Chac Mool (Claw of the Jaguar)
2 cenotes. Large cavern zone with beautiful views of jungle from inside cavern. |
| Location: |
22 km south of Playa Del Carmen/Almost across from Puerto Aventuras. |
| Open: |
10-5 daily |
| Snorkeling: |
Yes. Larger of 2 cenotes offers view to large room. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms, Restaurant |
| Entrance Fee: |
Yes |
Ponderosa (El Eden)
 Exceptionally beautiful. Short walk on path takes you to Coral Cenote, which has a large island in the center of it. |
| Location: |
3 km south of Puerto Aventuras |
| Open: |
10-5 daily |
| Swimming: |
Very easy access. Nice overhang with tree that can be scaled to jump into cenote. |
| Snorkeling: |
Excellent. One of the most popular snorkeling sites. Unlimited visibility. Wide variety of fish, eels, turtles & aquatic plant life. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms |
| Entrance Fee: |
$5 US |
Chikin Ha (Points of Direction)
Footpath through jungle will take you to some other cenotes - one is big & almost dry with lots of fossils. |
| Location: |
5 km south of Puerto Aventuras just before Xpu-Ha/Across from Barcelo Maya Hotel/Long way down bumpy road. |
| Swimming: |
Can swim through tunnel to underground air chamber. |
| Facilities: |
None |
| Entrance Fee: |
Yes |
Kantun Chi
4 mostly half dome cenotes (Kantun Chi, Zaskaleen, Uchil Ha, Zazil Ha) along a series of light jungle trails. Most remote one has ancient looking Mayan temple next to it. Several tours stop here. |
| Location: |
Just past Chikin Ha Cenote |
| Swimming: |
Not very inviting. |
| Snorkeling: |
Yes. Rental equipment available. |
| Facilities: |
Restaurant, bike rentals, horseback riding, small zoo. |
| Entrance Fee: |
$10 US |
Cristalino
Beautiful, very primitive & rarely visited. Good for hanging out. Will probably have place to yourself. Likely to see more locals than tourists. |
| Location: |
Just past Kantun Chi/Close to highway. |
| Swimming: |
You can dive into cenote from 3.5 m (15 ft) tall ledge. |
| Facilities: |
None |
| Entrance Fee: |
25 pesos |
Azul
In light jungle setting with more open air/sunlit more than Kantun Chi, which creates more algae. |
| Location: |
Just past Cristalino Cenote/Close to highway. |
| Facilities: |
Snackbar |
| Entrance Fee: |
30 pesos |
Taj Mahal
 4 interconnected cenotes |
| Location: |
26 km south of Playa Del Carmen/5 km south of Puerto Aventuras/Just south of Xpu-Ha. |
| Open: |
10-6 daily |
| Snorkeling: |
Advanced. Requires swimming 5 m underwater under a rock wall to come into a large open cave with that has light shining through from ceiling above. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms, Restaurant |
| Entrance Fee: |
40 pesos |
Dos Ojos (Hidden Worlds)
Part of Nohoch Nah Chich cave system. Location of filming for Imax Journey into Amazing Caves documentary. |
| Location: |
48 km south of Playa Del Carmen/3 km south of Xel-Ha/On right 4 km down dirt road. |
| Open: |
10-5 daily |
| Snorkeling: |
Superb. Very popular. Stalactites & stalagmites everywhere. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms, Restaurant |
| Entrance Fee: |
$10 US/$25-40 US for snorkel tours |
Temple of Doom (Calavera/Skull)
3 holes in ground (one 30 ft & two 4 ft in diameter) create skull shape, hence the name. Shaded by thick jungle canopy. |
| Location: |
2 km from Tulum on road to Coba on right/Very rugged rocky unmarked jungle path approximately 50 yds from road. |
| Swimming: |
Great. 10 ft drop down into cenote. Rope swing & ladder - though you may want to bring your own rope just in case. |
| Facilities: |
None |
Gran (Sac Aktun/White Water)
Ladder steps lead to half moon shaped cenote decorated with small passages & openings. One of most popular sites. Good for all ages. Shallow on one side/deep on other. Famous for brilliant speleothem decorations & crystal clear water. |
| Location: |
5 km from Tulum on road to Coba on right. |
| Open: |
10-5 daily |
| Snorkeling: |
Fun. Fantastic. Spectacular. Paradise. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms |
| Entrance Fee: |
50 pesos |
Car Wash (Aktun Ha/Water Cave)
Can drive right in approximately 30 m (100 ft) to cenote & locals used to wash vehicles here, hence the name. |
| Location: |
8 km from Tulum on road to Coba/4 km past Gran Cenote on left. |
| Open: |
9-5 daily |
| Swimming: |
Very easy access. Like a small lake. Good. Fun. |
