Looking for a guide to the most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid?
Then you’re in the right place!
Valladolid is a charming colonial city located in the heart of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It’s one of my favorite destinations in Mexico because of its stunning historical buildings, lively plazas, and pretty cobblestone streets lined with pastel-colored houses. The food is incredible, too.
But there’s another reason why I love this place so much: it’s the perfect base for exploring nearby cenotes!
In case you’ve wondering: cenotes are natural sinkholes filled with clear freshwater. Some of them are hidden inside dark caves, while others look like beautiful ponds surrounded by dense, green jungle. They’re magical places to visit, and I loved swimming in their pristine waters.
There are literally thousands of cenotes scattered across the Yucatán Peninsula, and many are open to the public, making it difficult to choose which ones to visit. To help you narrow down your search, I’ve created a list of the 7 most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid. All of them can be easily reached by bicycle, public transport or scooter from anywhere in Valladolid – so you won’t even need to hire a car!
And to make your visit as easy as possible, this list also includes practical information on how to get to the cenotes, best times to visit, and current ticket prices (2021).
Here are the 7 most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid!
Cenote Oxman
Of all the cenotes I visited near Valladolid, Cenote Oxman is definitely my favorite. This stunning open-air cenote is located inside a large underground cave with an open roof and steep, rocky walls. Sunlight streams through the opening to illuminate the sapphire waters below, and tree roots and vines drop down from the surface, creating an otherworldly vibe.
I’ve never seen any place like it!
I also loved how quiet and peaceful Oxman was compared to most of the other Valladolid cenotes. When I visited, in the early afternoon, there were only a handful of people there. This makes it a great place to go for a relaxing swim after a morning spent exploring Valladolid’s busy colonial streets, or the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itza and Ek Balam.
And just in case you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also a rope swing you can use to launch yourself into the deep, cool waters. It’s accessible from a wooden platform placed about three meters above the water’s surface. Don’t worry – if you prefer to skip the rope swing, you can also access the cenote by going down a set of wooden steps!
How to get to Cenote Oxman
Cenote Oxman is located at Hacienda San Lorenzo, a former plantation which now houses a restaurant, bar and outside swimming pool. It’s a lovely place to spend a couple of hours – you could go for a swim in the cenote, have lunch at the restaurant, and then spend some time relaxing by the pool. I didn’t order anything at the restaurant myself, but I’ve heard the food is really good. The prices are reasonable, too.
You’ll find Hacienda San Lorenzo just 4.5 km south of Valladolid. The hacienda can be easily reached by bicycle, which should take you about 15-20 minutes. Bike rental is cheap in Valladolid, and you can rent bicycles from many different hostels and tour agencies in the city. I hired a bike at my hostel, Hostel La Candelaria. Other travelers also recommend MexiGo Tours.
Another option is to look for a colectivo (shared taxi) or private taxi in the city center. Of course, you could also drive there yourself if you have a rental car. The ride should be 10 minutes.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit Cenote Oxman is in the morning or early afternoon. The site opens at 9 am, but it’s not necessary to arrive that early, because it usually doesn’t get too crowded here.
However, I would avoid visiting after 3 pm. Apparently, that’s when all the tour groups arrive and the open-air cave suddenly fills up with people. Lots of organized tours will go to the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá in the morning before visiting Cenote Oxman later in the day. So if you prefer to have to the cenote (almost) completely to yourself, make sure you arrive before that time!
Ticket prices (2021)
The entrance fee to Cenote Oxman is 150 pesos, but you also have the option to buy a ticket for 250 pesos. Besides entrance to the cenote, this ticket includes a 200 pesos discount at the restaurant and access to the swimming pool.
Cenotes Samula and Xkeken
Two more cenotes near Valladolid I recommend visiting are Samula and Xkeken. They sit right next to each other, and you can buy a combination ticket for both cenotes for 125 pesos. They’re also located very close to San Lorenzo Oxman, making it easy to visit all three cenotes in one morning or afternoon.
Unlike Cenote Oxman, which has a large open ceiling, Samula and Xkeken are both located inside dark underground caves. That said, they’re still very different from each other, so I’d definitely recommend buying a combo ticket to both!
Cenote Samula is a deep underground pool filled with beautiful aquamarine water. It’s hidden inside a large dome-shaped cavern and only accessible via a long set of stairs. There’s a small hole in the roof of the cave letting in a beam of bright sunlight, which illuminates the water below, giving it an ethereal glow.
Cenote Xkeken, on the other hand, is located inside a dark and rocky cave. It’s home to impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations, and has a more mysterious vibe compared to the other cenotes I visited. Most of the light inside the cave is artificial, but if you visit in the middle of the day you’ll see a ray of natural light shine down through a tiny opening in the roof, lighting up the cenote’s beautiful turquoise waters.
Both cenotes are absolutely stunning and worth a visit, but I have to warn you: they’re very popular and can get crowded during the day. If you’d like to have them all to yourself, I suggest going there as early in the morning as possible.
