Ancient Mayan Ruins - Tulum

The Ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum, are in my opinion, the most breathtaking ancient structures of the Yucatan Peninsula. Perched in the edge of the cliffs, overlooking the glistening turquoise and aqua ocean, the archeological zone is enclosed by an ancient wall.

Templo del Dios del Vientos in the background

Braino and I first visited these ruins on 2012 and we remember getting caught in a downpour of rain and sheltering in a tunnel within one of the ruins. Even though the weather wasn’t great on that visit, I’ve been captivated by Tulum ever since. Whenever I’ve created a vision board in the years since, I’ve always used a photos of the ruins at Tulum to represent my travel goals. It’s also been my laptops screensaver from time to time.

This time around, the day we visited was very hot and rather windy, but the views were even more spectacular than I remembered. The girls were more interested in the insane amount of iguanas that call the ruins their home.

El Castillo

The main temples, El Castillo and Templo del Dios del Viento are the two main ones you’ll see in photos, but the site contains many other structures set back a little way from the cliffs. The beach below the El Castillo is acesssable, however when we visited it was off limits due to excessive amounts of sargassum (seaweed).

El Castillo

El Castillo

The overall facilities have had a major update over the last decade too, it cater to Tulum’s increasing popularity. At the start of the archaeological zone, there is a sprawling market area filled with souvenir stalls, restaurants and even a Starbucks. You can even see a performance of Danza de los Voladores. There is even an electric shuttle bus that transports visitors from the main entrance to the ruins, saving about 20 minutes of walking.

El Castillo

The tickets to the Tulum Archaeological Zone were: $415 MXN pesos plus a seperate $100 MXN pesos for entry into the Jaguar National Park, I think I remember kids being either completely free or just requiring the $100 peso national park fee. Guides are an additional costs - we just choose to explore them on our own.

El Castillo in the background

Templo del Mar

Originally we planned to split our time in Mexico between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum as I had always envisioned staying in Tulum. However, once we got settled into our apartment in Playa Del Carmen, we decided to skip staying in Tulum together and extend our stay in Playa Del Carmen. The many reasons were:

• Our accommodation in Playa Del Carmen worked out to be cheaper per night.

• The apartment and the swimming pool were bigger in size. Apartments in Tulum only seemed to offer rooftop pools or small plunge pools.

• We met so many lovely people in our apartment complex, it was such a friendly welcoming environment.

• We could walk to the beach from our apartment in Playa Del Carmen. Tulum’s town centre and residential areas are a fair distance from the beach. Accessing the beachs of Tulum seems to be restricted to the expensive boutique hotels and beach clubs.

• Tulum is marketed as a very instagrammable, trendy location which has attracted a lot of digital nomads over the years. All the stunningly spectacular architecture is inside the exclusive, expensive boutique resorts, so unless you’re staying in one of them, the rest of Tulum isn’t that much different from Playa Del Carmen. That was just our feeling anyway. We visited a few times and felt a little underwhelmed in the main town.

Los Rapidos Bacalar - A Natural Lazy River

Los Rapidos Bacalar is actually about 20mins south of Bacalar’s main town. It’s naturally formed lazy river. The warm crystal clear waters flow through a canel of Stromtralites, which are the white coral like rocks you can see along the edges.

Stromalites are actually  formed by microscopic photosynthetic organisms, primarily cyanobacteria. They are essentially "living fossils" and represent one of the earliest forms of life on Earth! So it was very important not to touch them or walk on them.

We had so much fun here! We were only anticipating staying for an hour or two but we ended up staying all day, from around 10:30am to 4pm!

To access the lazy river, you have to enter via the Los Rapidos ‘Lake’ Club where they provide tables, chairs, lifejackets, lockers and toilet facilities for the admission price of $200 Mexican pesos for an adult / $150 pesos for per child.  You can buy food and drinks here too ( it’s prohibited to bring your own ). The facilities of the restaurant / lake club were what made it so confortable to stay there for a whole day. We are able to nab a shady table and chairs, where we relaxed between floating down the river.

