Kid friendly cenotes near Playa del Carmen

Are you traveling with kids and looking for kid friendly cenotes near Playa del Carmen? Read on to find out which ones you must visit on your trip to the Yucatan Peninsula.

What are cenotes?

A cenote is a natural sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.

Depending on the location of the cenote, it might be freshwater or with a hint of salt. This would depend on its proximity to the sea.

Cenotes come in all sorts of shapes, depths and sizes.

How to determine which cenote is right for your family?

1- You need to consider how confident your kids are in the water

Technically, if your kids are good swimmers or are happy to wear floats, they can go into any cenote no matter the depth.

2- The need for shallow areas

If you have a small baby below six months, you might need cenotes with shallow areas making some cenotes like Ik-Kil not right for you.

3- How much do you love cliff jumping?

If you are an adventurous bunch and love cliff jumping (like my niece who jumped 68 times when we were at Cenote Jardin del Eden), then cave cenotes (like Gran Cenote) will not be the right ones for you.

Here are the kid friendly cenotes near Playa del Carmen that we went to:

CENOTE AZUL

Cenote Azul was certainly the most beautiful cenote we went to for the colour of its water. Pay 100 Pesos to enter, walk down some steps and you will be greeted with two small pools with the clearest waters.

Cenote Azul gets my vote for the most kid friendly cenote near Playa del Carmen as it has many shallow spots for kids of all ages.

Keep walking after the two pools and your hike opens up to a big area with the most beautiful water you can imagine.

I still couldn’t believe seeing all the different kinds of fish there were, and some were actually really big! Stay still long enough in any one of the pools and the fish will definitely come up to nibble off your dead skin. Free fish spa at its best!

There is a cliff you can jump off from too. Don’t forget to spot the iguanas on your walk up to the cliff.

CENOTE CRISTALINO

In comparison to Cenote Azul, Cenote Cristalino certainly does not have the WOW effect. It is 150 Pesos to enter but you get lifejackets for free.

Despite being smaller in size, our kids had a lot of fun with the little cave tunnel there.

There are many mangrove plants in this cenote, so try not to forget your goggles or masks. The fish here were small and will also definitely nibble on your feet and legs should you stay still in the water.

I found Cenote Cristalino to be yet another kid friendly cenote near Playa del Carmen as there were many shallow areas at different parts of the cenote.

Be sure to look out for a path that takes you to another hidden cenote around the back.

CENOTE JARDIN DEL EDEN

If you and your kids are the adventurous kind and love to jump and dive, Cenote Jardin del Eden could very well turn out to be your favourite.

At just 100 Pesos entrance fee, it is a big open air cenote with two spacious platforms you can jump off from as well as a tree!

As much as I loved this cenote, it was also probably the one where I got bitten by mosquitoes the most. Do not forget your insect repellant!

We always took turns going into the water so someone could stay with the baby.

GRAN CENOTE

The steepest entrance fee yet at 180 Pesos, Gran Cenote was highly recommended by many, but it wasn’t my favourite. It isn’t the biggest cenote and there isn’t many fish in it. What does make this cave cenote special is the impressive stalactites and stalagmites; as well as the tortoises.

No, there are no turtles there as everyone writes in their reviews on Tripadvisor. The common mistake arises as the word tortoise and turtle is the same word in Spanish being Tortuga I assume.

Open your eyes for birds and bats in the caves as you rejuvenate in the crystal clear turquoise waters. Swim through one of the caves and you reach an open air area with a sandy floor. Beware however of the mosquitoes.

There will probably be divers in the cave too. Their torch lights will help you see deep down into the cave.

There is an abundance of huts and hammocks at the top after the entrance where you can also find toilets and changing rooms.

Gran Cenote is a very popular one attracting TOO MANY tourists. We visited it after a visit to the Tulum ruins and unfortunately that was what everyone else did too. I would recommend getting there earlier during the day to beat the crowd (but at the expense of visiting the Tulum ruins later when it is too hot.).

CENOTE IK-KIL

Although nowhere close to Playa del Carmen, I am including Cenote Ik-kil as I am sure most of you will visit Chichen Itza. Located only 5 minutes away from the sacred religious site of the Mayans, Cenote Ik-Kil can only be described as, the GODFATHER of all cenotes.

It is beautiful. And dramatic. It is everything you envision a cenote to be.

Walk 26 meters down the well built stairway and jump into the 40 meters deep water.

I would advise bringing as little as possible down apart from your waterproof cameras and slippers. Leave everything else in the lockers at the top.

There is quite a height difference between the platform where you leave your things and where the water actually is. You can either jump in or take the stairs down to the water as in the picture below. Our 3 year old son swum here but not the 2 year old.

Surprisingly it was the cheapest of the 5 cenotes we visited at only 80 Pesos entrance fee. There is a garden café (have the guacamole!!) and a restaurant as well as accommodation and a large shop selling souvenirs in the compound.

Have you swum in a cenote before? Are there any other kid friendly cenotes near Playa del Carmen you can recommend?

You might also be interested in my 10 tips for traveling with kids and Punta Esmeralda – Playa del Carmen’s best kept secret.

Check out the video of our trip to Mexico below!