One of my favorite things to do in Mexico is swim in the beautiful cenotes of the Yucatan. Here are tips for visiting a cenote in Mexico, and how to enjoy them responsibly.
Cenotes are super cool! The Mayan people used cenotes to supply their ancient cities (like Chichen Itza) with fresh water, as well as a sacred place to conduct sacrificial offerings to their gods.
Ancient golden artifacts and human bones have been discovered in many.
Offerings were made to the Mayan god Chaac, the god of rain, when drought threatened the area. The Maya also believed these underground wells were entrances to the afterlife.
Despite their slightly creepy history, these days cenotes in Mexico are enjoyed by foreigners and locals alike as refreshing jungle swimming holes and cave diving hot-spots. No trip to Mexico is complete without swimming in a cenote!
After spending many years living in and regularly traveling to Mexico as a digital nomad, I wanted to put together a helpful guide to my favorite cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Mexico is open to most travelers again, including American tourists. However you do need proof of your COVID-19 vaccination(s) or a negative test result before being allowed entry.
Many hotels, attractions, and private tours are open with new health & safety protocols in place, and you still have to follow certain guidelines.
You can find the latest updates on traveling to Mexico here.
Protect yourself from injury, illness, or theft. Safety Wing offers affordable travel insurance that covers COVID-19 too!
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is famous for its amazing cenotes — natural pools of fresh water located in limestone caves. These pools are connected to each other through the world’s largest underground river system.
Rain water seeps through the porous limestone, collecting underground.
Cenotes themselves are created when the limestone surface collapses, creating a cave opening into this river system. Some cenotes are “open air” meaning the roof has completely collapsed, while “cave cenotes” may have most or all of their roof still intact.
Many cenotes in Mexico are home to a variety of fish and plant life, some even have turtles!
There are supposedly over 6000 different cenotes located in Mexico. Some have been turned into swimming holes for tourists, others are used for technical cave scuba diving, and many more are simply inaccessible – hidden in the remote Mexican jungle.
The best cenotes near Cancun are located along the Ruta De Cenotes (Cenote Route) just outside the city of Puerto Morelos. La Noria was my favorite of these cenotes. It boasts milky blue water, some rope swings, a jumping platform, and dramatic cave stalactites hanging from the roof.
Entrance Fee: 300 MXN ($14 USD)
Opening Hours:
Location: Click For Map
Cenote Verde Lucero is a fun one, with different cliff jumping spots and even a zipline! A very popular cenote that many tours stop at. They also have kayaks to rent here.
Entrance Fee: 300 MXN ($15 USD)
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
Cenote Jardin del Eden (Garden of Eden) is a large open-air cenote just outside Playa del Carmen. It’s pretty popular with locals and expats, with lots of shady trees, multiple decks for jumping or sunbathing, and plenty of little fish swimming around. A great spot for snorkeling!
Depending on the time of year, and time of day, it can get crowded here. However because it’s big, there is usually plenty of room to spread out.
Entrance Fee: 100 MXN ($4.75 USD)
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
Located right next to Garden of Eden, Cenote Azul has stunning blue water. The “blue” cenote boasts a nice small cliff you can jump from, a wooden boardwalk, and a few shaded areas to hang out.
There’s lots of small fish in this cenote too, who will nibble on your dead skin if you put your feet in the water. A natural Mexican fish spa! Make sure to walk the jungle path that circles the cenote too, it’s super cool.
Entrance Fee: 100 MXN ($4.75 USD)
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
Cenote Yax Kin is a wonderful cenote in Mexico for families and kids. This is due to its large shallow areas, something that most cenotes don’t have. They also have lounge chairs, and pathways that take you to even more cenotes that are part of the same complex.
There are grills and campsites available to rent too. Keep an eye out for all the HUGE iguana lizards who like to hang around this cenote! Sometimes they chase each other up trees. It’s pretty entertaining.
Entrance Fee: 150 MXN ($7 USD)
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
One of my favorite cenotes in Mexico, Casa Cenote is an open-air cenote that looks more like a river than a typical cenote. Jungle plants go right up to the edge of it, and it’s an excellent spot for snorkeling. It’s narrow but VERY long, so you might want a life jacket here if you’re not a strong swimmer.
Locals call it Cenote Manati, because there used to be a population of Manatees living in it. While they are no longer there, a friendly crocodile named “Panchito” does sometimes make appearances to swim with tourists. I wouldn’t pet it, but otherwise there’s nothing to be afraid of!
Entrance Fee: 150 MXN ($7 USD)
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
Dos Ojos Cenote is one of the coolest cenotes near Tulum. It’s very popular for scuba diving, due to its “two eyes” (sinkholes) separated by a 400m long underwater tunnel. But it’s also fun for snorkeling, as there are plenty of caves to explore that are just above the water line.
Because Dos Ojos is one of the most famous cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula, it can get crowded fast.
Entrance Fee: 350 MXN ($17 USD)
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
Gran Cenote (aka Great Cenote) is one of the closest cenotes to the town of Tulum. In fact it’s possible to ride a bike there if you want to. It’s not super big, but has two cool chambers separated by a cave tunnel. They also have a mini turtle sanctuary!
