Category: cave

On the road to Valladolid from Tulum, there are several well-known cenotes located available for cave diving. One of them is Kim Ha Cenote, the entrance to which is combined with the road to two more cenotes: Vaca Ha Cenote and Tortuga Cenote.

Kim Ha Cenote is located halfway down a dirt road on the way to the Tortuga Cenote. As you drive slowly through the jungle, you’ll spot a road comb where your car goes down the road. Stop your car at the drying mud puddle on the road, but make sure to park as close to the side as possible to allow space for other diving trucks that may want to go to the Tortuga Cenote that day. When you’re done with your adventure, the nearest U-turn spot is about 200 meters away at the Tortuga Cenote parking spots. To find Kim Ha Cenote, head straight to the left into the jungle for about 5 meters. You’ll approach a small puddle that’s about 2 meters in diameter – this is the entrance to the cave. There are no amenities available, so make sure to come prepared. Get dressed and dive in!

Be careful while entering as the cave line goes directly down to 20 meters deep through a narrow space full of mud, and at 7 meters deep while entering, you will bump with your mask into the beginning of another cave line that is going left. If you don’t plan to jump here, be careful and keep your line, which continues going down on the right and above.

The maximum depth of the Kim Ha cave line is 27.4 meters, the average depth of the cave line is 22.3 meters, and the length of the surveyed passages is 3322 meters. At a depth of 19 meters, there is a halocline between fresh and salt water.

There is an underwater connection from Kim Ha Cenote to Tortuga Cenote in the North.

Cenote Tres Estrellas is a part of the cave system K’oox Baal (including Tux Kapaxa caves). The joining of the K’oox Baal and Tux Kapaxa caves created the fourth-longest underwater cave system in the world. K’oox Baal system total length of 74 km. It is the world’s biggest cave system, with its spaces mapped! The making of this connection is the symbolic high point of many years of endeavor. Explorers made hundreds of dives in the caves of this region and spent thousands of hours in the waters. They spent hundreds more hours researching and hacking ways through unknown, dangerous jungles, transporting and maintaining our equipment, driving cars, and overseeing endless repairs to them.

Between 2006 and the end of 2011, over 30 km of new space was discovered in the K’oox Baal cave system, thus extending its length to 120,541 ft (36,741 m). On December 9, 2011, the two cave systems merged and were given the name K’oox Baal. With an impressive total length of 246,522 ft (75,140 m), it now proudly stands as the fourth longest underwater cave system in the world. At the same time, it is the longest cave in the world whose entirety, including contours and fills, is mapped.

Cenote Tres Estrellas (Three Stars or Ox-ek in Maya)

The maximum depth of this cave system area is 42 ft (12.8 m).

This location got its name from three holes in the ceiling of a large dry room with a pool of water inside. Walk down the set of stairs and follow the path to the water and walk carefully into the water. The permanent guideline lies straight ahead perpendicularly.

Cenote Sac Xiquin is a part of the cave system K’oox Baal (including Tux Kapaxa caves). The joining of the K’oox Baal and Tux Kapaxa caves created the fourth-longest underwater cave system in the world. K’oox Baal system total length of 74 km. It is the world’s biggest cave system, with its spaces mapped! The making of this connection is the symbolic high point of many years of endeavor. Explorers made hundreds of dives in the caves of this region and spent thousands of hours in the waters. They spent hundreds more hours researching and hacking ways through unknown, dangerous jungles, transporting and maintaining our equipment, driving cars, and overseeing endless repairs to them.

Between 2006 and the end of 2011, over 30 km of new space was discovered in the K’oox Baal cave system, thus extending its length to 120,541 ft (36,741 m). On December 9, 2011, the two cave systems merged and were given the name K’oox Baal. With an impressive total length of 246,522 ft (75,140 m), it now proudly stands as the fourth longest underwater cave system in the world. At the same time, it is the longest cave in the world whose entirety, including contours and fills, is mapped.

Cenote Sac Xiquin (Little Tiger or Ocelot)

The maximum depth in this area is 44 ft (13.4 m).

There are two cenotes located within the area of this cenote. This cenote requires an eight-minute hike from where you park at Cenote Coop One. Follow the path behind the dugout trench of Cenote Coop one, and you will pass Cenote Quintan, a 600 ft (183 m), separate cave. Continue following the trail through a very elongated dry cenote unto a very shallow water basin at the edge of a vertical high bluff of the cenote. The permanent guideline begins on a stalactite near the surface of the water.

Cenote Koi is a part of the cave system K’oox Baal (including Tux Kapaxa caves). The joining of the K’oox Baal and Tux Kapaxa caves created the fourth-longest underwater cave system in the world. K’oox Baal system total length of 74 km. It is the world’s biggest cave system, with its spaces mapped! The making of this connection is the symbolic high point of many years of endeavor. Explorers made hundreds of dives in the caves of this region and spent thousands of hours in the waters. They spent hundreds more hours researching and hacking ways through unknown, dangerous jungles, transporting and maintaining our equipment, driving cars, and overseeing endless repairs to them.

Between 2006 and the end of 2011, over 30 km of new space was discovered in the K’oox Baal cave system, thus extending its length to 120,541 ft (36,741 m). On December 9, 2011, the two cave systems merged and were given the name K’oox Baal. With an impressive total length of 246,522 ft (75,140 m), it now proudly stands as the fourth longest underwater cave system in the world. At the same time, it is the longest cave in the world whose entirety, including contours and fills, is mapped.

Cenote Koi and cenote Nai Tucha (originally Tux Kapaxa, the Playground Cave)

The maximum depth is 48 ft (14.6 m).

There are several openings to the surface, with one named Cenote Koi. The main permanent guideline begins in the open water. Follow the main line, swimming for twenty minutes. Jump to your left, follow this 150 ft/ (45.7 m) shortcut, and jump back onto a main guideline. This section of the cave system has massive passageways and is highly decorated. Turn left and swim twelve minutes to an INAH-documented bone site.

Another great dive is to stay on the main line until you reach a permanent T intersection. Turn left and swim twenty minutes to the bone site. Swim straight; eight minutes later, you will reach an air dome with two shafts to the surface. From there, continue. You can swim straight to Cenote Koi or, at the far edge of the air dome on the permanent guideline, jump to your right 45 ft (13.7 m) for the more fabulous cave.