Cenotes

The Casa Tortuga cenotes: four cenotes on one walk

Casa Tortuga is a group of four cenotes of different types in the Tulum area of Quintana Roo, explored on a guided walk along trails, with changing rooms on site. From Mérida you can visit on Mary Tours' Tulum and Casa Tortuga cenotes trip, which first stops at the Tulum archaeological site and ends with lunch at the cenotes.

Updated 2026-10-24 · NearVisual editorial team for Mary Tours

Mary Tours illustrative image for the guide "The Casa Tortuga cenotes: four cenotes on one walk"

Mary Tours × NearVisual

Book with a discount

Bacalar, Isla Mujeres and Tulum with a per-person coupon. Groups of 4 or more.

What Casa Tortuga is

Casa Tortuga is a group of four cenotes in the Tulum area on Quintana Roo's coast. The appeal is variety: each cenote is a different type, so in one visit you move from a sunlit pool to a more enclosed cavern and see first-hand how a cenote changes depending on how much of its roof has collapsed.

What the visit is like

A guided walk between the four cenotes.
Trails connecting each one.
Changing rooms to get ready comfortably.
Life vests included on the Mary Tours trip.

Caribbean cenotes vs. Yucatán cenotes

Cenotes in Quintana Roo and Yucatán form the same way, according to Mexico's protected-areas commission (CONANP): water dissolves limestone, opens caves and the roof collapses. The difference for visitors is the setting: Casa Tortuga pairs with the Caribbean and the Tulum ruins, while the Homún or Mucuyché cenotes make a short day trip from Mérida.

Tips

Wear your swimsuit or keep it handy, plus a light towel.
Shower before swimming and keep sunscreen and repellent out of the water.
Water shoes or non-slip shoes for trails and stairs.
Use the life vest if you're not a confident swimmer.

Casa Tortuga from Mérida

Mary Tours' Tulum and Casa Tortuga Cenotes trip leaves the downtown office, tours the walled city of Tulum with a certified guide (El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God) and then visits the four Casa Tortuga cenotes, with entrance, life vest, lunch and changing rooms included. It's one of the three trips with a group discount. Schedule and price are in the booking section; the office is on Calle 61 in Mérida's historic center.

Fun facts

Each of Casa Tortuga's four cenotes is a different type.
Caribbean cenotes form the same way as Yucatán's.
The trip pairs a Maya city by the sea with four cenotes.

Related tours

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

Caribbean · 14 h

Tulum and the Casa Tortuga cenotes

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6:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

6:00 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
6:30 AM Motorway to the rest stop — An hour and three quarters, with fifteen minutes for toilets and something light.
8:30 AM On to Tulum — An hour and a half more to the Quintana Roo coast.
10:00 AM Tulum archaeological site — Guided visit to the walled city: El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God, with the sea behind.
12:15 PM Casa Tortuga cenotes and lunch — Four cenotes of different kinds, with a guided route, trails and changing rooms. Lunch is on site.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Four hours back, with a stop halfway.

Included: Guide accredited by the Ministry of Tourism, Round-trip transport, Lunch, Cenote entry

Not included: Tulum archaeological site entrance, Drinks

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4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
5:30 AM Drive to Valladolid — Two hours on the motorway, with a fifteen-minute stop.
7:45 AM Drive to Puerto Juárez — Two more hours to the pier in Cancún.
10:00 AM Isla Mujeres — Sailing the Caribbean, snorkelling at the reef with gear included, a stop at Playa Norte, buffet lunch at the beach club and free time in town.
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Included: Transport, Guide, Boat transfer, Snorkelling gear, Lunch

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Frequently asked questions

How many cenotes does Casa Tortuga have?

Four, each a different type.

Where is Casa Tortuga?

In the Tulum area on Quintana Roo's coast.

Can I visit on a day trip from Mérida?

Yes, on Mary Tours' Tulum and Casa Tortuga trip, which also visits the Tulum ruins.

What does the trip include?

Entrance, life vest, lunch and changing rooms at Casa Tortuga, plus the guided Tulum visit. Current details are in the booking section.

All tours and transfers from Mérida

Published prices from the Mary Tours catalogue. Groups of 4 or more.

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

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from $2,800 MXN per person

See itinerary

5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily

4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
5:30 AM Drive to José María Morelos — Two hours. Fifteen minutes there for toilets and to stretch your legs.
7:30 AM Drive to Bacalar — Two and a half hours more, now crossing into Quintana Roo.
10:15 AM Boat trip on the lagoon — Pirates’ Channel, Cenote Negro, Cenote Esmeralda and Bird Island, with an explanation of the stromatolites and the ecosystem.
12:15 PM Lunch — Lunch in the town, beside the lagoon.
1:30 PM Bacalar magic town — Three and a half hours free: the San Felipe fort, the square, the piers, the cafés and the crafts.
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from $2,500 MXN per person

