Quick facts

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Our Map

This map includes the places we visited, along with a few recommendations we received from our accommodation and other travelers. Unfortunately, when we visited in June, we experienced a lot of sargassum. The beaches were heavily affected, so we couldn’t really enjoy Tulum’s famous coastline the way we had hoped.

We hope this map still helps you discover some great spots and makes planning your trip a little easier.

All our favorite places in Tulum. Save it to your Google Maps!

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Cenotes in Tulum

Tulum is surrounded by one of the most extensive underground cave and water systems in the world. The limestone ground beneath the Yucatán Peninsula allows rainwater to filter underground, creating an enormous network of flooded caves, underground rivers and cenotes.

A cenote is essentially an opening into this underground freshwater system. Some are completely open and look like natural swimming pools, while others lead into dark caves and underwater passages.

Why we didn’t choose the famous cenotes

Tulum has a huge number of cenotes to choose from, but many of the most famous ones have become major tourist attractions. Places like Gran Cenote, Dos Ojos and Casa Tortuga can be quite expensive and very busy, especially during popular visiting hours.

We decided not to visit them.

Maybe we missed out, maybe we didn’t. We didn’t really need the Instagram photos from the most famous cenotes, and we’d rather spend less money somewhere quieter. Instead, we looked for smaller and less famous places. Two of our three favourites were completely free, and we were surprised by how much we enjoyed them.

The average entrance price for the more established cenotes around Tulum is around 500 MXN (approximately 41.59 AUD) per person, although prices vary depending on the cenote and what is included.

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Our favourite cenotes

1. Cenote Kapen Ha

Cenote Kapen Ha is located on Avenida Boca Paila, inside a small hotel and restaurant. It is quite easy to miss from the road, and there isn’t much information about it online, which probably helps keep it quieter than some of the better known cenotes around Tulum.

The cenote itself is small but beautiful, with very translucent and refreshing water. When we visited, there were fewer than ten people there, which made a huge difference. We could swim, relax and enjoy the place without feeling surrounded by other visitors.

You can use the sunbeds as long as you buy a drink, so we were able to stay and relax for a while. The staff were friendly and attentive, and the whole place felt very laid back. There are bathrooms and Wi-Fi available, and the restaurant also serves food and drinks.

Parking was easy with our motorbike, which was another bonus. If you’re looking for a small, quiet cenote rather than a big tourist attraction, this was definitely our favourite.

Entry: Free with consumption
Parking: Free and easy with a motorbike

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2. Yax Chen Cenote

We accessed Yax Chen through Entrada Restaurante Pies Descalzos, which also turned out to be a really nice place to stop for a drink or something to eat.

The people there were great and made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. The cenote itself is quite different from Kapen Ha. The water wasn’t as transparent, but the setting was beautiful and there was much more space to enjoy activities on the water.

It’s a particularly good option if you want to try kayaking or paddleboarding, and we saw people diving while we were there, although we didn’t try it ourselves. We enjoyed taking the two paddleboards around the cenote and exploring the area from the water.

Another thing we appreciated was the parking. We could leave our motorbike inside the restaurant area, where there was a guard keeping an eye on the vehicles. We didn’t have to pay for parking, and there was plenty of space for cars too.

For us, it was another great example of finding a less famous place that still offered a really enjoyable cenote experience.

Entry: Free with consumption
Parking: Free, inside the restaurant area

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3. Casa Cenote

Casa Cenote was completely different from the other two. Rather than looking like a traditional cenote or swimming hole, it feels more like a beautiful freshwater river running through a mangrove environment.

It is a much larger area, so there is plenty of space to explore. We paid 150 MXN per person to enter and rented a second snorkel set for another 150 MXN.

We left our things next to a tree and went snorkelling around the cenote ourselves. There were lots of fish in the water, and the combination of the mangroves, freshwater and underwater life made it a really nice place to explore.

There is also an area that is closed because of a crocodile. Unfortunately, we didn’t see it, but knowing that one lives in the area definitely made the place feel a little more wild.

Casa Cenote also offers guided snorkelling, diving and kayak rentals, so there are plenty of ways to explore it depending on what you want to do and how much you want to spend.

One thing to keep in mind is that using a GoPro comes with an additional charge. We didn’t have one with us, so this wasn’t an issue for us, but it’s worth knowing before you arrive.

We enjoyed Casa Cenote, although for us it felt a little more commercial than Kapen Ha and Yax Chen.

Entry: 150 MXN per person
Snorkel rental: 150 MXN
Parking: Free for motorbikes, in front of the cenote

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Restaurants we enjoyed

Price guide: $ = very cheap · $$$ = very expensive

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Places we stayed

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Our Cost

* 4 nights · 5 days · 2 people

Category	Total (2 People)	Per Day (2 People)	Notes
🛏 Accommodation	140 AUD	35 AUD*	Hostel & apartment
🚌 Local Transport	110 AUD	22 AUD	Motorbike rental & fuel
🍽 Restaurants and cafes	195 AUD	39 AUD	Mix of local spots & restaurants
🛒 Groceries	90 AUD	18 AUD	Daily basics
🎟 Attractions	20 AUD	4 AUD	Cenotes
🧺 Extras	25 AUD	5 AUD	Laundry, pharmacy & misc.
Total	580 AUD	116 AUD	–

* Accommodation is calculated per night, while the other categories are calculated per day. All prices are approximate.

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Gallery

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