5 unforgettable cenotes in Mexico

If you are planning on going to Cancun or Tulum anytime time soon, I'd highly recommend making some space for visiting the Mexican sinkholes, aka cenotes.

Even if you are staying at an all-inclusive hotel, it's worth taking a few day trips for the unique views and refreshing swim opportunities. If you like to be out in the nature, you will enjoy visiting these places. Plus, if you're up for it, these are some of the best cliff jumping spots in Mexico!

With so many different cenotes to see around the Cancun - Tulum area, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and end up in the wrong place. So these are my tested & approved top 5 cenotes, all within driving distances from either city -- all photos are my own:

#1. Cenote Ik Kil

• Drive time from Cancun: 2h 30m
• Admission: $80 pesos (~$4 USD)
• Opening hours: 08:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Google Maps

This was my favourite spot because of the dimension of the place. You are truly in a large hole and need to go down a long staircase to get there. I felt so tiny and fortunate to be in such a place.

There are lots of fish swimming around here! There is also a platform that you can choose to jump from (about 3 m and 5 m).

#2. Cenote Lol-ha

• Drive time from Cancun: 2h 49m
• Admission: $100 pesos (~$5 USD)
• Opening hours: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Google Maps

This was one of the most fantastic experiences we've had in Mexico (this was my husband's #1 spot). It was a little bit hard to find this place as it's not touristic/signalled at all, there is only a guy at the front that will charge the admission.

We ended up having the whole cenote almost entirely to ourselves, with only a couple of local kids alongside us. We spoke in our broken Spanish a bit and they seemed to be happy, they told us they go swimming there every day after school!

#3. Cenote Azul

• Drive time from Cancun: 1h
• Admission: $170 pesos (~$8 USD)
• Opening hours: 09:00 am – 10:00 pm (closed on Saturdays)
• Google Maps
• Website

This is such an easy spot for all types of people to have fun. It's more of an open air cenote, so you don't feel like you're inside a cave, but it's very easy for swimming around.

There's a nice ~3.5 m jump at the entrance (you don't have to jump if you don't want to)!

#4. Cenote Kin ha

• Drive time from Cancun: 1h
• Admission: $300 pesos (~$15 USD)
• Opening hours: 09:00 am – 6:00 pm
• Google Maps
• Website

There are two cenotes at this location, we chose to skip the tour at the second cenote (which has horrible reviews on Google) and opted to stay only in Kin ha instead. We are glad we did so, since we got lots of time by ourselves while the groups were in the other cenote.

There is an awesome jump into the hole of the cenote which is a very unique activity to do! This cenote is also completely inside a cave, so definitely a different scenario than the cenotes listed above.

#5 - Cenote Siete Bocas

• Drive time from Cancun: 1h
• Admission: $80 pesos (~$5 USD)
• Opening hours: 08:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Google Maps

There are seven holes in this cenote and it's a nice mix of open-air and in-cave experience. There's a nice spot for jumping from about ~6m. Note that when you are arriving at this spot, there are a few people trying to persuade you to go to another cenote beside. This cenote is a local women-led business, so definitely the better option.

And there you have it! These are the best cenotes (in my opinion) in the Cancun - Tulum area. I felt a bit guilty to leave the all-inclusive hotel, but honestly, there is so much more to Mexico than the resorts. You'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the unlimited meals, drinks, and the resort itself!

If you are looking for photo opportunities, go early to avoid the crowds, it's worth it! Then you can go back to your hotel and indulge in a late breakfast.

If you'd like to check it out, here's a video of some of the highlights of our Mexican trip, with all of the cenotes and different jumps you can do there: