Cenotes
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Cenotes and nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
3 within 5 kms
Attractions
16 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
463 reviews
Excellent
313
Very good
105
Average
29
Poor
8
Terrible
8
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
Jemkh
Melbourne, Australia770 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
Cenotes are scattered across the Yucatan but I highly recommend either joining a day trip or discovering a way of getting here to explore some of the cenotes in this region. You can hire bikes and move between each one. No one is the same!
Written 18 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VALERIO284
136 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Having left by car from Merida, after less than an hour you arrive in this place after passing through villages that make you experience the real Mexico, the non-tourist one: small churches, markets full of perfumes, colors and local products, families transported by motorbike taxis (i.e. a scooter, without a front wheel and in its place a real bench with two wheels to sit on), small Mayan pyramids in the city center (like in Acanceh). Once we arrive on site we get on a small cart pulled by a horse on an old abandoned rail (there is only one rail, round trip, so on the outward journey you have priority while on the return you go down and you will have to help the driver to " "wheel the cart off the track and then put it back in its place for the continuation of the journey) and after crossing a few kilometers of dense jungle (which allows you to enjoy shade and coolness!) you arrive at the cenotes: the first beautiful thing to see , with wonderful stalactites, the second is more challenging because you have to go down a ladder, while the third is wonderful: clear water which, thanks to the light falling from above, becomes a beautiful turquoise blue! Emotional experience to try if you have the possibility of moving automatically by car.
Written 4 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lmlmlm
Austin, TX455 contributions
Apr 2021
There are a couple of different cenote areas in Cuzama and this review is for X'Tohil. There are 4 cenotes to enjoy which you access via a cart pulled by a horse. Yes, its a little bumpy, as others have mentioned, but we felt safe the entire time and it was fun.
Our guide, William, was outstanding. Shared a lot about the area and cenotes - as well as the flora and fauna (en Espanol). The area around cenotes was quite arid and it was a hot day (take water). You would arrive at a cenote and then able to descend and spend time at your leisure. When we were ready to move on, we would go to the next one. The first cenote has an extremely steep wooden ladder - which felt a little sketchy - but opens to an amazing cavern. So beautiful. The access in the other cenotes was much better. There were wasps and biting flies but it is Mexico and to be expected in a hot climate. The horses were also in excellent condition, which isn't always the case. The last cenote had a rope swing which my daughter loved. There were also bats in each cenote, different types, which was cool.
We were the second to arrive in the morning and had each cenote to ourselves. Felt spoiled to be able to enjoy it alone. We got there at 10:30am.
We got drinks from the restaurant and they were very nice and helpful.
We would definitely go back to do again. Crystal clear water and great staff.
Our guide, William, was outstanding. Shared a lot about the area and cenotes - as well as the flora and fauna (en Espanol). The area around cenotes was quite arid and it was a hot day (take water). You would arrive at a cenote and then able to descend and spend time at your leisure. When we were ready to move on, we would go to the next one. The first cenote has an extremely steep wooden ladder - which felt a little sketchy - but opens to an amazing cavern. So beautiful. The access in the other cenotes was much better. There were wasps and biting flies but it is Mexico and to be expected in a hot climate. The horses were also in excellent condition, which isn't always the case. The last cenote had a rope swing which my daughter loved. There were also bats in each cenote, different types, which was cool.
We were the second to arrive in the morning and had each cenote to ourselves. Felt spoiled to be able to enjoy it alone. We got there at 10:30am.
We got drinks from the restaurant and they were very nice and helpful.
We would definitely go back to do again. Crystal clear water and great staff.
Written 8 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Must Do Travels
World467 contributions
Feb 2019
The natural pools were once thought to be a place where the Mayans could speak to the gods, and you can see why.
