The ancient cenotes in the Cancun area and the Riviera Maya are best known for their mystique and beauty. Cenotes are central to the area of Tulum, and can be found throughout the Riviera Maya Area
What Are Cenotes in the Riviera Maya Mexico Area?
Cenotes are natural sink-holes of water where the Earth’s limestone rock opened up many thousands of years ago. The Mayans viewed these bodies of water as sacred, often believing that they were portals to the underworld. Often, these are fresh water areas that may connect to various underground caves, rivers and even the ocean.
Ancient Mayans often did various rituals and other forms of sermons around these cenotes. Even today, the cultural influences of the Mayans live on today – because you will find the believers and descendants of the Mayans performing various prayers, and rituals daily near the Cenotes. Some of these rituals are designed to ward off negative energies of the jungle, in which they believe roam the Earth, or others are for healing and other spiritual purposes.
However, for many visitors – performing rituals or worshipping an Ancient Mayan god isn’t the primarily purpose of visiting a cenote when traveling in the Cancun area. It is still important to be respectful of the cenotes, and the beauty of these natural waterparks.
Most visitors come to cenotes in order to swim as well as to take photos of this beautiful natural wonder. I recommend everybody come here at least once in their lifetime to enjoy a cenote because there is something different and magical about these compared to a regular pool, river or beach.
Also, these cenotes are in the heart of the Mayan jungle, so it will be a walking adventure to get into one, allowing you to truly feel the jungle and all the mystique it has to offer.
Cenotes are known for their natural, stunning beauty as these were formed thousands of years ago and nature has grown around them.
Cenotes Around Xcaret Mexico – Riviera Maya
You may have heard about Cenotes in Mexico from the world famous Xcaret Mexico parks. The story and history of Grupo Xcaret’s origin into their eco-friendly parks has intrigued the hearts of many, by introducing the concepts of an open-world natural waterpark filled with cenotes into the world.
The Riviera Maya is home to many of these natural cenote wonders in the area.
Often, there are many tour guides and companies offering excursions to various Cenotes around the Riviera Maya area. Not all cenotes are made the same. Some are small, others are larger, some may be above or underground or in between. Some may even contain natural waterfalls or lead to the ocean. The beauty of this universe made it so that not one cenote is exactly like the others.
Is it Safe to Go Into a Cenote?
The answer is a resounding yes. Most cenotes are freshwater bodies of water that eventually filters into a large river or ocean. I think of these as self-filtering pools of water without the chlorine or bromine element. However, in the cenotes you will often find many different types of tropical fish and rock and plant formations underneath that has made their home in the cenotes making the experience seem like a truly magical & natural experience.
I will write a whole article later on the safety of Cenotes, but for now – I encourage you to enjoy the natural wonders of the Cenotes in the Riviera Maya area.
I think everyone should have a chance to go into a Cenote, as these are not like regular swimming pools or regular bodies of water. There is something mystical and magical about these Cenotes that you won’t want to miss and once you go in one, you will be addicted to the calmness, beauty and elegance of these waters.
When you jump into the cenote, it will feel like you’ve entered a whole new world of paradise. The water is often much cooler than the resort or hotel pools in Cancun, so it will be a nice cool refresher on a hot summer day in June in Cancun. Many of these cenotes are walking activities that require you to trek through various walking paths in order to arrive at the Cenote.
Snorkeling and Deep Sea Diving in Cenotes
For those that appreciate a little bit of adventure and exploration, cenotes aren’t just for swimming or casual diving. You can also purchase or borrow snorkeling gear from many excursions where you can poke your head under and swim with the fishes. The diversity of the tropical fish here is incredible, and the different colors of fish you will see in the Caribbean likely differ in size, color and shape from the ones you see back home!
It is also interesting to see the different rock formulations underwater, although some cenotes are so deep that you won’t be able to touch your feet on the ground, others are 100+ feet underneath water so losing any item could be a gift to the Mayan gods!
If you are into the adventurous side, there is also deep sea cave diving available as well, often through small charter boats and tours. Here, you must get a personalized diving certificate before engaging in deep sea diving as it can be quite risky.
However, for most tourists visiting – you may just want to enjoy the waters and find out which cenotes are best for your next excursion!
Cenote Ik Kil
The cenote Ik Kil is a beautiful cenote in the Riviera Maya area and often attracts many tourists worldwide.