Over the last three months, we’ve visited a number of incredible cenotes around the Yucatan Peninsula. Our girls have loved swimming and snorkelling in them and exploring the beautiful surrounding natural environment. It’s been such a memorable experience during our time in Playa Del Carmen.

So here is a run down on the cenotes we loved as a family with three kids aged 5, 7 and 9. But first, what exactly is a cenote?

Cenotes are a naturally formed sources of fresh groundwater that are unique to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. For the ancient Mayan people, cenotes were the only source of freshwater and were considered sacred spiritual places, often being viewed as an entrance to the underground.

The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is made of limestone, which contains underground rivers of freshw ater. Overtime, the limestone erodes a collapses, forming the deep sinkhole types of cenotes with vertical sides. There are a number of other types of cenotes; large open ones that resemble more of lagoon or lake, fully enclosed caves that can only be accessed by a hole in the ground and semi open ones that have an elements of caves and coverage.

We typically paired a visit to a cenote with our trips to explore the ancient Mayan ruin of the Yucatan Peninsula. There is usually a cenote close to an ancient Mayan site and it’s a great way to cool down after walking around in the heat.

Here’s the list of cenotes we visited:

Cenote Xcanche

This cenote is a large, open sinkhole style cenote, located very close to Ek Balam ruins which are approximately 45 mins north of Valladolid. This was actually the first one we visited and still has the title of being our favourite cenote experiences.

There are platforms to jump off and a rope swing to swing off. Life Jackets were including in the admission fee and are highly recommended because the cenote is very deep with very minimal shallows parts. The water so fresh and clear and it was a really pleasant temperature.

Cenote Xcanche had an incredible atmospheric vibe, with the tall vertical sides, wooden ladders , bridges and walkways. There are onsite toilets, showers and change facilities, along with a small restaurant and hammocks.

We’d definitely recommend visiting Cenote Xcanche along with the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam.

180 Mexican pesos per person (lifejackets included)

Cenote Suytun

Suytun is located approximately 25 minutes west of Valladolid and would have to be one of the most instagramable cenotes. It’s stunning! It’s a fully enclosed cave cenote except for a small hole in the top where a beam of sunlight shines through. At certain times of the day, the beam of light hits the stone podium that reached out into the centre of the cenote. The photos are incredible and it has even been used as a unique wedding destination.

The water was a little cooler, seeing as it doesn’t get much direct sunshine but it still felt so relaxing and tranquil. Such a unique experience. There was also another cenote in the same grounds but it’s water was a lot more murky and silty.

The whole grounds of Suytun are well established with great toilets, showers and change rooms. There is even a gift shop, a restaurant, a swimming pool and multiple small bungalows onsite for overnight accommodation. Lifejackets were included in the admission price.

280 Mexican pesos per person (life jackets included)

Other Cenotes around Valladolid and Chichen Itza

Cenote Zaci - located in the centre of Valladolid - http://cenotezaci.com/

Cenote Ik kil - near Chichén Itzá - https://cenoteikkil.com/

Cenote Azul

Cenote Azul is located right along the main highway, between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, close to Xpu Ha Beach and Puerto Aventuras. This cenote is a sprawling lagoon type cenote It’s shallow in many areas, with clear warm water and lots of opportunities to snorkel.

There is a 30 ft cliff that Hallie jumped off with Braino by her side and Farley loved exploring the small caves that were under the overhang of the rocks around the edge. We enjoyed watching other people take the leap from the cliff, it had a great atmosphere but didn’t feel too crowded.

There are toilets and change rooms onsite and a small snack bar. Lifejackets were an extra cost.

120 Mexican pesos per adult / 80 Mexican peso per child - Lifejackets are an additional cost

Other cenotes along the highway between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum

Cenote Cristalino and Cenote Jarin Del Eden are right next to Cenote Azul along the highway.

Cenote Dos Ojos and Casa Tortuga Tulum are two more popular, established cenotes along the highway but there are many many more!

Cenote Zacil - Ha

We stopped in at this small sinkhole style cenote after we visited the Mayan ruin in Tulum. It’s about 15mins out of Tulum along Ave Coba. Initially we were a little taken back by the price per person of 300 mxn (even for the kids - some of the other cenotes have discounted rates for kids) But we still had an amazing time here.

The cenote is small and deep but it’s still very family friendly. Our girls enjoyed jumping off the two different jumping platforms, Braino went across and dropped from the the zip line that goes across the cenote and Farley loved exploring the little caves of the sides of the cenotes. For one of the little caves, we had to swim under a low rock to enter the small air pocket which is Farley’s idea of thrill seeking, rather than jumping off a ledge.

The grounds of Zacil -Ha also has a number of swimming pools, a water slide and a cafe with plenty of tables and chairs. It felt like somewhere you could spend a whole day with a group of friends, socialising and swimming. There was a great mix of tourists and locals enjoying the cenote.

300 Mexican pesos per person

Tips for visiting Cenotes

Don’t wear suncream or other lotions while swimming in cenotes due to the delicate eco-systems. It’s manatory to shower and rinse off before entering the cenote and I’d suggest long sleeve swimwear and hats at open cenotes like Cenote Azul.
Bring lots of cash. Many, if not all the cenotes are cash only and you’ll need money for admission, possibly lifejackets and snacks and maybe parking. EFTPOS facilities are not available.
Allow extra for changes in the admission prices. It’s hard to get concrete admission prices for each of the cenotes from blogs, websites and social media. I expect prices increase regularly, so do be surprised if you see one price online and then discover it’s more once you arrive. (I’ve tried to provide accurate prices for when we visisted in March / April 2025 but I suspect they will change.

If you have kids, I’d always recommend getting lifejackets, even if they are an extra cost. Cenotes are very deep in parts and the lifejackets are essential, even for adults. You don’t want to be treading water the whole time. We saw atleast one life guard on duty at each of the cenotes but get a life jacket regardless so you’re not treading water the whole time.
You can bring your own lifejackets, towels and snorkelling gear but double check if the cenotes allows you to bring our own food. (I remember Cenote Zacil - Ha didn’t) Many have snack bars or full on restaurants onsite.
We visited all the cenotes independently with a car hire and found them easy enough to find with the maps app on our phones however there are tours available that will take you to a number of cenotes or tours that combine cenotes with an ancient ruin.

Xcaret — Xenotes Tour

Tours By Locals - Private Cenote Tour

Get Your Guide - Tulum Mexico: Cenote Triple Adventure Tour

Get Your Guide - From Riviera Maya: 3 Cenotes Adventure Tour with Lunch