Eastern Yucatán

Pueblos Mágicos in Eastern Yucatán

♥ ✓

warm

Yucatán Valladolid

♥ ✓

warm

Yucatán Espita

Map

Places to visit in Eastern Yucatán 43

43 places with their own page, grouped by kind.

Villages · 21 Cenotes · 14 Towns · 5 Caves · 1 Landmarks and museums · 1 Archaeological sites · 1

Villages

• 
  Chankom · Village · Yucatán
  The Maya village southwest of Valladolid made famous by Robert Redfield's classic studies, with a November fiesta for San Diego.
• 
  Chechmil · Village · Yucatán
  Small Maya village in Chemax municipality northeast of Valladolid, with a cenote with a wooden stairway in the woods nearby.
• 
  Chichimilá · Village · Yucatán
  Maya town just south of Valladolid with a 16th-century church of the Assumption, home of Caste War leader Manuel Antonio Ay.
• 
  Chikindzonot · Village · Yucatán
  Maya town in the forest south of Valladolid whose red church has an 18th-century carved facade with Adam and Eve, fish and flowers.
• 
  Cocoyol · Village · Yucatán
  A small Maya village in Chemax, near the Quintana Roo border, best visited for its San Antonio de Padua fiesta in mid-June.
• 
  Cuncunul · Village · Yucatán
  Small Maya town just off the old Mérida–Valladolid road, with an 18th-century church of San Juan Bautista and a cenote in its centre.
• 
  Ekpedz · Village · Yucatán
  Maya farming village of 1,600 people near Chikindzonot, with an old stone church whose walls still show traces of painted decoration.
• 
  Ichmul · Village · Yucatán
  Old colonial town near the Quintana Roo border, a convent seat by 1579 and a fortress taken by Maya rebels in 1847, with church ruins.
• 
  Kanxoc · Village · Yucatán
  A Maya town of about 3,600 people 14 km southeast of Valladolid, with an old church whose gilded altarpiece and painted niches are worth a stop.
• 
  Kuxeb · Village · Yucatán
  Small Maya farming village in the woods north of Chemax, settled in the 1930s and now home to about 900 people.
• 
  Mucel · Village · Yucatán
  Maya farming village of about 1,200 people in the woods of northern Chemax, at the end of the local road past Kuxeb.
• 
  Pocoboch · Village · Yucatán
  The second-largest village of Calotmul municipality in eastern Yucatán, a quiet farming place with an old stone church.
• 
  Sisbichén · Village · Yucatán
  Maya farming village north of Chemax, with a tall red church whose two slim bell towers rise above the bush.
• 
  Tahcabó · Village · Yucatán
  A small Maya village east of Calotmul, built around a cenote that archaeologists say drew people here for over 2,000 years.
• 
  Ticimul · Village · Yucatán
  The largest village of Chankom municipality, 22 km southeast of Chichén Itzá, with Maya ruins from Chichén's heyday and a Caste War story.
• 
  Uspibil · Village · Yucatán
  A small Maya village in the forest north-east of Valladolid, named after the uspib plant, with a deep open cenote called Aktun Uspibil.
• 
  X-Can · Village · Yucatán
  Chemax's second-largest town, on the old free highway between Valladolid and Cancún near the Quintana Roo line, with a village church.
• 
  Xkopteil · Village · Yucatán
  A Maya farming village in Chankom municipality, southwest of Valladolid, best visited for its fiesta of San José in mid-March.
• 
  Yalcobá · Village · Yucatán
  A Maya village northeast of Valladolid with a weathered stone church, and the gateway to the Palomitas and Agua Dulce cave cenotes.
• 
  Yalcón · Village · Yucatán
  A hamlet of about 250 people a few kilometres east of Valladolid, with a small stone church built between 1670 and 1710.
• 
  Yaxuná · Village · Yucatán
  A Maya village south of Chichén Itzá with community-run tours of its ancient city, the deep Lol-Ha cenote and a small cultural centre.

