Casa Cenote, also called Cenote Manatí, is an open mangrove channel at Tankah Tres, about 11 km north of Tulum by road, linked underground to the sea. It is shallow, 3 to 8 m, and good for snorkeling, kayaking and beginner dives. 2026 guides report about 200 MXN entry. A resident crocodile bit a visitor in May 2026.
Casa Cenote is a long, open channel of clear water edged with mangroves at Tankah Tres, about 11 km north of Tulum by road. It is also called Cenote Manatí. Unlike most cenotes it is brackish: fresh groundwater meets sea water that flows in underground from the beach a short walk away. It is shallow, 3 to 8 m, which makes it good for snorkelers, kayakers and first cavern dives. 2026 guides report about 200 MXN entry. The one thing to know before you go: a crocodile lives here, and it bit a visitor in May 2026.
A Morelet’s crocodile, known locally as Panchito, lives in the channel. On 12 May 2026 it bit an elderly visitor, after visitors had thrown stones at it, according to Riviera Maya News and the Tulum Times. One Spanish-language report says the man was diving when he was bitten.
On 19 May 2026 Tulum’s environment department said it was working with Civil Protection on signs and possible limits on swimming and diving in places where crocodiles live. The crocodile will not be moved: it is a protected species under Mexican law (NOM-059).
As of late October 2026 we could not find a published rule that limits swimming at Casa Cenote, and an October 2026 guide still lists it as a swimming spot and describes encounters as usually calm. Treat any limit as unconfirmed either way. Before you pay, ask at the entrance whether swimming is open, follow staff instructions, keep your distance from the crocodile and never feed or provoke it.
Checked October 2026:
| Where | Tankah Tres, off Hwy 307 north of Tulum, across the beach road from Casa Cenote hotel |
| Drive | 10.8 km, about 14 min |
| Type | Open mangrove channel, brackish |
| Depth | About 3 to 8 m; halocline at about 3 m |
| Entry | About 200 MXN (Sep 2026 guides); about US$15 (Oct 2026 guide) |
| Hours | About 8:00 to 17:00 |
| Extras | Kayak rental; a camera fee may apply |
Who collects the entry fee, the hotel or a separate operator, is not clear from any source. The cenote entrance fees guide compares prices across the area.
Drive north from Tulum on Highway 307 and turn toward the coast at Tankah. Colectivos (shared vans) on 307 can drop you at the turn-off for the cenote entrances, and the rest is a walk. The getting around Tulum guide covers colectivos and taxis, and the Tulum cenote map shows Casa Cenote with the other coastal cenotes.
You swim along a channel rather than in a round pool, with mangroves on both sides. At 3 to 8 m it is shallow by cenote standards, and at about 3 m you can see the halocline, the blurry, shimmering layer where fresh water floats on heavier salt water.
Divers use it for easy cavern dives, and dive shops often pair it with Cenote Angelita, a deep dive south of Tulum. The hotel next door offers intro dives and kayaks.
Casa Cenote is one of several places sold under the Tankah name. Dos Ojos is about 11 km further north on 307, and Gran Cenote is on the Cobá road west of town. If you want to wake up beside it, Casa Cenote hotel is listed in the where to stay in Tulum guide. Every cenote is on the Tulum cenote guide homepage, and tours are on the tours page.
6 hours
A ten-person van tour that reaches Casa Cenote before the crowds, moves on to Taak Bi Ha, and finishes with lamplit snorkeling in a private underground cenote after a vegetarian jungle lunch.
Pickup: Tulum
from$169
Check availability4 hours
A morning run from central Tulum to Gran Cenote, the jump platforms at Cenote Zemway and the mangrove edge of Casa Cenote, with snorkel gear, towels and transport between stops.
No pickup: meet on site
from$135
Check availability4 hours
A first dive for non-certified swimmers: a 30-minute lesson, then up to 50 minutes underwater in a mangrove-ringed open cenote with an instructor and no more than four people.
from$167
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
A Morelet's crocodile called Panchito lives in the channel. On 12 May 2026 it bit an elderly visitor after people had thrown stones at it. Tulum's environment department then said it was working with Civil Protection on signs and possible limits on swimming and diving. We could not confirm whether any limit is in force, so ask at the entrance before you get in.
They are the same place. Cenote Manatí (manatee cenote) is the other name you will see on maps and in guides. Casa Cenote is also the name of the hotel and restaurant that sits between the cenote and the beach, and most visitors use that name for the cenote too. OpenStreetMap lists both names within a few metres of each other in Tankah Tres.
There is no published price. Two September 2026 guides report about 200 MXN per person, and an October 2026 guide gives about US$15. Older hotel-guest reviews mention 150 MXN to swim and 500 MXN for a snorkel guide. A camera fee may also apply. Bring cash pesos and check the board at the entrance.
Yes. Dive operators describe it as a beginner-friendly cavern dive, shallow and open to the sky, and several combine it with Cenote Angelita on the same day. You still need Open Water certification and a guide for any cavern dive. Non-divers can snorkel the open channel, where the fresh and salt water layers meet.
Cenotes are inland fresh water and sargassum seaweed does not reach them. Casa Cenote is different because it connects to the sea, but it sits back from the beach in the mangroves. We found no report of sargassum reaching it. It is a useful swim when the beaches are covered, but check conditions on the day.
Cenote Tankah is not one place.
Cenote Angelita is a deep vertical cenote, about 60 m, beside Highway 307 about 16 km south of Tulum.
Cenote Dos Ojos, the two eyes cenote, is a pair of cenotes joined by a large cavern in Parque Dos Ojos, about 22 km north of Tulum off Highway 307.
Gran Cenote is a semi-open cenote 5 km west of Tulum on the road to Cobá: two clear pools joined by a cavern, with wooden walkways and resident turtles.