List of Cenotes for Non-Divers

[denisea]

Below is a list of cenotes that I compiled for use during our next visit to PDC. As we are not divers, the list is geared towards cenotes that appear to offer good swimming and/or snorkeling opportunities. The info has been compiled from multiple sources - this forum, other forums, guide books & various web sites. I have yet to visit any of these myself so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the info. Anyone who can offer more insight or additional info please feel free to do so.

Chac Mool (Claw of the Jaguar):
Location: 22 km south of Playa Del Carmen/Almost across from Puerto Aventuras.
Description: 2 cenotes. Large cavern zone with beautiful views of jungle from inside cavern.
Open: 10-5 daily.
Facilities: Bathrooms, Restaurant.
Snorkeling: Yes. Larger of 2 cenotes offers view to large room.
Entrance Fee: Yes.

Ponderosa (El Eden):
Location: 3 km south of Puerto Aventuras.
Description: Exceptionally beautiful. Short walk on path takes you to Coral Cenote, which has a large island in the center of it.
Open: 10-5 daily.
Facilities: Bathrooms
Swimming: Very easy access. Nice overhang with tree that can be scaled to jump into cenote.
Snorkeling: Excellent. One of most popular snorkeling sites. Unlimited visibility. Wide variety of fish, eels, turtles & aquatic plant life.
Entrance Fee: $5 US.

Chikin Ha (Points of Direction):
Location: 5 km south of Puerto Aventuras just before Xpu-Ha/Across from Barcelo Maya Hotel/H11 on Riviera Maya Map/Long way down bumpy road.
Description: Footpath through jungle will take you to some other cenotes – one is big & almost dry with lots of fossils.
Facilities: None.
Swimming: Can swim through tunnel to underground air chamber.
Entrance Fee: Yes.

Kantun Chi:
Location: Just past Chikin Ha Cenote/H11 on Riviera Maya Map.
Description: 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.
Facilities: Restaurant, bike rentals, horseback riding, small zoo.
Swimming: Not very inviting.
Snorkeling: Yes. Rental equipment available.
Entrance Fee: $10 US.

Cristalino:
Location: Just past Kantun Chi/Close to highway/H11 on Riviera Maya Map.
Description: Beautiful, very primitive & rarely visited. Good for hanging out. Will probably have place to yourself. Likely to see more locals than tourists.
Facilities: None.
Swimming: You can dive into cenote from 3.5 m (15 ft) tall ledge.
Entrance Fee: 25 pesos.

Azul:
Location: Just past Cristalino Cenote/Close to highway/H11 on Riviera Maya Map.
Description: In light jungle setting with more open air/sunlit than Kantun Chi, which creates more algae.
Facilities: Snackbar.
Entrance Fee: 30 pesos.

Taj Mahal:
Location: 26 km south of Playa Del Carmen/5 km south of Puerto Aventuras/Just south of Xpu-Ha.
Description: 4 interconnected cenotes.
Open: 10-6 daily
Facilities: Bathrooms, Restaurant.
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.
Entrance Fee: 40 pesos.

Dos Ojos (Hidden Worlds):
Location: 48 km south of Playa Del Carmen/3 km south of Xel-Ha/On right 4 km down dirt road/H25 on Riviera Maya Map.
Description: Part of Nohoch Nah Chich cave system. Location of filming for Imax Journey into Amazing Caves documentary
Open: 10-5 daily.
Facilities: Bathrooms, restaurant.
Snorkeling: Superb. Very popular. Stalagtites & Stalagmites everywhere.
Entrance Fee: $10 US/$25-40 US for snorkel tours.

Temple of Doom (Calavera/Skull):
Location: 2 km from Tulum on road to Coba on right/Very rugged rocky unmarked jungle path approximately 50 yds from road.
Description: 3 holes in ground (one 30 ft & two 4 ft in diameter) create skull shape, hence the name. Shaded by thick jungle canopy.
Facilities: None.
Swimming: Great. 10 ft drop down into cenote. Rope swing & ladder – though may want to bring your own rope just in case.