| Snorkeling: |
Good in winter months. Too much algae growth in warmer months. Many small tropical fish. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms |
| Entrance Fee: |
20 pesos |
| Cristal (Naharon) |
| Location: |
4 km south of Tulum on right. |
| Swimming: |
Great |
| Snorkeling: |
Great |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms |
| Entrance Fee: |
Yes. Includes entrance to Escondido across the street. |
Escondido (Mayan Blue)
Tarzan & Jane style. Beautiful, crisp, clear, secluded. One of least known. |
| Location: |
4 km south of Tulum on left/Across from Cristal Cenote/2 km walk in Jungle. |
| Swimming: |
Good |
| Snorkeling: |
Good. Some great stone formations. |
| Facilities: |
Bathrooms |
| Entrance Fee: |
Yes. Included in Cristal entrance fee. |
Cenote Xunaan-Ha
It is a small cenote off the beaten path tucked away in the lush jungle landscape. You can swim, float, or snorkel.. Don't forget to bring your mask; there are bountiful fish to follow, and an occasional freshwater turtle that will come out of hiding to tease you! Watch out for mosquitoes! Use of repellents is prohibited unless they are biodegradable (but none is best). If you stay in the sun, or the water, they don't tend to bother you. |
| Location: |
Located just north of Akumal is, Chemuyil, a small Mayan village home to many locals who work in Akumal and the surrounding areas. If you take a right off of the highway you can wind your way through town, and there will be signs for Cenote Xunaan-Ha. |
| Facilities: |
None |
| Entrance Fee: |
30 pesos for adults and 15 pesos for children. |
Tres Bocas
 Tres Bocas, meaning three mouths, is a ranch that has (you guessed it) 3 different cenotes. The first is located about 10 minutes on foot from where you are able to park. It is a great spot, with a shaded palapa area, an amazingly clean (and beautifully tiled) composting toilet, and a screened in palapa for camping overnight. There is also a Temazcal located on the property that is available for you to use. There are 2 other cenotes on the property, however, they are a bit of a hike in, and make SURE you have a competent guide with you. Hire a Mayan Guide. Tres Bocas is well worth the haul, and it is very rarely crowded so you get the place to yourselves. |
| Location: |
Heading south from Cancun on 307 just south of Puerto Morelos you will see a huge arch on your right hand side. There will be signs for various cenotes, and if you are a freshwater lover this is truly heaven on earth. With over 100 cenotes scattered over the next 19 kilometers west bound there are many fun adventures to be had. There are multiple spots along the way that have signs posted out front, and you can certainly venture out on your own and find some incredible cenotes. However, if you travel the 19 kilometers to Tres Bocas, you will surely enjoy the experience. |
| Facilities: |
Campsite |
| Entrance Fee: |
90 pesos per person, and on site camping is available for a nominal fee. |
Casa Cenote /Cenote Manatee
 The Cenote is a large open lagoon that has a strong current. If you swim up the canal a bit you can float down as you snorkel and check out the freshwater fish and deep waters below. This cenote is used frequently by cave dive instructors to do skill drills and training. The freshwater flows under the road and when on the beach side you can experience the freshwater bubbling up into the sea which makes for fun currents, and a great variety of fish.
There is a great restaurant Casa Cenote on the beach side which has great BBQ on Sundays. Right off the beach from the restaurant is great snorkeling with huge parrot fish, and massive schools of a variety of different fish. |
| Location: |
Located 20 miles south of Puerto Aventuras, and just north of Tulum, there is Cenote Manatee often referred to as Casa Cenote. The cenote is located in a residential area called Tankha. There are signs for Casa Cenote on the highway that will direct you to the left hand turn off. Once you drive through the residential area of Tankha you will come upon an open lagoon on your left (Casa Cenote). |
| Facilities: |
Full restaurant and bathroom facilities |
| Entrance Fee: |
Entrance to the Cenote is free, but if you want to park in the lot directly across from it there is a small fee. |
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