’kekén.

Swimming in both cenotes, alongside shoals of languid blackfish beneath a roof spiked with hundreds of stalactites, is an eerie experience indeed.

Planning tip: There’s a changing room close to the steps down into Cenote de Dzitnup, but you’ll need sturdy sandals for the descent.

6. Cenotes Agua Dulce y Palomitas

Best for a limestone natural wonder
17 miles northeast of Valladolid

One forested site northeast of Valladolid hosts two underground cenotes. Both Agua Dulce (“freshwater”) and Palomitas (meaning either “little doves,” or more commonly “popcorn”) feel more like caves than your average cenote, since both have small openings in their roofs leading to vast water-filled chasms.

At both, the rock above the water is tight-packed with thousands of spear-like stalactites, which were formed by minerals slowly deposited over many thousands of years.

You’ll access both cenotes in novel ways. The larger of the two, Palomitas is reached via stone steps cut directly into the limestone.

But if you’re planning to swim in the cenote, there’s no more dramatic entrance than at Agua Dulce, where a spiral staircase corkscrews down through the tiny opening at the top of the cavern, straight into the water.

Planning tip: You must pay separately to enter each of the cenotes. If you only want to visit one, Agua Dulce is the more impressive.

7. Cenote Sagrado

Best for history lovers
Within the Chichén Itzá site

Whenever you find an ancient Maya city, you’ll no doubt find a cenote nearby. The water sources sustained thriving urban populations, and eventually became significantly intertwined with Maya folklore and ritual.

Chichén Itzá, which many archaeologists suspect was the most important religious center in the Maya world, has two cenotes at its center. (Indeed, Chichén Itzá means “at the mouth of Itzá’s well”).

That revered well is today referred to as Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Cenote). A sacbe (raised stone road) directly connects it to El Castillo, the site’s famous main temple – marking the final leg of what, for many in the Maya world, was the most important pilgrimage one could complete.

These days, the sacred and archaeological value of Cenote Sagrado means recreational use is prohibited, yet visitors can still enjoy good views over the murky green water from above.

In the early 20th century, the bottom was dredged, revealing a large number of votive offerings in gold and jade (treasures that mostly were removed from the country, sadly) – but few human remains.

These discoveries undermined the grizzly assumption that the cenote was used for human sacrifice, although this notion still stubbornly persists.

Planning tip: Chichén Itzá can get extremely busy once the tour buses show up. Check the site’s latest hours online and aim to arrive 15–30 minutes before the gates open to enjoy the site and cenote without the crowds.

8. Cenote Ik Kil

Best add-on to a Chichén Itzá visit
2 miles east of Chichén Itzá

The landscape around Chichén Itzá is riddled with cenotes, some of them major attractions that draw plenty of visitors thanks to their proximity to the ruins.

Among them, Cenote Ik Kil is the most popular spot – and deservedly so thanks to its photogenic cascades of tree roots and vines, which drip over the lip of the cenote toward the water 131ft (40m) below the surface.

At around 100 pesos (US$5) for admission, it is also one of the better-value cenotes to visit, particularly if you don’t plan to swim. Just be prepared to share the space with plenty of other visitors.

Planning tip: Ik Kil offers a wide range of amenities, with decent lockers, changing rooms and a wide staircase with chains to hold on to as you descend toward the water. As always, sporting decent footwear is recommended.

9. Cenote Yokdzonot

Best for natural beauty
11 miles west of Chichén Itzá

Cenote Yokdzonot is a success story for the local Maya. In 2005, a group of women from Yokdzonot town belonging to the Zaaz Koolen Háa Cooperative decided to do something about the forlorn and overlooked cenote on the edge of town, planting gardens and building trails.

Today, their work has resulted in one of the best-tended, cleanest and prettiest cenotes in the entire Yucatán Peninsula.

Trees crowd around the cenote, their tangled roots dangling down to the water, enhancing the natural beauty of this remarkable geological formation.

You can zip-line over the water, relax in a hammock or grab a bite at the restaurant. Better yet, with a trip here, you know that your money will be going directly to a local Maya community.

Planning tip: Although the best way to reach Cenote Yokdzonot is by car, the town is on the main Valladolid–Chichén Itzá–Mérida road, so it’s possible to get a local colectivo to drop you off in Yokdzonot along the way. The cenote is four blocks south of the central plaza.

10. Cenote Azul

Best for photogenic vistas
3 miles south of Bacalar

Lake Bacalar is revered for its brilliant blues. Every imaginable hue, from glowing cerulean to rich royal blue, transforms its shallow waters when the sun is out. Just south of Bacalar town, Cenote Azul (Blue Cenote) sits like a navy punctuation mark on the lake’s shoreline.

The 300-ft-deep (90m-deep) sinkhole, one of the Yucatán Peninsula’s largest, is separated from the lake by a thin strip of forest. In this way, it feels like an extension of the lake. While this makes it better for more-capable swimmers, snorkeling along the shallows at the edge of the cenote is also possible.