Homun Cenotes – The Best Cenotes Near Merida
Homun, located in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, is a small town with close proximity (~1 hr drive) to the city of Merida. Homun boasts a remarkable natural phenomenon – over 300 cenotes! Cenotes are natural sinkholes or freshwater-filled underground caves, prevalent in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Formed over thousands of years through the dissolution of limestone, these geological wonders provide access to pristine groundwater. Cenotes come in various forms, from open-air pools to cave-like structures, offering a unique and refreshing environment for swimming, snorkeling, and exploration. In this post, I’ll tell you about a few of the best cenotes near Merida & how you can visit them!
Getting to Homun
- By Car:
- From Merida: Homun is approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Merida. You can take Federal Highway 180 towards the southeast, and then take the exit towards Homun. The journey takes about an hour by car. Ensure you have a map or GPS for navigation.
- Busy Bee Tip: If driving yourself, trust Google Maps & drive past the people selling you moto-taxi rides. They start selling the tours miles away from Homun, meaning you’ll spend a lot longer on the cart & less time enjoying the cenotes. They can be a bit aggressive trying to get your attention, but just keep driving.
- Busy Bee Tip: Most of the cenotes can be easily located on Google Maps and have accessible parking on location.
- By Bus: There is a colectivo bus that leaves from Merida several times per day & takes you to the center of Homun. The last bus back from Homun is usually at 6:30pm.
Getting Around Homun / To Cenotes
- By Car: Most cenotes are easy to find on Google Maps & have simple parking at the site. You can very easily drive your own car around to various cenotes, as long as you don’t mind getting your car seats a little wet after swimming.
- By Moto-Taxi: These are little open-air carts & the drivers will take you around to various cenotes. Most of the guides are knowledgable about the area and the cenotes and can tailor your day to your requests! This is a great way to meet a local & also keep your car from getting wet.
- This is who I recommend using if you decide to hire a moto-taxi! (click the link for his location)
- Busy Bee Tip: Primarily, moto-taxi drivers speak only Spanish. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, this could be fun, with the use of Google Translate. But it is something to be aware of.
Busy Bee Tip: We didn’t end up taking a moto-taxi, even though that was our plan, as it was raining the day we went. We didn’t want to get driven around on an open-air cart in the rain, so we opted to drive our rental car. Had the weather been better, we ABSOLUTELY would’ve loved to hire a moto-taxi for the day, both for the chance to meet a local & to ride around in the warm air between cenotes. We did stop to speak with a moto-taxi driver (using Google Translate) and found him super kind! The Google Maps link above is for his location.
Which Cenotes to Visit
Canunchen:
This is a “closed” style cenote, meaning you enter from a staircase about 10 meters high. This is definitely one to hit on your cenote tour – the property itself is incredible & it’s located on the same road as several other centoes, making for easy access.
- Highlights:
- Crystal clear water
- Platforms to jump from various heights into the water
- I’ve read on several other blogs / info sites that they have a rope swing, but this was not our experience in January of 2024. They have either removed it or didn’t have it up while we were there.
- Small fish to see as your swim/snorkel around & bats (they leave you alone, but you’ll hear them!)
- On the property there is also a giant slide into a pool, swings, and various photo spots
- Location: This is located on the same road as Cenote Bal-Mil, which you’ll see lots of signs for!
- Click here for their location on Google Maps
- Facilities on site: Bathrooms, showers, changing areas, life jacket rentals, hammocks, slide
- Entrance Fee: 100 pesos per person (~$6 USD)
Busy Bee Tip: Canunchen Cenote is on the same dirt road as several other cenotes. If you want to see multiple cenotes, very conveniently, this is a great area to check out! Cenote Bal-Mil, Chel-Paak, Hool Kosom, & Chulul cenotes are along the same road as Canunchen.
Chel Paak:
This is a relatively smaller cenote with EXTREMELY beautiful blue water. You access this cenote from a fairly steep staircase & since it’s a bit smaller, I recommend going earlier in the day to avoid crowds. This is also along the same road as several other cenotes (including Canunchen), making for easy and convenient access!
- Highlights:
- Beautiful, blue water (reminded me of blue gatorade!)
- 2 platforms to jump from different heights
- Location: This is located on the same road as Cenote Bal-Mil & Canunchen, which you’ll see lots of signs for!
- This cenote doesn’t come up on Google Maps, but you’ll drive by it going to & from Canunchen. Just pull into the parking lot & pay the entrace fee.
