Swimming in the Cenotes of the Yucatán
Experience
Written by:
Dave Pratt
Partner
Key takeaways
What they are: cenotes are natural sinkholes in the Yucatán's limestone, open to the groundwater below. Yucatán state has 3,050 registered, and estimates put the total at 7,000 to 8,000.
Three types: cave cenotes still have their roof, semi-open cenotes have partly collapsed, and open cenotes have lost the roof entirely.
Where to go: Valladolid is the base for Suytun, Hubiku, X'Keken, and Samulá. Ik Kil is near Chichén Itzá, and Cuzamá and Homún are about an hour from Mérida.
Rules: many cenotes ban ordinary sunscreen and insect repellent, ask swimmers to shower first, and require life jackets.
When: the dry months from December to April are the easiest, and arriving early in the day means smaller crowds.
What a cenote is and why the Yucatán has so many
The Yucatán Peninsula has almost no rivers on the surface. Rainwater drains straight through its porous limestone and collects in a vast network of underground channels and caves. A cenote forms where the rock above one of those caves dissolves and collapses, opening the groundwater to the air.
Many of the cenotes in Yucatán state follow an arc. About 66 million years ago an asteroid struck near the present-day town of Chicxulub, and NASA describes a curve of sinkholes, roughly 250 km long, that traces the rim of the buried crater. Researchers think the crater's edge channels groundwater along it, dissolving the rock faster there. The state protects a large part of this "Ring of Cenotes" as a geohydrological reserve.
Yucatán's environment ministry has registered 3,050 cenotes, but estimates put the state's total at 7,000 to 8,000. For the ancient Maya they were the main source of fresh water, and also entrances to Xibalba, the underworld.
Open, semi-open and cave cenotes
Cenotes are usually grouped by how much of the cave roof has fallen in, which also gives a rough sense of their age. The type decides how much light reaches the water and how you get down to it.
Cave cenotes are the youngest, with the roof still intact. Light comes through a small opening, and the water sits under a dome of rock and hanging roots. X'Keken, near Valladolid, is the best known. Suytun is another: a stone walkway leads into the middle of the pool, lit by a single shaft of daylight from an opening in the roof.
Semi-open cenotes have partly collapsed, so more daylight reaches the water. Samulá and Hubiku, both with openings in their roofs, are often described as semi-open, though some guides class them as cave cenotes.
Open cenotes have lost the roof altogether and look more like deep, round lakes. Ik Kil, with vines hanging down its walls, is the classic example.
Where to swim in a cenote
Most visitors base themselves in Valladolid, Mérida, or Tulum. These are the cenotes most within reach of each.
Area | Cenotes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Valladolid | Suytun, Hubiku, X'Keken, Samulá | X'Keken and Samulá are next to each other in Dzitnup, about 7 km southwest of town |
Chichén Itzá | Ik Kil | Open cenote a short drive from the archaeological site; life jackets are often required |
Mérida | Cuzamá (Chelentún, Chacsinicché, Bolonchoojol), Homún | About an hour from Mérida; Homún has many small cenotes |
Tulum (Quintana Roo) | Gran Cenote, Dos Ojos | Part of Sistema Sac Actun, one of the longest underwater cave systems known |
Entry at smaller and community-run cenotes is often about MXN 30 to 80, and the popular cenotes with more facilities charge roughly MXN 100 to 250. Pay in cash where you can, and expect life jacket rental to cost about MXN 30 to 60 extra where it isn't included.
The Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá
Swimming isn't allowed in the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá. It was a place of offerings to Chaac, the rain god. Beginning in 1904, the American Edward H. Thompson dredged it and recovered gold, jade, pottery, incense, and human remains, much of which went to Harvard's Peabody Museum. In ancient Maya writing, "entering the water" was a way of saying someone had died.
Rules for swimming in a cenote
Rules vary from one cenote to the next, but most follow the same pattern, because the water is part of the aquifer the peninsula drinks from.
Many cenotes ban ordinary sunscreen, insect repellent, and body creams. Some allow fully biodegradable sunscreen applied well before swimming.
Several cenotes require a rinse before you get in, to wash off lotions, makeup, and deodorant.
Deep and semi-open cenotes often require life jackets, even for strong swimmers.
Many cenotes don't take cards, and signal for card payments can be unreliable.
Pressure on the cenotes
Researchers rate 71% of Yucatán's aquifer as highly to extremely vulnerable to contamination, and only 2.7% of the state's wastewater is treated before it returns underground. In October 2025, Mexico's environment minister acknowledged that construction of the Tren Maya between Cancún and Tulum had seriously damaged eight caves and one cenote.
In 2025 Yucatán expanded the Ring of Cenotes reserve, and in July 2026 Mexico's Supreme Court agreed to hear cases brought by Maya communities, including one from Homún that asks whether the Ring of Cenotes and its aquifer can hold legal rights of their own.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wear sunscreen in a cenote?
Usually not. Many cenotes ban ordinary sunscreen and insect repellent because the water feeds the region's aquifer. Some allow fully biodegradable sunscreen applied well in advance.
What is the difference between an open and a cave cenote?
A cave cenote still has its rock roof and gets light through a small opening. An open cenote's roof has collapsed completely, leaving a pool open to the sky. Semi-open cenotes fall in between.
Which cenotes are near Valladolid?
Suytun, Hubiku, X'Keken, and Samulá are all within a short drive. X'Keken and Samulá are side by side in Dzitnup, about 7 km southwest of the town.
When is the best time to visit the cenotes?
The dry season, from about December to April, has the fewest storms. Hurricane season runs from June to November, as our guide to Mexico's seasons explains. Arriving early in the day means smaller crowds at any time of year.
How many cenotes are there in the Yucatán?
Yucatán state has 3,050 registered cenotes, and estimates put the true number at 7,000 to 8,000. Counts for the whole peninsula, which also takes in Quintana Roo and Campeche, run higher still.
