Are you ready to take a plunge into an underworld of crystal-clear water, stalactites, and bats? Well, I’m happy to welcome you to Valladolid, home to the secret world of cenotes. These stunning natural sinkholes are known to the ancient world to be portals to the underworld. With over 6,000 cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula, Valladolid boasts some of the most breathtaking and unique examples of these geological wonders. Whether you’re a seasoned diver, a curious swimmer, or just a regular human being, the cenotes of Valladolid will be an experience you cannot miss. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive into the fun!
Table of Contents
- How to get to Valladolid
- Where to Stay in Valladolid
- What to do in Valladolid
- Explore the quaint town of Yaxuna
- Chichen Itza – One of the Wonders of the World
How to get to Valladolid
Isla Mujeres to Valladolid
I was going from Isla Mujeres to Valladolid, which may not be the typical route most travels take. Nonetheless, here is how I got to Valladolid.
- From Isla Mujeres, take the Ultramar ferry to Puerto Juarez ferry terminal for 270 pesos one way or 540 round trip if you had bought the ticket earlier. The ferry takes 20 minutes.
- Take an Uber from the ferry terminal to the ADO bus station in downtown Cancun (roughly $6-9 USD).
- Take the ADO bus to Valladolid for around 200 pesos. Buy the ticket off of the ADO app to find the best deals. My US credit card wasn’t working on the app so I paid using PayPal. The ride is about 2 and a half hours and the bus is very comfortable.
- From the Valladolid bus station, I was able to walk 10 minutes to my hostel
Cancun to Valladolid
If you are flying into Cancun, getting to Valladolid is very easy. Unfortunately, there is no direct bus from the airport to Valladolid. So you will have to take the ADO bus from the airport to downtown Cancun. From there, switch buses to the one that goes to Valladolid.
At the airport you should be able to buy tickets from a counter. You may also be able to buy tickets for the Valladolid bus at this same counter. Alternatively, you can buy the bus tickets from the ADO app and pay with PayPal.
Where to Stay in Valladolid
Casa Xtakay
There’s a handful of hostels in Valladolid but my favorite was Casa Xtakay. It was clean, the vibes were inviting, and they offered a delicious free breakfast. The hostel is located a block away from the main plaza and in very close proximity to really everything you need. It’s run by a super friendly woman who speaks fluent English, which made it much easier to ask for recommendations.
The rooms are air conditioned and cleaned every day. I was pleasantly surprised to find not only my bed made, but also my pajamas neatly folded on top. Each room also has an ensuite. There is an outdoor lounge area that is very cozy and a small outdoor bathroom in the corner of the garden. In addition, there is also a fully equipped kitchen and filtered water inside.
Hostal Las Guacamayas
I stayed a Hostal Las Guacamayas for one night because everything else was booked out my first night. Overall it’s a decent hotel for the price, but everything about it seemed a bit outdated. The dorm room is really just a bunch of beds scattered around, and while this is fine, it just didn’t feel very clean. There is an outdoor kitchen and social area. The bathrooms are also outside and one bathroom inside. The pictures make the place look nice, but in reality it’s not THAT nice. It’s ok. The hostel also offers a free basic breakfast.
What to do in Valladolid
Visit the Cenotes around Valladolid
Valladolid is in the center of the most spectacular cenotes in Yucatan. I was able to rent a bike from Hostal Las Guacamayas to see a few nearby, and also take a colectivo to see a few other farther away. Here is a full list of the cenotes I saw and wish to see next time I’m back:
Cenote Ik Kil
Most people visit this popular cenote after visiting Chichen Itza, but I recommend seeing Cenote Ik Kil and Chichen Itza on separate days and visiting both early in the morning. I was the first person at the cenote and had the whole place to myself for almost 20 minutes. To get here I caught a colectivo for 40 pesos at around 8am from here, and I arrived a little before 9am which is when Cenote Ik Kil opens. The entry fee is 100 pesos for just the cenote, but they also offer a package deal that also includes food for 400 pesos. The entry fee includes a locker and a life jacket in the price.
The cenote itself is large and almost a little scary if you are the only on there. You will have to walk down a set of stairs and pass a couple viewpoints of the cenote along the way. Once you are at the bottom there is an attendant there to make sure everyone is safe. And then you’re free to enjoy the cenote for as long as you’d like! There are tiny black catfish everywhere, but don’t worry they’re more scared of you than you should be of them. There’s also a platform to jump off of, which I highly recommend you try.
There is a restaurant, bathrooms, and showers all located on the property. The whole area gets very crowded around lunch time as this is usually the time when people from Chichen Itza start coming to Cenote Ik Kil. This was when I decided to leave and I’m so happy I was able to beat the crowds.
Cenote Saamal
This is one of the cenotes that is within biking distance of Valladolid. I was able to rent a bike from Hostal Las Guacamayas. From there I made my way through town to highway 180, which has a bike trail alongside the road. I was able to lock my bike against a tree in the parking lot and paid 100 pesos entry fee to get into the area. The ticket included a life jacket and a locker. The cenote was a bite smaller than Cenote Ik Kil but it was almost just as busy. Luckily I had left early in the morning and arrived here around 10am so it wasn’t too crowded yet.
