Visit the Beautiful Cenotes
Throughout the region surrounding Valladolid, you’ll discover a network of crystal-clear underground pools known as cenotes. Located within the city itself, Cenote Zací once served as a vital source of fresh water for the local population. Today, it is preserved as a natural attraction, surrounded by a restaurant and artisan shops.
Very close to this Magical Town are the cenotes of Dzitnup, consisting of Cenote Zac-muul-ha (or Samulá) and Cenote Xkekén, a complex also known as “The Blue Cave.” Both are large caverns with spacious pools of crystal-clear turquoise waters and ceilings adorned with formidable stalactites.
Just a few kilometers east of Valladolid, on the free highway to Cancún, take the turnoff towards Yalcobá. Leaving this town, you’ll discover the beautiful Agua Dulce cenote (which is four cenotes), whose natural vault has openings through which sunlight filters, revealing the varied blue hues of its waters and its many stalactites.
Grutas de Balamkanché/The Balamkanché Caves
These famous caves were accidentally discovered by a tour guide in 1959 and are now one of the natural attractions near Valladolid. In the center of their spacious chambers, covered by stalactites and stalagmites, you can observe a structure attached to the ground that resembles the trunk of a ceiba tree. It’s believed that the site had ritual uses for the ancient Mayans, as ceramic pieces, shells, and jade fragments were found there.