The girls also loved swimming around, chasing the fish in the little lagoons that there were off to the side of the river area.

One thing to note: because of the stromatolites and the delicate ecosystem of Bacalar Lagoon it’s prohibited to wear sunscreen - same with cenotes. Our long sleeve swimwear was the main reason we could stay out so long. But we still got a little bit sunburnt on our faces.

Is it safe for kids? It’s mandatory to wear the lifejackets provided but you can bring your own for kids. Which would be our main tip as we found it was hard to find lifejackets small enough for our girls. Plus the lifejackets are a little mouldy. Initially we had to hunt around and wait for the XS sized ones. The current isn’t extremely fast, the girls were able to swim out of it at the end point but we were always there to help them.

Ancient Mayan Ruins - Chacchoben

The Ancient Mayan ruins of Chacchoben are about an hour north of Bacalar, a short distance from the highway. While they do see a lot of day trippers from the near by the Costa Maya cruise port at Mahahual, we had the ruins to ourselves with only a handful of other visitors.

Chacchoben, meaning ‘Place of the Red Corn’ contains multiple stepped temples surrounded by shady jungle paths. The two main temples, Temple 1 and Los Vasijas, are perched on a hill top, Gran Basamento, which you can reach by walking up the ancient step in front of the two small temples called Los Gemeelos. Temple 24 is located closer to the entrance and the site contains many structures that are still covered by the dense jungle. Climbing any of the actual pyramids is prohibited.

Los Vasijas

I can’t recall exactly how much it was to enter the site. It was definitely cheaper than Chichen Itza and Uxmal so maybe around $400 -$500 Mexican pesos per adult. Guides were available on site however we chose to explore at our own pace.

Los Vasijas

Plaza B

Temple 24

This was a great pit stop on the way back to Playa Del Carmen, we spent about an hour here and also stopped off in Tulum to get our favourite beef and pork tacos at a restaurant ironically named Good Burger, considering it was the tacos we kept coming a back for.

The drive from Tulum to Bacalar passes through many small Mayan villages, which are so fasinating to see Many of the houses still have the traditional thatched roofs and locals set up stalls along the highway selling fresh fruit- mainly pineapples. Keep an eye out when driving through the town of Limones and you see a small ancient Mayan pyramid sitting in the centre of town, right along the highway.

Temple 1

Other Archeological Zones that could be explored from Bacalar:

• Calakmul

• Dzibanche

• Ichkabal

• Oxtankah

• Becan

• Xpuhil

• Kohunlich

Bacalar - 2 Nights at the Lagoon of Seven Colours

We visited Bacalar Lagoon as a 2 night side trip from Playa Del Carmen - it’s about a 3.5hr drive south near the city of Chetumal and border of Belize.

This Mexican Government and Tourism boards have created an initiative recognising certain towns across Mexico as Pueblos Magicos for their “magical” qualities, whether that be their astonishing beauty, rich history, or extraordinary legends. Bacalar, along with Valladolid, Tulum, Isla Mujueres and Izamal, which we also visited, have made the list. And I can see why. I loved Bacalar! It has as very ‘off the beaten path ‘ sort of vibe!

The town of Bacalar sits on the west side of Bacalar Lagoon, known as the Lagoon of Seven Colour, due it to spectacular array of clear, calm blue hues. The town itself is very authentic and not overly touristy, a total different vibe from Playa Del Carmen or Tulum.

The colour Bacalar sign next to the Fort on San Felipe in the central plaza area.

What We Did in Bacalar

The first afternoon, we wandered around town, had lunch at the main plaza where the old Fort of San Felipe is, before getting lost looking for a cenote that we discovered was only accessible via boat from the lagoon. 🤦‍♀️ But we stumbled into one of the many lake clubs that line the lagoon’s edge for a quick refreshment before heading back to our very cheap but also very cheerful accommodation.

Getting lost and finding our way to one of the many lake clubs

Our full day was spent at Los Rapidos, which was so much better than we expected. We stayed all day! The girls loved floating down the natural lazy river. I’ve made a seperate blog post for Los Rapidos because it was honestly one of the highlights of our time in Mexico.

