All across the Yucatán Peninsula, thousands of natural sinkholes, cenotes, dot the landscape. Fed by a labyrinth of underground rivers, these caverns are famed for their refreshing and invitingly cool turquoise fresh water. They have a rich historical connection to local indigenous people and continue to be used in ancient Maya rituals and traditions. They are also popular spots for swimming, snorkelling and diving. In this article we will explore which cenotes are best to visit from Izamal.

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Let’s talk cenotes

Keep in mind:

Cenotes are not just somewhere for tourists to have a refreshing swim. For the Ancient Maya they held significant cultural importance as sacred places, the entrance to Xibalba (the underworld) as well as a somewhere to find life giving water in an otherwise generally dry region.

Some cenotes are also known to have been the site of human sacrifices.

What can you do in a cenote?

Most people visiting the Yucatan peninsula want to experience swimming in the crystal clear waters of a cenote. And to be fair, it is absolutely one of the best things to do while on vacation in this part of Mexico. 

🏊🏾 Swim – anyone can swim in a cenote. You’ll generally be required to wear a life jacket, which is good because as we said, the water can be extremely deep. Please don’t let kids in cenotes in play rings (yes, I’ve seen it). They need well fitting life jackets too.

🤿 Snorkel – there can be fish or even small turtles (terrapins) in cenotes as well as interesting underwater rock formations and shafts of light you’ll want to see. Some cenotes offer snorkel rental but it’s better to take your own if you’re not sure. If you plan to snorkel, my recommendation is to ensure your mask is clear, not coloured so that you have the best chance of seeing anything. 

🤿 Dive – there are many tour options for cenote diving.

📸 Cenote Photography – don’t forget a waterproof camera or GoPro for incredible photos when you’re visiting the cenotes. I have found that GoPros only work when there’s good natural light – I’ve tried to use mine in cave cenotes and had absolutely no luck at all. A proper waterproof camera might have more success in the closed cenotes. 

➡️ What to take when visiting a cenote

Cenote safety

As noted above, you’ll generally be required to wear a life jacket in a cenote. This is because cenotes are not swimming pools, they are natural bodies of water.

While many cenotes are shallow and pose practically no risk to anyone, there are others that are extremely deep or linked through not fully understood or mapped, underground rivers and caves.

While I don’t think they’re any more dangerous than river or lake swimming, there’s always a risk, hence recommending life jackets and only swimming where it’s officially sanctioned.

Some of the more up-market, tourist focused cenotes have lifeguards while those in the jungle or in small pueblos are unlikely to do so.

➡️ Recommended cenotes for children, nervous swimmers or people with mobility needs

Cenote costs

💰 Cenotes are not as cheap to visit as they were a few years ago but the cenotes around the Pueblo Magico of Izamal remain cheaper than those around Playa del Carmen and Tulum purely because there are fewer international visitors to Yucatán than Quintana Roo. 

🛟 You will generally have to pay to rent a life jacket as well as the entrance fee.

💳 It’s always best to have Mexican pesos on you whenever you travel in Mexico. You’ll have to pay in cash to visit cenotes.

➕ Some of the grander cenotes, generally those with facilities will offer a kind of day pass that allows you to spend all day at the cenote and will include a buffet lunch and even access to a pool. These tend to be closer to Mérida or Valladolid though.

➡️ Read more about cenotes near Mérida and cenotes near Valladolid

How to reach the cenotes (Izamal)

🚗 If you have your own car, obviously you’ll have an easier time than if you’re relying on public transport as you can get right to the cenotes and then spend as long as you need in them.

➡️ Check rental car options now 

🚌 Public transport – this generally means taking colectivos (combi vans) into the pueblos from Izamal and getting dropped off close to the cenotes. This isn’t always straightforward or fast.

📍 Tour – It is possible to find great tour guides offering day trips to cenotes and this can often be the best way to discover cenotes – ask in your hotel or tourist information for details if you’re interested in taking a tour with a certified guide.

