Cozumel Cenotes: The Island's Few and the Mainland Trip

Cenotes on Cozumel itself

The island is limestone like the mainland, but its cenotes are fewer and less developed for swimmers. These are the ones with any published information.

• Jade Cavern (Cenote Chempita) — A cavern cenote near El Cedral in the south of the island, which Wikipedia notes is often visited by tourists. We found no published entry fee in an opened source.
• Kanan Park — Visitors float in a tube through interconnected river channels. Carnival sells it as a 4.5-hour shore excursion from 84.99 US dollars for adults and 74.99 for children 6 to 12, with cenote admission, life jacket, tube, a beach-club buffet and open bar, guided snorkel and tequila tasting (checked October 2026).
• Cenote Aerolito — An anchialine cave where fresh and salt water mix, made a naturally protected area after 2017 (Cozumel4you). No visitor fee or hours are published.

The mainland option: ferry to Playa del Carmen

Most cenote days from Cozumel start with the passenger ferry to Playa del Carmen. Winjet publishes its fares and timetable; Ultramar also runs the route.

• Winjet adult fares (regular) — 335 pesos one way to Playa del Carmen, 645 pesos round trip. Minors 265 one way, 505 round trip. A sanitation fee of 23.46 pesos is charged on departures from Playa del Carmen (winjet.mx, October 2026).
• Cozumel to Playa, 27 October 2026 — 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00.
• Playa to Cozumel, 27 October 2026 — 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00. Timetables change; check winjet.mx for your date.
• Crossing time — About 35 minutes on the fast passenger ships (ferrygogo, for Ultramar).

Tulum ruins and a cenote from Cozumel

"Tulum ruins and Mayan cenote" is a classic cruise excursion, and you can do a version of it yourself. In Playa del Carmen, colectivos to Tulum leave from Calle 2 Norte and Avenida 20 when full, cost about 40 pesos and take about 50 minutes for the 60 km (rivieramaya.mx). At the ruins, foreigners pay 165 pesos for the archaeological zone and national park plus 100 pesos for Parque del Jaguar, under the federal decree in force since 20 July 2026. Add a cenote on the way back, such as Casa Cenote or Casa Tortuga north of Tulum, or Cenote Azul at km 266, 25 km south of Playa. It is a long day for a port call, so most cruisers either book the ship's excursion or pick a closer cenote.

Closer cenote trips that pick up in Playa del Carmen

If you have only a few hours ashore, choose a trip based near Playa del Carmen. You can compare the operators and the cenote tours on the mainland on one page.

• Rio Secreto underground river, from $89 — Just south of Playa del Carmen at km 283.5 of the highway. Rio Secreto's own site sells the Classic tour (about 3.5 hours) at $89 without transport, so you can take a taxi from the pier; with transport it is $119. On GetYourGuide it is 4.6 on 201 reviews of this tour, with pickup and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. See the underground river and cave tour.
• Jungle ATV, ziplines and cenote, from $39 — The listing's pickup points include Playa del Carmen, and its itinerary swims at Cenote Verde Lucero on the Ruta de los Cenotes. 6 hours, 4.2 on 1,237 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide, free cancellation up to 24 hours before. See the ATV, zipline and cenote tour.
• Cenote Chaak Tun — A cave cenote on Avenida Juárez, about 15 minutes from central Playa del Carmen, for a short taxi trip on your own. Cenote Chaak Tun.

Back before the ship sails

Work backwards from your ship's all-aboard time. On the 27 October 2026 timetable, the last useful Winjet sailings back to Cozumel left Playa del Carmen every one to two hours in the afternoon, and the crossing itself is about 35 minutes. Leave a buffer for getting from the ferry pier to your ship and for a full or delayed ferry. A ship-sold excursion is tied to your ship's schedule; an independent trip is not, so build the margin in yourself. Read whether you can visit cenotes without a tour before deciding.