The entire Yucatan Peninsula is a massive piece of limestone, with the world’s largest subterranean water system running beneath it. In certain places, the limestone ceiling has collapsed, causing what many Americans and Canadians would call a “sinkhole.” In Spanish, it is called a “cenote.” Over 2,200 cenotes have been registered throughout the Yucatan Peninsula. They are all different in size, shape, and accessibility. Full of crystal-clear fresh water, cenotes are wonderful for snorkeling, diving, or just refreshing on a hot day. Here in the Riviera Maya, there are many great cenotes for tourists to visit, and here are a few of our favorites:

JARDIN DEL EDEN

Located just 15 minutes aways from Playa del Carmen and across the highway from some amazing Puerto Aventuras real estate options, JardÌn del Eden is an open cenote visited by both locals and tourists. It is well-known for its cool water, friendly hangouts, and a couple of great ledges for jumping in (you can even jump off a tree). In JardÌn del Eden will also find Garra Rufa fish eager to exfoliate your skin, something slightly awkward at first, but fun once you become comfortable with it.

XCACELITO

Cenote Xcacelito is located just 15 minutes north of many of our favorite Tulum real estate options, and has the unique advantage of being located within a two-minute walk from the Xcacel Beach… and what a beach it is! Xcacel is known for its beautiful color and is a popular spot for sea turtles to come and nest. To reach Xcacelito, you’ll have to cross a dense jungle and a small wooden bridge just to find one cozy water pond that appears to have been placed by nature like your own natural pool. It’s something special.

CENOTE CALAVERA

For the divers out there, Cenote Calavera has some really outstanding rock formations and its refreshing waters offer a welcome embrace to a vast array of divers, from cave-diving certified to first-time divers. Once inside this cenote, you’ll realize why it received its name (which means skull cenote). Just like a pirate movie, the rock formations give the illusion of a giant skull that lurks from above… a little scary at first, but makes for great social media content.

These are just a few examples of the cenotes to be explored here in the Riviera Maya. If you are interested in information regarding a specific cenote or any other interesting places, feel free to reach out to us with any questions.