The Yucatan Peninsula has an abundance of beautiful cenotes. They were a source of water for the Mayans, who often build their settlements nearby. But the Mayans even used them as a portal to communicate with gods and occasionally they were even used for human sacrifices!
The freshwater in the cenotes is usually cold – perfect to cool off in the hot weather! And some also offer great snorkelling and diving opportunities. In fact, it’s very common to see fish in the crystal clear waters, if you are lucky even turtles, but certainly an abundance of stalagmites.
Cenotes are probably the first thing that pop into people’s mind when they think of Mexico. That was also the case for Fiona and I. But of course we discovered that they are only a small part of the natural wonders and beauty there is to explore in Mexico.
Did you know?
Cenotes are natural sinkholes which are the result of collapsed limestone bedrocks and fill with clear groundwater and rainwater over time.
HERE IS A MAP OF SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR AND BEAUTIFUL CENOTES IN THE YUCATAN PENINSULA – Keep on reading for our Top 10!
For more inspiration check out TOP 20 THINGS TO DO IN MEXICO or watch our travels through Mexico on YouTube!
How many cenotes are there in the Yucatan Peninsula?
Well over 6,000. Say what? Yep, you’d be lucky to visit as much as 1% of them. Most people tend to visit just a few during their visit to the area. Fiona and I were determined to hunt for the most beautiful cenotes and see as many of them as we could! The truth is, they are all very beautiful, but after seeing a handful of them, the novelty factor wears off.
Don’t get me wrong. We never grew tired of them! Magical caves with pristine turquoise-blue waters and roots of strangler fig trees dangling from the rim of the cenote. Birds flying into and out of them, resting along the cave walls which are overgrown with vegetation. Fish swimming in the crystal clear waters. It feels like going back in time into a long forgotten lost world.
However, after we were lucky to experience some of them all to ourselves we kind of wanted to savour that special experience. Soon we accepted that we cannot see ALL of them and the desire to hunt for the next ten cenotes on our list wore off. But ONLY because we felt totally satisfied and over the moon at all the beautiful cenotes we already got to see!
What type of cenote are you after?
Did you know that there are many different kind of cenotes? Some are completely open, looking more like a lake. Some are literally hidden inside of caves. And others are engulfed by limestone walls overgrown with vegetation, allowing you to look up into the sky.
Miguel Colorado is a very large open cenote where you can rent kayaks, zip line above it and hike around it. It’s great for swimming and known for its abundance of wildlife surrounding it.
Cenote Ik Kil is very popular because its walls are almost entirely covered in vegetation, providing you with a real jungle feel!
Cenote Ponderosa (Jardin del Eden) is particularly popular with scuba divers as it has a collection of underwater caves, passages and crystal clear waters.
What is the best time to visit cenotes?
The lighting makes a big difference as it turns those crystal clear waters into magical shades of turquoise blue. This is more often the case if you visit in the afternoon and the light shines directly into the cave!
However, afternoons are often also the busiest times to visit and especially better known cenotes can get overrun with tour buses.
For us personally, the most enjoyable experiences were when we could avoid the crowds. And the best way of doing so is to visit first thing in the morning. The lighting might not be perfect, but the cenotes are still stunning!
How to avoid busy and overcrowded cenotes?
If you are looking at a map of cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula, you might wonder which are the busy ones and which may be quieter.
1. Avoid cenotes located close to tourist hubs like Merida, Cancún and Playa Del Carmen.
2. Cenotes located around popular Mayan ruins are usually pretty busy, like Ik Kil which is very close to Chichen Itza.
3. The entrance fee is a good indication. Quieter cenotes usually have an entrance fee of 2-5 USD. Popular and busier ones can cost up to 20 USD to enter.
What are the most beautiful cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula?
Before we get into it, bear in mind that the most popular cenotes also attract the biggest crowds. So making your way around the most beautiful cenotes may not mean you’ll have the best cenote experience! You may enjoy yourself much more in a less popular cenote that you’ll happen to have to yourself or share with fewer people. And knowing how many cenotes there are around and that the majority of people often head to the most popular ones, you might even hunt for more remote, lesser known cenotes. There is a good chance that you’ll find many stunning alternatives that haven’t been hyped up by social media yet!
TOP 10 CENOTES
– GRAN CENOTE
– Cenote azul
– Cenote dos ojos
– Suytun Cenote
– Calavera Cenote
– Ik Kil Cenote
– Los 3 cenotes de Cuzama
– Sac Actun Cenote
– DOS OJOS CENOTE
– Jardin del Eden Cenote
Perhaps pick a couple and plan to be there first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. Then look for some cenotes that you haven’t already heard of, which are a bit out of the way, perhaps even free to visit. It’s best to mix it up – don’t just chase the most popular ones! After all, it’s about relaxing and having fun!
Our absolute FAVOURITE CENOTE experience
If I had to choose only one of the many cenote experiences, it would be our visit to Los 3 cenotes de Cuzama.
What I loved was that it wasn’t just a dip in another cenote. I loved the experience of getting to the cenotes by horse on tracks built and used by the mayans. The three cenotes we visited were also extremely diverse! Some we could jump straight into. Others required us to climb down a ladder into an ancient tree, follow a hidden underground passage, through the most amazing caves until we reached the water. And the turquoise colours of the water was just unreal!!
‘Los 3 cenotes de Cuzama’ actually encompasses more than three cenotes. But in order to spread people out the three cenotes you’ll get to see may vary. As everyone is getting around by cart and horse, it’s easy to see if any carts are parked up in front of the cenotes. If it looks busy, you can skip and go to another one. This meant that we were either completely alone or only met people as we entered or exited the cenote despite visiting in the middle of the afternoon.
AVOID CRUISE SHIP DAYS!
These cenotes tend to get very busy on Tuesday & thursdays
Renting a cart with guide and horse for up to 4 people costs 20 USD. So even when Fiona and I shared the cart alone we found this to be very reasonable. The tour itself took 3 hours. Beware, the ride is somewhat bumpy!
Ready to explore?
We hope you found this blogpost useful. Hopefully it has provided you with some valuable information to plan your trip and encouraged you to seek for some lesser known cenotes too!
Questions? Thoughts? Feedback? We are always happy to hear from you – please leave a comment below!