- Facilities on site: Bathrooms, life jacket rentals
- Entrance Fee: 60 pesos per person (~$3.50 USD)
Busy Bee Tip: I really enjoyed this cenote for the smaller feel of it. We got very lucky to be the only people there for the majority of our visit, but since this is a small cenote, it could feel crowded pretty quickly. There isn’t much sitting room around the cenote & even the swimming area is rather narrow. Definitely try to visit on a weekday or earlier in the morning to avoid crowds.
Additional Cenotes:
We only made it to the two cenotes listed above. Since we visited on a rainy weekday, we had both cenotes to ourselves, so we took the opportunity to really lounge and relax at both places. Here are some other highly recommended cenotes in Homun, that I’ve heard great things about:
- Cenote X-Batún: This cenote is known for its impressive underground formations, including stalactites and stalagmites. It’s actually a pair of cenotes, offering a mix of open and cave-like areas for exploration and swimming.
- Cenote Tza-Ujun-Kat: This cenote is often less crowded. It’s a peaceful location with clear water and a chance to experience the natural beauty of the Yucatan Peninsula.
- Cenote Yaal Utzil: Also known as Cenote de la Abuela (Grandmother’s Cenote), Yaal Utzil is a beautiful cenote with crystal-clear water. It features a cave-like structure, and visitors can swim and explore the underwater formations.
- Cenote San Antonio Mulix: Known for its unique cave-like structure and stunning stalactite formations, Cenote San Antonio Mulix offers a memorable experience. The cenote has both open areas for swimming and more enclosed spaces for exploration.
Additional Tips for Visiting Homun Cenotes
- BRING PESOS! The cenotes all require an entrance fee, which you have to pay in pesos. The cenotes do not accept credit card. If you plan to hire a moto-taxi, they require pesos as well, not credit card. We saw cenote entrance fees around 50-100 pesos (per person), plus some cenotes charge you a few pesos for life jacket rentals. The moto-taxis cost about 300 pesos for 3-4 hours. Bring extra pesos for snacks, etc.
- Don’t apply lotions, creams, perfumes, etc before visiting the cenotes. The cenotes are part of a fragile ecosystem and certain products can harm the water, the plants, and the fish within them.
- Skip the sunscreen or bring reef-safe spf: Similar to my previous point, sunscreens can really harm the ecosystems of the cenotes. Using reef-safe sunscreen is crucial for protecting marine ecosystems, including coral reefs. Traditional sunscreens often contain chemicals such as oxybenzone and octinoxate, which can be harmful to coral reefs and marine life.
- Always rinse/shower off before entering cenotes: Once again, same point as above, be sure to rinse off before entering to avoid harming the cenote. Most cenotes will have little outdoor showers on site and they will require you to rinse off before entering.
- Visit on weekdays: While Homun cenotes are nothing like the overly popular cenotes of Cancun or Tulum, they can get busy, especially on the weekends. We visited on a Monday in January and had the cenotes to ourselves, most of the time.
- Go on a rainy day: This might sound crazy, but I think a lot of the reason we had the cenotes to ourselves, is because it was raining the day we went. Since a lot of the cenotes are “closed” or “semi-open” the rain doesn’t affect you once you’re in the cenote, making this a perfect rainy day activity.
What to Bring to the Homun Cenotes
- Pesos – cenote entrance fees & moto-taxi fees have to be paid in pesos. Credit cards aren’t accepted. Bring extra pesos for snacks & to tip your moto-taxi driver.
- GoPro or underwater camera – we loved having our GoPro Hero 11 to get videos while snorkeling, jumping off platforms, etc
- Reef Safe Sunscreen:
- Snorkel & goggles
- Towel
- Plastic baggy to keep your phone dry
- Dry bag to keep your towel & clothes in so they don’t get wet while you’re swimming
- Dry clothes for the ride home
Cenote Photography Tips
- Bring an underwater camera – we love our GoPro Hero 11
- Bring a tripod or extendable mount for your camera to capture pictures of the entire fam
- Bring a floating GoPro mount with a wrist strap – we never take of GoPro off of this while in the water, to ensure we don’t drop or lose it
- Busy Bee Tip: This particular float has a hollow interior with a screw on cap – perfect for storing pesos while swimming!
- Use a wide angle lens – GoPro naturally has a wider angle, and new GoPros feature an even wider option. If you’re using a camera besides GoPro, ensure it has a wide angle option to capture the entire cenote.