7 Best Merida Cenote Tours [2023]

Looking for tours in Merida to swim in cenotes? You have come to the right place: check out this list of the best Merida cenote tours and choose the right one for you.

Don’t you both love it and hate it when something that used to be super cool and kind of secret becomes famous? Well, it’s official: cenotes are definitely not a secret anymore!

They have taken over social media and everyone is raving about them. Even Chichen Itza is jealous of all the attention they’re getting!

I have jumped on the bandwagon of cenote lovers long ago and I’ve written extensively about them. As you may already know, you find the best cenotes in Yucatan and Quintana Roo, but the Yucatan Peninsula is a big place and there are many bases to start exploring.

Even though many cenotes are easy to reach, the vast majority of them are outside (even far) from the main towns, and you will either need to have your own transport to get there or to hop on a colectivo or bus (which can be a bit of a pain depending on where you’re going).

And while you can certainly do that, many people choose to spare themselves the hassle and hire a tour. So I have put together a list of the best tours of cenotes around Merida, in case you choose to set up base in this beautiful colonial city on your next trip to Mexico.

Luckily for you, there are so many cenotes near Merida. Mexico is really unique in this sense – nowhere else in the world will you find this many cenotes in such a small area. And no matter how many you visit, trust me, you can never get enough.

If you want to tour cenotes in Merida, joining a tour is the most efficient way to do it, especially if you want to check out several sinkholes in a single trip!

The tours that you will see here are the ones that I would recommend because of their quality-price ratio and good reviews, offered by Viator, a company that I personally trust and use. It also offers 24-hour cancellation for most activities, which is great in case your travel plans change.

BEST CENOTE TOUR FROM MERIDA

Can you get cenoted out? I think not! This Magical World of Yucatan Cenotes Tour is one of the best cenote tours from Merida because it’ll bring you to 5 (yes, five!) cenotes in one day.

You’ll get to snorkel, swim, and splash in 5 different types of cenotes, and try a peculiar transportation system used to transport henequen fiber in the 19th century. This is a private tour just for your party.

This tour also includes: lunch, a professional guide, entrance fees to all the cenotes, and round-trip transportation from Merida. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

OTHER GREAT MERIDA CENOTE TOURS

The truth is, there are tons of incredible cenotes in Merida. Visiting them all would be impossible, but if you have a few extra days you can definitely visit a few. Luckily, there are many day tours from Merida. Here are a couple of recommendations.

➤ The Cenotes Santa Barbara is a collection of three beautiful cave cenotes near the town of Cuzama: this Cuzama Cenotes Tour from Merida will bring you to all three (Cascabel, Chaksikin, and Xoch) and it’s family-friendly. 

P.S. I only have a problem with Cenotes Santa Barbara, and that is to get from one cenote to the other you can either bike or go on a horse-drawn wagon. The horses are not in good shape, so if you decide to visit these cenotes, please do the right thing and bike!

This tour also includes: 3-course lunch and round-trip transportation from your hotel. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

➤ Another option is the Homun cenotes: a collection of 5 incredible, very unique cenotes that are still off the beaten track. If you’ve ever dreamt of swimming in a cenote all on your own, this Private Homun Cenotes Day Trip is one of the best Merida excursions to make your dream come true! 

This tour also includes: buffet lunch, water, and round-trip transportation from your hotel. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

COMBINE MERIDA CENOTES WITH RUINS

What about adding some culture to your cenote tour from Merida? Mexico is a very eclectic country after all, with a lot to offer! As you might have seen above, I’m a big fan of tours that combine historical sites (Yucatan is filled with beautiful Mayan ruins) and cenotes. 

➤ If it’s your first time in Mexico, you really can’t miss visiting the Chichen Itza pyramids. This Small Group Chichen Itza, Cenote and Izamal tour will help you escape the crowds with an early morning visit to the ruins. You’ll then head to the colonial town of Izamal, where you’ll see a Mayan temple, and finish the tour with a swim at a private cenote.

This Merida tour also includes: water and round-trip transportation from Merida. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

I personally love the Uxmal ruins, located close to Merida – no crowds at all, you can almost have the whole site to yourself and it’s really an impressive one too! Luckily, there are many Uxmal tours from Merida, including combo tours of the ruins and cenotes.

➤ This Yaxcopoil Hacienda & Uxmal Tour combines a visit to Uxmal (one of the few sites where you can still climb a pyramid) with a visit to the Yaxcopoil Hacienda and a refreshing dip at the off-the-beaten-path Cenote Peba, a beautiful cave cenote.

This tour also includes: round-trip transportation from your hotel. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

➤ If you prefer exploring more off-the-beaten-path sites, this private Izamal, Aké & Cenote Yokdzonot tour will definitely do it for you. You’ll start by exploring the small archaeological site of Aké with its pyramids. You’ll continue on to Izamal, a small town also known as the Yellow City because, in fact, most buildings are yellow, before finishing off at the off-the-beaten-track Cenote Yokdzonot.

This tour also includes: private round-trip transportation from your hotel, water, and Yucatecan regional cuisine meal. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

➤ This Tour to Cenotes of Santa Barbara is a full-day trip from Merida that takes you to Santa Barbara’s network of cenotes. You’ll ride a bike around three different sinkholes, and stop in each of them to swim and enjoy the views.

You’ll also get to explore Mayapán, the ruins of an ancient Mayan city, before indulging in a scrumptious Mexican lunch. It’s certainly one of the most comprehensive Merida tours to visit both ruins and cenotes.

This Merida cenotes tour also includes: Transfers, entrance fees, life jackets, and a guide. ➥ BOOK IT HERE

An exhaustive list of the best cenotes in Merida would take a much, much longer article. Fortunately, cenotes are all over the place! But that was my pick of the best Merida cenote tours, so you don’t have to organize everything on your own. If you happen to try one, let me know how it goes!

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