All the Amazing Cenotes You Can Visit from Tulum

FYI: Some links on my site are affiliate links that help support my site at no additional cost to you. Read more on my privacy policy page.

✔️Quick Guide – Best Cenotes Near Tulum

🤿 Best Cenote Near Tulum	Cenote Calavera
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Best for Families With Kids	Laguna Kaan Luum
💰 Secret Local Spot (Free)	Cenote Aldea Zama
🏊 Best Day-Trip (Adventure)	Choo-Ha Cenotes With Cliff Jumps
🛕 Best Day-Trip (History)	Cenote Oxman + Chichen Itza
🐢 Best Day-Trip (Nature)	Laguna Yalku + Akumal Turtle Snorkel

The 11 Best Cenotes You Can Visit from Tulum

1. Cenote Calavera: “Skull” Cenote Where You Jump Through Eye Holes Located Within Tulum

You can jump in at this Cenote through three holes: two are the “eyes” and one is the mouth – it’s supposed to look like a skull from above, hence the name “Calavera” = skull. It’s so much fun to cliff-jump at Cenote Calavera, but if there’s more than a handful of people there you won’t be able to jump into the main (mouth of the skull) hole because it will be clogged with a long line of people getting the iconic shot sitting in the swing that this cenote is known for.

🚴‍♀️ How to Get There from Tulum: You can reach Cenote Calavera by biking in Tulum for 10 minutes out of the center, or driving 5 for five minutes – basically, this cenote is in Tulum Centro. You can get to Tulum via a 50 pesos Colectivo from Playa del Carmen or take an Ado bus from Cancun or Playa.

👉 Tip! You have to go at 9 AM because it’s very small, we were the first ones there but by 10:30 there were so many people it was impossible to swim in.

2. Cenote Aldea Zama: Local Secret in the Heart of Tulum

I only found out about this Cenote because I worked a photo shoot here for a musical instruments store in Tulum – it’s truly a local secret. This is the only 100% FREE Cenote on this list because it hasn’t been commercialized yet. Cenote Aldea Zama is super clean and right in the center of Aldea Zama; which is an area of Tulum where a lot of Ex-Pats live. Because it’s not commercialized there’s no set address or hours – I would recommend getting there no later than 9 AM because it’s so small that even one other group there is too many, and by 10 AM usually it’s pretty crowded, and it stays that way until sunset.

🚴‍♀️ How to Get There from Tulum: There’s no set address for Cenote Aldea Zama but it’s located near Kokoro Tulum: Av Balam Dzakab Copal, Aldea Zama, 77760 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico – If you look up “Aldea Zama Cenote” on Google Maps there’s a marker.

3. Caleta Tankah: Beach Club With 2 Cenotes – 10 Minutes Outside of Tulum

If you’re coming from Cancun or Playa via public transit the easiest way to get to Caleta Tankah is by getting to Tulum first via bus or Colectivo and then biking, scootering, or driving to Caleta Tankah from Tulum center. Caleta Tankah isn’t the name of the cenote – it’s actually the name of the hotel/beach club that owns two Cenotes on its property.

Both are open-air cenotes; one is inland in the jungle and is very clean by cenotes near Tulum standards; the water is crystal clear and very shallow. The other cenote at Caleta Tankah opens up to the ocean.

👉 Escape the Seaweed: It’s a bit steep to get in (300 pesos) but Caleta Tankah is one of the only places in Tulum with a (small) seaweed-free beach. So if you’re going in the warmer months and want to escape the Sargassum, this beach club has a Cenote that lets out into the ocean and naturally filters the seaweed.

🚴‍♀️ How to Get There: Caleta Tankah is about 10 minutes outside of Tulum on Highway 307, you can bike there (like I did, but wouldn’t recommend) from Tulum or take a taxi and arrange a pickup time via Whatsapp for about $7 each way. If you bike there from Tulum it will take about 30-45 minutes each way, if you have a scooter or a car it should only be about 10.