That evening we ate dinner at Mr Taco and wandered down to the main square again where they had local markets set up. We also saw another Danza de los Voladores ( Dance of the Flyers ) which is an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony/ritual. The ritual consists of dance and the climbing of a 30-meter (98 ft 5 in) pole from which four of the five participants then launch themselves tied with ropes to descend to the ground. The fifth remains on top of the pole, dancing and playing a flute and drum. According to one myth, the ritual was created to ask the gods to end a severe drought.

The next morning, thanks to the recommendation of our accommodation owner, we went to the eco park area located at the northern end of Avenue 1 . The boardwalk wraps around the mangroves and provides an entry point to swim in the beautiful lagoon waters. It’s 20 pesos to enter the boardwalk but it’s worth it for the views alone. We didn’t stay too long because our whole family is prone to sizzling with direct sun exposure 😂 but the water was incredibly refreshing! I would suggesting bringing your own lifejackets for small kids as the water can get deep in parts.

Eco Park Boardwalk area

Boardwalks and Palapas on the lagoon

Braino at the Lake Cub

Eco Park Boardwalk Area

If we had one more day in Bacalar, I would have done a boat tour around the lagoon. There are many cenotes around the edge, plenty of places to stop and have a swim and the Pirates Canal with the shipwrecks sounded very intriguing.

On our way back to Playa Del Carmen we stopped off at the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins which were so impressive and pretty much deserted. The perfect way to explore such a mystical location.

Chacchoben Mayan Ruins

The colourful street art of Bacalar

The colourful street art of Bacalar

Colourful Streets of Bacalar

Two Nights in Vibrant Valladolid

Valladolid is a vibrant colonial town, approximately 2.5 hours drive from Playa Del Carmen. We stayed there for two nights and used it as a based to explore the following archeological sites and cenotes: 

• Chichen Itza Archeological Zone

• Ek Balam Archeological Zone 

• Cenote Xcanche 

• Cenote Suytun 

I absolutely loved Valladolid and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to explore some of the more off the beaten path areas of the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s walkable, colourful and friendly, it caters to tourists without feeling at all like it’s overrun.  In the afternoons, the coaches that transport the tourists from Cancun and Playa Del Carmen for their day trips to Chichen Itza make a stop in the main plaza of Valladolid but beyond the daily surge of day tripers, the town feels so authentic and unique. 

Iglesia de la Candelaria

Iglesia de la Candelaria

Next to Iglesia de la Candelaria

Where we stayed: 

We stayed a very budget friendly boutique hotel called Casa Valladolid Hotel Boutique. We had one room that fit all of us in it. It was basic but fine for two nights. We enjoyed the little breakfast restaurant that was on site and it had a small too. It was in a great location, only a few blocks back from the main plaza. 

Our accommodation - Case Valladolid Hotel Boutique.

Traditional Mayan House on Calle de Los Frailes

Where we ate:

Las Campanas is right on the corner of the plaza, near the big church Iglesia de San Servacio. This was a nice little traditional restaurant. 

Mercado 41 (Gastro market): on Calle 41 between Calle 52 and Calle 51. This was a relaxed outdoor restaurant that had a lot of options like pizza too 

We loved the food in both restaurants. The prices were great and the food was amazing. 

Eating Churos in the plaza

Calle de Los Frailes

The iconic white seats

Calle de Los Frailes

Iglesia de la Candelaria

Other things to do in Valladolid

Cenote Zaci îs an extraordinary sink hole style cenote right in the centre of town, only four blocks west of the main plaza. (We unfortunately didn’t swim here. We were planning to but we came back from Chichen Itza too late in the afternoon. It looked amazing though.) 

Wander down Calle de Los Frailes, a low traffic street with lots of cafes, restaurants clothing boutiques and handicraft shops. It leads to Parque Sisal where you’ll find the Convento de San Bernardino de Siena, the colour Valladolid Letters and playground for kids. 

