Features
About this place
The Cenote Sac-Aua is beautiful, and while relatively close to Valladolid, it does not receive the tour busses that other nearby cenotes do, making it likely you’ll be able to enjoy this beauty without many others. While the cenote itself is the largest draw, the site also features an adjacent cave that contains artifacts and cave formations, and guides will take visitors below to show many of these features and describe the history of caves and cenotes in Mayan culture.
Reaching the cave and cenote requires a 1-kilometer walk down a level path into the jungle, and guides provide helmets and lights before descending a set of stairs into the cave. Accessing the cenote requires heading down a set of wooden steps.
The cenote contains a wide circular opening in the limestone ceiling, and over time an island has formed in the cenote’s center, leaving the swimming area along a circular route skirting between the island’s perimeter and the limestone walls. The water is clear and emerald in color. A lifeguard is on duty while swimmers are present, and the area contains a jumping platform where swimmers can leap into the water, scattering small populations of black Mexican cenote catfish below.
Cenote Sac-Aua hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. As of 2019, admission was MX$150, which includes the cenote and guided cave tour.