4. Laguna Kaan Luum: Open-Air Shallow Lagoon 20-Minutes from Tulum Centro

10 minutes outside Tulum, this Laguna Kaan Luum (which is actually a giant open-air cenote) is great for relaxing. 300 pesos to get in, 200 if you’re a Mexican citizen. There’s no snack bar here (when I went they only sold beer) so bring water and food if you want to stay awhile. The lagoon is super shallow, you’re able to stand in most of it, and then in the center, there’s a deep dark hole in the center that plummets down to 80 meters and is popular with scuba divers.

🚴‍♀️ How to Get There: Coming from Tulum you can hop a Colectivo in the center for 35 pesos that will drop you off near the lagoon, or a private taxi from Tulum will cost about 250 pesos (tourist price). If you have a scooter you can easily drive it to Laguna Kaan Luum from Tulum.

5. Cenote y Laguna Yalku: Open-Air Lagoon in Akumal, 30-Minutes from Tulum

We visited Laguna Yalku, also called Akumal Lagoon, while we were swimming with the seaturtles in Akumal. Laguna Yalku is an open-air cenote with an amazing sculpture garden. It’s a bit pricey at 300 pesos just for entrance and then more to rent towels, snorkel, flippers, etc, but completely worth it. Similar to Caleta Tankah the open-air cenote gives the feeling of a beach without having to deal with any seaweed, but Laguna Yalku is much larger than Caleta Tankah.

🚐 How to get to Laguna Yalku from Tulum

Take a Colectivo to Akumal from Tulum for 35-50 pesos, and then from Akumal bus stop it’s about a 30-40 min walk or you can hail a taxi from Akumal Beach (less than 10 min walk from the bus stop) for around 150 pesos. Or you can take a taxi for around $20 from Playa or Tulum.

6. Coba Cenotes: Amazing Day-Trip from Tulum – Enclosed Cave Cenotes & Cliff Jumps

The Coba Cenotes are three Cenotes close to each other that cost 100 pesos each to enter. The Cobá cenotes are unique because they’re all 100% underground. These were my favorite cenotes in Mexico because they’re touristed less frequently and the water is crystal clear.

🚐 How to get to Coba Cenotes via public transit

Take a bus from the Ado station to Cobá. We booked an Oriente bus (in person because Oriente isn’t listed online) for 55 pesos each way. If you’re coming by bus from Cancun or Playa you’ll likely have to transfer in Tulum.

🚗 How to get to Coba Cenotes via Via Car or Taxi

You could always rent a car and drive yourself, or hire a driver for the day: Cobá is 45 minutes from Tulum, 1.5 hours from Playa del Carmen, and 2 hours from Cancun. I wouldn’t recommend going via scooter unless you’re comfortable on the highways.

💡 Note: There were no taxis at the cenotes when we went, so if you go there via taxi you’ll need to have the driver wait for you so you’re not stranded, or take a tour that includes transportation.

Coba Cenotes: Choo-Ha

Cenote Choo-Ha is a beautiful and well-lit cavernous Cenote that is not touristy by Tulum standards. It’s best to get there before the afternoon to avoid tour buses. All of the Cobá Cenotes are entirely underground and make you shower off sunscreen before entering.

Coba Cenotes: Tankach-Ha

Super deep, 100% underground, people jump from dedicated platforms. One is 3 meters high and one is about 10. I jumped from the high platform and it was the most fun I had in all of Mexico.

Coba Cenotes: Multun-Ha

As we were biking from Cenote Tankach-Ha 3 massive tour buses pulled in, there was a line out the Cenote door and they said they would be spending 2 hours there. Since it would be closed by the time we finally got a spot, we just went home. We had already paid the 100 pesos entrance fee and couldn’t get a refund. Go early to avoid our mistakes! 

💡 Tip! The weather at the Coba Cenotes is HOT and there’s no place to buy water or food on the way or once you’re there. Bring food and at least 2L of water per person, expect to spend at least 1 hour per Cenote.

7. Cenote Oxman: Best for Kids – 2 Hours from Tulum & Inclide in Lots of Tours

Cenote Oxman is a very popular sinkhole Cenote located outside of Valladolid. There’s a rope swing in this open-air sinkhole cenote, you have to wear a life vest because it’s very deep. There’s also a bar and hammocks to hang out as well as a pool. Cenote Oxman is a commercialized cenote that has a life-guard on duty, and requires everyone wear life vests – this makes it one of the less exciting options on our list, but it’s better for families with children.

