Oh my gawd, cenotes! Underwater sinkholes formed when limestone erodes, over hundreds of years. The most pristine water I’ve seen. The Yucatan Peninsula has the world’s largest number of cenotes and they’re one of two reasons I wanted to visit, along with Chichen Itza.
Gran Cenote (the two pictures above) is a strictly protected one.
There’s a guard ensuring you’ve taken a shower before walking down flights of wooden steps into the underground oasis, where bats hang from the rock walls and turtles float in a roped off zone. This is where Safia got to take her first dip in a body of water at 4-months-old!
When she cried for milk we snuggled up in towels on the wood planks, and she stared at the leaves above us while nursing, falling asleep in my arms belly full. People floated around us as we sat quietly together. It was one of the most peaceful places I've ever been.
Safia couldn't join me inside the next one we checked out, Cenote Calavera. It's a 4-meter drop into waters below, either by jumping or climbing down using the ladder pictured above.
Safia hung out in her car seat (she'd been sleeping when we arrived and the hike to get to the cenote, while pretty short, is not stroller friendly) while I took a few jumps in. This cenote is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. We saw lots of scuba divers while hanging out there.
I hung out on this rope that's popular for photos like this one below.
The photos above don't do the waters justice, so check out the colors below. So gorgeous!