See itinerary

5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily

4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
5:30 AM Drive to Valladolid — Two hours on the motorway, with a fifteen-minute stop.
7:45 AM Drive to Puerto Juárez — Two more hours to the pier in Cancún.
10:00 AM Isla Mujeres — Sailing the Caribbean, snorkelling at the reef with gear included, a stop at Playa Norte, buffet lunch at the beach club and free time in town.
6:00 PM Back to Mérida — Four hours back, with a stop halfway.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat transfer, Snorkelling gear, Lunch

Not included: Environmental tax, Shopping on the island, Extra drinks

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

Caribbean · 14 h

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See itinerary

6:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

6:00 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
6:30 AM Motorway to the rest stop — An hour and three quarters, with fifteen minutes for toilets and something light.
8:30 AM On to Tulum — An hour and a half more to the Quintana Roo coast.
10:00 AM Tulum archaeological site — Guided visit to the walled city: El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God, with the sea behind.
12:15 PM Casa Tortuga cenotes and lunch — Four cenotes of different kinds, with a guided route, trails and changing rooms. Lunch is on site.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Four hours back, with a stop halfway.

Included: Guide accredited by the Ministry of Tourism, Round-trip transport, Lunch, Cenote entry

Not included: Tulum archaeological site entrance, Drinks

Archaeology · 11 h

Chichén Itzá, Izamal and Valladolid

Four stops in one day, and none of them rushed

from $1,200 MXN per person

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8:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Izamal. The guide uses the drive to set up what comes next.
9:00 AM San Antonio de Padua Convent — The story of the 16th-century Franciscan convent told in its atrium, then free time to walk the yellow town.
11:15 AM Chichén Itzá — Guided walk through the Temple of Kukulkán, the Sacred Cenote, the Ball Court, the Tzompantli and the Jaguars and Eagles platform.
1:45 PM Regional lunch in Kaua — Buffet of Yucatecan dishes: cochinita, relleno negro, lime soup and meat-free options.
3:00 PM Selva Maya cenote — The swim lands exactly when the sun is at its worst. Changing rooms and showers on site.
4:20 PM Valladolid — Francisco Cantón Rosado park with its original railings, the church of San Servacio and the murals in the town hall.
8:00 PM Back in Mérida — We drop you off where the day started.

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from $1,450 MXN per person

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10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily

10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Homún, through the ring of cenotes.
11:00 AM Cascabel cenote — Closed, cave type. You descend inside and the water sits in half-light: the most striking of the four.
11:30 AM Chaksikín cenote — Semi-open. You go down between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
12:00 PM Xooch cenote — Semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water mid-morning.
12:30 PM Pool Cocom cenote — Open and surrounded by vegetation. You swim along a channel out to the wide part.
1:30 PM Regional lunch — Home cooking with hand-made tortillas. Plenty of time to eat without rushing.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back, arriving around five.

Included: Transport, Certified guide, Entry to all four cenotes, Regional lunch

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Nature · 9 h

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from $1,600 MXN per person

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8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a half west, out to the port.
9:30 AM Boat ride — Flamingo and bird watching, the mangrove tunnel, the freshwater spring and the Maya bath on the sandbar.
11:00 AM Lunch by the beach — Fish, octopus or shrimp from the gulf, at a table facing the sea.
1:00 PM Free time on the beach — Almost three hours to swim, walk the shore or do nothing at all.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Arriving around five.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat ride, Lunch from a set menu

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Towns · 9 h

Izamal and two cenotes

Izamal’s yellow first, then two cold cenotes

from $1,300 MXN per person

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8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road. The guide uses it to explain where Izamal comes from before you arrive.
9:00 AM The yellow town — The convent and its atrium, among the largest on the continent, the baroque altarpiece, and then free time around the streets.
10:20 AM On to the Homún ring — Forty more minutes to the cenote area.
11:00 AM Yaxbacaltún cenote — The first swim, landing right after the morning’s walking.
12:15 PM San Antonio cenote and lunch — A semi-closed cenote that feels nothing like the first one, and lunch served right there.
3:15 PM Back to Mérida — Back to Mérida, arriving around five.

Included: Transport, Guide, Entry to both cenotes, Lunch

Not included: Drinks

Beach · 8 h

North Coast and Isla Columpios

Wooden swings driven straight into the sea

from $1,250 MXN per person

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10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily

10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a quarter to the Chuburná harbour, where the boat leaves from.
11:30 AM Isla Columpios — Turquoise water barely past your knees, swings and hammocks over the sea, and mangrove all around full of birds.
1:00 PM Chuburná dunes — White sand mounds shaped by the wind, with nobody around. Good for walking and for photos.
2:30 PM Puerto Progreso — Free afternoon: eat on the seafront, walk the pier or stay on the beach.
5:30 PM Back to Mérida — Half an hour back, arriving around six.

