Cenotes Close to Cancún: 14 Ranked by Distance, With Fees
Updated October 27, 2026
There is no cenote you can swim in inside Cancún. Researchers at CICY counted 77 urban cenotes in the city, but the ones that have been reported on are polluted or neglected, and none is run for swimmers. The nearest swimmable cenotes are on the Ruta de los Cenotes: a paved road that leaves Highway 307 just south of Puerto Morelos, about 36 km south of Cancún, and runs about 35 km inland to Leona Vicario. The first big cenote sits at km 12.6 of that road. This list ranks the cenotes a day trip from Cancún can reach by distance from the hotel zone, nearest first: the Ruta de los Cenotes, then Playa del Carmen and Tulum one to two hours down the coast, then Valladolid and Chichén Itzá two to two and a half hours inland. Each entry gives the type (open, semi-open or cave), the gate fee in Mexican pesos (MXN), what it is best for and who it suits. Fees are paid in cash at the gate, and most come from dated travel reports rather than an official price list, so we give the date or the range. For a guide and transport instead of a rental car, the cenote tours from Cancún are compared side by side.
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#1Cenotes El Retoño
$59Two cenotes, bikes and lunch, about 30 minutes from Cancún.
4.9 75 reviews
A cenote park inland from Cancún that runs its own day out: the listing puts it about 30 minutes from the city, with meeting points in Cancún and Puerto Morelos. You swim in two cenotes, ride a bike on the jungle trails at no extra cost, and choose an à-la-carte lunch with one drink. We found no published gate price, so the simple way in is that day: from $59, rated 4.9 on 75 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide, life jacket included, free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It suits a first cenote day with no driving and no early start. Details on the cenote swim day from Cancún.
- #2
Cenote Las Mojarras
The first big open cenote on the Ruta, with a 6 m jumping platform.
At km 12.6 of the Ruta de los Cenotes (km 12 in a 2018 guide), Las Mojarras is a large open cenote about 65 m long with a 6 m jumping platform, zip lines, snorkelling and picnic areas. No source we opened gives its own fee, so it is paid at the gate in cash; the author of a 2026 Ruta guide put a typical cenote on this road at around 150 pesos. Open sky and room to spread out make it a good first stop for confident swimmers and groups driving the road themselves. Bring lunch: a 2018 guide notes there are no restaurants along the Ruta.
- #3
Cenote Siete Bocas
Seven holes in the rock over a channel up to 150 m long.
Semi-open and part cave, at km 15.5 to 16 of the Ruta. Seven openings in the rock lead to a freshwater channel 70 to 150 m long, with stalactites up to 5 m and fossil shells and coral in the walls. The fee is about 300 pesos per person (undated 2026 report), open daily 8:00 to 17:00. The turn-off is followed by about 2 km of dirt road; buses stop only on the main road, so without a car you walk those 2 km. Showers, snorkel and life-jacket rental, food and parking are on site; no sunscreen or repellent before you swim. It suits snorkellers who want caverns without a dive.
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#4Cenote Verde Lucero
$39An open cenote with a zip line that drops you into the water.
4.2 1,237 reviews
Fully open to the sky, at km 17 of the Ruta (km 18 in a 2018 guide), with two jumping platforms, palapas and a zip line that ends in the water; spider monkeys live in the area. A 2026 report gives about 300 pesos for visitors and 150 for Mexican residents, open 9:30 to 16:30. It is also the cenote on the ATV, zip-line and cenote day: from $39 with hotel pickup and the conservation fee, rated 4.2 on 1,237 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide, free cancellation up to 24 hours before (lockers $5 plus a $5 deposit). It suits jumpers and anyone who wants the cenote as part of an adventure day.
- #5
Cenotes Kin Ha
A cave cenote inside an adventure park, with zip lines and trails.
At km 18 to 20 of the Ruta, depending on the source. One guide calls Kin Ha a closed cave with one opening and another calls it semi-open; you go down stairs or jump from a tree trunk. The park's own site lists 600 pesos for both cenotes, 800 with transport and 1,100 with an ATV ride (checked October 2026). Open 9:00 to 17:00; cavern diving is for certified divers only. One listing pairs it with an ATV ride, three zip lines and a second cenote, Blanca Flor, with transport from Cancún: from $55, rated 4.6 on 24 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide, free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It suits families who want cave water with an easy entry.
- #6
Cenote Zapote (Hells Bells)
Swim on top, or dive to the bell-shaped rocks at 30 m.
