After your stay in Chichen Itza you are given the opportunity to go to a beautiful Cenote, which are deep natural sinkholes. Discover where the Mayan performed human sacrificing to their rain god. There are approx. 1000 Cenotes in the area. Here are presented the most beautiful of them:
Ik Kil Cenote
The Ik Kil Cenote is one of the most famous ones. In order to reach the water you have to climb down 26 meters. Swimming in the Cenote is a wonderful experience you will be raving about for a long time. You can even jump inside the turquoise waters from a higher platform. It has lots of tree roots hanging from the ground above to the water below. There are small black catfish swimming around you.
Cenotes Xkeken/Dzitnup and Samula
Both cenotes are located 7 km south of Valladolid and you just have to cross the road to get to the other one. The cenotes are completely underground with a small opening at the top of the rock ceiling, allowing the sun’s rays to shine through down to the water below, with tree roots hanging through the opening. They are both gorgeous! There are stalactites hanging from the rock ceiling, and interesting rock formations, bats flying above your head and little black catfish swimming in the water with you. The water is cool and refreshing and if you are sitting on the edge of the cenote with your feet in the water, little fish will swim up and nibble the dead skin off of your feet. It tickles a little! Once you start swimming, they leave you alone.
Cenote Xkeken also consists of a mostly open swimming area, but there are some areas of the cavern that are narrower and where you could swim around stalactites.
The water in Cenote Samula is shallower and there is a rock island in the middle where you can rest. The cenote is circular and is a large open swimming area.
Cenote Zaci
This Cenote is in the heart of Valladolid. It is a massive hollowed out cavern that is largely open to the sky. There is lush greenery on the opposite side of the cenote, climbing all the way up a steep hilly incline to the ground level. There were stone steps leading right down to the water’s edge. One side of the cenote is a rock wall with stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the rock ceiling and the other side is a grassy green hill leading up to the ground level. It is absolutely beautiful and amazing that this cenote is located in the middle of a city!
Oxman Cenote
This cenote is located approximately 4 km south of Valladolid at the quiet Hacienda San Lorenzo hidden down a long gravel road, very close to town. The cenote is located far underground after a long walk down spiral stone steps. Upon arriving at the hacienda, you would never know that a cenote is there because it is so far underground. There is a large opening at the top of the cenote where tree roots and vines dip down to the fresh water. Inside the cenote, there is also a rope swing which is so much fun to swing across and then jump into the refreshing and cool water. When you’re finished swimming in the cenote, the hacienda grounds have an inground swimming pool surrounded by lounge chairs and tables, as well as a bar which serves cheap beer.
