We visited Valladolid and Cenote Zaci many years ago, and decided to revisit the cenote with our children. Cenote Zaci is located right in the town of Valladolid, and it is nice to be able to walk right to it. If you aren’t familiar with cenotes, they are water-filled sinkholes, and are usually beautiful places to swim!

We stayed on Hotel el Meson del Marques located on the central square in Valladolid. Therefore, it was easy to get to the cenote by foot, versus driving and trying to find a parking spot. We walked about four blocks to the cenote, about 10 minutes.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links; this blog receives a small commission from sales made through such links at no extra cost for you. All opinions remain my own.

There isn’t a ton of parking here, and the lot was crowded, so we were glad we walked instead of driving our rental car.

When we were there in July 2021, there was a lot of construction going on, but it did not seem to affect the operations of the cenote.

There is a ticket booth at the top of the cenote. The entrance fee is pretty cheap. I believe it was $30 MXN ($1.50 USD).

Once you have paid, there are paths and stairs to go down to the water.

The view from above.

Another view from about halfway down the stairs.

The view from the back of the cenote, where you can jump from a high platform.

This is a large, open-air cenote, with plenty of spots to wade or jump in.

There were a lot of people swimming.

Most people are at the bottom of the cenote swimming.

There are several spots to jump in from different heights.

Here are the kids checking out the higher jumping platform.

And this is my daughter taking the plunge!

@anationofmoms

Jumping into Cenote Zaci, Valladolid, Mexico. ##cenote ##cenotes ##cenotezaci ##valladolid ##cenotezacivalladolid ##cenotesmexico ##mexicocenote

♬ Adventure – André Branney

When we visited in the afternoon, there were many people there.

There is a restaurant right next to the cenote, which is a convenient place to eat.

Overall, we had a nice time visiting the cenote. The kids had a blast jumping in from up high, and it was nice that it was located right in town.

Pros: easy to get to, cheap, lots of spots to jump in, no life jacket required, large, restaurant on the property, right in town if you want to see other sights

Cons: can be busy

What to bring:

~ Skip the sunscreen and go with alternate sun protection. Much of the cenote is in the shade, and

~ goggles if desired

~ action camera

~ shoes appropriate for wet surfaces (stone platforms and stairs were wet)

Check out my Tips for Visiting Cenotes

Check out my other Mexico blog posts