Written 6 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard S
Indianapolis, IN173 contributions
Nov 2011 • Couples
We went to Cuzama, actually drove there in a rented car, and it was difficult to find. But by asking around we finally made it to a parking area where there are carts on a rail pulled by horses that take up to 4 persons to 3 different cenotes. I actually do not remember how much the tour trip was per person, I would like to say about 150 pesos but do not recall the exact amount. We agreed to the price and were taken to a small cart on a rail, where we sat on a bench. We greeted our two guides, and our trip commenced. I purposefully asked what kind of treatment the horses received. Oh, yes they were well taken care of, I was assured. And just as the one guide said that, he proceeded to whip the poor skinny horse to within an inch within its life. The other guide jumped aboard to sit with us and now the poor horse was pulling three adults while being beaten. Then the main guide jumped aboard as he continued to whip the poor animal. At that point, I exploded which I can do in Spanish as I am totally bilingual and I don’t put up with this kind of abusive behavior to animals and/or children from anyone, anywhere, in any language. The guide’s response was: “Es normal, senor.” I screamed at him to give me the whip, and I would show him “normal” so he could see how much he would like it. Needless to say, our visit to the cenotes was ruined, and we got off the cart and walked back. I do NOT recommend anyone using these services to see the 3 cenotes in Cuzama until the guides change their ways and treat their source of revenue in a humane manner. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of cenotes throughout Yucatan, and I recommend them all. They are all different and beautiful in their very unique manner. Some of them are daunting in that the descent can be rather abrupt, but that’s what makes them interesting and very enjoyable. The water in the cenotes is crystalline and refreshingly cool not cold. The fish are not afraid of humans swimming in the sink holes. The locals all swim in them to cool off from the heat. I really recommend a cenote experience while in the Yucatan. Just be aware that the ones at Cuzama have that animal abuse going on and should be avoided.
An added note as to animal cruelty in Mexico: it seems to be prevalent in this society, which is a shame. Children, on the other hand, are beloved. Mexicans adore their children. I have yet to meet one Mexican who isn’t nuts about his/her child. And I can say it’s true in Mexico as well as with Mexican Americans in this country, as I have worked with Mexican families stateside. We in the American society have a lot to learn from their care towards their progeny.
An added note as to animal cruelty in Mexico: it seems to be prevalent in this society, which is a shame. Children, on the other hand, are beloved. Mexicans adore their children. I have yet to meet one Mexican who isn’t nuts about his/her child. And I can say it’s true in Mexico as well as with Mexican Americans in this country, as I have worked with Mexican families stateside. We in the American society have a lot to learn from their care towards their progeny.
Written 5 October 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rmt
Vacaville, CA674 contributions
Aug 2011 • Couples
This was the highlight of our trip. Chunkanan Hacienda 3km from the town of Cuzama.
These three cenotes are beautiful and rustic. The water is very very clear. The cenote "tour" via a horse- drawn carriage they call "truck" was just the beginning of the fun. You reach the start of this tour from the Chunkanan Village. To reach Chunakanan... on the way from Cuzama town proper, the road going towards Chunakan, there is a man waving this red flag pointing you towards this building to the right. Ignore him. Thats the other tour from Cuzama. Just drive forward 5 more minutes and you reach the horse-drawn carriages of the Chunkanan village. The people there earn their living by the cenote tour. It costs 250 pesos for the "truck" and not per person! The truck
accomodates 4 people. You pay them at the end of the trip. (please tip them at least 50 pesos esp f you used their life jackets and there are several of you.. Poor horse!) Each truck carries at least 2 life vests. Our truck tour operators were Mayan Villagers. He even taught us mayan words! I barely speak Spanish and they told us they would love to teach us Mayan. We left our bag containing our clothes with them while we were in the cenotes. They are very honest people and they truly want you to have a great time.