A nice cenote for swimming and snorkeling, they also have showers and restrooms on site.
Entrance Fee: 180 MXN ($8 USD)
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
This cenote hidden in the jungle of Tulum is a special one. A full on cave cenote, it’s lit with led lights, but still kept looking natural, which I love. The water is super clear, and snorkeling here makes you feel like a cave diver. Which, by the way, you’ll see plenty scuba divers disappear into the abyss beyond.
Entrance Fee: 500 MXN ($24 USD)
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
The Car Wash Cenote is located right off the road from Tulum to Coba, and used to be where locals would wash their cars! Now it’s a proper swimming cenote where you’ll see tons of fish, water lilys, iguanas, and even some turtles.
Car Wash has a few wooden jumping platforms, and is another cave diving spot. There are a lot of downed trees at the bottom too, making for a unique underwater world.
Entrance Fee: 50 MXN ($3 USD)
Opening Hours: 9am – 4pm
Location: Click For Map
Cenote Calavera gets its name from the appearance of a skull, with three openings into the ground. It’s a very deep cenote, that cave divers love. Perfect for jumping from the sides (there’s even a narrow opening you can drop into). It’s sometimes called The Temple Of Doom by professional scuba divers.
Entrance Fee: 100 MXN ($5 USD)
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm
Location: Click For Map
Cenote Ik-Kil is a super popular cenote near the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, and is often included as a stop on guided bus tours. As such, it’s often packed with people. Massive vines stretch down to the water, making it look very dramatic.
Entrance Fee: 350 MXN ($17 USD)
Location: Click For Map
Cenote Zaci is located right in the heart of the Mexican town of Valladolid, and an easy bike ride from anywhere in town. It’s not quite as popular as others, but has a few different cliff jumps, some big black fish swimming around, and sometimes a little waterfall.
Entrance Fee: 30 MXN ($1.50 USD)
Location: Click For Map
One of the most photogenic cenotes in the Yucatan, Suytun has become an Instagram sensation. Sunlight streams down from a hole in the ceiling, making for a very dramatic scene. Due to its popularity, it can get quite busy as everyone waits in line for a photo on the circular walkway.
If you’re patient, and don’t mind waiting around for a few hours, you might get a lull in the constant tour groups and have the place to yourself for a bit.
Entrance Fee: 130 MXN ($6 USD)
Location: Click For Map
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I hope you enjoyed my guide on cenotes in Mexico! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:
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This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.
A free boiler grant might sound too good to be true but the reality is that these do exist. Thanks to government grants there are boiler grants out there that could be yours without you having to pay a penny. Of course getting one means you need to fit a certain criteria to be eligible.
It’s worth looking into this if you think there is even a chance that a boiler grant could apply to you. Since boilers can often break down suddenly, perhaps when you’re not financially ready, it pays to have this grant as a support option.
While new sources of heat for the home, like heat pumps, are due to start appearing more, they won’t be mainstream for a while. As Jamie Luck of Baltic Consulting points out: ‘There will still be a need for natural gas for the foreseeable future. Although not ideal, its effects will hopefully be lessened with the blending of renewable hydrogen gas into the existing network.’
Read on to find out what a boiler grant is, how a boiler grant works and – crucially – if you can get a free boiler and how you go about it. This guide aims to make the whole process simple so you’re not only saving money with your new boiler but time too.
Boiler grants are available from the government. Eligible people are able to get subsidised or even totally free boilers in their homes. This isn’t just for broken boilers that need replacing though, this can also apply to inefficient boilers.
Image credit: Future plc/Jamie Mason
If you’re struggling to heat your property, the government has set aside funding that will help you stay warm. That could mean that your currently inefficient boiler, that’s costing you a lot to run, could be replaced with a new A-rated energy-efficient model to help you save on utility bills. A new boiler could save you £300 per year on your utility bills while also keeping you cosy and helping the environment too.
Since the 2016 ECO Scheme (Energy Companies Obligation), homeowners and private tenants can replace their old or damaged boiler for free or subsidised. This falls under the Affordable Warmth Obligation (a subsection of ECO). While the grant is for a new boiler it can also be used to fix an older boiler, improve insulation of a boiler or home and so on. The bottom line is that it’s your right to be warm and if you can’t afford that, the government has funding to help.
For boilers that aren’t broken, it’s worth noting that your boiler must be at least less than 86% efficient to qualify for a replacement.
There are quite a few criteria for those that are eligible to receive a boiler grant when you need to replace a boiler. If you meet the necessary requirements you could be in for a new boiler, or other heat-saving upgrades. One way to find out if you are able to apply for a boiler grant is to use the website calculator at Simple Energy Advice. To be eligible for a boiler grant you must meet the following criteria:
To expand on the benefit types which apply to allow you to receive a free boiler grant these are:
People in receipt of pension credits and child tax credits, where the annual household income is less than £16,010, will automatically qualify for a replacement boiler grant. It’s worth noting that if you don’t qualify for a free boiler, all hope isn’t lost. You may still be entitled to a discounted price on a new boiler. Also, some local authorities offer their own schemes through the Eco Flex Grant. These are ideal for those who don’t receive means tested benefits but are on low income.
