I’ve been to Mexico many, many times. Probably about 150 days total in all. I worked down there three times. And I’d never been to a cenote or even really knew what a cenote was – I just knew I wanted to finally find out. Cenotes are one of Mexico’s great jewels that sometimes get overlooked by beautiful beaches, tequila, and late night parties. If you can drag yourself away from all that fun for a day, it’s definitely worth checking out a cenote. And if you’re staying in Tulum, one of the best cenotes to see is Gran Cenote.
What is a Cenote?
Mexico’s ground is made up mainly of limestone, and underneath the limestone is a maze of fresh water rivers. Because Mexico is largely jungle, the trees and other vegetation grow deep roots through the limestone. Sometimes, the limestone ground cracks and falls away, revealing the beautiful crystal clear fresh water streams underneath. The locals have cleaned up many of these areas and built stairs, showers, lockers, equipment rentals, and charge a small fee to swim in these beautiful lagoons.
What Makes Cenotes Different?
There are over 6000 cenotes on the Yucatan peninsula, and all of the cenotes are different. The ground falls away in different ways, sometimes creating different kinds of tunnels or caves. The depths are different, the marine life is different, and the colors are different depending on the minerals in the stone. Some cenotes have long roots reaching down into the water, others have stalactites dropping down from caves above. Some cenotes are perfect for snorkeling, others are better suited for scuba diving, and some others are perfect just to relax and float on the surface.
A cenote’s age can be determined by the rock formations. The youngest cenotes still have a limestone roof, like a cave. A lot of these connect to the ocean and may not be as clear as some other cenotes. Middle-aged cenotes are semi-open with fresh, crystal clear water. Middle-aged cenotes usually have a lot of flora and fauna and make great spots for diving. An open lagoon is the oldest type of cenote. Maybe at one point it had a roof, but over time that roof has eroded and fallen away, leaving it open to thrive. These are the best types of cenotes to visit, and they will leave you in awe every time. Cenotes date back 66 million years, with some of the younger ones being only 13,000 years old.
What Can you Do in the Gran Cenote?
The Gran Cenote is a smaller cenote that has both roofless areas and cavern areas. There are lots of fish and turtles that live in the Gran Cenote, and they will come right up to you as you swim! There are lockers to store your belongings while you swim, and the employees require everyone to get a shower before they enter to keep the crystal water as clear as possible.
You can’t dive in the Gran Cenote, but you can snorkel – and it’s something I highly recommend. The water is clear enough that you can see to the bottom without goggles, but the colors become so much more vibrant as you look below the surface. You will see little fish swimming right up to you and somehow managing to avoid you at the last second. You’ll also see turtles lounging below the water but coming up for air every few minutes. Don’t forget to bring a waterproof camera to get some amazing photos in this crystal clear water!
For being a small cenote, the Gran Cenote has a few different areas you can swim to. There is an open cave where you can see bats flying above. This is one of the deepest areas of the cenote. The main area by the dock is where you’ll catch the best views of fish and turtles, and there are rocks to stand on if you get tired of swimming and don’t opt for a lifejacket. Keep on swimming and you’ll pass through another cave where bats fly over your head. Finally, pop out into another open area with the bluest of blue water surrounded by lush green flora. This is a quieter area where you can get some great photos.
Tips for Visiting the Gran Cenote
The Gran Cenote is only about 10 minutes from Tulum, right past the jungle village turn off. This makes it one of the more popular activities for visitors to this area of Mexico.
Tricks to Avoid the Crowds
To avoid crowds, try to plan to get there first thing in the morning or last thing before it closes. The Gran Cenote opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m. While this will cut down on swimming buddies a little, a lot of other people have that same idea, so another hack to avoiding crowds is to plan to go while it’s raining, or right after it rains. The cenotes are cold because they’re underground streams of fresh water, but it’s still refreshing even after the rains cool off the hot Mexican air. Many people will leave the cenotes when it rains and their adventure is over – so let yours begin, almost tourist-free!
Tricks to Avoid Paying for Rental Gear
If you know you’re going to visit a cenote, pack your own snorkel gear or at least goggles to bring with you. They don’t take up much space and it will save you money and keep you germ-free on your snorkel adventures. If you’re backpacking and don’t have space for snorkel gear, there is a big supermarket right past the Tulum village turn-off where you can buy snorkel gear, probably for the same price as you would rent it. This might save you some money if you plan to hit more than one cenote.
Additionally, you might need a life vest. Without salt, you don’t float as easily. However, it’s still easy to float on your back or stomach while snorkeling and without exerting too much energy. If you get tired, there are some rocks to stand on and ropes all around the swimming area you can hold on to or even sit on for a break. If you’re confident in water, you probably don’t need a life vest, but make sure you have someone with you watching you just in case.
What to Bring
Obviously, there are some things you should bring and some things you shouldn’t bring. The Gran Cenote does have lockers, but they are only about one foot by one foot so if you’re sharing locker space with someone, you’ll want to conserve space. Here’s what you need and what you can get away without.
- Bathing suit – wear the least amount of additional clothes possible. Don’t even bring shoes.
- Money – you will need it to pay the entrance fee and rent the locker and any gear you might need, and you’ll want to keep that in a wallet in the locker. The dock has slits between the wood that things can fall through and I almost lost money this way, so make sure your pesos are secure somewhere.
- Towel – you will want one to dry off when you get out but if you don’t have one it’s okay, that hot Mexican sun will do the trick pretty quickly.
- Snorkel gear – if you have your own, bring it! If you’re going to more than one cenote, buy it at the supermarket.
- GoPro/waterproof camera – you will get some GREAT pictures if you have one. If not, the supermarket sells waterproof cases for your phone for 14 pesos ($7 USD). If you plan ahead, Lifeproof has a great waterproof case that custom fits every smartphone.
- Phone – only bring it if you plan to take it in the water for pictures. Otherwise, why would you need it? Leave it home.
- Suntan lotion – put it on before you go so you don’t have to store that anywhere. Don’t risk getting burned by that hot Mexican sun.
- Sunglasses are unnecessary – you’ll be underwater more than above water. Hopefully, you’ll have goggles on anyway.
- Food/water – there’s a cafe onsite so if you need food or water, you can pop in and grab whatever you need.
You’ll probably need about an hour to an hour and a half at the Gran Cenote to make sure you’re not rushed and enjoy everything, but after an hour and a half you will probably get bored. We were there for one hour exactly and it was the perfect amount of time, but they rushed us out without letting us go to the bathroom so a little extra time for pictures, drying off, and bathroom time would have been nice.
The Gran Cenote is a great cenote for someone who has never been to one before. They call it a first-timer cenote. It was my first cenote and I agree that it’s great for someone that wants to experience a cenote but isn’t ready to dive or explore in super small or super large spaces yet. Plus its close access to Tulum makes it a great choice for a quick adventure.
Have you ever been to a cenote? Have you been to the Gran Cenote? What did you do? Share some photos or blog post links with me in the comments!
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P.S. You might also enjoy Playa del Carmen or Cancun