CENOTES

 

GARDEN OF EDEN CENOTE – If you want to experience a cenote, this is a great option as it is close and not very expensive.  There are some fish, so you can snorkel and there is also a cliff jump.  It is an open air cenote as opposed to a cave. The entrance fee is 60 pesos for adults and 40 pesos for children.  Next door is Cenote Azul which is quite nice as well, but smaller and usually less crowded.

CENOTE CRISTALINO – Also next door to Garden of Eden and Azul Cenotes is Cristalino.  Cristalino is much smaller and quieter then Garden of Eden.  This is one of my favorite places.  It also has the cliff jump that the kids love!  You can chill out and sit along the side with your feet in the water, and get a free pedicure courtesy of the little fishies who eat your dead skin (you will pay $15 for sitting with your feet in a tank of these fish on 5th Ave Playa del Carmen)  But the best thing about Cristalino is the Secret Cave!  Ask me when you check in for directions to the secret cave!

DOS OJOS CENOTE – There are several centotes on the road to DOS OJOS, but this one is really the star attraction.  Underground caves and caverns, it is a must see for divers and free divers.

MANATEE CENOTE – When you have had too much sun and are looking for something low key – this is a good stop!  Take the exit for Pavo Real and Blue Sky and at the end make a left.  There is a guard at a gate, but only tell him you are going to Manatee Cenote and he will let you in.  It is a couple of kilometers down the road and on the left you will see Manatee Cenote and on the right Casa Cenote.  Manatee Cenote is an above ground cenote with mangroves and plenty of fish.  (they claim manatees used to live there) There is a small charge for access.  This experience is better suited for experienced snorkelers and swimmers.  You can also rent a kayak.  Across the road at CASA CENOTE there is a cute little restaurant on the sea.  The beach is rocky, so not ideal for swimming but great for enjoying the view during your meal.  The food, service and atmosphere are very good!

GRAN CENOTE – Our recommended cenote experience for “first timers” and families.  You enter through stairs into the middle cavern.  From there you can swim to a partially open area with light, many fish and a sandy bottom; or through a cave where you will enter a closed dark cavern.  There is an area with small turtles, but it is not allowed to swim with them. Entrance fee is 120 pesos for adults and half price for children.

ZAZIL HA CENOTE – Just past Gran Cenote on the way to Coba you will pass Zazil Ha Cenote on your left.  This Cenote is about 60 pesos for entrance.  It is a very small cenote and not really noteworthy.  What is great is the area around it.  Whereas most cenotes lack sitting and relaxing space, Zazil Ha has lounge chairs, palapas, tables & chairs and even a snack bar for food and drinks.  It’s the kind of place you can spend a few hours.  The water is crystal clear and refreshing.  There is a cliff jump.  It has a small zip line over the cenote that you must let go and jump in, they charge 10 pesos per zip line and provide life vests.  Great for kids 8 to 12 or adults who still think they are kids!