How to get to Cenotes Samula and Xkeken
Samula and Xkeken are part of a complex called Cenote Dzitnup, about 6.5 km from Valladolid. Getting from the center of Valladolid to the cenotes at Dzitnup should take you about 25-30 minutes by bicycle, while a taxi or car ride takes 15 minutes.
If you don’t mind cycling in the Mexican heat, I can definitely recommend riding a bicycle to the cenotes. I rented a bike at Hostel La Candelaria and visited Oxman, Samula and Xkeken in one afternoon, together with two other backpackers. We cycled to Oxman first and spent some time swimming in the cenote, before heading to the complex at Dzitnup. The road has lots of tree coverage to shield you from the sun, and it felt great to cool off in the chill waters after our ride!
Best time to visit
The complex at Cenote Dzitnup, where Samula and Xkeken are located, opens at 9 am. As I mentioned before, these cenotes are very popular, so it’s best to visit them early in the morning.
However, I arrived sometime in the afternoon and wasn’t too bothered by the crowds. There was still plenty of room to walk around inside the underground caves and swim in the water.
Ticket prices (2021)
Entrance to one of the cenotes is 80 pesos, but you can also buy a combo ticket for both cenotes for 125 pesos.
Cenote Suytun
Cenote Suytun is known as Mexico’s ‘most Instagram-worthy cenote’, and it’s easy to see why! It’s a gorgeous cenote filled with beautiful blue-green water, located deep within an underground cave. Similar to Samula, the cave has a tiny opening in its ceiling letting in a beam of sunlight, which shines down into the cenote like a spotlight.
A circular platform was built directly beneath the opening, creating the perfect photo opportunity. You’ve probably seen the pictures on Instagram of people posing on the platform in the middle of the cenote, surrounded by nothing but turquoise water, bright sunlight streaming down from above.
The only problem? You have to arrive very early in the morning to be able to take a similar photo.
When I arrived at Suytun sometime in the afternoon, there were at least two dozen tourists already inside the cave, most of them wearing bright orange life vests. And yes, they were all hanging out on the platform or swimming in the water surrounding it…
There was no way I was going to get an Instagram-worthy shot of myself on the platform that day!
How to get to Cenote Suytun
Cenote Suytun is located about 8 km from Valladolid. Getting there by bicycle should take you 30-35 minutes, but you’ll have to follow a long and straight road without much tree coverage. Since the sun can get pretty hot during the day, it might be better take a colectivo or taxi instead. This takes about 15 minutes.
Another option is to rent a scooter in Valladolid. I didn’t rent a scooter myself, but other travelers recommend Scooter Rent Valladolid.
Best time to visit
Suytun is one of the most popular cenotes near Valladolid. If you’d like to beat the crowds, I suggest arriving at the cenote as early as 8.30 am. The site usually opens around 9 am, but I’ve heard they sometimes open a little bit earlier. Another option is to plan your visit in the late afternoon, just before the site closes at 5 pm.
However, if you want to see the beam of sunlight shine directly onto the round platform, a midday visit would be better. That’s when the light is most likely to fall straight down into the cave like a spotlight.
Ticket prices (2021)
The entrance fee to Cenote Suytun is 150 pesos. You can reserve your ticket on the Suytun website (for a discounted price).
Cenote Zaci
Don’t have time to venture outside of Valladolid? Luckily, there’s another cenote right in the center of the city: Zaci. I didn’t visit Zaci myself, but other travelers I met in Mexico told me it’s worth checking out!
Cenote Zaci is a beautiful freshwater pool surrounded by lush vegetation. It’s located inside a large cave with a partially collapsed roof, which means half of the cenote is open to the sky, while the other half is covered by overhanging rock. A stone staircase leads down into the cenote from the surface, and there are several spots along the water’s edge where you can sit and relax.
While Zaci isn’t the most spectacular cenote on this list, it’s definitely the easiest to get to! It’s also very affordable, with tickets costing just 30 pesos. This makes it a great place to go for a quick, refreshing swim after a day spent exploring ancient Mayan ruins or Valladolid’s beautiful colonial center.
And if you’re an adventure seeker, you’ll be happy to learn you’re allowed to jump into the deep waters from several points along the rock wall surrounding the cenote, ranging from 2 to 8 meters high. In fact, Cenote Zaci is known as one of the best cenotes for cliff jumping, with depths varying between 25 and 100 meters!
How to get to Cenote Zaci
Cenote Zaci is located in the center of Valladolid at Calle 36. It’s a ten-minute walk from the city’s main plaza, Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado. If you’re traveling to Zaci by car, you can use the free parking lot next to the entrance.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit Cenote Zaci is in the morning or late afternoon. Because of its central location in the city, Zaci is very popular with both tourists and locals, and it gets crowded at peak times. Try to avoid visiting Cenote Zaci around midday or on the weekends. That’s when all the locals and tour groups flock to the cenote and it gets especially busy!
Ticket prices (2021)
The entrance fee to Cenote Zaci is just 30 pesos, making it the most affordable cenote on this list.
