9 Best Cenotes Within 9 Miles of Tulum

Want to experience the very best cenotes near Tulum? Here’s the complete rundown on the best Tulum cenotes within 9 miles (15 km) of town!

No doubt, a visit to the Yucatan Peninsula’s sacred cenotes is an unforgettable experience. But there are some 6,000 cenotes across the Yucatan Peninsula and those open to the public in and around Tulum can be hit or miss.

If it’s your first time visiting Tulum, it can be hard to know which cenotes are worth the time, effort, and cost involved in visiting on your own.

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Why Visit Tulum’s Cenotes?

At its most basic level, a Cenote is a collapsed natural sinkhole filled with water. But reducing a cenote to its physical definition misses what makes cenotes so special.

For one, this natural phenomenon does NOT happen everywhere—at least not like it does with the cenotes near Tulum. The Yucatan Peninsula’s unique geology and vast underground river systems have created the perfect environment for these natural wonders.

Next, there are water-filled sinkholes, and then there are Cenotes. The Yucatan’s cenotes are known across the globe for their dramatic, often cave-like formation, and unreal crystal-clear and bright turquoise waters—and Tulum has arguably some of the best!

Finally, visitors can’t fully appreciate these amazing places without understanding the importance that cenotes play in Mayan culture, religion, and history. To the ancient Maya, cenotes were considered the entrance to Xibalba, or underworld, which made them important places for conducting sacred rituals.

Methodology for Choosing the Best Cenotes

The cenotes on our list combine four key ingredients:

1. “Wow-factor” (i.e. unique, photogenic, and universally stunning);
2. Proximity to Tulum (within 10 miles (16 km) or less, ideally);
3. Facilities & services (or excellent tours available); and…
4. Not completely over-run with visitors (though this one’s gotten harder in recent years as Tulum’s popularity continues to soar).

Tulum Cenotes Map

We’ve put together this interactive map to help you plan your visit and find the cenote that’s just right for you.

Keep reading to find out which are the best Tulum cenotes, and how to make your visit to one (or all 10) unforgettable.

9 Visit-Worthy Tulum Cenotes Within 9 Miles of Town

Ten miles from Tulum as the Macaw flies, Dos Ojos (meaning Two Eyes) barely made it into our search radius. But there’s absolutely NO FREAKIN WAY we could put together a list of the very best cenotes near Tulum and NOT include Dos Ojos!

Why Visit Cenote Dos Ojos

Cenotes Dos Ojos is widely regarded as the most spectacular cenote group in the Tulum area, home to some of the very best cenotes on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Casual day trippers know Dos Ojos best for its two main cenotes—the open-air Blue Eye and underground Black Eye.

However, the system of five cenotes (most of them underground and inaccessible without a guide or dive gear) is best known for being one of the premier flooded cave dive sites in the entire world.

If you’re an experienced diver, you won’t want to miss the chance of a lifetime to dive this world-famous dive site!

Facilities

Even if you just plan to visit the open-air cenotes for the day, the site is very much worth your time, offering incredible snorkeling opportunities (crystal clear water and colorful fish), refreshing swimming, lifeguards, restrooms and lockers, and even an onsite restaurant.

Hot Tips

As you might expect from the best cenote near Tulum, Dos Ojos is popular and gets pretty busy! Expect to pay a premium for this popularity and go as early as possible.

The Grandaddy of Cenotes near Tulum, Gran Cenote wows visitors with its stunning, semi-exposed natural beauty and clear, inviting waters.

If you’re looking for one of the most spectacular cenotes within a short drive from the Hotel Zone (5 miles / 10 minutes), Gran Cenote is a sure bet.

Why Visit Gran Cenote

Bask in the warmth of the sun in the exposed portion of the site featuring stunning limestone cliffs. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, you can explore the various caverns around the main area.

If you want to venture deeper, join a top-rated dive trip for the cave diving adventure of a lifetime.

Facilities

Gran Cenote is both spectacular and close to Tulum, which of course means its also very popular with day trippers. However, this popularity does come with a few perks, such as bathrooms, changing rooms, a snack shack, and lockers (for a small fee).

Hot Tip

As with most of the cenotes on our list, plan to get there as early as possible for the best experience!

Casa Cenote (aka Cenote Manati) is the only Tulum cenote on our list to be located just steps away from the beach! That can make Casa Cenote a bit busier than some of the others we’ve featured.

But fear not! There’s plenty of space for everyone in this narrow and winding sinkhole hemmed in by mangrove to enjoy everything from snorkeling to paddleboarding, and even diving!

Why Visit Casa Cenote

In addition to underwater life (tarpon, barracuda, blue crabs…) Casa Cenote is also a great place for spotting some of the area’s best birds and butterflies.

