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.
We test out the DUUX Tag 2 DXHU14UK Humidifier against the negative impact of central heating, sniffles, and winter weather.
Getting a reliable humidifier for the colder winter months can make all of the difference between an overly dry home environment caused by factors such as having the heating on for several weeks straight, and a remedy for your skin, scratchy throat, and stuffed nose.
If you have allergies that persist into the second half of the year or struggle with persistent cold symptoms when it’s chilly outside, then a humidifier like the Duux Tag 2 can help to ease everything from snoring at night to dry skin and headaches. You can also take a look at our guide for a ranking of the best humidifiers.
When testing in the past, Duux devices have tended to be well-designed and simple to use, and the Tag 2 humidifier is no different. We tested it out to see whether it could improve the home environment during winter.
Credit: Duux
Tank capacity: 2.5L
Recommended room size: 30m2
Speeds: 2
Dimensions: 34.4 x 29.8 x 23.4cm
Weight: 2.3kg
Reasons to buy
Great design
Works in large spaces up to 30m2
Good tank capacity
Quiet
Reasons to avoid
Only two speed settings
Quite pricey
Credit: Duux
Setting up the Duux Tag 2 is incredibly simple, with just a few steps to complete before you’re up and running. The sample we received had a US plug, so we needed to use an adapter, and then it was just a matter of removing the humidifier’s top and lifting out the tank inside. At the base of this tank is a wheel that must be unscrewed before filling, revealing the limescale-battling cartridge that promises to prevent bacteria and white deposits.
The 2.5L water tank is a good size, and Duux claims it will last for up to ten hours. This is ideal if you want to use the humidifier at night, and it will automatically shut off when the water tank is empty. You’ll also get a warning light so you don’t wait until it runs completely dry before topping up.
Because the humidifier uses ultrasonic technology, the resulting steam is cool to the touch and so eliminates the danger of burns for pets and children. There are two settings that can be switched between using the ‘min’ and ‘max’ controls on the side, so you can choose how much additional moisture you need in the air. More settings here would have been nice, but most people won’t mind trading customisation for simplicity.
You can also add your choice of essential oils to the water if you want to incorporate some aromatherapy into things. Just put a few droplets on your favourite scent into the water.
Credit: Duux
The design of the Duux Tag 2 is nothing short of gorgeous, with its matte black (or white) casing and wood-effect legs making this one of the most stylish air quality devices we’ve come across. It’s stylish in a way that will fit into most home decor styles, too, so minimalists and maximalists alike can include it in their living space. The blue and red lights might ruin things for some people, but thankfully there is a control that switches this off so it can safely be used in the bedroom while sleeping.
We also love how simple the Duux is to take apart when refilling or cleaning. Using the leather strap to lift off the top cover means there are no fiddly latches or screws to deal with.
Credit: Duux
Solid, feature-rich air quality devices with an eye on style are few and far between, so it’s exciting to see Duux putting thought into both features and aesthetics with the Tag 2 humidifier. While it lacks smart features or really that many functions other than two speeds, this relative unsophistication will appeal to a lot of people who want to be able to just turn on their devices and forget about them. And it gets points for looking good even when not in use, and doubling as an essential oils diffuser.
The post Duux Tag 2 Humidifier review appeared first on Ideal Home.
