Visiting Cuzamá Cenotes: Fun Adventure or Tourist Trap with Unethical Practices?

The Cuzamá cenotes in Yucatán are unlike any others—you reach them on horse-drawn carts running along old hacienda tracks, a quirky ride that’s become part of the attraction.

But as tourism grows, questions are being raised: is this experience truly sustainable and ethical, especially for the horses? Before you add Cuzamá to your bucket list, here’s what you should know about the beauty, the controversy, and the alternatives.

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Cuzama Cenotes: An Overview

Among the 6000 Yucatan Cenotes, the ones you can visit in Cuzamà are among the most interesting. But is it ethical to visit them? I would like to explain why I have these concerns.

I will explain how to get there and provide all the details, but I will also give you a compelling reason why you should not go there or help raise awareness among the local community about responsible tourism.

I guess you are curious to know now.

Read on.

I want to tell you first and foremost the reason why I went one time, and I will never go back.

Cuzamà in Yucatán is such an attraction for most tourists, mainly because to reach the cenotes, you sit on a cart pulled by a horse.

Nothing wrong with that, also because the cart is on a rail and the horse doesn’t make much effort to pull it, even with a heavyweight, as it pretty much moves by inertia.

The main issue here is that those horses are in very poor condition.

They are so skinny you can see the bones. The horse that was pulling my cart just had the baby and was already “working”.

I expressed my concern to the guide, but he told me that the horses are fine and well-groomed.

I believe that if we stopped going there, though, it wouldn’t change the animal conditions, because they would continue to exploit and underfeed them, especially if they have a lower budget.

However, if we continue to denounce the poor maintenance of the place and the horses, they will eventually get the message.

The cenotes are gorgeous, but I also believe we must go with a thoughtful mind as well.

Having said that, let me give you a brief introduction about what a cenote is, and then I will tell you how to get to Cuzama.

WHAT IS A CENOTE?

The heritage of the Mayan culture, the cenotes of Yucatan are deep underwater lakes or sink-holes

The entire flat and low region is composed of limestone bedrock, which allows rainwater to filter through the soil, resulting in huge deposits of water and underground rivers.

The importance of the cenotes goes back to the Mayan times, the pre-Hispanic population that inhabited this area.

They used the cenotes not only as precious and unique sources of water provision but also as sacred places for their religious ceremonies.

More about the history and geology in this post.

Cuzama Cenotes: How to visit

I have already talked about the cenotes of Homun and its amazing cenotes, located in the so-called Anillo de los cenotes (cenote ring).

Well, Cuzama’ is the same ring, at about 5 5-minute drive from the sister town Homun.

The difference from Homun is that the 3 cenotes that are open to the public in Cuzama, become a popular attraction because you will reach them on an old cart pulled by a horse, just like in the old times.

And you cannot go on your own. That’s the only way to reach them.

Once you arrive at the entrance, you will need to board a rustic wooden cart and your guide will take you through the jungle to your refreshing cenotes.

There are 3 cenotes. Depending on the number of people, the guide will decide where to take you first, trying to avoid the crowd.

I would suggest you avoid Tuesdays and Thursdays because those are cruise days and it will be packed.

If you must really go on those days, go very early or very late.

It’s a nice, although bumpy and vibrating ride, definitely not suitable for pregnant women or those who have back issues.

The cenotes are beautiful, although nothing more exciting than the ones in Homun or the cenotes around Valladolid, so if you are so sensitive to animal exploitation, you can avoid going, and you can check out other options in the area.

I assure yo,u you will find plenty of equal beauty or even better.

3 Cuzama Cenotes, one by one

They are all cave cenotes with narrow but easy stairs to take you down into the underworld.

Not so difficult to climb if you are not particularly sensitive to narrow caves.

If you do, just hold your breath and you will reach the underneath platform in the blink of an eye.

The Cenote Bolonchojool has the longest stairs and is completely vertical, but if I did it, anybody who doesn’t suffer from any physical challenge can do it.

Cenote Chan Ucil

(Mosco pequeño = small fly)

Cenote Chacsinicche

(Hormiga roja de madera= wooden red ants)

Cenote Bolonchojool

(9 agujeros de raton= 9 mouse holes )

Fact sheets about Cenote Cuzama

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO VISIT THE CUZAMA CENOTES?

