Cenote Suytun, Valladolid: Tickets, Light Beam and Tours
Updated October 27, 2026
Cenote Suytun is a cave cenote 8 km east of Valladolid in Yucatán, about 164 km (2 hours) by road from Cancún, known for the stone walkway and round platform that sit under the single opening in its roof. Entry is paid at the gate in cash: 2025 reports put it at 120 to 250 pesos (MX$120–250), and the 250-peso figure covered both cenotes in the complex and a life jacket. There is no official price page. The water is shallow, so the platform view is the draw rather than a long swim.
What Cenote Suytun is
Yucatán state tourism lists Suytun as a cave-type cenote: circular, closed by a stone vault with one opening that lets the sun in, full of stalactites and stalagmites, and reached down a tunnel with stairs. The same complex has a second, semi-open cenote, Suytun Kaa Pe, also reached by a stair tunnel, plus 18 air-conditioned cabins whose rate includes entry to the cenotes. Inside the main cave a narrow stone path leads to a round platform directly under the roof hole.
Suytun tickets and hours
No official site or government page gives Suytun's price, so these are dated reports that disagree. Bring pesos in cash. The 2025 report gives 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last entry around 4:30 p.m.; another source gives 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so plan to arrive before 4:30. Compare it with other gates on what a cenote costs.
- 250 pesos (2025, updated 14 January 2025) — Both cenotes plus a life jacket; cash only (The Whole World Is a Playground).
- About 120 pesos (2025 reports, article of August 2026) — Life jacket rental optional (The Traveler).
- 150 pesos (undated, around 2023) — Life jacket included (Viajando por el Mundo Mundial).
When does the light beam appear?
Sources agree the beam comes in the middle of the day but not on the hour. Yucatán state tourism says sunlight lights the centre of the platform in the afternoon. A 2025 guide says it is usually around midday, and its author saw it from 12 to 3 p.m. on a January visit. A 2026 guide says it is strongest from late morning to early afternoon. No source we read says which months it is strongest, and cloud cover will hide it on any day.
The photo queue
The hours of the beam are also the hours of the longest line for the platform (The Traveler, 2026). The 2025 guide asks visitors not to linger on the walkway or the platform and to be patient with the queue. We found no published rule on tripods, drones or time limits on the platform; ask at the gate.
Can you swim at Suytun, and is it worth it?
You can. State tourism describes Suytun as shallow, so non-swimmers can get in, and a 2025 guide gives 1 to 5 m of depth and says a life jacket must be worn to swim. That makes it a short dip and a photo stop rather than a swimming cenote. If a real swim matters more, Cenote Ik Kil near Chichén Itzá is about 48 m deep and costs 240 pesos with vest and locker, and Cenote Zací is a walk from Valladolid's main plaza. Our Valladolid cenotes page compares them.
How to get to Suytun from Cancún
By car it is about 164 km, a little over 2 hours on the route planner. By bus, ADO runs about 42 departures a day from Cancún to Valladolid, taking about 2 h 15 min to 2 h 20 min, listed at about 14 dollars (roughly 260 pesos) for late-October 2026 dates (CheckMyBus). From Valladolid's centre it is 8.3 km, about 10 minutes by road, so a taxi or a rented bike covers the last stretch.
- Valladolid centre — 8.3 km, about 10 minutes
- Chichén Itzá — about 50 km west via Valladolid
- Cancún — about 164 km, about 2 hours
Tours from Cancún that stop near Suytun
The Chichén Itzá day with a cenote swim we list (Amigo Tours LATAM, from $57, 4.6 on 8,731 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide) makes a panoramic stop in Valladolid, but its itinerary swims at Cenote Chichikan, not Suytun. It offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before and hotel or meeting-point pickup depending on the option. If you want a day built around cenote suytun, compare the operators and check that the itinerary names it.
Yucatán state tourism: Suytun Tourist ComplexYucatán state tourism: cave-type cenotes in Valladolid
Frequently asked questions
How much does Cenote Suytun cost?
Reports from 2025 put it between 120 and 250 pesos, paid in cash at the gate. The 250-peso ticket covered both cenotes in the complex and a life jacket. There is no official price page.
Can you swim at Cenote Suytun?
Yes. The water is shallow, about 1 to 5 m in a 2025 report, and a life jacket must be worn to swim.
When is the light beam at Suytun?
Around the middle of the day: state tourism says the afternoon, and 2025 and 2026 guides say late morning to early afternoon. It is also when the platform line is longest.
Is Cenote Suytun worth it?
For the platform under the roof opening, yes; for a long swim, less so, because the water is shallow. Ik Kil or Zací suit a real swim better.
How far is Suytun from Valladolid?
8.3 km by road from the town centre, about 10 minutes.
Sources