The tour lasts about 2 and half hours. We were given 30 minutes each cenote visited. My favorite is the third one! The second one though had vandalism on the cave side, please refrain from etching your name to preserve its beauty. On Sundays, the women of Chunkanan sell snacks, drinks and small mayan trinkets. On other days, bring your own snacks and drinks. Wear biodegradable (better) Insect repellant. Remember you have to go through the jungle to reach these cenotes, it is their territory.
If you want a real feel of a Mayan Cenote, drive through the real Yucatan and visit Chunkanan Village 3 km from Cuzama. No 3rd grade lesson on the formation of stalagmites and such.. No special fee for cameras..
They will only tell you.. "banyo aqui, cenotes aqui" and leave you to enjoy the clear waters and the caverns of the los tres cenotes.
Ni bo'olal. Dios boo'tik (thank you and good bye -- mayan!)
These three cenotes are beautiful and rustic. The water is very very clear. The cenote "tour" via a horse- drawn carriage they call "truck" was just the beginning of the fun. You reach the start of this tour from the Chunkanan Village. To reach Chunakanan... on the way from Cuzama town proper, the road going towards Chunakan, there is a man waving this red flag pointing you towards this building to the right. Ignore him. Thats the other tour from Cuzama. Just drive forward 5 more minutes and you reach the horse-drawn carriages of the Chunkanan village. The people there earn their living by the cenote tour. It costs 250 pesos for the "truck" and not per person! The truck
accomodates 4 people. You pay them at the end of the trip. (please tip them at least 50 pesos esp f you used their life jackets and there are several of you.. Poor horse!) Each truck carries at least 2 life vests. Our truck tour operators were Mayan Villagers. He even taught us mayan words! I barely speak Spanish and they told us they would love to teach us Mayan. We left our bag containing our clothes with them while we were in the cenotes. They are very honest people and they truly want you to have a great time.
The tour lasts about 2 and half hours. We were given 30 minutes each cenote visited. My favorite is the third one! The second one though had vandalism on the cave side, please refrain from etching your name to preserve its beauty. On Sundays, the women of Chunkanan sell snacks, drinks and small mayan trinkets. On other days, bring your own snacks and drinks. Wear biodegradable (better) Insect repellant. Remember you have to go through the jungle to reach these cenotes, it is their territory.
If you want a real feel of a Mayan Cenote, drive through the real Yucatan and visit Chunkanan Village 3 km from Cuzama. No 3rd grade lesson on the formation of stalagmites and such.. No special fee for cameras..
They will only tell you.. "banyo aqui, cenotes aqui" and leave you to enjoy the clear waters and the caverns of the los tres cenotes.
Ni bo'olal. Dios boo'tik (thank you and good bye -- mayan!)
Written 19 August 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jodii24
Newport, UK28 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
Not being a fan of package tours, we decided to visit the cenotes independently. This was super easy and a lot cheaper to do! Plus, we could take as much or as little time as we wanted.
We caught a collectivo from Merida (50 pesos p.p each way). Just ask the drivers for the Cenotes. It took just under an hour and we drove through beautiful villages. The driver will tell you when to get off. We didn't visit the 'horse carriage' cenotes as there were protests concerning the matter on that day. Plus, we had read about the poor treatment of the horses. I'm really glad we were able to visit the others as they were super quiet and there were no tourists at all!
We hired a bicitaxi and a driver for 200 pesos for the afternoon. We told him we only want to see 3 cenotes so that was the price he offered us (originally 250). It took about 3 hours altogether but that was the time we wanted to spend. Francisco, our driver, told us he would wait however long until we had finished.
The first cenote was stunning. I can't remember the name but it began with X! It cost 20pesos entry and we were the only ones there!! The second one was busier with maybe 10 Mexicans visiting and again cost 20 pesos. The third was completely in a cave- it was softly lit with lights in the walls...it was like a private natural pool! Francisco insisted he take us to a final cenote which was the busiest stop with about 20 people in and only cost 10 pesos entry!
Total cost per person : 270 pesos! - 100 pesos for return collectivo & 70 pesos entry into 4 beautiful, quiet cenotes & 100 pesos for bicitaxi and driver.
