Cenotes in Cancún

The Yucatan Peninsula in southern u003ca href=u0022https://magicblueplanet.com/en/mexico-travel/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 data-schema-attribute=u0022aboutu0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eMexicou003c/au003e is a karst area. It consists mainly of limestone. And it erodes very easily. Especially with the often short but heavy rainfall in the tropics. And just a few million years later – right now – the Yucatan Peninsula actually looks like Swiss cheese. That is to say, completely perforated.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eUnderground, the peninsula is crisscrossed by the largest known system of underground rivers in the world. It’s really thousands of kilometers long. Without exaggeration. And wherever the limestone soil has eroded and collapsed, an access to the waters underground has formed. These are the so-called u003ca href=u0022https://magicblueplanet.com/en/about-cenotes-in-mexico/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 data-type=u0022postu0022 data-id=u0022235637u0022 data-schema-attribute=u0022aboutu0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003ecenotesu003c/au003e.

That’s a good question. If you wanted to choose the most beautiful cenote, you would really have to make a difficult decision. All of them are rather unique in their own way and somehow magical. Therefore, I can only recommend you to visit several of them. Then you will quickly find out which one is the most beautiful cenote for you.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eMost cenotes are located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo along the Caribbean coastline. There are thousands of them along the coast from Cancún down to u003ca href=u0022https://magicblueplanet.com/en/bacalar-and-the-lagoon-of-7-colors/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 data-type=u0022postu0022 data-id=u0022237342u0022 data-schema-attribute=u0022mentionsu0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eBacalaru003c/au003e in the far south.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eBut also, near the Gulf Coast in the neighboring State of Yucatan there are countless of these wonderful accesses to the underground rivers. There they are arranged rather in a ring around a huge crater left by the impact of a meteorite in the Gulf of Mexico over 60 million years ago. This catastrophe was probably also the reason for the formation of the extensive underground rivers.

You can have a lot of fun at the cenotes in Cancún. That depends entirely on the type of cenote. Some of them are still located in their underground caves and can only be reached through narrow entrances. Others are located in the daylight and are surrounded by steep rock faces and dense vegetation. And still others look like open lagoons in the middle of the jungle.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eIn almost all cenotes you can refresh yourself with a bath in the crystal-clear water. The water has a temperature of about 26 ° C / 79° F degrees all year round. In many cenotes you will find colorful fish, turtles or sometimes wonderful flowering plants – under the water or on the surface. Therefore, these places are also perfectly suitable for snorkeling.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eSome well-developed locations offer cool activities in the water: canoes, pneumatic tires, zip lines or the opportunity to enjoy assisted rappel into the water. In some places there are also platforms or suitable rocks for a jump into the cool water. In such locations, there is sometimes a kiosk that offers drinks and snacks, or maybe even a restaurant.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eScuba diving is particularly popular in many cenotes. There are places for easy dives in the large caverns, but also challenging dives for highly qualified cave divers in the narrow underwater tunnels. Read more about this in our article about u003ca href=u0022https://magicblueplanet.com/en/cenote-diving/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 data-type=u0022postu0022 data-id=u002210202u0022 data-schema-attribute=u0022mentionsu0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003ediving in cenotes.u003c/au003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eIf you are traveling with children, you should choose a suitable cenote. It should be shallow enough to ensure their safety. Some sinkholes are more in the shape of a well shaft and can easily have a depth of 30 m. The deepest cenote known to date even reaches 119 m / 390 ft.