Open, semi-open, cavern or cave: which kind of cenote do you want?

Every cenote is the same event at a different stage. Rainwater dissolves limestone from below, a cave forms, the ceiling thins, and eventually it falls in. What you are looking at when you arrive is how far through that sequence a particular cave has got — and it is the single most useful thing to know when choosing where to go.

Cave (gruta)

The ceiling is still intact. You go in through a small opening or a staircase cut into rock, and the only light is what somebody installed. The water is glass-clear, the air is still, and the formations are undamaged because nothing has ever fallen on them.

Choose one if you want the strangest experience and do not mind enclosed spaces. Avoid if anyone in your group is claustrophobic. Best in rain — it makes no difference at all down there, which makes cave cenotes the reliable wet-season answer.

Cavern (cenote cavernario)

The ceiling has partly gone. There is a real opening above, daylight comes through it in a shaft, and there is still rock over most of the water. This is the type in almost every photograph you have seen: a beam of light dropping into a turquoise pool.

Choose one if you want the photograph. Know that the light beam is an hour-long event, not a permanent feature — it needs the sun high and roughly over the opening, which in practice means late morning to early afternoon, and it is far better in the dry season.

Semi-open (semiabierto)

Most of the roof has collapsed but the walls still overhang. Half sunlight, half shade, usually with vines and tree roots coming down the sides to the water. Warmer than a cavern, and easier if you want to sit somewhere dry between swims.

Choose one if you want a compromise, or you are bringing children.

Open (abierto)

The roof is entirely gone and what is left is a circular pool open to the sky, often ringed by trees. These are usually the oldest cenotes, the warmest water, and the most swimming space.

Choose one if you actually want to swim lengths, sunbathe, or bring a group. Know that these are the ones that get busy, because they take crowds well.

Choosing quickly

What we record

Every listing on this site carries its type where we know it, and you can filter the map by it. We currently have a confirmed type for most of the cenotes we list; where it is not confirmed, the listing says so rather than guessing. Sites with more than one cenote behind one gate can have more than one type, and we record how many cenotes are on the site — but not yet a separate type for each pool.