Ever since we moved to the Yucatán Peninsula late last month we haven’t been able to get enough of the cenotes out here! There are over 6,000 of them across the Yucatán Peninsula and all of them are different from each other.
First Things First, what are cenotes? (Pronounced say-no-tay) If you haven’t heard of cenotes yet, you’ll probably be hearing about them again soon but here’s a quick crash course: For a while now, they’ve been trending on travel social media sites. Photos and videos of some of the more famous ones are literally ALL over sites like Instagram and TikTok. The ‘cenote craze’ is still at an all time high and probably won’t slow down anytime soon. Because they’re worth the hype! So what exactly are cenotes? Basically they’re sinkholes that resulted from limestone bedrock collapsing. Essentially the ceiling of a cave collapses and it exposes the water that was previously underground. Many of them have super crystal clear blue water, making them the perfect place for activities like swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Some of them are what is called “semi-open”, partially underneath a cave ceiling, partially exposed. Others are closed cenotes, completely underground. Lastly, some are completely open air cenotes.
Where to go for the best cenotes? Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is the best, and one of the only, places in the world to go to experience cenotes. You can reach them from anywhere here in the Yucatán, by several means of transportation but many tourists who want to see a lot choose to set up shop in one of the ‘cenote hotspot’ cities. Tulum is a very popular place that’s close to many of them within the Quintana Roo state of the Yucatán Peninsula. The colonial city of Valladolid, our current home, is the best city for visiting all of the cenotes in the Yucatán state. In this blog, we’ll focus on the best cenotes that are super close to Valladolid. (Tulum is great too, another blog about that is coming!)
Here are the ones you should not miss:
#1 Cenote Zaci
Zaci is the only cenote that’s right in the city center, just a few blocks away from Valladolid’s main square! It’s by far the easiest to get to, and it also has the cheapest admission cost of any cenote we’ve ever been to! The atmosphere at Cenote Zaci is really chill and laid back. There’s a restaurant up top with good local cuisine and it’s well priced! Zaci is a semi-open cenote, with about half of it having a cave ceiling. There are 3 small waterfalls cascading from the top of the caves, although sometimes they are turned off. There are also multiple points along the edge of the cenote where people can jump from the surrounding rocks. Crowds are hit or miss. Because of it’s central location and low cost, we’ve visited about half a dozen times. We’ve had it almost to ourselves a few times, while also being packed in like sardines on other visits. It usually depends on the time of day and the weather.
Cenote Zaci is for sure one of our favorites in the area because it offers a lot of room to swim around in, is the best in the area for jumping, and is more about just having fun than getting the perfect Instagram photo, like several others in the area. (Looking at you Cenote Suytan ;))
Cenote Zaci is for sure one of our favorites in the area because it offers a lot of room to swim around in, is the best in the area for jumping, and is more about just having fun than getting the perfect Instagram photo, like several others in the area. (Looking at you Cenote Suytan ;))
- Distance from Valladolid City Center: Less than a 5 minute walk.
- Cost of admission: 30 mx pesos ($1.50 USD)
- Life jackets required: No.
- Lockers: No, but plenty of space to lay your stuff near the water.
- Bathrooms: Yes, in the restaurant for free, the bathroom at the cenote is 5 mx pesos.
- Tips: If you spend 100 mx at the restaurant, admission to the cenote is free!
#2 Cenote Samulá
Cenote Samulá is a 2-for-1 package deal with Cenote Xkeken and is just a short 10 minute drive from Valladolid’s city center. When we went, there were about a dozen other tourists and locals there total split between the two cenotes, so not bad! It’s almost fully enclosed with a cave ceiling but has a hole in the top that sends a gorgeous light beam down into the water at various times throughout the day. The water here is absolutely crystal clear and some of the most beautiful we’ve seen in the area. At a lot of the cenotes, there’s simply a wooden platform where you access the water, and where the lifeguards hangout, this is one of those. However, luckily there are lockers here included in the rental price for you to keep the things you want to keep dry. The reason we loved this one so much is because the water is so perfect, and it offers breathtaking cavern views, while also being very laid back and not as busy as others. It’s a cheap taxi ride from Valladolid, and the second cenote, while not quite as nice, makes it even more worth it.The second cenote is called Cenote Xkeken and is completely underground with some small holes here and there letting some light in. It’s fun to explore around and check out all of the stalactites hanging from the cave’s ceiling.
- Distance from Valladolid City Center: 10 minute drive, 6.5 kilometers (4 miles)
- Cost of admission: 125 mx pesos ($6.35 USD) For two cenotes.
- Life jackets required: Yes.
- Lockers: Yes, included with admission.
- Bathrooms: Yes, and showers.
