Ecotours Xtohil: 4 Cenotes in a Single day

As there are no two alike, cenote-hopping is a common practice in the Yucatan Peninsula. Visit one, swim a little, move on to the next one. The recently opened Ecotours Xtohil (sometimes spelled with a J: “Xtojil”) offers a great chance to see what that’s like.

How the Ecotours Xtohil tour works

The tour covers four different cenotes, each with different characteristics. You travel between them in what the locals call a “truck”, a small railway cart pulled by a horse. That’s pretty much it. The choice is yours: would you like to start with the closest cenote or the farthest?

Ecotours Xtohil: Sak Pakal Cenote

This is a cave cenote with a small entrance that takes you to the wooden steps. At only 13 ft. in diameter, it is smaller than most. So small that only four people are allowed to get in at once. At 65 ft. it’s quite deep, though. A particular feature is a long stalagmite crawling down from the roof, almost to the water—a sign of just how ancient these places are.

Ecotours Xtohil: Ayuso

This is a subterranean cenote with an entrance a bit difficult to navigate. It’s also quite shallow, so a good choice for the smaller explorers in the group. There is a small cave at the back which leads to yet another cenote. Visitors aren’t allowed, however, as you would have to dive under a passageway to reach it.

Ecotours Xtohil: San Felipe

The smaller of the group, San Felipe is a grotto 39 ft. underground. It features one curious feature that you don’t see every day. There’s a body of water off-limits—the actual cenote is a bit further in—as it’s still in its “natural state.”

Ecotours Xtohil: Xtohil Cenote

It’s not often you see an island underground. Perhaps appropriately, the cenote that gives the whole tour its name is the largest of them all, but its depth varies. Some zones are 1.5 ft. deep while others are 50 ft. deep.