Guides
How cenotes work
What is worth knowing before you drive an hour: the rules at the gate, why they exist, and how to choose where to go. Every guide carries its sources and the date we last checked it.
Cenotes
Open, semi-open, cavern or cave: which kind of cenote do you want?
The four types are a single sinkhole at four ages. Which one you want depends on light, temperature, nerve and whether it is raining.
Cenote etiquette: the rules nobody tells you until you break one
Shower first, no sunscreen, no touching the formations, and the life jacket is usually not optional. What every gate expects, and why.
Why sunscreen is banned in cenotes, and what to wear instead
"Reef safe" is unregulated marketing and a cenote is not a reef. What the ban is actually protecting, and the approach that works.
Cenote safety: what to check before you get in
People drown in cenotes. Cold water, no shallow end, no lifeguard and no signal. What to look for, and what a life jacket does not do.