Thanks to its easy-to-reach location on the main highway just fifteen minutes south of Playa del Carmen, this open cenote ranks among the most popular with locals. One half of the clear spring is shallow, with areas for climbing adjacent rocks; other spots are just deep enough for snorkeling. Elsewhere, there are still deeper waters for swimming and cooling off, complete with a sundeck and a small cliff for jumping.
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Swimming Holes
The unique geology of the Yucatan has also created a unique attraction, the area’s cenotes. These sinkholes were formed when the limestone bedrock collapsed in a sinkhole that exposes the groundwater below. The cenotes were long one of the few sources of fresh water in this region without rivers or lakes, and they were also believed by the Maya to be passages to the afterlife—the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itza is perhaps the most famous such gateway. Other cenotes, like the Cenote Azul shown here, are open to swimmers for a small fee. Photo by Graeme Churchard/Flickr.