Cenotes

• 
  Cenote Agua Dulce · Cenote · Yucatán
  A large closed cave cenote full of stalactites near Yalcobá, northeast of Valladolid, a short walk from its twin, Cenote Palomitas.
• 
  Cenote Chichikan · Cenote · Yucatán
  A cenote inside a Maya-themed eco-park just north of Valladolid, with a buffet restaurant and a regular stop on Chichén Itzá day tours.
• 
  Cenote Chukum · Cenote · Yucatán
  A 40 m wide cenote at Hacienda Chukum, northeast of Valladolid, named after the chukum trees around it, with a regional buffet and adventure activities.
• 
  Cenote Kikil · Cenote · Espita
  A deep, open cenote in landscaped grounds just outside Tizimín, with a restaurant; life jackets are required to swim.
• 
  Cenote Nool Ha · Cenote · Yucatán
  A new cave cenote 2 km north of Valladolid's plaza, 45 m deep and very clear, with a deck, jumping boards and a zip line over the water.
• 
  Cenote Oxmán · Cenote · Valladolid
  A deep open cenote on the grounds of an old hacienda just outside Valladolid, with hanging roots and a rope swing.
• 
  Cenote Palomitas · Cenote · Yucatán
  A vast cave cenote near Yalcobá, northeast of Valladolid, with clear blue water under a dome of stalactites and far fewer crowds than the famous ones.
• 
  Cenote Saamal · Cenote · Yucatán
  An open cenote with clear turquoise water at Hacienda Selva Maya, 4 km west of Valladolid, with a buffet restaurant and zip lines.
• 
  Cenote Secreto Maya · Cenote · Yucatán
  A 50 m wide open cenote in the forest beyond Yalcobá, with jumps of up to 22 m, a Tarzan rope, a small boutique hotel and night swims.
• 
  Cenote Tsukán · Cenote · Yucatán
  A cavern cenote hung with curtains of stalactites on the road west of Pisté, run as a Maya cultural park with a healing-tree ritual and a cooking workshop.
• 
  Cenote Uayma Há · Cenote · Yucatán
  A quiet cenote in the scrub forest of Uayma municipality, west of Valladolid, visited on small-group Chichén Itzá tours; cash only.
• 
  Cenote Xcanahaltún · Cenote · Yucatán
  A quiet cave cenote northeast of Valladolid, reached down a spiral staircase, with green-blue water lit by a single hole in the roof.
• 
  Cenote Xux Há · Cenote · Yucatán
  A cavern cenote with a wide opening and a deep natural pool beside the free highway east of Valladolid, with showers and a small restaurant.
• 
  Cenotes de Dzitnup · Cenote · Valladolid
  Two cave cenotes side by side, X'Keken and Samulá, lit by holes in the rock ceiling, a short ride west of Valladolid.

Towns

• 
  Calotmul · Town · Yucatán
  A small town between Valladolid and Tizimín whose 1749 church keeps a gilded altarpiece and a revered 16th-century Virgin.
• 
  Cenotillo · Town · Yucatán
  A quiet town in eastern Yucatán named for its cenotes, with the deep Usil cenote 2 km away, two 17th-century churches and an 1884 clock tower.
• 
  Chemax · Town · Yucatán
  A Maya market town on the old Highway 180 east of Valladolid, with a big yellow 16th-century church and a June fiesta for San Antonio.
• 
  Pisté · Town · Yucatán
  The town at the gates of Chichén Itzá: hotels, restaurants and craft shops on Highway 180, and the easiest place to sleep before an early start at the ruins.
• 
  Tizimín · Town · Espita
  The cattle town of eastern Yucatán, famous for the Three Kings pilgrimage and fair every January.

Caves

• 
  Grutas de Balankanché · Cave · Valladolid
  A Maya ceremonial cave near Chichén Itzá with offerings still in place; closed since 2020, with a reopening announced for 2026.

Landmarks and museums

• 
  Hacienda Kaan Ac · Landmark · Yucatán
  A 16th-century hacienda just north of Valladolid, now a hotel with big gardens, a chapel and a restaurant, set in some of the area's best-kept forest.

Archaeological sites

• 
  Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná · Archaeological site · Yucatán
  A little-visited Maya city south of Chichén Itzá, at the western end of the 100 km sacbé from Cobá, with a North Acropolis, ballcourt and royal tombs.

Top tours in Eastern Yucatán

Valladolid Chichen Itza, Cenote, and Valladolid Tour ★ 4.7 (25,651) 12 h From US$49

Valladolid Chichén Itzá, Cenote and Valladolid with Lunch and transportation ★ 4.8 (2,529) 13 h From US$33

Valladolid Chichen Itza, Cenote and Valladolid Small Group Day Trip ★ 4.9 (2,211) 10 h From US$214

Valladolid Chichén Itzá, Cenote and Valladolid from Playa del Carmen ★ 4.4 (1,083) 10–12 h From US$30

Cenote Nool Ha Chichen Itza from Playa with cenote, Valladolid and Mayan cuisine ★ 4.9 (833) 12–13 h From US$29

Valladolid Chichen Itza, Beautiful Cenote and Valladolid All Inclusive Tour ★ 4.3 (544) 12 h From US$135

Cenote Nool Ha Chichen Itza from Tulum with cenote, Valladolid and Mayan cuisine ★ 4.9 (397) 12–13 h From US$29

Yaxuná Guided Tour to Chichén Itzá and Cenote and Valladolid with Lunch ★ 4.5 (239) 12 h From US$20

Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

Neighbouring regions