Location: |
Dzitnup, 97795 Yuccatan.
6 km southwest of Valladolid, 40 km east of Chichén Itzá. From Valladolid follow Hwy 180 towards Chichén Itzá and Mérida. Turn left at sign to Dzitnup. (20.660818, -88.242542) |
Open: |
All year daily 8-17. [2025] |
Fee: |
Adults MXN 226, Children MXN 184, INAPAM MXN 184, Locals MXN 135. Only one cenote: Adults MXN 150. [2025] |
Classification: |
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Light: |
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Dimension: | Twater=25 °C. |
Guided tours: | self guided |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | |
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info. |
1950 | opened to the public. |
The text by Tony Oldham is 20 years old but still accurate. However, it seems the whereabouts have changed a little. The site is called Cenote Dzitnup, but there is actually no cenote of this name, it’s the name of the site, and it has two cenotes. The car park and the ticket office are located on the Dzitnup road right north of the town Dzitnup, hence the name. There is also a café, and thy sell a ticket for each cenote as well as a combo ticket for both cenotes.
Cenote Xkeken or Cenote X'keken is actually a huge cavern with a small hole or karstfenster in the 20 m high ceiling and a lake right below. Around noon, when the sun is shining in almost perpendicular, the cave and the lake are brightly lit, the water glows in a fantastic blue colour. This site was renovated a few years ago and is rather clean. As they were concerned that foreign tourists could accidentally fall into the opening, they built a wall around. Unique are the roots of a huge alamo tree stretching down into the pool. This cenote is located across the road on the eastern side. The entrance is a sort of rock overhang, then a long stone staircase with a diagonal ceiling. Finally, a sort of plateau is reached, from where it is possible to descend into the water.
Cenote Samula is located on the western side of the road, near the ticket office. It is similar, also a cave chamber but this time with circular, vertical walls. The karstfenster is substantially bigger, but still much of the ceiling remains. The amount of rock which has fell down form the opening is much bigger too, and has formed a small island. It is brightly lit by daylight, and the staircase leads down along the curved wall.
The site is well developed, has a good infrastructure and is clean. Also, the different types of cenotes are quite interesting. On the other hand, it seems extremely difficult to keep them apart, even people who visited them mix them up in the reviews. Pictures on all pages, travel portals and even personal webpages and travelogues mixed them up. Again: Xkeken is the one with the small hole in the ceiling, Samula is the one with the vertical walls and the big hole. Both cenotes together are called Cenote Dzitnup, although the plural would be better, "Cenotes of Dzitnup" for example.
Reviews in the last years were rather annoyed, it seems some aspects are a little strange. If you want to swim you need a safety vest, and both the vest and the locker have an additional fee. And if you have a vest from one cenote, you have to pay a second vest for the other cenote. Also, there are guides which start to explain stuff without being asked, and then collect a guiding fee. Prices have almost doubled in the last five years. And there are guys who try to collect a parking fee for the free car park. It seems the general opinion is that there are hundreds of cenotes which are much cheaper or even free, and not less comfortable.
About 7 km south west of Valladolid is a beautiful cenote, sometimes called Dzitnup Cenote. It is stunningly lit with electric lights, the only natural light source being a tiny hole in the cavernous ceiling dripping with stalactites. The water is clean and cool and the swimming is excellent, whilst scary bats swoop down from above. Exploratory walks can also be made through the many passages, which lead off of the cenote, for which a torch is needed.
It is best to visit the cenote early because it can become fairly crowded later in the day. Do not confuse it with the small cenote in town; ask a local for directions and follow the signs to the turnoff. Once you arrive you will be greeted by numerous vendors selling food, jewellery, and pictures of the cenote as well as children offering to watch your car. Buy your entrance ticket at the window to your left and carefully make your way down the stairs into the cavern.
Legend has it that the cenote was found when a pig fell through a large hole in the ground, which turned out to be the ceiling of the cenote, and the owners went to look for it. Locals created a stairway down to the water and have been enjoying it ever since. This cenote could actually be labelled a cavern since there is a limestone ceiling with stalactites still in existence. The water is very refreshing so remember to bring your swimsuit. Around midday, the sunlight comes through the hole in the ceiling and illuminates the turquoise coloured water. This is the best time to view the cavern and take photographs; however, it may be more crowded at this time.
Text by Tony Oldham (2004). With kind permission.