- Tips: It’s unfortunate that lifejackets are required here, and cost an additional 20 mx. However, if you aren’t going to swim, you don’t have to have one to go see the cenote. Also, the lifeguards at the bottom will sometimes give you a lifejacket or lifeguard ring for free to use. More often though, they’ll charge you 20 mx to use one. Still worth it, because the lifeguard rings give you more flexibility than the lifejackets.
#3 Cenote San Lorenzo Oxman
‘Cenote Oxman’ for short, is a picturesque open cenote with long tree roots growing from the top and dropping all the way down into the water. It’s located at a large hacienda (estate), with beautiful grounds. The admission cost gets you access to a swimming pool at the restaurant, tables with mosquito nets, hammocks, nice bathrooms, and plenty of space to chill. The atmosphere is relaxing and the top-down views of the cenote are really nice as well. The best parts about this cenote is the rope swing at the bottom and the fact that it’s still relatively unknown…but that’s quickly changing. In fact, while we were there, the cenote briefly shut down so a crew could film a promo for the cenote. Also, an employee told us that earlier the same morning a photographer for National Geographic had come by. It’s no wonder, who doesn’t want to feel like Tarzan, swinging into a deep blue pool?
- Distance from Valladolid City Center: 10 minute drive, 6.5 kilometer (4 miles)
- Cost of Admission: 150 mx pesos ($7.60 USD)
- Life jackets Required: Unsure. Despite some sources online saying they are, they were not enforced the day we were there. However, they were provided free of charge if needed.
- Lockers: Yes, not sure if they were included with admission though.
- Bathrooms: Yes, and showers.
- Tips: Plan on spending a few hours here, but maybe get coffee and food while you’re in town, as the prices here for food are a bit inflated. Oh, and get in one of the hammocks if they’re available. Hammocks are very popular here in this area and relaxing in one should be experienced, at least once.
#4. Cenote Suytun
Along with Ik Kil, this is one of the two most popular cenotes near Valladolid. This one is visually stunning for sure, covered completely by a cave ceiling except for a hole just above a round platform that juts out into the water. At the right time of day, sun rays will shine down onto the platform. Which is why this spot has been overtaken by Instagrammers looking to step up their content game… by taking the exact same photo as thousands of other people. All jokes aside, it’s worth a visit for the spectacle alone and come on, admit it, you kind of want that photo too. We got the photo, so we’re not judging! This one is notorious for large crowds but we beat the tour busses by arriving before opening. It opens at 9 am and they let us in 5 minutes early. So we grabbed a mandatory life jacket and hit the cenote and ended up having it to ourselves for almost 10 glorious minutes. Again, due to the recent rains the platform was underwater but still highly visible since the water is so clear.
This cenote really is all about the photo and the people visiting tend to just wait in line to hit the platform up, one after the other. After we took about 100 variations of the famous photo, we sat out and took in the spectacle of just how stunning Cenote Suytun really is, and all of the stalactites on the ceiling. There were also bats flying around the top so that was amazing to see. They say they only allow a maximum of one hour per visit, but not sure if it’s enforced. Perhaps when really busy, but most people spend less than 30 minutes there. No one wants to swim and be hated by everyone taking photos. But who can blame the photographers? Cenote Suytan is one of the most beautiful around, for sure.
- Distance from Valladolid City Center: 16 minutes, 8.6 kilometers (5.3 miles)
- Cost of Admission: 120 mx pesos ($6.15 USD)
- Life jackets Required: Yes.
- Lockers: Yes, included with admission.
- Bathrooms: Yes, and showers
- Tips: Get there early, right at opening if you can. We’ve seen photos from once the tour buses start rolling in and it looks miserable. The lifeguards at the bottom will let you take your lifejacket on and switch it for a small flotation device that only goes on your arms for photos. They may ask for a tip for doing so though. Perhaps when the platform isn’t submerged under water, they would simply let you take the lifejacket off altogether.
#5. Cenote Ik Kil
Cenote Ik Kil is a visually stunning one with tree roots and vines growing down into the mostly open cenote. For that reason, it’s very popular. It’s not only a big Instagram photo op, Red Bull also hosts diving competitions here, so prepare for some crowds. There is also a restaurant there and a bar. The waters at all the cenotes we’ve been going to have been on the high side due to recent rain, and this was no exception. Leave anything you want dry in the lockers because the bottom of the stairs to the cenote are currently completely covered in about 4 feet of water. Water levels vary of course but either way, space to put anything is limited below. There’s a few small jumps available at the bottom, unless of course you’re a Red Bull professional diver, then you can jump in from the top…so let’s hope they’re not lying when they say Red Bull gives you wings! 😉
- Distance from Valladolid City Center: 37 minute drive, 39 kilometers (24.2 miles)
- Cost of admission: 150 mx pesos. ($6.35 USD)
- Life jackets Required: Yes
- Lockers: Yes, included with admission.