Are there crocodiles in the cenotes around Tulum? By and large, NO!

But… there is one harmless resident croc in Casa Cenote named Panchito (yep, he has a name) who hangs out in the northernmost area (farthest from the beach).

Apparently, he occasionally likes to swim with visitors, but largely keeps to himself.

Facilities

Expect to find pit toilets and not much else. With that said, the excellent Casa Cenote Restaurant is located right on the beach a short walk away.

If we had called this article the Best Cenotes IN Tulum, it would have been a pretty short list, as most of the Tulum cenotes are located at least a few miles outside of the city limits.

Cenote Calavera might be the one big exception. At just over a mile from the center of town, Cenote Calavera is perhaps the most accessible cenote to Tulum on our list, making it also one of the busiest!

Why Visit Cenote Calavera

You’ll also hear a lot of tour operators in the area refer to Cenote Calavera as the Temple of Doom Cenote. We’re not really sure why. Our best guess is that it’s due to the mysterious and somewhat creepy subterranean move-set quality to it.

Expect to find a lot of hidden spaces to explore, accessed in a variety of ways. Take the plunge of terror through a couple of small access points, or opt for the more straight-forward ladder approach (pictured above).

As with our top three, you can also dive the Temple of Doom Cenote! Check out our link below for a top-rated option.

Facilities

Facilities are limited, so plan accordingly. Cenote Calavera offers bathrooms and a snack shack, but if you plan on staying a while, you’ll want to pack your own provisions.

The Tankah Cenotes are actually two different experiences encompassing half a dozen public cenotes that are connected by the same underwater system.

Why Visit Tankah Cenotes

North of Route 307, check out Tankah Park (aka Tankah Eco Park or Tankah Adventure Park), a Mayan village and private natural reserve featuring 5 picturesque cenotes of varying sizes. Activities include swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and even zip-lining.

Add lunch, transport, and a knowledgeable guide for an awesome day trip!

Or, for US$15, get a day pass to Caleta Tankah Beach Club, just south of Route 307. The entrance fee includes access to all of their amenities, including a lovely stretch of beach, jade-colored lagoon, restaurant and bar, and jungle cenotes.

Facilities

The main cenote is located in a serene jungle setting and is relatively underdeveloped with a mellow vibe. Head to the main Resort to access the Beach Club’s services and amenities.

Located an easy 8-mile, 20-minute drive west of town, Kaan Luum is a cenote quite unlike any other on our cenotes list.

Why Visit Kaan Luum

What makes Kaan Luum so special? It’s a massive blue hole the width of five football fields in the middle of an inland lagoon completely surrounded by dense jungle.

If the blue depths of the seemingly bottomless cenote make you feel a bit uneasy, no worries!

Most of the inviting turquoise waters of the surrounding lagoon bottoms out at five feet deep, making Kaan Luum perfect for families traveling with kids.

It’s also worth noting that the sinkhole portion of the cenote is off limits to everyone but divers. If you’re a certified diver feeling the call of Tulum’s blue hole, consider booking a top-rated dive trip to Kaan Luum!

Facilities

Kaan Luum’s facilities won’t win any awards, but their better than a lot of other cenotes near Tulum. Expect to find a latrine toilet, large picnic area, and that’s about it. If you’re planning on staying a while, be sure to bring your own food and drinks.

El Gloria Cenote is an open-air classic cenote visit without all the fuss.

Situated in a dense jungle setting about 10 miles north (20-minute drive) from Tulum, El Gloria offers stunning scenery, in addition to a few swim platforms and a rope swing.

Top-Rated El Gloria Cenote Tour

Currently there are few facilities to speak of. But they seem to be expanding.

Hot Tip

Popular with locals on the weekends (and becoming more popular with day trip tours), we recommend arriving early for the best experience!

As you’ll find, a lot of Tulum cenotes have more than one name, and Cenote Aktun-Ha (aka Carwash Cenote) is no exception.

Why Visit Cenote Aktun-Ha

While Carwash Cenote is a popular stop on guided tours and day trips, it’s generally fairly quiet and relaxed compared to many of the other best cenotes near Tulum.

Another crystalline, open-air stunner, Carwash Cenote is a favorite with snorkelers and even offers some spectacular underwater caves for dive excursions as well.

Facilities

Carwash Cenote has a surprising assortment of services and amenities despite its relative lack of visitors (likely due to the tour groups that stop here), including toilets & showers, lockers, and rental snorkel gear (but no restaurant as of writing).

Insider Tip

Easily combine a day trip to nearby Cenote Zacil-Ha, a small and busy full-service cenote (with restaurant) a five-minute walk away.

If you’re looking for a less touristic, more local experience, check out Cenote Santa Cruz Tulum.