Gran (Sac Aktun/White Water):
Location: 5 km from Tulum on road to Coba on right/V1 on Riviera Maya Map.
Description: 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.
Open: 10-5 Daily.
Facilities: Bathrooms.
Snorkeling: Fun. Fantastic. Spectacular. Paradise.
Entrance Fee: 50 pesos.

Car Wash (Aktun Ha/Water Cave):
Location: 8 km from Tulum on road to Coba/4 km past Gran Cenote on left./V3 on Riviera Maya Map.
Description: Can drive right in approximately 30 m (100 ft) to cenote & locals used to wash vehicles here, hence the name.
Open: 9-5 Daily
Facilities: Bathrooms
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.
Entrance Fee: 20 pesos.

Cristal (Naharon):
Location: 4 km south of Tulum on right.
Facilities: Bathrooms.
Swimming: Great.
Snorkeling: Great.
Entrance Fee: Yes. Includes entrance to Escondido across the street.

Escondido (Mayan Blue):
Location: 4 km south of Tulum on left/Across from Cristal Cenote/2 km walk in Jungle.
Description: Tarzan & Jane style. Beautiful, crisp, clear, secluded. One of least known.
Facilities: Bathrooms.
Swimming: Good.
Snorkeling: Good. Some great stone formations.
Entrance Fee: Included in Cristal entrance fee.

[james]

comments in turn to your list:

chac mool is beautiful, but odds are good it will be in use. it's really exploited for cavern divers. still beautiful, but less cool for swimming than others. Don't think it implies the claw of the jaguar.

El Eden- nice for the jump, and swimming. Don't expect to see many decorations there, except in a dry cave entrance to the left of the main wet part.

Chikin Ha. It means water from the west. It has the best facilities of any cenote in the jungle, actually. The road is not very bumpy, compared to most cenote roads. There are actually three cenotes here. Xtabay, Chikin Ha, and a third. Follow the trails. Don't worry about 'pack of wild dogs' from Cando Maps. They aren't wild. They do chase cars and make dog noises.

Kantun Chi- (snake over there in Mayan, or so I was told) Owner has really tried to draw in business, and there are several caged animals, sadly. It's ok for swimming, but I'd give it a pass for others.

Cristalino- more and more visited, so no more to say here.

Azul...

Taj Mahal (I argue it's called taxma ha, which means some level of water, or so says the owner) - great cavern dive, so so for non divers.

Dos Ojos is not Hidden Worlds, they are separate. Search Google for Buddy Quattlebaum and dos ojos. Legendary stuff, but really shines for a dive.

Temple of Doom. Cool look, hole in the floor. Don't remember the rope swing. No need for rope, there's a pipe ladder.

Sac Aktun (white cave, not water) pay the price and see the queen. Great snorkeling. Treat her gently.

Carwash- I say mostly just a pond type dive for the average snorkeler.

Naharon and Escondido, unless you are already down there, I wouldn't make a special trip. They are amazingly cool, but not so much more than other cenotes much closer to Playa.

Xel Ha, Yalku, Manati, Tres Rios ... these are all cenotes too.

There are many more hidden ones.

I'm off to the airport. Sweden... yeah!!!!

[denisea]

Wow! James, you never cease to amaze me. I figured you'd have the real scoop on them. I found there was a lot of conflicting info out there & really appreciate you taking the time to help clarify things, especially right before your big trip. Thanks again & have a wonderful vacation!

[mitchtheman]

what are everyone's recommendations on the best (1 or 2) cenotes for non-divers? wild life and visibility would be cool.

thanks.

8)

[BarbC]

I'm pretty sure it was Cenote Azul we went to last year, right beside the highway to Tulum.
It was very nice, locals swimming, pretty fish, cool water, lots of rocks to sit on (sharp on the bare feet!).
Wherever it was, there is a funny (?) story.
My daughter Laura, a tall 17-year-old, was on her way up to the concrete outhouses/changerooms perched up on a rock. Watching her footing and dazzled by the heat, she bumped into a low-ish horizontal tree branch. She hurt her head, and the operators got cold cloths and fussed over her, which was nice. Within 5 minutes, the fellow had his machete out and whacked the offending limb right off! (I have it on video!). So, let it be a lesson to trees: don't mess with Laura! (This should come in handy as she trains to be a bush pilot.)