Ps. Take water/snacks with you as only one had a small drinks stand. The place to get off is outside a large orange restaurant on the right hand side where you will see the bicitaxis lined up.
We caught a collectivo from Merida (50 pesos p.p each way). Just ask the drivers for the Cenotes. It took just under an hour and we drove through beautiful villages. The driver will tell you when to get off. We didn't visit the 'horse carriage' cenotes as there were protests concerning the matter on that day. Plus, we had read about the poor treatment of the horses. I'm really glad we were able to visit the others as they were super quiet and there were no tourists at all!
We hired a bicitaxi and a driver for 200 pesos for the afternoon. We told him we only want to see 3 cenotes so that was the price he offered us (originally 250). It took about 3 hours altogether but that was the time we wanted to spend. Francisco, our driver, told us he would wait however long until we had finished.
The first cenote was stunning. I can't remember the name but it began with X! It cost 20pesos entry and we were the only ones there!! The second one was busier with maybe 10 Mexicans visiting and again cost 20 pesos. The third was completely in a cave- it was softly lit with lights in the walls...it was like a private natural pool! Francisco insisted he take us to a final cenote which was the busiest stop with about 20 people in and only cost 10 pesos entry!
Total cost per person : 270 pesos! - 100 pesos for return collectivo & 70 pesos entry into 4 beautiful, quiet cenotes & 100 pesos for bicitaxi and driver.
Ps. Take water/snacks with you as only one had a small drinks stand. The place to get off is outside a large orange restaurant on the right hand side where you will see the bicitaxis lined up.
Written 6 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CCC_wanderlust
Oxon Hill, MD2,440 contributions
Feb 2011 • Friends
My friends and I were staying at a vacation rental in the heart of Merida, and on the advice of a local, we sought to visit the Cenotes of Cuzama on our own, and not part of a guided/pre-booked tour. Finding the right bus to Cuzama was an adventure in itself. To this day, I still don't know if we received the wrong directions or if we were at the right spot and the bus schedule had changed. Nevertheless, after an hour of backtracking and asking for directions, we found the correct bus to Cuzama (we had to chase it down, but that wasn't such a bad thing considering the amount of traffic only allowed vehicles to creep along).
When we arrived in Cuzama an hour or so later, we first had to hire transportation to get to the cenotes. There are plenty of motociclos in front of the Cuzama parish church, so one needn't worry about availability. Each motociclo can fit two people comfortably in the made cab, but since there were three of us, I opted to ride behind the driver. The motociclo driver knew exactly where to drop us off in the tiny village of Chunkanan, and we arranged with him to pick us up after a few hours.
We then met our buggy driver and horse, and the team was ready to go. No waiting for other tourists. It was interesting to see that because there was only one set of tracks, if two buggies were on the same track going opposite directions, the passengers of one buggy had to disembark, the horse unhitched, and the buggy driver removed the buggy off the track. Once the other buggy had gone on their way, the driver then had to return his buggy on the track, hitch the horse, and load the passengers back on. It's a lot of work! This happened several times during visit, so please, TIP YOUR DRIVER WELL.
Before I came Merida, I had no idea what cenotes were. On our way to the village of Chunkanan, I had many misgivings: was the water clean? were there going to be critters? is it generally safe? After Cenote Chelentun, the first one we visited, I was sold. The water was refreshing, clean, and there were no critters. It wasn't crowded when we were there, and our buggy driver patiently waited for us, so we could spend as much or as little time in a cenote as we liked. If you would like ot read more about the cenotes in the Yucatan, check out this article: http://yucatantoday.com/en/topics/cenotes-underwater-sinkholes.
Those three hours I spent visiting the Cuzama cenotes are at the top of the list of my fond memories of the Yucatan.
