Why protecting cenotes matters
A cenote isn't a swimming pool; it's a window onto groundwater. Mexico's protected-areas commission (CONANP) notes that cenotes can support specialized wildlife, and a UNAM study points out that the aquifer is the only source of drinking water in northwestern Yucatán. What you leave in a cenote doesn't stay there.
The 8 rules
- Shower first, even for a quick dip.
- No sunscreen, repellent or lotion, not even products labeled biodegradable: the safest option is to wear nothing on your skin before swimming.
- Don't touch or stand on formations such as stalactites and stalagmites: they take thousands of years to grow.
- Don't feed the fish or disturb swallows and bats.
- Pack out your trash, cigarette butts and wrappers included.
- Use the restrooms, never the water or the surrounding forest.
- Respect closed areas and tunnels.
- Take nothing: no rocks, plants or souvenirs from the site.
A vulnerable aquifer
A study cited in 2026 estimates that 71% of Yucatán's aquifer has high or extreme vulnerability. The communities that run cenotes work hard to keep them clean, and the rules you're asked to follow at the entrance are part of that effort.
What about the sun?
If you'll be outdoors, cover up with a hat and a light shirt or rash guard. If you need sunscreen for the rest of the day, apply it after swimming.
Cenotes with clear rules from Mérida
Mary Tours trips visit managed cenotes with showers and staff who explain the rules: Santa Bárbara in Homún, Mucuyché, Izamal and two cenotes and Casa Tortuga in Tulum. The office is on Calle 61 in Mérida's historic center.
Fun facts
- Cenote formations take thousands of years to grow.
- The aquifer is the only drinking-water source in northwestern Yucatán.
- Many cenotes are run by local communities.
Related tours
Cenotes · 7 h
The four cenotes of Santa Bárbara
Four different cenotes and a lunch made by hand
from $1,450 MXN per person
See itinerary
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
Not included: Drinks with lunch
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
Towns · 9 h
Izamal and two cenotes
Izamal’s yellow first, then two cold cenotes
from $1,300 MXN per person
See itinerary
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
Coupon −$300 MXN per personCaribbean · 14 h
Tulum and the Casa Tortuga cenotes
The only Maya city built facing the Caribbean
from $2,500 MXN per person
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
Frequently asked questions
Can I use biodegradable sunscreen in a cenote?
The safest choice is to use none before swimming. Cover up with clothing and apply sunscreen afterward.
Why do I have to shower first?
So you don't carry sweat, lotion or dust into the aquifer's water.
Can I touch the stalactites?
No. They take thousands of years to form and are damaged by contact.
Why does it matter so much?
Because cenote water is part of the aquifer that supplies the region's drinking water.
