{"id":24066,"date":"2019-06-20T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=24066&preview=true&preview_id=24066"},"modified":"2024-09-18T16:48:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T06:48:14","slug":"mexicos-cenotes-swimming-holes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/mexicos-cenotes-swimming-holes\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Mexico’s cenotes & swimming holes"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATED: This blog was originally published in December 2017.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Cenotes are almost as big a deal in the Yucat\u00e1n<\/a> as the beaches.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We had no idea when we first landed in Tulum but the manager at our hotel \u2013 Coco, a self-professed Mexican Chola from LA \u2013 kindly gave us the lowdown when we arrived. She\u2019d point her long manicured fingernails at the map in a casual way, then suddenly get excited at the idea of all the cenotes. She explained that they\u2019re all connected, since the world\u2019s longest underground river flows deep beneath Mexico\u2019s Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula, and that there\u2019s a bar *in a cenote*, called Clan-Destino.<\/p>\n

\"Swimmers

Cenote Suem, just outside Merida.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s hard to know where to begin with cenotes; these awe-inspiring underwater sinkholes and caves are created when limestone bedrock collapses and exposes the groundwater below. They vary, with some that have roof openings like a fish mouth, or others being wide, open lakes. There are more than 6000 of them in Mexico\u2019s Yucat\u00e1n alone, so if you have trouble making decisions and\/or a severe case of FOMO like me, you might be overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

SPLASH ABOUT IN A CENOTE ON OUR 8-DAY YUCATAN PENINSULA ADVENTURE – DETAILS HERE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Coming from Cancun to Tulum, most travellers tend to take a day trip to more well-known cenotes like Dos Ojos. Coco said Dos Ojos is a bit like a tourist theme park as a result; but if you don\u2019t have a lot of time and don\u2019t mind a quick trip from Cancun, it\u2019s a good contender. She recommended Gran Cenote and the more secluded Cenote Escondido, which was close to where we were staying.<\/p>\n

Want to see what a visit to a cenote actually looks like? Check this out:<\/h3>\n