Cenote Oxmán, Cenotes Dzitnup, and Cenote Xkeken are all close by, however, I did not get the chance to visit them. Next time!
Cenote Zaci
Cenote Zaci is one of the cenotes right in the middle of Valladolid making it very easy to access. However, when I was there it was closed for remodeling. There is a restaurant you have to walk through to get a full view of the cenote. I decided to have lunch at the restaurant and had a delicious chicken meal. It was a reasonably priced and amazing. Highly recommend!
Explore the quaint town of Yaxuna
Yaxuna is a small town that I’m sure you have never heard of. If you have, I’m very surprised. I had made plans to visit Chichen Itza and Cenote Ik Kil in the same day. But the woman at the hostel told me I woke up too late as the crowds would have already started pouring into Chichen Itza. So she recommended I visit Cenote Ik Kil, which opens later than Chichen Itza, and then explore Yaxuna, a small town with its own ruins and a cenote.
After my visit to Cenote Ik Kil, I tried to catch a colectivo to Piste and then take another colectivo to Yaxuna. But none of the colectivos would stop for me because I guess they were full. So I ended up taking a 350 pesos taxi ride from Cenote Ik Kil to Yaxuna. When I told the taxi driver where I wanted to go, he was very surprised and even asked where I heard about this town. I asked to be dropped off at the Yaxuna ruins and also asked if I could get to the Yaxuna cenote from there. The taxi driver, who spoke English very well, ended up asking a man sitting at the ruins to give me a ride to the cenote. Seemed like everything was working out for me!
Yaxunah Ruins
The entry fee to the ruins was 50 pesos and I was the only tourist there. The ruins were an ancient Mayan city that died around the same time Chichen Itza rose to power, making it even older than Chichen Itza. The ruins seemed to be in great condition, but maybe not as well excavated as some other touristy ruins. I walked around and hiked up one of the ruins for a great view of the villages below. Eventually I made my way back to the man who offered to give me a ride to the cenote.
Cenote Lol-Ha
The cenote was SO beautiful. And I had it all to myself! There was another family there before I came but after the left I had a spectacular 15 minutes by myself in the cenote. It was 100 pesos entry, which I thought was a bit expensive, but what the heck I had the whole thing to myself! It was a little small and maybe even a little spooky by myself, but oh man it was incredible. Out of all the cenotes near Valladolid, this may have been my favorite.
I managed to meet another local man right outside the cenote who worked as a tour guide for Chichen Itza. He offered to give me a ride to Piste where I could catch the colectivo back to Valladolid. Clearly, the locals are incredibly friendly and generous giving me rides for free around the area.
Visit Yaxunah!
The town itself was empty when I was there and I’m sure I was the only tourist with the exception of the one family I met briefly. The locals that I did meet and interact with seemed to be very happy that I came to visit the town, which made me think that they probably don’t get many tourists here. The man giving me a ride to Piste later told me that the locals would love to have more tourists because that would also help their local businesses, and that I should definitely spread the word about visiting Yaxunah.
So this is me tell you, GO TO YAXUNAH! It’s such an incredible town, away from the tourist hustle and bustle. Definitely off the beaten path and the locals are incredibly friendly. Don’t sleep on Yaxunah because it’s definitely worth a visit.
Chichen Itza – One of the Wonders of the World
Getting to Chichen Itza
Ahh Chichen Itza, the place most tourists want to visit if they are in the area. Chichen is definitely quite impressive, but it does get VERY crowded. The woman at the hostel told me to leave as early as possible and try to catch the first colectivo to Chichen Itza. I made my way to the colectivo stop, same as the colectivo to Cenote Ik Kil at around 7am. I caught the first colectivo for 40 pesos and got dropped off right at the entrance about 45 minutes later.
There were a few others in the colectivo that were looking to get a tour guide, so we ended up making a group of 8 people for an English speaking tour guide. All in all I paid about $30 USD for the entry ticket and the tour guide. Our tour guide instructed us on where to stand to get the tickets, there were 2 lines. There was also a security check point before you get into the archaeological area. Of course you can still visit the park without a guide.
Chichen Itza, the archaeological site
The park itself is very big. There are vendors selling souvenirs nearly everywhere. There is also a small shop and bathroom area that you of course have to pay for. Our guide was very enthusiastic and she made the whole experience a lot more informative and fun. The coolest part for me was when she showed how the main pyramid was constructed to echo a clap in the sound of a bird. So if you’re wondering why a bunch of people are clapping in one area, this is why. It does get very hot in the middle of the day so definitely bring enough water and a hat.
Once the tour was over we were free to walk around the park or head back. I walked around for a little bit and decided to head back to the colectivo stop. This is where you will see a bunch of people standing around waiting for the colectivo. Make sure you get on the same shuttle looking vehicle you were on when you got dropped off. It’ll cost 20 pesos to go to Cenote Ik Kil or 40 pesos if you want to get back to Valladolid.
Where to Next?
After a few days of enjoying the cenotes in Valladolid, I was ready to have a change of scenery. By now I was incredibly burnt out from always being on the go, so I wanted to take it easy at my next stop. Join me as I make my way to what is known as the safest city in Mexico, Merida!