🚌 How to Get to Cenote Oxman via Public Transit

Cenote Oxman is in Valladolid, no Colectivos run to Valladolid but you can book a bus at the Ado bus station wherever you’re at. You can book a bus online at Busbud.com. From Valladolid you’ll need to take a taxi to Cenote Oxman because it’s on the outskirts of the city – our taxi cost 125 pesos ($6), and we were able to arrange it with the driver to pick us up via WhatsApp for another 125 pesos so we didn’t need to pay someone to wait for us.

🚗 How to Get to Cenote Oxman via Car

Cenote Oxman is 1.5 hours from Tulum, 2 hours from Playa del Carmen, and 2 hours from Cancun

8. Cenote Zaci: Local Spot With Cliff Jumping in Valladolid – 1.5 Hours from Tulum

There’s cliff jumping at Cenote Zaci, which is a local favorite Cenote that’s formed half inside of a cave. There’s also a natural waterfall coming from the roof of the cave that goes on and off. This is one of the biggest cenotes I visited in the Yucutan, it’s also frequented mostly by locals.

👉 Tip! If you spend 100 pesos at the restaurant your entrance fee to the Cenote is free – otherwise, entrance is 30 pesos.

🚌 How to Get to Cenote Zaci Via Bus

Cenote Zaci is in Valladolid, no Colectivos run to Valladolid but you can book a bus at the Ado bus station wherever you’re at. Buses run directly to Valladolid from Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen. You can book on Busbud.com. Once you’re in Valladolid you can walk to Cenote Zaci, it’s in the town center

🚗 How to get to Cenote Zaci via car

Cenote Zaci is 1.5 hours from Tulum, 2 hours from Playa del Carmen, and 2 hours from Cancun.

9. Casa Cenote: Open-Air Cenote Near Tulum, Popular With Divers & Swimmers

Casa Cenote is an open-air lagoon-type Cenote 20 minutes outside of Tulum. Casa Cenote is very large, it’s great for snorkeling and some people have reported seeing a tiny crocodile there that’s been nicknamed “Pachito”.

How to get to Casa Cenote from Tulum

It’s a bit too far to bike but you could take a cab ($10 each way from Tulum, $30 each way from Playa del Carmen). Since Casa Cenote isn’t near an overpass, I wouldn’t recommend taking a bus or Colectivo because you’ll have to walk a distance to cross the highway.

10. Gran Cenote: Shallow Cenote Located Close to Tulum Center

Gran Cenote is a half open-air cenote that’s pretty small. There’s a complex with hammocks outside the cenote and the water is very clean.Gran Cenote was one of the first Cenotes I visited in Mexico, It’s good if you need a Cenote near Tulum.

How to get to Gran Cenote from Tulum

It’s less than a 10-minute drive to Gran Cenote, as it’s one of the closest Cenotes to Tulum Centro. If you don’t have a car you could take a taxi from Tulum Centro (shouldn’t be more than 100 pesos) and then hail one off Highway 109 when you want to go back. Coming from Cancun or Playa via public transit you’ll have to transfer in Tulum.

11. Cenote Zacil Ha: Insta-Famous Cenote With Cliff Jumps 15-Min from Tulum Center

Cenote Zacil Ha is one of the newer commercialized Cenotes to open near Tulum. It’s located near the town center and has become quite insta-famous for its small cliff jumping platforms. While it’s a relatively small Cenote, there are platforms to jump off from and hammocks and lounge areas for hanging out which make it worth the short trip from Tulum.

🛵 How to get to Cenote Zacil Ha: Cenote Zacil Ha is a bit farther up Highway 109 past Gran Cenote, this one is a bit too far to bike from Tulum. If you rent a scooter in Tulum you can easily reach further out cenotes like Cenote Zacil Ha. If you don’t have a car you could take a taxi from Tulum Centro (shouldn’t be more than 150 pesos) and then hail one off Highway 109 when you want to go back. Coming from Cancun or Playa via public transit you’ll have to transfer in Tulum.