Tips on things to bring:
- towel
- flip flops or water shoes
- snacks (there aren't any food vendors around)
- water (it can be a dehydrating adventure!)
- waterproof camera
- sun protection (hat, sunscreen, etc.)
I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I did!
When we arrived in Cuzama an hour or so later, we first had to hire transportation to get to the cenotes. There are plenty of motociclos in front of the Cuzama parish church, so one needn't worry about availability. Each motociclo can fit two people comfortably in the made cab, but since there were three of us, I opted to ride behind the driver. The motociclo driver knew exactly where to drop us off in the tiny village of Chunkanan, and we arranged with him to pick us up after a few hours.
We then met our buggy driver and horse, and the team was ready to go. No waiting for other tourists. It was interesting to see that because there was only one set of tracks, if two buggies were on the same track going opposite directions, the passengers of one buggy had to disembark, the horse unhitched, and the buggy driver removed the buggy off the track. Once the other buggy had gone on their way, the driver then had to return his buggy on the track, hitch the horse, and load the passengers back on. It's a lot of work! This happened several times during visit, so please, TIP YOUR DRIVER WELL.
Before I came Merida, I had no idea what cenotes were. On our way to the village of Chunkanan, I had many misgivings: was the water clean? were there going to be critters? is it generally safe? After Cenote Chelentun, the first one we visited, I was sold. The water was refreshing, clean, and there were no critters. It wasn't crowded when we were there, and our buggy driver patiently waited for us, so we could spend as much or as little time in a cenote as we liked. If you would like ot read more about the cenotes in the Yucatan, check out this article: http://yucatantoday.com/en/topics/cenotes-underwater-sinkholes.
Those three hours I spent visiting the Cuzama cenotes are at the top of the list of my fond memories of the Yucatan.
Tips on things to bring:
- towel
- flip flops or water shoes
- snacks (there aren't any food vendors around)
- water (it can be a dehydrating adventure!)
- waterproof camera
- sun protection (hat, sunscreen, etc.)
I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I did!
Written 6 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DMG
163 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
There appears to be 2 Cenotes close to Merida, the one we went to, Xtohil was super easy to get to without a tour.
Catch a colectivo from near the noreste bus station. The collectivo will have Cuzama on the front and if you tell the bus driver where you are going he'll let you know when you are there but there are also signs and the day we went 5 blokes standing in the road shouting cenotes at passing traffic and one had a red flag.
There are 4 cenotes, getting to each is an experience as it's by horse and rail (the horse pulling our trap was well cared for). Each of the cenotes is very different, you can swim in all of them, one has a rope swing. They are beautiful, fish, bats, swallows, shafts of sunlight, stalagtights. Some are very deep but life jackets are available if you want them.
Our trip, including travel cost £10.00 or 450 pesos.
Remember if visiting cenotes, no bug spray or sun tan cream, deodorant. The waters are
Catch a colectivo from near the noreste bus station. The collectivo will have Cuzama on the front and if you tell the bus driver where you are going he'll let you know when you are there but there are also signs and the day we went 5 blokes standing in the road shouting cenotes at passing traffic and one had a red flag.
There are 4 cenotes, getting to each is an experience as it's by horse and rail (the horse pulling our trap was well cared for). Each of the cenotes is very different, you can swim in all of them, one has a rope swing. They are beautiful, fish, bats, swallows, shafts of sunlight, stalagtights. Some are very deep but life jackets are available if you want them.
Our trip, including travel cost £10.00 or 450 pesos.
Remember if visiting cenotes, no bug spray or sun tan cream, deodorant. The waters are
Written 5 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ciara
Los Angeles, CA204 contributions
Mar 2017
My friend and I had heard about cenotes being one of the highlights of the Yucatán - and after recommendations from both TripAdvisor and our hostel in Mérida, we decided to go to the ones in Cuzamá. (For the record, my friend and I are two young women).
My one piece of advice is be prepared for a decidedly "rustic" experience - and try to exercise a command of Spanish. I will explain later why this helps.
