Travel bucket list idea:
Gran Cenote
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Last updated: 07 April, 2024
Covered in fragrant lilies, floating on a terrapin-filled pool of water as clear and fresh as mountain air and framed by a dramatic cave mouth, Gran Cenote is a beauty.
But while the cenote extends for miles underground, through spectacular caverns, the part snorkellers can visit is modest. To explore further you’ll need cave diving certification.
Logistics
Price from: £7
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 8+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
It is easy to reach – lying right off the main Tulum-Coba highway 5km Northwest of Tulum village. There’s a car park, lockers and changing facilities and life jacket and snorkel rental.
When to do it
The cenote is open all year round, seven days a week for swimming, snorkelling and diving. Come early morning or late afternoon – the cenote gets very busy in the middle of the day and can feel uncomfortably crowded.
The weather in the Mayan Riviera is generally good all year round, and the water is always warm enough for swimming. The rainy season from May through October sees the fewest visitors to Mayan Riviera – and fewer crowds at the cenotes. The dry season – November through April – gets busy. If you can, avoid peak season in December to January, when it gets oppressively crowded, especially around Christmas and New Year.