Hang out in the central plaza,  visit the Iglesia de San Servacio and sit in the white double seats that are iconic to the colonial towns of the Yucatan Peninsula. 

Our accommodation was close to the Iglesia de la Candelaria which is a colourful church that overlooks a smaller, vibrant plaza with a playground. 

Iglesia de San Servacio on the main plaza.

Valladolid is so vibrant and walkable and photogenic! I loved wandering around, observing all the locals and capturing photos of the vibrant colonial architecture. It’s also a very convenient base for explore the endless options of cenotes in the area.

Calle de Los Frailes

Calle de Los Frailes

Our Guide to the Ancient Mayan Ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula.

During our three months in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico we visited a number of the magnificent ancient Mayan Ruins that cover the Yucatan Peninsula. Hre;s quick guide to which onces we visited as a family with three kids.

Who are the Mayans?

The ancient Mayans, a sophisticated Mesoamerican civilization, flourished in regions that are now part of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador. 

Known for their remarkable achievements in architecture, mathematics, astronomy, and hieroglyphic writing, the Mayans developed a highly advanced society. Their cities showcase impressive pyramids and temples that stand as a testament to their architectural ingenuity. 

Many of the residents of the Yucatan Peninsula are the descendants of the Mayans actively preserving their language, culture, and traditions

Why visit the archeological ruins?

There is something about ancient ruins that I find so mysterious and captivating. It’s mesmerising to see buildings that have withstood the tests of time for centuries and marvel at engineering techniques of the past. The rest of the family doesn’t mind visiting them either, I guess. Haha. It’s an imersive way to learn about history first hand and at the very least, it’s a good excuse to go for a walk in nature.

Here’s a quick overview of all the ancient ruins we visited:

El Castillo / Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

The largest, most visited and best restored ancient Mayan, home of El Castillo or The Temple of Kukulcan as it’s also known, the iconic new wonder of the world.

Located between Merida and Valladolid

Tulum El Castillo

Tulum

These smaller but popular ancient ruins are perched high on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Located a short distance from Tulum’s town centre

One of the smaller Pyramids at Coba

Coba

The acheological zone of Coba is the most jungly and vast, with the option of hiring bikes or peddle cabs with drivers to tour the main pyramids

Located around 45 mins west of Tulum’s town centre

Ek Balam

Ek Balam

As of May 2025 these were the only ruins that you could still climb to the top of. It a very extensive site but not that well known or visited.

Located around 30 minutes north of Valladolid

The Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal

Uxmal

A sprawling site with the impressive Pryamid of the Magician rising above the tree line. Lots of intricate cravings and details.

Located around an hour south west of Merida

Chacchoben

Chacchoben

A smaller, nearly deserted site near the town of Bacalar in the southern part of the pensinsula. Very jungly with an amazing variety of smaller pyramids.

Located around an hour north of Bacalar

How we visited all the archeological sites.

We hired a car for the majority of the time during our stay so we drove to all the archeological ours. It was easy to do with the help of google maps but we had to allow for parking fees at all the sites. We decided not to hire any guides, although you can easily hire guides at the entrance and I imagine that would be very informative and interesting. We just find that with the girls, it’s a lot to expect them to stand still, listen and focus on what the guide is saying. ( We learned this from all the guided tours we did in Egypt ) For us, it’s a much more enjoyable experience to just wander around together, reading the signage and discussing what we see.

If you were staying at one of the many all inclusive resorts in the Mayan Riveria, you can organise day trips tours in to the major sights like Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba through the resort. Otherwise there is alway websites like Get Your Guide where your can arrange a guide and a transfer to the from the archeological zones.

Overall we found visiting the ruins on our own with out a guide an easy and cost effective way to explore.

What to Bring

• Cash - from memory Chichen Itza had EFTPOS facilities for the admission tickets but generally, cash is used a lot in Mexico. A lot of markets, smaller shops and less touristy sights are equipped only for cash.

• Sun protection - It’s hot and humid! We did lots of walking in the heat so sunprotetcion like hats, sunglasses, suncream is essenetial.