• We caught a "colectivo" (or van) nearby a busy bus station in Mérida; this was a little difficult to find even with directions/a map from our hostel. Look out for gray/white vans that have "Mérida" and "Cuzamá" stenciled on them. These vans run to and from Cuzamá every half hour (which make them a lot more flexible than the regulated buses); my friend and I arrived just in the nick of time to snag the last two seats on the 10am van. It cost 27 Pesos/person in total, which for an hourlong journey, is extremely cheap.
• The journey was very easy and interesting; time passed quickly and we passed some intriguing Mayan villages/towns en route. Cuzamá itself is one of these authentic Mayan towns and most of the people here are descendants of indigenous Maya.
• In Cuzamá, we were dropped off at a big dirt plaza in front of a yellowy-orange church. There were lots of mototaxis waiting for us to get off. We were the only tourists/foreigners on our bus and so one mototaxi man got to us first and told us he would take us to the cenotes.
• We were on the mototaxi for about 15 minutes traveling *very* rural and isolated dirt roads. As two young women in an unfamiliar area, we were understandably tense/nervous about this (and probably sensing this) our driver told us the reason he was taking us this way is because the main road to the cenotes was closed. Keep in mind, he said this to us entirely in Spanish; my friend and I have both previously studied abroad in México and as a result, speak Spanish decently.
• Finally, we arrived at the entrance to the cenotes; our mototaxi driver charged us 30 Pesos each for the journey (which we thought was a tad expensive) but we reasoned he had taken a longer route than usual - and also we didn't really care since we'd arrived at the cenotes safely.
• Upon entering, we were the only tourists there at the time. Immediately, we gave a man with a zipped fanny pack 200 Pesos each - and he said it would take about 2-2.5 hours to see all the cenotes. I've seen in other reviews that people were charged 300-400 Pesos; maybe we were in the off-season but I figured we were given a lesser charge because we could understand Spanish.
• A man named Hilberto immediately greeted us with a cart and a horse and we began hurtling on tracks towards the first cenote. I'm big on animal welfare and the horses seemed mostly well taken care of; they were not whipped or hit, Hilberto had a long piece of hard grass that he occasionally used to guide the horse left and right but other than that, we saw no visible signs of mistreatment. The horse also had a name (Zoro) and Hilberto was able to tell us his age (9). At each cenote (where you're allotted 30 minutes to swim freely), Zoro was allowed to rest amongst other horses and chew grass - although the landscape is quite arid.
• When it came to the cenotes, they were marvelous. For someone as afraid of heights as me, they were a little hairy descending into (the second one I personally didn't go down due to the 10 meter ladder/my corresponding fear - but my friend did!) and the water was absolutely gorgeous. It was truly magical; there were a couple other tourists at each cenote but it was a mostly private experience. The water was fresh, clean, and beautiful! (I recommend going earlyish in the day rather than later).
• At the end, after about two hours transpired, I tipped Hilberto 20 Pesos for being our guide - and then my friend and I caught a mototaxi back to the plaza. We were a little alarmed when we (again, two young women by ourselves) stopped at a dirt road intersection in the middle of nowhere in front of ten male mototaxi drivers. Naturally, we were nervous and fearful - until we discovered that they were trying to find the original guy who had taken us to the cenote - to take us back. Apparently, it's some sort of courtesy code to give the original mototaxi drivers return business. However, although we understood the sentiment behind this, we wanted to catch our van home and didn't want to be out in a rural area that we were unfamiliar with. As a result, we asked one of them to take us back to the plaza (in Spanish) and they did so right away. For those doubting this, we actually crossed paths via mototaxi with our original driver en route to the plaza (and he was quite irritated with or new driver for taking us!).