The park sits at km 19 of the Ruta plus 5.5 km of access road, about 36 km south of Cancún by Wikipedia's count. Its tour takes in two open cenotes and one cavern cenote in about 3 to 4 hours, with jump platforms and a water zip line. The park's booking form shows no price, so the fee is paid at the gate. Zapote is 54 m deep, and at 29 to 35 m hang the Hells Bells, hollow rock formations up to 2 m long, known from only a handful of nearby cenotes; the state tourism portal says they are for certified divers only. Two guided dives with pickup cost from $215 (Advanced Open Water, or Open Water with 20 logged dives). It suits swimmers and divers alike.
- #7
Cenote Chaak Tun
The closest cave cenote to Playa del Carmen.
Playa del Carmen is about 68 km from Cancún, and Chaak Tun is about 15 minutes from the city, described as the closest cenote around Playa. It is a cave cenote: large caves with stalactites and stalagmites over a natural freshwater pool for swimming and snorkelling. Its official site did not load for us, so we have no fee to give; it is paid at the gate. It suits travellers staying in Playa or passing through on the way to Tulum who want a cave without a dive. The cenotes near Playa del Carmen list has the others on that stretch.
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#8Río Secreto
$119A guided walk and swim through an underground river.
4.6 201 reviews
A nature reserve at km 283.5 of Highway 307, near Playa del Carmen. It was found in 2004 when a farmer followed an iguana into an opening, and opened to visitors in 2008; the system has 38 km of caves, about 10% used for tours. The Classic tour lasts about 3.5 hours, about 1 km underground, walking and floating in water of 22 to 24 °C, with wetsuit, helmet and lamp. Official price: from USD 89 without transport, USD 119 with transport from Cancún. The underground river tour is from $119 with hotel pickup, rated 4.6 on 201 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide. Minimum age 4; the company does not recommend it for pregnant women or people with claustrophobia.
Check availability Read the full page Open in Maps Wikipedia
- #9
Cenote Azul (Playa del Carmen)
Shallow pools for children and a 4 m natural jump.
An open, L-shaped cenote at km 266 of Highway 307, about 25 km south of Playa del Carmen, with Cristalino and Jardín del Edén next door. Shallow, shaded pools near the entrance suit children; the main pool has a deep end with a natural jump of about 4 m. Reports give 120 to 180 pesos (2025 and 2026), with lower rates for residents and children; open about 8:00 to 17:30. A colectivo from Playa costs about 30 pesos (2025 report). Alcohol is not allowed. It suits families and anyone on the coast road without a car. More on Cenote Azul.
- #10
Cenote Dos Ojos
Two cenotes joined by a cavern, the classic cavern snorkel and dive.
About 117 km from Cancún, 1.5 to 2 hours by car, 20 to 22 km north of Tulum near Akumal. Dos Ojos (two eyes) is two neighbouring cenotes that open into one large cavern; the snorkelling area reaches about 10 m. Basic entry is 350 to 500 pesos in 2026 reports, cash, with a life jacket mandatory and no sunscreen allowed. Divers go further: The Pit, in the same system, reaches 119.1 m, the deepest known cave passage in Quintana Roo. Two guided cavern dives with Cancún pickup and the entrance fee included cost from $215. It suits snorkellers and certified divers.
- #11
Gran Cenote
Turtles, bats and two pools joined by tunnels, outside Tulum.
Semi-open, about 4 to 5 km from Tulum on the road to Cobá; Tulum is about 120 to 130 km from Cancún. Gran Cenote has two swimming areas joined by tunnels, a boardwalk, small turtles in the water and bats on the cavern ceiling. Entry is about 500 pesos (2026 reports), cash; a 2025 report lists life jacket 50, snorkel 80 and locker 30 pesos extra. You must shower first, and sunscreen and repellent are not allowed. It opens around 8:00 and its parking fills by mid-morning. Exploration of the Sac Actun cave system started here. It suits snorkellers who want to see a cavern from the surface.
- #12
Cenote Zací
A cenote in the middle of Valladolid, a few blocks from the plaza.
Semi-open, in the centre of Valladolid, which is about 158 km and 2 hours by road from Cancún. Zací is a cave about 150 feet across, reached by stairs cut into the rock; Wikipedia gives the water about 100 m deep at its deepest. It was once the town's water supply. Valladolid's town council set the fee at 150 pesos for adults and 75 for children in January 2025 (Diario de Yucatán). Swimming is allowed, and there is a restaurant on site. It suits anyone already in Valladolid, or a stop between Cancún and Chichén Itzá. More in cenotes near Valladolid.
- #13
Cenote Suytun
The stone platform under a beam of light, the photo you have seen.