The entrance fee is a minimum of 400 MXN for 1 to 4 people.

If you are 5, you would pay 100 MXN each.

5 is the maximum number of people (of average size) that a cart can hold.

 OPENING HOURS

Cuzama opens from 8 am to 5 pm every day.

 HOW LONG DOES THE TOUR LAST? 

You will need to consider that the farthest cenote is at a 40-minute ride, and then you will have maximum leisure time for each cenote of 30 minutes.

So I would consider 3 hours and 30 minutes to be on the safe side.

How to get to Cuzama and where to take the tour

First things first, you don’t have to join an organized tour to visit Cuzama.

There are ways to get to Cuzama on your own, either by taxi, local buses, or your own car (my favorite).

Below I will explain how to get to Cuzama by each means of transportation.

 Getting to Cuzama by car 

Arriving from Merida center will take about 1 hour. See the Google road map here.

Arriving from Valladolid, it’s about 2 hours. Click here for the Google road map directions.

In both cases, once you arrive in the Cuzama town, in the main plaza, where the church is, you will need to drive by the church, leaving it on your left-hand sid,e and just keep driving straight for about 1 km.

You will find the entrance on your right and left.

Can’t miss it.

If you feel lost once in town, you will see many kids (and adults) asking if you’d like to go on a tour.

If you say yes, you will need to give them a tip.

People in Yucatan are nice and welcoming, but in this case, it’s basically their job.

It’s a questionable activity, but that’s what it is.

So if you don’t want to feed this kind of self-employment, just say no and use Google map, just like I did.

Visiting Cuzama by bus from Merida

I never went by bus, but I found out that there are bus departures to Cuzamá from the Noreste bus station (Calle 50 at 67, Centro) at 7:45, 9:15, and 10:45 am, or in colectivos with frequent departures. Remember to double-check with the driver the  departure schedule to get back to Merida

 Getting to Cuzama’ by taxi

That would be a little more expensive. It will cost about 1500 MXN. In this case, if the first two options are not suitable for you and you are flexible on the cenotes to visit, you might want to consider joining an organized tour. See below:

 Join an organized tour to visit the cenotes in Cuzama’

Although I personally have more fun going on my own, I find that organizing my trip has its charm. Sometimes, I prefer to just book a tour where I can just sit back and relax and enjoy the views and the place. I especially love tours in Mexico because the guides are usually very knowledgeable and share a lot of interesting information about the area.

Here is a high-rated tour from Merida to visit the Cuzama Cenotes.

►►► From Merida: Full-Day Cuzama Cenotes tour

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 13 Reviews

This full day tour leaves from Merida early morning and includes the following services and activities

• An expert guide who will be with you all day and will share useful information about the area, both in Spanish and English
• Entrance fee to the cenotes
• Flotation vest
• Swimming time in the three cenotes
• Lunch in a local restaurant

What is not included:

• Tips
• Drinks
• Additional expenses

It’s common to leave a tip for your guide and driver in Mexico, not mandatory, but very much expected. Make sure you bring some Mexican pesos, although US$ notes are accepted.

Cenotes’ practical tips and rules

What to Bring to your Cenote adventure

Make sure you have your swimsuit, a towel, and a repellent (ecological), sunscreen that you should wear only after swimming in the cenote.

If you want to bring your mask to some cenotes, it will turn out useful.

Dress lightly, but I would recommend comfortable closed shoes to protect you from insects.

They are not dangerous but certainly annoying.

How to be a responsible cenote explorer: some cenote rules

As in every natural place, I always recommend following some common rules to preserve the environment, which I am sure you’re already familiar with, but a gentle reminder is never in excess.

• Don’t wear any sunscreen or repellent before bathing in the cenotes
• Don’t leave anything that doesn’t belong to the place
• Don’t hang on to stalactites or stalagmites or tree roots
• Don’t do anything that can damage the environment
• Don’t shout in the cenote. Remember, it was a sacred place for the Mayan civilization, but it’s still seen as a place of peace and tranquillity. Even if you don’t think so, at least respect others’ silence.
• I always recommend spending a moment in silence before entering a cenote and asking (in your mind) for permission from Mother Earth. It’s a common practice.