Cenote Abalá, Yucatán Municipality of Abalá Yucatán's cenote route Camino Real (Yucatán)
A big semi-open cavern cenote between Abalá and Mucuyché, with deep blue water, hanging roots and stalactites, and a cheap entry run by locals.
From Mérida: 50 min by car (54 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near Cenote Kankirixché
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Tours to Cenote Kankirixché
Day trips and guided outings from Maní often include Cenote Kankirixché; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Tours from Merida
From Merida: Chichen Itza Tour, Izamal, Cenote Ik Kil and Food
★ 4.9 (578) · From US$74
How to get to Cenote Kankirixché
- From Mérida: about 50 min by road (~54 km)
- Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 1 h 27 min by car to Maní
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Tours from Merida, near Cenote Kankirixché
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About Cenote Kankirixché
Cenote Kankirixché lies in the scrub of Abalá municipality, south of Mérida, a little under 2 km west of the village of Mucuyché on the road toward Abalá, at the end of a short gravel track. Its name comes from the kankirixché tree and is usually translated as "yellow fruit of the tree". It is a semi-open cenote: you go down about 15 meters of metal stairs through an opening in the rock into a wide cavern, roughly 90 meters across, with stalactites, stalagmites and long tree roots dropping to the water. The original wooden staircase was wrecked in 2015 when a dead tree fell on it, and the metal one replaced it.
The water is clear and deep blue, and divers come for it: the cave reaches about 50 meters down, where the fresh water meets a layer of salt water, and surveys give it some 438 meters of passages and a vertical range of 53 meters. Swimmers will find a few stone mounds in the shallower parts where you can stand and rest. When the sun is high, roughly between 11:00 and 14:00 depending on the season, shafts of light reach the water through the opening. Researchers have collected blind cave amphipods here, including specimens used to describe a new species in 2018.
Kankirixché is a simple, community-run place, much quieter than the hacienda cenotes nearby and visited mostly by people from the area. There is parking, a palapa, bathrooms and a camping area, and locals rent life jackets. The stairs can be slippery and the space at the bottom is small, so bring only what you need. It pairs well with Cenote Yaal Utzil and the Mucuyché hacienda cenotes, all within a few kilometers.
How to get to Cenote Kankirixché
Drive from Mérida: 50 min, 54 km
From Mérida take Highway 261, the road to Uxmal, south through Umán and turn east at Hacienda San Pedro Ochil toward Abalá. Go through Abalá and continue toward Mucuyché; about 1.8 km before Mucuyché a turn leads north onto a single-lane gravel track of roughly 1 km that ends at the cenote. Signs are scarce, so use a map pin. The drive takes about 50 minutes to an hour from Mérida.
Directions to Cenote Kankirixché on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Cenote Kankirixché
- Mérida · 54 km by road, 50 min
- Campeche · 166 km by road, 2 h 15 min
- Valladolid · 184 km by road, 2 h 35 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Cenote Kankirixché: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Daily, roughly 8:00–18:00 (other listings say 10:00–17:00; go before late afternoon). Diario de Yucatán · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- About MXN 60 per person, cash. Diario de Yucatán · checked Oct 2026
- Best time of day
- Late morning to early afternoon (about 11:00–14:00) for the light beams. Yucatán Travel (SEFOTUR) · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- No guide needed to swim; divers should go with a certified cave guide. Yucatán Today · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Cash, a towel and as little gear as possible: the stairs are slippery and the space below is small. Life jackets can be rented on site. Yucatán Today · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Cenote Kankirixché: what to see and do
Climb down the 15 m metal staircase into the round cavern.
Swim in the deep blue water among hanging roots and stalactites.
Come around midday for the beams of light through the opening.
Dive the cavern with a certified guide (it reaches about 50 m).
Combine it with Cenote Yaal Utzil and the Mucuyché hacienda cenotes nearby.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Cenote Kankirixché
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Cenote Kankirixché.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Maní often include Cenote Kankirixché; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at MID (Mérida): about 1 h 27 min by road to Maní, then 38 km more to Cenote Kankirixché, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 1 h 27 min by road from Maní, the base for Cenote Kankirixché.
Travel insurance
If you plan on swimming or snorkeling at Cenote Kankirixché, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Maní: download a map of the way to Cenote Kankirixché before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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Photos
When to go to Cenote Kankirixché warm
Cenote Kankirixché shares the climate of Maní, 38 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
Underground water keeps much the same temperature all year, so Cenote Kankirixché is good in any month and coolest to visit in the hottest ones (April, May, and July).
See the month-by-month climate of Maní
Weather in Cenote Kankirixché now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Maní
Maní is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Cenote Kankirixché, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Closest to Cenote Kankirixché
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Cenote Yaal Utzil · Cenote · 3 km away
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Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyché · Cenote · 3 km away
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Abalá · Village · 5 km away
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Hacienda Temozón Sur · Landmark · 6 km away
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Yunkú · Village · 7 km away
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Hacienda Ochil · Landmark · 9 km away
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Hacienda Sotuta de Peón · Landmark · 13 km away
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San Antonio Tzacalá · Village · 13 km away
Near Cenote Kankirixché
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Cenote Kankirixché
Cenotes in Yucatán · 28 Cenotes near Mérida · 9 Cenotes near Maní · 8Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.