For those in social housing, if the home has an energy rating of E, F or G, you may qualify for an insulation grant. If the property has not previously had central heating then you may also qualify for a free boiler grant.
Both homeowners and tenants who rent are eligible for boiler grants. This is presuming they are receiving one of the benefit types mentioned above. One factor that will prohibit tenants is if they are in local authority run social housing. Landlords with low income tenants may also apply for the ECO scheme benefit and may find they are eligible for a free boiler replacement or at least a heavily discounted unit.
The free boiler grants, as part of the ECO Scheme, are carried out in conjunction with the government, by the ‘big six’ energy companies in the UK. These are British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, SSE, Npower and Scottish Power. Some smaller companies also offer the ECO3 benefits, which can include a boiler. These include Avero, Eon, Ovo, SO, Ecotricity, Pure Planet, Utility warehouse, Utilita, E, Shell Energy and Utility Point.
The ECO3 scheme currently runs to 31 March 2022, having started this phase in December 2018. Expect the ECO4 phase to start in April 2022 and run until 2026. The companies involved may change at this hand-over point. Also consider if there is going to be a boiler ban in 2025.
The free boiler grant applies to any older style boiler in a home, meaning it can be gas or oil. An upgrade will be to the most environmentally friendly option that, likely, still uses the same system.
There is also a boiler upgrade scheme, announced in October 2021, which is able to offer up to £5,000 towards a new boiler. With many costing around the £2,500 mark, this should be more than enough to cover nearly all homes. The upgrade scheme applies to gas and oil boilers and they will be replaced by the most low-carbon heating system available. It could mean a heat pump is used instead of a boiler which will remove the reliance on gas, saving money and helping the environment.
Image credit: Future plc/Robert Sanderson
Since the scheme only applies to older boilers, you won’t get an exact replacement. If your boiler is seven years or older, you’ll be getting a new model. As such the new model will be more efficient as the tech has moved on fast. No matter what efficiency rating your boiler has, the new model is required to be A rated under the ECO scheme. That means you will get a model that is one of the newest and most energy efficient.
The brand can vary though, depending on who is providing your boiler. Leading UK manufacturers Baxi and Gloworm have worked on totally new boiler models to create super energy efficient boilers which are available as part of the scheme. While the boiler will be totally new, based on the income of your household, you may be required to pay towards the installation of that boiler, in some cases.
There is also the option of a new heat pump. As Mesh Energy‘s Doug Johnson says: ‘The government is launching the BUS (boiler upgrade scheme) in April 2022. This provides a grant to help existing homeowners replace their gas boilers with heat pumps.’
The process of application is actually fairly straight-forward. You can go directly to the energy companies or use a specialist third-party option which will do the leg work for you. In fact, the application can take just a few minutes to get started.
You’ll need to give your postcode, initially, to see if your area is eligible or not. The next step is to answer a few basic questions about your home living status and benefits received. If you qualify, you will be asked about the fuel type in your home, insulation, boiler status and age as well as giving any boiler problems in a description box. The final step is to enter a few personal details. It’s that simple.
The process after your application can vary in time depending on who you use. Some companies claim that you know if you have been granted your boiler within 24 hours, with installation within the week. This will be done by a professional boiler fitter who makes sure it is Gas Safe Registered and secure.
Often these will also install a new thermostat and energy monitoring kit along with the boiler. They will also carry out a free energy rating assessment of the property to show the improvements made.
Image credit: Future plc/Colin Poole
The boiler grant is available to cover the cost of the boiler. Depending on who you go for this may also cover installation, but not in all cases. For example if you were to use a company like Eon, you’d be paying £395 which includes the boiler and installation by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. This scheme also gets you free cavity wall insulation and a free loft insulation grant. All that adds up to an energy saving, depending on boiler age, that could be as much as £350 per year.
While the boiler itself is replaced, this won’t cover any extra pipework or radiators. So if you have a different type of piping, for example, where that needs replacing to work with the newer boiler, this cost will be extra. Likewise, if you want to install more energy efficient radiators, that’ll be down to you to cover the cost.
It’s worth paying for insulation as part of the upgrade, or claiming it where possible. As Baltic Consulting’s Jamie Luck points out: ‘Insulating homes is always worthwhile, we are big advocates of a ‘fabric first’ policy. It is important to get professional advice on what is the best option for the specific property build; what would be acceptable for a 1960s bungalow may actually cause damp issues in a Victorian terrace.’
As a general tip, Keith Bastian, CEO of renewable home heating provider Fischer Future Heat, says: ‘Solutions to issues with damp include keeping spaces well heated and ventilated. But, if you leave windows open while you have the heating on in your house, you’ll be wasting a significant amount of money and energy. Breaking small habits like these will help to save you money in the longer term.’
No, you won’t have to pay anything back as this is a grant and not a loan. That means the money is being provided by the government, which is claimed by the energy company which pays for the boiler and installation up front. So you won’t have to give any bank details or money, except in the case where there may be a charge, like the example above.
The post Boiler grants – are you eligible for a free or reduced boiler? appeared first on Ideal Home.
