Cenotes exist all over the Yucatan Peninsula. A cenote (pronounced “sen-NO-tay”) is a sinkhole that formed when limestone bedrock collapsed and exposed groundwater below. They are typically quite beautiful and popular tourist destinations in Mexico. Locals also love to go to them to cool down from the hot Mexican sun.
Cozumel has one accessible cenote: Jade Cenote. Jade Cenote is located in a small, historic Mayan town called El Cedral. To access, you must take a tour or pay a fee to enter and explore on your own.
I found my way in by motorbike to check it out. The experience didn’t take long. I managed to avoid the crowds, and I got to see the cenote for what it is: Not exactly the one you want to swim in!
How To Get To Jade Cenote In El Cedral?
Jade Cenote is located in the little Mayan town of El Cedral. El Cedral has the oldest Mayan ruins in Cozumel—a monument built in 800 AD. Spanish colonizers discovered El Cedral in 1518. It was Cozumel’s first official city in 1847.
Non-locals must pay $15 to enter the town and access the cenote.
The woman at the toll booth to El Cedral gave me a copy of a hand-drawn map to follow to find the center of town and to go to the cenote. She suggested the cenote first and then the town.
Her directions were vague and the map imprecise. But the town is ridiculously small so it isn’t hard to navigate. She said “make a left when you see the arch to the right” and so that’s what I did.
The roads were mainly stone until I got to the arch—then it turned into a dirt road. There hadn’t been much rain lately so the road was dry. Much like the road to the Isla de Pasion dock area, there were lots of pot holes! But this one was much less bumpy.
There are other ways to get to Jade Cenote, of course. You can rent a car to stay self-guided like me.
Alternatively, you can pay $75 minimum per person to do a 5- hour Jeep or ATV tour. These vehicles may be good options if there’s been a lot of rain recently, since the path is dirt and filled with pot holes. But the tour usually includes “all inclusive” add-ons like beach club access after and other things you may not want that only add to the bloated cost.
I’ll share more about my thoughts on this option later in the post (Spoiler: It’s a no for me! Are you surprised?).
I arrived to the completely empty parking area just before 11am. Ahhhh yes. Just how I like it. No other tourists.
Right before the walkways down to the Cenote is a cute little Mayan pyramid. The Mayans used to use this cenote for religious and spiritual rituals.
I read the sign posted at the entrance to the cenote. It mentioned not using sunblock before getting into the cenote. Humans can disrupt the delicate ecosystem that is the cenote. Sunblock and other chemicals can contribute to that disruption.
Some of the tours show images of people swimming here and even mention it as an optional activity.
But I spoke to the locals. The locals do NOT swim here. And I didn’t want to anyway!
Can You Swim In Jade Cenote?
Although beautiful to look at, Jade Cenote’s waters are not what you see in the tour photos and videos online. For one, the water is cloudy and smells of sulfur.
The jade or green color comes from a natural process involving Tannic Acid from decomposing plants, roots, fruits, and bark that fall into the Cenote.
One of the stalagmites here started growing 18,000 years ago. But its origin is sometime in the Late Pleistocene! It was really impressive to look at—but only look at!
What Animals Are At In Jade Cenote?
Another reason why I chose only to look at Jade Cenote was the animals surrounding it. As I approached the water, I immediately saw things flying around.
The ceiling of the cavern is covered in bats!
I absolutely love bats. I think they are super cool because of their spooky and DC Comics associations. So I was thrilled to see them. But this also let me know that the cenote was probably full of guano (feces)!
Tour guides will tell you it’s safe to swim in but sifting around in sulfer and bat excrement isn’t exactly a nice time to me.
(Hey, remember that time I wanted to roll down a hill in New Zealand only to find it riddled with sheep poop?)
I also spotted many little turtles swimming around the cenote. This gave me Everglades/swamp vibes. I felt like it would freak me out to feel one of them swim next to me when I couldn’t see through the cloudy water. Another nope for me!
Lastly, but not really related to getting in the cenote, was the coati I saw on my way in! Always such a cutie! I wonder if they poop in the cenote, too?
Regardless, I enjoyed seeing my second coati on the island in a week. It’s good to see wildlife here also enjoying the view! I decided to keep out of the water just like this little guy.
To get the full feel of my visit to Jade Cenote, watch the video compilation I put together below!
When Do Tours Arrive To Jade Cenote?
I was at the cenote taking photos for as long as 30 minutes before the crowd arrived (around 11:30am). I usually dip pretty quick when a crowd shows up, but not without getting at least one photo first (thanks, tourist).
Photos are all other tourists are good for (lol).
I decided to go up top of the cenote to get away from folks. There was a really neat view from above and a spot where I guess people jump in? Yea, still a nope for me!
That’s when two people approached the ladder on the platform. One of them decided to be very brave and get in. I announced to them that the locals don’t swim here, but be my guest!
He dipped in to his waist and then got out.
As I exited, I walked past another huge tour group that had just arrived. Yikes!
Their ATV’s were lined up in the parking lot now. No more solo parking for my motorbike—the gang was all here.
Is El Cedral Town Center Worth It?
I made my way back along the dirt road and under the arch I turned at to head into town. The gate guard had given me directions to get to the town center. I didn’t remember them. But I went in the general direction of the exit and that quickly took me into the area.
Just before I got to the town center, I could see a woman standing in the road flagging me to park. The town was basically completely void of tourists so I get why she was flagging me down. I may be her first sale of the day and it was already noon!
I bought a shot glass from her—the only souvenir I ever buy because I give them to my brother for his collection!
I hope that tour groups come through here too so the locals have a chance to make more sales.
While the town is small, it is quaint, historic, and important to the locals. It has some nice shops and your typical tequila tastings, too.
There’s also a small Catholic Church, Mayan art, sculptures, pavilions, and more!
Aside from the town center, this is a very small community made up of residences and farms. But what El Cedral is most famous for only happens once a year.
In the center of the town square is a huge festival pavilion. Colorful decorations hang from the top of the pavilion in a beautiful pattern. It was so bright and magical under there.
In late April, you can go to the Fiesta de El Cedral—the vibrant, annual festival that takes place under this pavilion. All the locals come together for traditional activities wearing white, so you should have something white to wear to immerse yourself and fit in!
In Conclusion
This was a worthwhile visit independently and self-guided. I would not spend the money to take a tour here on an ATV or otherwise. While the ATV may be fun, it was honestly just as fun bumping along on my motorbike. I also, as always, preferred to visit it without the crowds. Getting there early, before 11am, was the perfect time to arrive to have the cenote to myself.
The town of El Cedral was cute. If you do visit the cenote, make sure to stop through and spend a little money on souvenirs there to support. I can’t imagine the people there make much and appreciate it.
Otherwise, there’s not much else to see so this was a quick visit. It was a great way to see some nature unlike anything else in Cozumel and still have my whole day ahead of me.
The best cenotes, however, are the clear ones you can swim in on the mainland Yucatan Peninsula! So if you plan to make a detour to Playa Del Carmen, definitely skip this one and prioritize your cenote exploration over there!