• Hydration - bring water too! You can buy refreshments at the entrances to the archeological zones.

• Comfortable Shoes - due to the heat, we were many wearing crocs or birkenstock sandals but expect to do a lot of walking so wear whatever is comfortable for your feet.

• We were able to buy tickets on the day at all the sites (we didn’t book online in advance, it didn’t seem necessary ) and we didn’t have to show any ID.

Admission Prices

The prices vary for each of the archeological zones and, to be honest, it seems like the prices increase quite regularly, so trying to find out online in advance was a little difficult. When we visited in March & April 2025 the prices were:

Chichen Itza: Adults $671.00 MXN pesos / Children were only $100 MXN pesos

Ek Balam: Adults $581.00 MXN pesos / Children were only $100 MXN pesos

Tulum: Adults $415 MXN pesos / plus $100 MXN pesos for the Jaguar National Park Children were free, I think…

Uxmal: Adults $581 MXN pesos / Children were only $100 MXN pesos

I don’t recall the prices of Coba or Chacchoben, I took a photo of the signage with pricing at all the other ruins, but they would have been around the same cost as Tulum and Ek Balam.

The prices listed above are what we paid as tourists. Mexican citizens and Mexican residents (with a valid ID) do get a considerably discounted admission price.

Children classified as 3 years olds to 12 years old (it may be advisable to bring ID for kids who are younger 10, 11 and 12 years old)

Don’t forget to budget for parking at each site - around 50 -100 pesos.

Beach clubs and Beaches around Playa Del Carmen

Playa del Carmen has some truly stunning beaches.  The water is so clear, warm and calm and ideal for kids . All beaches are free to everyone, but getting onto the beaches can be a challenge as many of the huge resorts dominate the beach frontage. If you can find a public access point, it’s free to go onto the beach, sit on the sand with an umbrella and swim in the water.  However if you want to settle in on a beach lounge and possibly get some food and drinks, you’re better off looking into a beach club where you’ll have waitstaff bring you drinks and food with a minimal spend required. 

Here is our run down on the beaches and beach clubs that we visited during our time in Playa Del Carmen from  January 2025 - May 2025. 

This is by no means a definitely list. We barely scratched the surface when it comes to amount of beaches and beach clubs on offer. In the downtown area there are many beach access points and areas along the beachfront to swim - Playa 88 and Playa 72  off Avenue 88 and 72 respectively -  were two areas we were planning to swimming at but in an effort to save money on getting to and from the beaches, we stuck to the nearby beach which was Xcalacoco. 

Playa Xcalacoco and Punta Xcalacoo Beach Club

Xcalacoco was within a 2km walk from our apartment in El Cielo residential area and is located about 15 minutes north of the downtown area by car. 

The walk involved winding our way around the Ocean Riviera Paradise Resort, The Fives Resort and the Viceroy Resort but the beach access pathway led to a calm, dedicated swimming area with huge sandbags blocking a lot of the waves. It was easy enough to sit on the sand and have a swim, and we’d often walk 500m south down the beach to the Punta Xcalacoco Beach Club for lunch and a drink. 

This beach club is a stand a lone club, it’s not attached to any hotel or resort. It has a deciduous menus and dinning areas under the huge palapa and beach lounges you can lay on with a minimum spend of 1200 pesos. The staff were super friendly and the food was delicious, we loved walking down to the beach to have lunch here. 

The only downside is that the beach right out the front is a very rocky, the rock pools are fun to explore but you’d want to wear reef shoes. 

I’d do a 7km beach walk most days, either in the morning or in the afternoon, sometimes I’d convince one of the girls to join me. I’ll truely miss walking along this beautiful stretch of beach, people-watching all the report goers and all the local families one the weekends.

Punta Esmerelda

Punta Esmerald was a short drive from our apartment in the El Cielo Residential, heading towards downtown. It’s a totally public beach with no resorts or beach clubs nearby. The main thing we loved and what makes it so great for families is the cenote that connects to the beach, creating a kind of tidal lagoon. It’s shallow and calm which is prefect for kids to splash around in.