- Bathrooms: Yes, and showers.
- Tips: Just prepare to leave everything you want dry in lockers. If you are going to swim, employees at the top of the stairs will tell you to first shower under one of their outdoor showers. The water is freezing cold so it gets you ready for the cenote swim! Also, tie this into a visit with Chichen Itza, if you’re going. It’s just a few kilometers away from there.
#6 Cenote Samaal
Cenote Samaal is just about a 1.5 kilometers (less than a mile) away from Cenotes Samulá and Xkeken, and it’s directly on the way when leaving from Valladolid. However, to be honest, we didn’t have a great experience at this cenote. It’s a bit more on the expensive side compared to the others, and is super touristy with lots of shops and restaurants. Like Oxman, it’s located on a huge hacienda. The place itself is nice, but because it’s right off of the highway that leads to Chichen Itza, many bus tour companies stop there. For that reason, Samaal was by far the busiest cenote we went to, with no less than 100 people there. The cenote itself is nice enough, although the water isn’t very clear. The pros of this place are it’s convenience to Valladolid, and it has a chill atmosphere. In fact, we saw two people flying their drones there, which many other cenotes won’t allow. With multiple waterfalls cascading into the cenote, the view alone makes it worth a visit, as long as you arrive early. We chose not to swim at this one due to the mandatory life jackets that cost extra, and the crowds.
- Distance from Valladolid City Center: 8 minute drive, 4.8 kilometers. (2.9 miles)
- Cost of admission: 150 mx pesos ($6.35 USD)
- Life jackets required: Yes, and cost 30 mx pesos. ($1.50)
- Lockers: Yes, not sure if they are included with admission though.
- Bathrooms: Yes, and showers.
- Tips: There’s a well-known buffet at the Hacienda Selva Maya where the cenote is located so come hungry!
How do you get to the cenotes? Start out with walking to Cenote Zaci to get your feet wet, literally, in the cenote exploring game and to catch your first glimpse of this beautiful underground world. For the ones that are too far to walk, you’re in luck. There’s so many methods of transportation here.
The easiest and fastest is to simply hail one of the dozens upon dozens of taxis near the main square. You’ll hear them honking every time they pass you to make sure you see them, and to see if you need their services. Other alternatives are to rent a bike, most roads to the cenotes have bike trails that run beside them and many can be biked in half an hour or less.
Our personal favorite though, is to rent a moped. You can rent one at Scooterrent, half a block away from the main square. It’s 600 pesos ($30 USD) for 24 hours and a great way to see a lot of cenotes, even in one day. It’s also a great way to dry off in-between swimming in them. 🙂 It’s worth noting that the moped place will require either a 2,000 mx peso deposit, or simply that you leave your passport with them. We chose to leave the passport and had a great, smooth experience renting there. If you’re going to one that’s a lot further away, like Ik Kil, you can book a very cheap bus from the Ado bus station to Chichen Itza, where you can then take a taxi to the cenote. (We paid around $2 USD each to get to Chichen Itza on an Ado bus) The same applies to any others that are near large tourist attractions. They also have ‘colectivo’ buses that leave from the city center. These are essentially vans that run back and forth between any given two popular tourist areas all day, they’re even cheaper than the Ado buses.
There are numerous other cenotes near Valladolid not mentioned here, but these are the ones you definitely shouldn’t miss. Despite their ever-growing popularity, you can still beat the crowds by arriving early or staying late. No two are the same, so visit as many as you can!
We have many more Mexico vlogs on the way so stay tuned and follow us on all of our social media sites! Happy travels!
Extra Tips: Do not wear sunscreen to the cenotes unless it’s biodegradable. It’s toxic for them and many ask you not to. If you’re wearing it, no big deal just shower at the cenotes before getting in.
If you are a person with a physical disability, it’s important to note that MOST of the cenotes have stairs that lead down to them, no ramps. HOWEVER, don’t feel too left out. You can still visit certain cenotes and get a nice view. Cenote Zaci has a nice wheelchair accessible viewpoint from the restaurant. Other cenotes like Ik Kil and Oxman are almost entirely visible from the top. Also, if swimming isn’t your thing but you still want to take it all in, you won’t be alone! A lot of visitors don’t swim at the cenotes and just come for the views. 🙂
Also, always bring cash (mx pesos) to the cenotes as a good rule of thumb. Some do not accept cards, all prefer cash. If you’re wanting to eat at the restaurants by the cenotes, always check before buying the admission ticket if there are combination deals that include food or admission, usually there is.
*Info relevant as of January 21st, 2021.
*Current exchange rate: $1 USD=19.76 mx pesos.
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