• At the plaza, we rested inside a little open-door corner store that serves as a small general store/bus-waiting area. After about 10 minutes, a van heading back to Mérida arrived (the manager of the general store kept a lookout for the van and let us know which one was heading to Mérida) and it was another easy journey that cost 27 Pesos.
In short, the cenotes are truly wonderful (and were a definitive highlight of our trip to México) but be prepared for some rusticness/no-frills with regards to getting to and from there. And although it's not entirely necessary, I do believe it would be hard to navigate this journey (at least from Mérida) without knowing a bit of Spanish.
However, the Cuzamá cenotes are renowned and the people are known by hotels and travelers in Mérida as being extremely trustworthy; by doing this on your own, you save a VAST amount of money (and have a much more personalized experience) than going through a guide/agent.
My one piece of advice is be prepared for a decidedly "rustic" experience - and try to exercise a command of Spanish. I will explain later why this helps.
• We caught a "colectivo" (or van) nearby a busy bus station in Mérida; this was a little difficult to find even with directions/a map from our hostel. Look out for gray/white vans that have "Mérida" and "Cuzamá" stenciled on them. These vans run to and from Cuzamá every half hour (which make them a lot more flexible than the regulated buses); my friend and I arrived just in the nick of time to snag the last two seats on the 10am van. It cost 27 Pesos/person in total, which for an hourlong journey, is extremely cheap.
• The journey was very easy and interesting; time passed quickly and we passed some intriguing Mayan villages/towns en route. Cuzamá itself is one of these authentic Mayan towns and most of the people here are descendants of indigenous Maya.
• In Cuzamá, we were dropped off at a big dirt plaza in front of a yellowy-orange church. There were lots of mototaxis waiting for us to get off. We were the only tourists/foreigners on our bus and so one mototaxi man got to us first and told us he would take us to the cenotes.
• We were on the mototaxi for about 15 minutes traveling *very* rural and isolated dirt roads. As two young women in an unfamiliar area, we were understandably tense/nervous about this (and probably sensing this) our driver told us the reason he was taking us this way is because the main road to the cenotes was closed. Keep in mind, he said this to us entirely in Spanish; my friend and I have both previously studied abroad in México and as a result, speak Spanish decently.
• Finally, we arrived at the entrance to the cenotes; our mototaxi driver charged us 30 Pesos each for the journey (which we thought was a tad expensive) but we reasoned he had taken a longer route than usual - and also we didn't really care since we'd arrived at the cenotes safely.
• Upon entering, we were the only tourists there at the time. Immediately, we gave a man with a zipped fanny pack 200 Pesos each - and he said it would take about 2-2.5 hours to see all the cenotes. I've seen in other reviews that people were charged 300-400 Pesos; maybe we were in the off-season but I figured we were given a lesser charge because we could understand Spanish.
• A man named Hilberto immediately greeted us with a cart and a horse and we began hurtling on tracks towards the first cenote. I'm big on animal welfare and the horses seemed mostly well taken care of; they were not whipped or hit, Hilberto had a long piece of hard grass that he occasionally used to guide the horse left and right but other than that, we saw no visible signs of mistreatment. The horse also had a name (Zoro) and Hilberto was able to tell us his age (9). At each cenote (where you're allotted 30 minutes to swim freely), Zoro was allowed to rest amongst other horses and chew grass - although the landscape is quite arid.
• When it came to the cenotes, they were marvelous. For someone as afraid of heights as me, they were a little hairy descending into (the second one I personally didn't go down due to the 10 meter ladder/my corresponding fear - but my friend did!) and the water was absolutely gorgeous. It was truly magical; there were a couple other tourists at each cenote but it was a mostly private experience. The water was fresh, clean, and beautiful! (I recommend going earlyish in the day rather than later).