[Munichchick]

Thank for compiling and sharing the Cenote List and thank you to James for clearing some things up. We have been to many cenotes but there are so many more we still need to visit. So much fun!!! 8)

[james]

I really dig Cenote Manatee (by Casa Cenote in Tankah Bay). You can swim way back into the mangrove, power snorkel under the strangler roots, dip into the cave areas a bit, look for the salt water fish that sometimes come in there (it has it's name for a reason too) and I always see turns or hawks or eagles or pelicans or hummingbirds, etc. Go all the way back, and you can see where the cave line ends from Nohoch Nah Chich, for which this is the exit to the sea.

Grand Cenote is a top site. You can feel like you are exploring there.

Likewise I enjoy Yalkul.

[mitchtheman]

power snorkel??? :o

[Jesus]

Thanks Denisea and James, great list and extremely informative.

I have just saved it to my useful files for my next trip to Playa.

[james]

Originally posted by "mitchtheman"

power snorkel??? :o

You can float on the surface and just observe, or you can power snorkel, as I call it, and push your limits doing surface dives. I like to see how deep I can go, and Cenote Manatee has several areas where you can swim back into caves at depths of around 7m. The current flows against you, so you can scoot back out pretty quickly when you chicken out. Cristalino is also great for power snorkeling. There's an air chamber you can reach if you know where you are going. I think it's only about 14 seconds underwater to get to it. This is only for advanced swimmers, so nobody blame me for troubles, ok? My buddy Benja likes to cross from one entrance of Chac Mool to the other side on one breath, which is pretty ballsy.

[Dale]

Hey James, we can't blame ya if we're dead! :wink:
At Hidden Worlds, do they make you wear a life jacket? I know they supply a wet suit, but I would like to dive down a little. Ya look a little silly with your fins and butt in the air trying to sink a life jacket. Not a pretty picture. :lol: :lol:

[james]

I'm not sure what Hidden Worlds requires. I hope they do require a life jacket, or at least prohibit fins, as they tool around in areas way too delicate for the average Joe Tourist to comfortably navigate safely and unbuoyed without inflicting damage on the cave.

And on my previous comment, I don't encourage anyone to attempt anything beyond their level of comfort. Additionally, there are a couple places where the current will push you into the cave, not out of it, so be careful, be trained and be advised.

[leenga]

Are any of these places great just to visit and not snorkel? My husband and I (in our 30's and will snorkel) will be traveling with 4 people over 60 most of whom won't snorkel. Are there places that they might enjoy anyway?

[BarbC]

I think the cenote Ik Il is wonderful. Stopped there with a day tour to Chichen Itza, so I have no idea of the cost if you go just there. It's a big underground hollow globe of rock, with cool, deep water... very refreshing. Pretty gardens, too. You can see some pictures at my Yahoo pictures (see my user profile for the link).
It's nearish to Vallodolid, on the road that runs from south of Playa to Chichen Itza ... If your older generation is good with long, shallow stairs, and if they like to swim, they would enjoy it. But it's not a cenote where you see any wildlife! [/u]

Originally Posted by james

I really dig Cenote Manatee (by Casa Cenote in Tankah Bay). You can swim way back into the mangrove, power snorkel under the strangler roots, dip into the cave areas a bit, look for the salt water fish that sometimes come in there (it has it's name for a reason too) and I always see turns or hawks or eagles or pelicans or hummingbirds, etc. Go all the way back, and you can see where the cave line ends from Nohoch Nah Chich, for which this is the exit to the sea.

Grand Cenote is a top site. You can feel like you are exploring there.

Likewise I enjoy Yalkul.

James.....you made a comment about fins on the hidden worlds tour. What are your thoughts on fins for other Cenotes...such as Manatee?