➡️ Check out the MexicoCassie cenote tour recommendations

Cenotes near Izamal

The state of Yucatán isn’t enormous and as such, you’re never actually very far from a cenote. Here at MexicoCassie, you just know we’ve written numerous articles about the cenotes of Yucatán.

🗺 If you look on the map, you’ll see that there are cenotes marked that are closer than some of the ones we’ve chosen for this article. Of course there’s some personal selection going on here but it’s also important to know that some cenotes marked might not be ‘officially’ open. Every cenote we recommend is an ‘official’ cenote.

The cenotes we think of as being close to Mérida, Valladolid, Homun or Chichén Itzá are also visitable from Izamal whether you’re staying in Izamal or on your way back from a trip to Izamal. It’s important to keep this in mind.

📸 Please know that it’s not easy to get good shots in cenotes so we don’t always have photos to share here. We apologise for this.

The truth of the matter is that there aren’t really Izamal location specific cenotes. However, if you’re visiting the gorgeous city and want to include a cenote on your travels, it’s perfectly possible and these 9 cenotes are our top picks for cenotes near Izamal.

Cenote Chihuán

If you enjoy history, then you will love the first cenote on our list, Cenote Chihuan. Only 29km from Izamal, it has a fascinating history.

For thousands of years, it was used as a refuge by Indigenous people during wars that surrounded Chichen Itza in pre-Hispanic times. It was even used as a refuge in the 19th century when local people were forced to flee colonial repression and seek safety during both the Yucatán War of Independence and the Caste Wars. 

Today, it is known as a very safe cenote. It is a favourite among local people as a place to swim and cool off and is of particular interest to cave divers.

There are stone steps leading into the cenote that can be slippery, so swimming shoes might be useful. Some areas of the cenote have low cave ceilings but there is good lighting. This cenote is a great place to avoid crowds as it is not on the tour bus routes.

No hidden gem remains a secret forever, so it is growing in popularity. You will find that there are changing rooms, bathrooms and even a small souvenir shop on the site.  

Cenote Yokdzonot

I have not had the opportunity to visit this open-air cenote, operated by a women’s cooperative, Zaaz Koolen Haá. However, Mexico Cassie has been with her family, and they all loved it. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Izamal and just 20km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chichen Itza, which makes it a great stop if you are touring the area.

When you visit this impressive, deep blue cenote surrounded by high rock walls, dripping with lush jungle greenery, you will feel like you have found a secret paradise. There are tons of fun things to do on the site. Cycling, zip lining, rappelling, and even cooking classes are available for you to have a unique day in this one-of-a-kind location.

What makes a visit to this cenote and campground even more special is that by supporting the collective by paying to use the cenote and the other activities available, you are supporting the cooperative’s work in the community organising art festivals and cultural activities for the children and the village of Yokdzonot.

Cenote Lol-Ha

In the small pueblo of Yaxuma is this gorgeous cenote that very few people visit. It’s known as the peaceful alternative to Ik-Kil (see below).

The cenote is a large, open style cenote with a handy 10m jumping opportunity for the daredevils amongst our readers. For the moment, life jackets aren’t required, so if you’re going with kids, I’d recommend taking your own.

As an incredible extra, there’s even the Yaxuna ruins nearby, which almost no one ever visits.

Cenote Santa Barbara

There are actually 4 cenotes at Santa Barbara, including the only fully accessible cenote in the state so if you have any mobility issues, you don’t have to miss out on the water fun. The Santa Barbara complex is a perfect first time cenote trip as there are life guards at each cenote, life vests are provided and there’s even a great restaurant on site.

From the ticket office you can walk, take a bike or be pulled in a horse drawn cart to the cenotes.

Cenotes X’batun & Dzombakal

Certainly, Cenotes X’batun and Dzombakal will fit that bill. Operated by a Yucatecan Maya collective, Tumben Zazil Kin Zonot, you can find these natural wonders, set deep in the forest, about an hour from Izamal and down a long bumpy path.

Cenote X’batun is a partially open cenote, with a gentle waterfall cascading into its pool. If you love nature, you will be delighted with this experience as there is a wide variety of birds that spend time around this cenote fluttering in the trees whose roots reach down into the water.

