Cenote 7 km north of Tulum
A small, round open cenote on the Cobá road with a zipline that drops you into the water, plus a pool and restaurant.
Zacil-Ha is a small, round, open cenote at kilometer 8 of the road to Cobá, right next to Carwash. Its name is usually translated as "clear water", and the pool is just that: a circle of turquoise water inside a ring of limestone, with steps leading down and ledges to jump from.
What makes it different from most cenotes is that it is set up for a relaxed day. Around the cenote there are a regular swimming pool, a bar and restaurant, lounge chairs and shaded tables, and there are simple cabins if you want to stay the night. For a small extra fee you can ride a short zipline that runs across the cenote and lets you drop into the middle of the water.
It is popular with families and local residents, especially on weekends, and less of a tour-bus stop than the big names. Underneath, it is a deep cenote that connects to the cave systems of the area, but for most visitors it is simply a good place to swim, eat and spend an afternoon.
What to see and do
Ride the zipline and drop into the middle of the cenote.
Jump from the rock ledge into the deep water.
Spend the afternoon between the cenote, the pool and the restaurant.
Pop next door to Carwash for a different kind of cenote.
Getting there
Zacil-Ha is about 10 minutes from Tulum on the road to Cobá, at kilometer 8 next to Carwash. Go by car, taxi or bike, or ask a colectivo heading to Cobá to drop you off. Entry is paid on site, and the zipline costs extra.
7 km north of Tulum
Directions from Tulum on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Cenote Zacil-Ha
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Cenote Zacil-Ha.
Tours & activities
Guided tours, tastings, and day trips in and around Cenote Zacil-Ha.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Weather warm
Cenote Zacil-Ha shares the climate of Tulum, 7 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.
Make Tulum your base
Cenote Zacil-Ha is an easy trip from Tulum, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Tulum
-
Cenote Calavera
· Cenote · 2 km away
A small cenote just outside town with three holes in the rock like a skull; people jump in through the biggest one. -
Gran Cenote
· Cenote · 4 km away
Tulum's best-known cenote, a few minutes up the Cobá road: clear water, cave passages and turtles that swim among the snorkelers. -
Cenote Carwash
· Cenote · 7 km away
An open, pond-like cenote on the Cobá road, named for the taxi drivers who once washed their cars here; famous among cave divers. -
Sian Ka'an
· Nature reserve · 9 km away
A vast UNESCO-listed reserve of lagoons, mangroves and reef south of Tulum, with boat trips to see dolphins, birds and manatees. -
Casa Cenote
· Cenote · 10 km away
A mangrove-lined cenote at Tankah that flows like a river and connects to the sea underground; fish from the reef swim in it. -
Laguna Kaan Luum
· Lake · 11 km away
A shallow turquoise lagoon south of Tulum with an 80-meter-deep cenote at its center, ringed by a wooden pier. -
Cenote Angelita
· Cenote · 14 km away
A 60-meter-deep dive cenote south of Tulum where a cloud of hydrogen sulfide looks like an underwater river; for experienced divers. -
Cenote Dos Ojos
· Cenote · 15 km away
Two linked sinkholes about 20 minutes north, the entrance to a vast flooded cave system; superb for snorkeling and cavern diving. -
Xel-Há ruins
· Archaeological site · 16 km away
A Maya port with rare painted murals of birds, reopened in July 2026 after four years of work, with a new regional museum. -
Xcacel
· Beach · 19 km away
A protected sea turtle sanctuary with an undeveloped beach and a freshwater cenote in the mangroves behind it. -
Muyil
· Archaeological site · 21 km away
One of the oldest Maya sites on the coast, in the forest beside the Sian Ka'an lagoons; reopened in 2026 after restoration work. -
Akumal
· Town · 26 km away
A bay north of Tulum where sea turtles graze on seagrass; snorkel with an authorized guide in small groups, as reserve rules require. -
Xpu-Ha
· Beach · 36 km away
A long white beach with calm water north of Akumal, with a public access point among the hotels and cenotes nearby. -
Cobá
· Archaeological site · 41 km away
A huge Maya city in the forest between two lakes, with long white roads to bike and the 42-meter Nohoch Mul pyramid. -
Punta Allen
· Town · 46 km away
A lobster-fishing village at the end of the Sian Ka'an road, with boat trips to see dolphins and good fly fishing in the flats.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.