We make a distinction here by adding “Tulum” to the name because there are actually a few different Santa Cruz cenotes scattered across the area. This is the one located directly five miles north of Tulum on the road to Coba.

Why Visit Cenote Santa Cruz

Locally touted as a hidden gem, Cenote Santa Cruz Tulum is a classic Mexican-style recreational day use area geared towards local families.

It’s of the open-air variety, so don’t visit expecting to find a spectacular portal to Xibalba. Instead, think more along the lines of a natural lazy river surrounding a picnic island. This cenote’s purely for fun in the sun!

Facilities

Facilities at Cenote Santa Cruz Tulum include toilets, changing rooms, picnic palapas, and a good little restaurant.

Insider Tips

Snorkelers will love spotting everything from colorful fishes to swimming turtles. Arrive midweek and early in the day and have the whole place to yourself!

What to Pack for Cenotes

Most cenotes are open year-round, rain or shine, which may impact water depth and visibility, but likely won’t affect your packing list too much, which sets this activity apart from many others on offer in the area.

While some of the cenotes on this list are located almost entirely below ground, it’s important to stay mindful of the intense Yucatan sun in and around the more exposed cenotes.

If you plan to visit some of the more sun-exposed cenotes, you’ll want to protect yourself from the sun. A rash guard and wide brim sun hat with UPF protection is a good bet, but…

NEVER WEAR SUNSCREEN IN CENOTES!

Yep, you read that right. Most cenotes in the area strongly discourage or flat out forbid the use of lotions of any kind (including biodegradable sunscreen) due to the damage they inflict on the fragile underwater ecosystem. Instead, cover up!

Don’t forget to pack a reusable water bottle and some snacks for your visit, as some of the cenotes might not necessarily have a lot of services nearby.

A sturdy pair of river sandals are a good idea, particularly if you are visiting one of the more shallow underground cenotes where the bottom can be quite uncomfortable to walk on.

A good pack towel may come in handy, particularly if you plan on changing into street clothes or for the ride back. We like bringing a dry bag with us for keeping our street clothes and phone dry. And of course, don’t forget your swimsuit!

Your phone might be fine for snapping pics of cenotes from dry land, but if you want to properly capture this once-in-a-lifetime experience, we recommend taking a sturdy waterproof action camera, like a GoPro or DJI Osmo Action Camera.

Tulum Cenotes FAQs

Your most frequently-asked Tulum cenotes questions answered!

Which is these Tulum cenotes is the best?

If you’re wondering which of the Tulum cenotes featured in our guide is the best, the answer will depend on you and what you’re looking for.

If you’re an avid and experienced diver, look no further than Dos Ojos. Those traveling with younger kids will want to check out Kaan Luum. If you want the locals’ experience, head to Cenote Santa Cruz Tulum or El Gloria Cenote. Looking for an action-packed day? Try the cenotes at Tankah Adventure Park.

It largely depends on what you’re looking for, but you can’t go wrong with any of the cenotes near Tulum on our list.

Are there any free Tulum cenotes?

Not anymore, it seems. Most cenotes near Tulum are private enterprises that require a fee to enter, ranging from about US$5 to US$20 (though you will find whisperings from time to time of supposed undeveloped, hidden cenotes).

Are there crocodiles in Tulum cenotes?

The vast majority of cenotes near Tulum are croc-free. But if you want a chance to swim with a reportedly harmless crocodile named Panchito, head to the northern end of Casa Cenote.

Koox Diving also offers a unique opportunity to do a night dive or snorkel tour with cenote crocodiles in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere.

Are Tulum cenotes deep?

Cenotes come in all shapes and sizes. The classic sinkhole cenotes tend to be pretty deep, ranging anywhere from 50 feet to around 400 feet in some cases.

However, many Tulum cenotes (particularly the subterranean cavern variety) have vast sections filled with water that is only ankle or waste-deep.

Most of the deeper cenotes have life jackets available, or are off limits to all but experienced divers.

Is Cenote water cold?

Well…cold is a relative term. Will cenote water feel like dipping into a fresh mountain spring? No, no it won’t.

Expect cenote surface temperatures to hover around the mid-70s (F). Compared to the air temperature, which can head upwards of 100°F, that may seem a bit chilly.

Most of the time in and around Tulum, cenote water will likely feel inviting and refreshing rather than uncomfortably cold.

Is it safe to swim in cenotes?

While water quality varies from cenote to cenote, you generally won’t get sick from swimming in a cenote. Your chances of avoiding infection increase with cooler water, fewer people, and a noticeable current.

The most common danger tend to be cuts and scrapes from sharp rocks underneath the surface. More serious injuries and occasional drownings do happen, so take care when jumping into cenotes, and be sure to wear a life jacket if you aren’t a strong and confident swimmer.

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Featured Image: Roberto Nickson / Unsplash