Included: Transport, Certified guide, Boat and Isla Columpios entry

Not included: Food, Drinks

Nature · 12 h

Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos

Genuinely pink lagoons, and flamingos in the estuary

from $1,400 MXN per person

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7:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

7:00 AM Departure from the office — Almost three hours to the north coast, with a stop halfway.
9:50 AM Las Coloradas — A guided walk beside the pink, white and orange pools of the salt works. No swimming: it is a protected area.
11:00 AM Cancunito beach — A rustic beach inside the reserve, calm water and hardly anyone around.
12:30 PM Boat ride through the estuary — Channels through the mangroves, flamingo watching areas, crocodiles in their habitat and the mineral mud bath.
2:15 PM Lunch in Río Lagartos — Fresh fish, ceviche, octopus or tikin xic on the waterfront of the fishing village.
4:15 PM Back to Mérida — Nearly four hours back, arriving around eight.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat ride, Lunch from a set menu

Not included: Las Coloradas entrance, Drinks

Archaeology · 11 h

Maya Train, Chichén Itzá and Izamal

The Mérida–Izamal leg by train, the rest by road

from $1,600 MXN per person

See itinerary

8:00 AM – 7:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Transfer to the station — From the office to the Maya Train station in Mérida.
9:18 AM Maya Train ride — Forty minutes from Mérida to Izamal. Ticket included.
10:15 AM Izamal — The yellow town, the three-tier Baroque altarpiece and free time on the main square.
12:30 PM Chichén Itzá — Guided walk through the Sacred Cenote, the Temple of Kukulkán, the Jaguars and Eagles platform and the Ball Court.
2:30 PM Lunch in Kaua — Buffet of typical regional dishes.
3:45 PM Selva Maya cenote — The swim of the day, with the heat already easing off.
5:00 PM Back to Mérida — Two hours on the road back.

Included: Transport, General culture guide, Maya Train ticket Mérida–Izamal, Midday meal

Not included: Chichén Itzá entrance, Cenote entrance, Drinks

Cenotes · 7 h

Hacienda Mucuyché

A stone channel joining two cenotes

from $1,800 MXN per person

See itinerary

9:30 AM – 4:00 PM · daily

9:30 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to the estate, in the municipality of Abalá.
10:30 AM Check-in and historical tour — A guide from the estate itself explains how the henequen business worked and what survives of it.
11:00 AM Carlota and Azul Maya cenotes — Two hours in the water. To move between the cenotes you cross the channel, swimming or along the stone path.
1:00 PM Time for lunch — Yucatecan food at the estate restaurant, paid per order. There is a pool for anyone who wants to stay in the water.
3:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back.

Included: Transport, Guide, Entry to the hacienda and cenotes

Not included: Food, Drinks

Cenotes · 9 h

Izamal and the Santa Bárbara cenotes

Izamal early, and the whole afternoon in four cenotes

from $1,550 MXN per person

See itinerary

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Izamal.
9:00 AM Izamal — The San Antonio de Padua convent, raised on a Maya platform, the Kinich Kakmó pyramid and the yellow streets.
10:30 AM On to Homún — An hour and a quarter through small towns to the cenote grounds.
12:00 PM Santa Bárbara cenotes — Five hours inside: Cascabel in a cavern, Chaksikín with its shaft of light, and Xooch and Pool Cocom in the open. You move between them by bike or cart, and lunch is served on site.
5:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back.

Included: Transport, General culture guide, Entrances, Lunch

Not included: Drinks

Beach · 9.5 h

Sisal: kayak, flamingos and beach

A magic town that is still a fishing port

from $1,500 MXN per person

See itinerary

8:00 AM – 5:30 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a half on the road to the port.
10:00 AM Kayaking in the coastal wetland — A paddle by kayak or flat-bottomed boat through the mangrove, with birdwatching — pink flamingos included — and a dip in a freshwater spring.
11:45 AM Sisal beach — Over four hours free. There are seafood places along the shore and palapas you can rent for shade.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour and a half back.

Included: Transport, Kayaking in the coastal wetlands, Free time on the beach

Not included: Food, Drinks, Palapa rental

Transfers · 9.5 h

Transfer to Isla Columpios and Progreso

We drive you to the coast, wait for you and bring you back

from $2,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 10.5 h

Transfer to Uxmal and Yaxcopoil

The Puuc route at your own pace, with the van waiting

from $2,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 10 h

Transfer to Celestún

We drive you to the estuary, wait for you and bring you back

from $2,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 10.5 h

Transfer to Chichén Itzá

Four stops, your own pace and the van waiting

from $2,650 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 8.5 h

Transfer to Izamal and Santa Bárbara

The yellow town and four cenotes, with no group schedule

from $2,650 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 11 h

Transfer to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos

The pink lagoons and the beach, with the van at your disposal

from $2,850 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 17 h

Transfer to Isla Mujeres

Mérida to the ferry pier and back, the whole day

from $5,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 18 h

Transfer to Holbox

Mérida to Chiquilá and back, the whole day

from $5,550 MXN per vehicle

Current catalogue prices; Mary Tours confirms availability on WhatsApp.

Sources

CONANP. Riqueza natural de México (2026-10-23)
Pearse, Creaser, Hall et al. (1936). The Cenotes of Yucatan. Carnegie Institution of Washington (2026-10-23)
Mary Tours. Tulum y los cenotes de Casa Tortuga (ficha del tour) (2026-10-23)

Image credits

Mary Tours · Imagen publicada en el sitio de Mary Tours; confirmar autoría original antes de publicación

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