• At the end, after about two hours transpired, I tipped Hilberto 20 Pesos for being our guide - and then my friend and I caught a mototaxi back to the plaza. We were a little alarmed when we (again, two young women by ourselves) stopped at a dirt road intersection in the middle of nowhere in front of ten male mototaxi drivers. Naturally, we were nervous and fearful - until we discovered that they were trying to find the original guy who had taken us to the cenote - to take us back. Apparently, it's some sort of courtesy code to give the original mototaxi drivers return business. However, although we understood the sentiment behind this, we wanted to catch our van home and didn't want to be out in a rural area that we were unfamiliar with. As a result, we asked one of them to take us back to the plaza (in Spanish) and they did so right away. For those doubting this, we actually crossed paths via mototaxi with our original driver en route to the plaza (and he was quite irritated with or new driver for taking us!).
• At the plaza, we rested inside a little open-door corner store that serves as a small general store/bus-waiting area. After about 10 minutes, a van heading back to Mérida arrived (the manager of the general store kept a lookout for the van and let us know which one was heading to Mérida) and it was another easy journey that cost 27 Pesos.
In short, the cenotes are truly wonderful (and were a definitive highlight of our trip to México) but be prepared for some rusticness/no-frills with regards to getting to and from there. And although it's not entirely necessary, I do believe it would be hard to navigate this journey (at least from Mérida) without knowing a bit of Spanish.
However, the Cuzamá cenotes are renowned and the people are known by hotels and travelers in Mérida as being extremely trustworthy; by doing this on your own, you save a VAST amount of money (and have a much more personalized experience) than going through a guide/agent.
Written 27 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teresa G
Plainview, New York
Hi Annabel!
Which Cenotes may ask this is? I'm completely unfamiliar with this..I'm assuming there are several?
Thank you!
Teresa
Written 23 April 2021
Hola quisiera saber los horarios y días en los que se encuentra disponible la entrada
Written 7 June 2020
Hola,
soy turista extranjero y me gustaría conocer esta ruta de los cenotes en Cuzamá. Me gustaría saber si es un lugar seguro para el turista extranjero o si solo lo recomiendas para el turista mexicano.
saludos.
Written 11 February 2019
Toda esa zona es segura para turistas mexicanos y extranjeros
Written 12 February 2019
Who did you book this tour with..sounds so amazing.We are going in a week and my grown son and daughter would like to do this tour
Written 4 November 2018
What is the minimum time needed to experience the cenotes? I understand that 1 hour and half is needed to visit all of them, but how much time to take the horse truck and come back? Thanks!
Written 17 August 2018
If I remember correctly, you can swim in each cenote for 30 minutes. The movements are slow so I would tell you to take the afternoon (3 hours) for your visit.
Written 18 August 2018
Hola, ire en Agosto a Merida y quisiera saber en que lugar exacto se toman los trucks a los cenotes? voy en carro. O se puede reservar con antelacion directamente con un guia?
Written 24 June 2018
Hola Karla, puedes reservarlo con alguna agencia de viajes. Si vas en auto sólo tienes que seguir la carretera a Cuzamá y ahí están los letreros que te irán orientando, esta opción es la que te conviene más en cuando al costo.
Written 25 June 2018
Yosrouge
Mexico City, Mexico
Hola, estoy planeando ir a Mérida y visitar estos cenotes. No tendré coche, así que quisiera saber si alguien me explica como llegar en transporte público a dicho lugar y como volver al centro de Mérida.
De igual forma el costo aproximado de esta aventura. Gracias
Written 31 May 2018
Hola, De Mérida a Cuzamá haces entre 30 a 40 min. Hay Tours que te incluyen el transporte, el paseo en trucks y la entrada a Cenotes. Y tal vez puedas preguntar en un transporte local para ir a Cuzamá y de ahí tomar un taxi o Bici taxi.
El costo del Tour con todo y la transportación eta en $800 aprox.
Ya en Cuzamá el costo del Truck y la entrada a los cenotes es de 100 pesos por persona aprox.
Espero te sirva esta Información.
Written 31 May 2018
…
Showing results 1-10 of 37
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing