Gran Cenote: The “Gran” Daddy of Cenotes

It’s no accident Gran Cenote is one of the most popular in the Riviera Maya. Besides the beauty surrounding it, it gives you the chance to enjoy its cool pool under the sun and easily traverse the caves within it. Without question, this is the Gran-daddy of cenotes.

Where is the Gran Cenote?

One of the Gran Cenote’s biggest advantages is its location. Only 2.5 miles from Tulum, it is easy to combine it with other tourist attractions close by. That also makes it one of the most crowded, however. The usual advice: visit early.

Facilities at Gran Cenote

It might be crowded, but it’s well equipped to welcome many visitors, with bathrooms and changing rooms, and snorkeling equipment for rent. Follow the wooden pathways to get around and don’t worry about slipping, they were built with lots of soaking wet visitors in mind.

You can get food on-site and there are even a couple of rest areas. One is a big lawn to dry yourself under the sun; the other is a shaded area with hammocks.

What kind of cenote is the Gran Cenote?

That’s one of Gran Cenote’s main attractions—it’s several kinds in one. The main pool is an open cenote and quite big—not surprisingly, considering the name. And it’s not just one big pool, either. Everywhere there are nooks and crannies to explore, which you can do just by walking, as the waters are shallow. In some places, you can even lay down and absorb some of the Riviera Maya sunshine without even leaving the water.

But Gran Cenote has caves as well, some of the easiest to traverse. It’s a great way to test the waters—so to speak—before taking the tours in other cenotes, like Chaak Tun and Sac Actun, in tighter, darker, and narrower caves.

Diving at the Gran Cenote

On both sides of the main Gran Cenote pool, there are two, smaller diving pools. Gran Cenote is also one of the main entries to the Sac Actun cave system—the longest in the world—, so plenty of diving excursions set off from here.