It’s possible to also swim out in the ocean which is very calm too, but can be prone to the seaweed building up in the cove area in front of the lagoon. There are free palapas (wooden umbrellas made from palm fronds), toilets and change rooms too but it’s recommended to  bring your own food  as there was only a few people wondering around with icecreams and snacks. Although once we did make the trek along the beach to Playa 72 and then walked all the way down to Ave 46 to find a restaurant.  

This spot is very popular with locals as well as tourists and it was so lovely watching all the families hanging out and enjoying the lagoon. 

Punta Esmerelda

Punta Esmerelda

Punta Esmerelda

Punta Esmerelda

Punta. Esmerelda

Xpu-Ha Beach

We spent the day at Xpu -Ha beach with our neighbours Kelly, Ron and Linda. It was one of Kelly and Ron’s recommended beaches and we went as a bit of a send off as they were heading back to Canada and to say thanks for all their help around the apartment complex. 

We took our own chairs and shade tarp and sat in the free public section. The ocean water was amazingly warm and even with a little bit of the seaweed, it was still so nice to chat and swim. We sat on the beach together for most of the morning before heading to the La Playa Xpu-Ha Beach Club for lunch. The food was great and this beach club offer beach lounges too, in fact there was a number of beach clubs to choose from but setting up ourselves in the beach was perfect. 

Xpu-Ha beach is located near Cenote Azul, just south of Puerto Adventuras, between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. 

Xpu-Ha Beach

Xpu Ha Beach

Xpu Ha Beach

Xpu Ha

Xpu Ha Beach

Xpu Ha Beach

La Buena Vida Restaurant, Akumal 

La Buena Vida was recommended to us by our other lovely neighbours Janie and Dan, who happened across it on one of their days out at the nearby Golf Club. It’s more of a restaurant and the in front was rather rocky. We all came back, Janie, Dan, Linda and our family, in the week before Janie and Dan headed back to their home in Colorado. 

Akumal is a small little town between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum that is known for its sea turtle population. But the beach club we visited is a little further up from the bay where the sea turtles can be found. 

La Beuna Vida had such cool vibe with the tree houses, it was very relaxing and the kids loved swimming in the pool. Janie brought her snorkel and I had a lot of fun snorkelling out in the ocean, even though the seaweed was particularly bad at this time. You can see all the orange brown seaweed along the shore in the photo below. 

You could spend so much time trying all the cool beach clubs along the Mayan Riviera! I’m glad we’re able to hang out with friends at some unique ones. 

La Buena Vida Restaurant, Akumal

La Buena Vida Restaurant, Akumal

La Buena Vida Restaurant, Akumal

La Buena Vida Restaurant, Akumal

Petite Lafitte Beach Club 

Petite Lafitte is a small, boutique beachfront resort that was only a short walk from our accommodation. It’s nestled between some of the larger resorts and offers beach club passes for visitors to use the pool, beach lounges and restaurant. It was around 650 Mexican pesos per adults and 250 pesos per child, but that cover charge gives you the equivalent credit in food and drinks. We spent all day there swimming and relaxing so it was worth the money. The girls will always remember this beach club because of the coconut that fell out of the tree right next to us. Rooney worked hard making a hole in it and Braino cracked it open and the girls ate fresh coconut directly from the nut. 

I really loved the vibe of Petite Lafitte, wth the bungalows right on the beach. It’s one place I’d recommended to people wanting to stay on a quieter beach in Playa Del Carmen. I saw a lot of weddings there, during my walks along the beach. 

Petite Lafitte Beach Club

Petite Lafitte Beach Club

Petite Lafitte Beach Club

Petite Lafitte Beach Club

4 Family Friendly Cenotes We Visited Around The Yucatan Peninsula

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 Xcanche

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)

Cenote Xcanche

Cenote Suytun

Cenote Suytun

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 

Cenote Azul

Cenote Azul

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

Cenote Zacil - Ha

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

Cenote Zaci - in the centre of Valladolid (we didn’t swim here but we did walk past it for a look.

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