The small village of Cuzuma, about 45km from the large City of Merida is home to a large concentration of cenotes. A cenote is a collapsed cave full of water that is synonymous with the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico.
About 30 are accessible to the public from this one small town. A couple of days earlier I was reunited with my cycling buddies Spontanious and Sky. We set off to visit a few of the unique Cenotes.
Cenote Papakal
Our first stop was Cenote Papakal. A small sign on the main road directed us to this place. It was a couple of kilometers on a dusty track that would ensure no large tour groups would be coming our way any time soon. This was my first visit to a cenote and we had it all to ourselves. It wasn’t long before we started to hatch a plan to camp here for the night.
We swam in the clear blue water among the stalactites and columns. Small fish swam under us. There is a small underground cave system that could be explored, if only I had some scuba gear. The cenote was lit by a small but bright light and supplemented by a couple of well placed mirrors to focus the sunlight into the cave.
For a couple of pesos we camped under a thatched hut and had use of the restrooms. They also had cold water, colder beer and snacks. Best of all we had this whole slice of paradise to ourselves. It’s moments like this that make all the hard days fade away into a distant memory.
Cenote Aktun-Ha
A small faded sign on the side of a dirt road mentioned there was a Cenote nearby. It was abandoned, or so it seemed. All hopes of making a living from the tourist trade seemed to fade away quicker than Milli Vannilli.
Cenote Aktun-Ha was accessed by a ladder that was more dodgy than an African dictator. It was rusty, it wobbled and was held together with thin lashing cord. I recognised the knots they used to tie the cord, the double granny knot. I climbed part way down then thought better of it. I didn’t feel like dying today.
Cenotes of Santa Rosa
We tried to access a couple of other nearby cenotes but the operators wanted about 1 week of my travel budget. When I politely declined their extortionate price they were rude and insulting. Beware of the entitled tourist operation that thinks we are all made of money and reward the friendly and fair operators.
A flash looking new sign greeted us a bit further up the road. There was a promise of slightly safer infrastructure but I had a bitter taste in my mouth from the previous encounter. The Cenotes Santa Rosa was a new tourist operation. It was 8 months old and promised access to 3 awesome cenotes. As it was new, the price to access these sights was a quarter of the price we were quoted to access other ‘entitled’ cenotes nearby. Did I mention there are about 30 cenotes in the area? Lot’s to choose from.
Included in the price was a horse drawn train ride between the cenotes. We made it to each of the 3 cenotes about 15 minutes ahead of a rather loud bus tour. They all seemed like they were having fun but we were spoilt by our previous days solitude. We had enough time alone to take some photos and have a swim.
Leaving the cenotes was hard. Cycling into the 40 plus degree temps was harder. Time for me to try and avoid the crowds at the most crowded tourist attraction in the Yucatan, a place that has been called one of the Seven ‘New’ Wonder of the world. Can you guess where I’m going next?
Next : Chichen Itza
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Hey Brad
We’re heading to Cancun in two weeks and was wondering if you remember where cenote aktun ha was located ?
You can find it easy on Google maps.
Really nice and well done for avoiding the crowds :-) Did you taste the water (if not only by curiosity)? And?
No, didn’t taste the water. I was a long way from the sea so it was freshwater. Some cenotes are both fresh and salt that Di not mix and cause a blurry layer. I might go to those types of cenotes when I return later in the year.
Hello Brad, I’ve been following your blog since you hiked the PCT. I will still try to follow your hike of the AT but I will be finally attempting my first thru hike of the PCT. Starting on Monday April 10th. I will be trying to write a blog myself. Thanks for the years of great posts and pictures. My blog is at bonedaddyhikes.com
Thanks again
BRET
Hey Bret, that’s awesome. The PCT is a special Trail. Good luck. I’ll be checking in on your blog.
“Fade away quicker than Mili vanilli” hahaha! My morning coffee just sprayed on my iPad. Thanks for that! Lol.
I was wondering if anyone would remember them. Hope the iPad is ok. :)
haha its fine, lucky wasnt too much coffee! who could forget milli vanilli? those were the good old days! lol
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us! Will Spontaneous and Sky be joining you on the AT?? Looking forward to following more of your travels! Stay safe!
Spontanious and Sky will also be in the AT, but I’ll be about a week ahead of them. They hope to catch up to me.
What a wonderful way to end your Mexico visit. Beautiful water!!
Yes, the water was so nice. Mexico has been great
Beautiful pictures of amazing places! That cool water must have felt so good after biking in the heat. Will you be sad to leave Mexico to head back to the US soon? Really looking forward to your AT blog posts!
Not sad to leave Mexico, I’m glad I have seen almost all the most amazing places that it is possible to visit, no regrets.
I’m ready to start hiking, I’m looking forward to the Appalachian Trail. I’ll be back in USA in 1 week!