Cenote X’batun is mostly shallow but there is also a deep water area which is great for experienced swimmers and snorkelers.

Cenote Dzombakal, is just a short walk from X’batun and is located underground in a small cavern. Visiting both cenotes gives you a great experience of the area’s natural beauty. The cenotes are situated within a large ecological reserve.

Bring along your picnic as tables are available on site. There are also changing areas.

These cenotes are almost a 90 minute hour drive from Izamal.

Cenote Sambulá

Cenote Sambulá is a small, but fascinating cenote just 45 minutes from Izamal in the small town of Motul (another of Yucatán’s delightful pueblos magicos). Popular with locals due to its shallow water, this cenote is entirely underground. There is easy access: visitors enter through a well-lit, cave-like opening, revealing stunning rock formations.

Cenote Sambulá is shrouded in myth and legend. To uncover its secrets, it is well worth exploring the charming town of Motul – try asking locals if they know why Motul is called Motul and if they know what it has to do with this cenote.*

Motul, of course, is also famous for the breakfast dish “Huevos Motuleños,” which gives you the perfect excuse to spend more time here.

* Apparently when locals (many years ago) entered the water they would carry in their minds the thought, “má tul” (don’t overflow), leading eventually to the town being named a corruption of this Mayan phrase.

Cenote Ik Kil

Although about 90 minutes from Izamal, Cenote Ik Kil should be on your list of must-swim cenotes. 

One of the most famous cenotes in Yucatán, it can also be one of the busiest so we recommend getting there as early as possible to try and beat the crowds.

Located near the Chichén itzá archaeological site, this cenote is considered a sacred Maya site. Remnants of human and other sacrifices made to Chaac, the rain God, have been found in the crystal-clear waters at Cenote Ik Kil by archaeologists.

The cenote is utterly gorgeous, with azure water and jungle vines hanging from its perfectly circular opening. You enter the cenote through a tunnel with 91 steps, which was made entirely by hand. Interestingly, there are exactly 91 steps on all four sides of the main temple, El Castillo, at the Chichén Itzá Mayan ruins. For the brave and adventurous there are two platforms for diving.

The cenote is part of a property with a small hotel and restaurant. It has changing rooms, showers and bathrooms.

Cenote Hubiku

Cenote Hubiku is most definitely worth a visit. About an hour and a half from Izamal, it’s one of the more popular cenotes so the best time to go is early if you want to avoid crowds. It is well-designed and although there are over one hundred stairs to navigate into the cenote, there are sturdy handrails. This cenote is in Temozón, which is an added attraction, as the town is known for its smoked meats and other local culinary delights.

The cenote is semi-open, with sunlight streaming through a hole in the roof, where a tree once grew. The cenote has all the amenities you would expect from a more tourist-oriented experience, including changing rooms, a little gift shop and a restaurant. The perk of visiting this cenote is that you can sample tequilas at the Don Tadeo Tequila Museum on-site.

Cenote Kankirixche

Cenote Kankirixche is one of our favourite cenotes. Located about 90 minutes from Izamal, this beautiful cenote requires something of an adventure to reach it as the last few kilometres are along a dirt road through the jungle. 

Kankirixche is an underground cenote with a large cavern and stunning stalactite formations. It has long been a favourite for scuba divers and is a perfect cenote to cool down when touring Yucatan on a hot day, especially as it is enclosed and therefore the water is much cooler than some of the other cenotes.

The cenote is surrounded by lush jungle and exotic plants. The descent into the cavern is via a wooden staircase. If you are lucky enough to be there alone, the atmosphere is quite magical. It is most popular between 11am and 2pm so we reccommed you avoid those hours.

There are changing rooms and bathrooms.

The cenotes of Yucatán, offer a unique blend of natural beauty, cultural history, and adventure. Whether you are into swimming completely immersed in nature, experiencing one of the unique experiences tied with the Maya culture, or looking for adventure, these cenotes offer something for every type of visitor. Exploring some of the breathtaking natural formations close to Izamal will make your visit to Yucatan unforgettable.