Visiting the magical Cenote Suytun // Mexico
There are many interesting things to see in the Yucatán peninsula, and the 5000 cenotes are one of them! Cenotes are natural sinkholes filled with fresh water, made from underwater cave systems. There are cenotes in different shapes and sizes, some are caves, others semi-open or roofless. For the Mayans, the cenotes where not only a drinking water supply, they were also sacred places used for rituals and ceremonies. Cenotes are wonderful natural creations where you can relax, swim, snorkel and dive. We visited a couple of cenotes, but I liked Cenote Suytun the most because it has such a magical atmosphere! Cenote Suytun is located near the city of Valladolid and is one of the most famous sights in this area. The platform in the middle gives the cenote a special look and is a great motif for photos.
How to visit Cenote Suytun
As always at well-known tourist places, try to be there as early as possible! The Cenote opens at 9am, we arrived there at 8:45 and luckily the lady at the counter already allowed us to go inside. We followed a little path, went down a few stone steps into the cave and it felt like entering another world. I was overwhelmed by this impressive place! For the first 15 minutes we were totally alone and could enjoy the cenote completely for ourselves. It was so quiet and peaceful, that we didn’t even talk to each other for a while. Then two other couples arrived and we had to „share“ the cenote with them, but everyone was just quiet and enjoyed this wonderful place and its unique atmosphere. We relaxed there for a while, took a few pictures and left after an hour. Around 10am, the first large tourist busses arrived.
There is also a second cenote next to Cenote Suytun, it is not that spectacular, but worth a short visit if you are already there.
At noon (between 12:00am and 2:00pm), the sun is shining directly through the whole in the ceiling and making a beam of light directly on the platform in the middle of the water. I saw pictures of it online and it looks amazing, but remember, that by this time most of the tourists are visiting.
We haven’t done it, but it is allowed to swim in the cenote. Wearing a lifejacket is mandatory and you have to pay 30 Mxn to rent one.
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