Cenote Agua Dulce
If you want to visit a cenote that’s a little bit more off the beaten path, consider Cenote Agua Dulce. This stunning underground cenote is located about 28 km northeast of Valladolid, away from the main tourist trail. Because of this, Agua Dulce stays off the radar of most travelers, and doesn’t get as many visitors as the other Valladolid cenotes.
You might even be the only one there!
Similar to Cenote Xkeken, Cenote Agua Dulce is hidden inside a dark underground cave with a mysterious atmosphere. Beautiful stalactites drop from the ceiling, and beams of sunlight shine through tiny holes in the roof, illuminating the deep blue waters below. The water itself is cool and clear, and shallow enough to see all the way to the bottom, making this one of the best cenotes near Valladolid for swimming.
Cenote Agua Dulce has two entrances: a wide staircase that leads down into the cave from the surface, and a spiral staircase made of metal, which takes you to a floating platform in the middle of the pool. The second one is definitely more adventurous, but be aware the staircase is long and narrow, and the wooden platform can be wobbly!
About 200 meters from Agua Dulce is another underground cenote: Cenote Palomitas. I didn’t get the chance to visit either Agua Dulce or Palomitas myself, but according to many other travel bloggers, Agua Dulce is the more beautiful of the two.
Some bloggers even recommend skipping Cenote Palomitas altogether. It’s very similar to Agua Dulce, but smaller and less impressive, and doesn’t have a spiral staircase. You’d also have to pay full price for both cenotes (200 pesos in total), since there are no combo tickets.
How to get to Cenote Agua Dulce
Cenote Agua Dulce is located about 28 km northeast of Valladolid. The best way to get there is by private taxi or car, which should take 35 minutes. Unfortunately, you won’t find any buses or colectivos traveling between Valladolid and Cenote Agua Dulce.
For solo travelers, the easiest and most affordable way to get to Cenote Agua Dulce is by sharing a private taxi with other travelers. Another great option is to rent a scooter in the city, which will give you the flexibility to visit several different cenotes in one day trip. Besides Agua Dulce, you could also visit Cenote Xcanche and Cenote Hubiku (both located north of Valladolid), and even include a visit to the ancient Mayan ruins of Ek Balam!
Best time to visit
The best time to visit Cenote Agua Dulce is around midday, between 11 am and 1 pm. That’s when the beams of sunlight fall directly into the cave. If you visit earlier or later in the day, the cenote is much darker – although spotlights were installed on the cave walls to add more light.
Ticket prices (2021)
The entrance fee to Cenote Agua Dulce is 100 pesos.
Unfortunately, there are no combo tickets to Agua Dulce and Palomitas. If you want to visit both cenotes, you’ll have to pay an additional 100 pesos for Cenote Palomitas.
Cenote Xcanche (Ek Balam Cenote)
Cenote Xcanche – also known as the ‘Ek Balam Cenote’ – is a gorgeous open-air cenote set in the middle of the Yucatecan jungle. It’s located inside a huge, cylinder-shaped cave with an open roof and steep, high walls that have been overgrown with vegetation. This gives the cenote a wild and rugged feel, as if no one’s been there in years.
Of all the cenotes on this list, Cenote Xcanche is definitely the best choice for adventure-seekers. It’s deep enough for cliff jumping, and the cool blue-green waters are great for swimming. But that’s not all this cenote has to offer: there’s also zip-lining, rope-swinging and even rappelling (for an extra fee). And since Cenote Xcanche isn’t as popular as most of other Valladolid cenotes, you won’t even have to worry about waiting in line!
Another reason to visit Cenote Xcanche is that it’s located just 2 km from the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam. This makes it a convenient stop on your way back from to Valladolid – you could spend your morning exploring the ruins, and your afternoon relaxing and cooling off at the cenote. The site also houses a restaurant offering affordable local food, and a shadowed area with several hammocks to chill in, so you could easily make a day trip out of your visit.
How to get to Cenote Xcanche
You’ll find Cenote Xcanche about 27 km north of Valladolid, close to the Mayan archaeological site of Ek Balam. The best way to get to the ruins of Ek Balam is by colectivo or private taxi, which should take about 30 minutes. Of course, you could also rent a scooter in Valladolid.
The cenote itself is located about 2 km from Ek Balam, at the end of a dirt road. You can get there by walking, taking a bicycle taxi or renting a bicycle at the entrance.
Best time to visit
Cenote Xcanche is open from 9 am until 3.30 pm. It usually doesn’t get very busy at the site, so you could visit anytime you want. However, if you’re also planning to visit Ek Balam, I suggest going to the ruins first, preferably in the early morning so you can avoid the midday heat.
Ticket prices (2021)
Entrance to Cenote Xcanche is 70 pesos. You can also buy a ticket for 400 pesos, which includes bicycle rental, zip-lining and rappelling.
2 Comments
Lauren
september 6, 2021 at 2:31 pmWow- this post is so complete and FULL of valuable info! When I visited Tulum we went to a few cenotes, but I don’t even remember which ones 🙈 — none as pretty as these! Going to save this for my next trip to the area 🙂
Marieke
september 9, 2021 at 8:46 pmThanks, Lauren!! 🙂 I’m really glad you found my blog post helpful!