A cave cenote about 8 km east of Valladolid, about 164 km and 2 hours by road from Cancún. A stone walkway leads across the water to a round platform under the single opening in the vault; the beam of light is strongest from late morning to early afternoon, which is also when the queue is longest. The water is 1 to 5 m deep, so non-swimmers can bathe, and a 2025 report says a life jacket must be worn. Reports from 2025 give 120 to 250 pesos (the higher figure covering two cenotes and a life jacket), cash. It suits photographers more than swimmers. See Cenote Suytun.
- #14
Cenote Ik Kil
The big open cenote 3 km from Chichén Itzá, with an official price.
An open cenote about 48 m deep and 60 m across, its water about 26 m below ground, with vines hanging down to the surface. It is 3 km from Chichén Itzá and about 203 km, 2.5 hours, from Cancún. Ik Kil is one of few cenotes with an official price: 240 pesos for adults and 150 for children, with life vest, locker and parking included; open daily 9:00 to 17:00, lifeguards on duty. One visit report found tour buses arriving after 11:30. Note that the Chichén Itzá day with a cenote swim we compare swims at Chichikán, not Ik Kil. It suits a Chichén Itzá day by car.
Frequently asked questions
Are there cenotes in Cancún itself?
Yes, but none you can swim in. CICY, a research centre in Yucatán, identified 77 urban cenotes in Cancún, and a city programme has been cleaning about 40 of them since 2024. The ones described in the press, such as Parque del Cenote, are parks or polluted sites, not swimming spots. The nearest swimmable cenotes are on the Ruta de los Cenotes in Puerto Morelos, a separate municipality since 2015, starting at km 12.6 of that road.
What is the closest cenote to the Cancún hotel zone?
Among the places you can swim, Cenotes El Retoño is the one a listing puts closest, about 30 minutes from Cancún. On the Ruta de los Cenotes, the first big one is Las Mojarras at km 12.6, after the roughly 36 km drive south to Puerto Morelos. Siete Bocas (km 15.5 to 16) and Verde Lucero (km 17) follow.
How many cenotes are there near Cancún?
Nobody has an official count. Por Esto reported in 2025 that Quintana Roo has more than 3,500 cenotes, without citing an official source. For the whole Yucatán Peninsula, Wikipedia cites an estimate of about 10,000. Yucatán state alone has 3,050 on record with its environment ministry, against an estimate of 7,000 to 8,000 (Por Esto, 2026). Inside Cancún, CICY counted 77 urban cenotes, none open for swimming.
How do you get to the cenotes from Cancún without a tour?
By rental car is easiest: Highway 307 south, then the arch onto the Ruta de los Cenotes just past Puerto Morelos. By public transport, a colectivo from downtown Cancún to Puerto Morelos costs about 30 to 50 pesos (2026 report), and white combis run along the Ruta when full. For Playa del Carmen, the ADO bus is about 60 pesos and a colectivo about 40 pesos; ADO to Tulum is 136 to 365 pesos (Por Esto, 2026). More in can you visit cenotes without a tour.
How much does it cost to go to a cenote near Cancún?
Gate fees run from about 100 to more than 300 pesos (Por Esto, 2026), cash only at most cenotes: Verde Lucero about 300 pesos (2026 report), Gran Cenote about 500 pesos (2026 reports), Ik Kil 240 pesos (official). Some charge extra for a life jacket or locker. A day with transport costs from $39 to $119 on the tours we compare. The full table is on how much a cenote costs.
How deep are the cenotes near Cancún?
It varies a lot. Zapote on the Ruta is 54 m deep, with its Hells Bells at 29 to 35 m. Ik Kil is about 48 m deep. In the Dos Ojos system near Tulum, The Pit reaches 119.1 m, the deepest known cave passage in Quintana Roo. Swimming areas are often far shallower: Suytun is 1 to 5 m and the Dos Ojos snorkel area about 10 m.
Are the cenotes near Cancún safe to swim in?
Por Esto (2026) reports that several Quintana Roo cenotes make a life jacket mandatory, even for swimmers, especially the deep and semi-open ones. In Yucatán state, Decree 193/2014 requires swimming cenotes to have a lifeguard and life jackets for rent. Cave and cavern areas beyond the daylight are for certified divers with a guide. Read are cenotes dangerous before you go, and shower without sunscreen first.
Which tour is best for cenotes close to Cancún?
For a cenote-only day, the El Retoño swim day is the highest rated we found (4.9 on 75 reviews). For adrenaline, the ATV day swims at Verde Lucero from $39. For Mayan ruins too, the Chichén Itzá day with Valladolid swims at Chichikán from $57, rated 4.6 on 8,731 reviews. Every day trip to the cenotes close to cancun that we found is compared by price, rating and pickup on one page.
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