Cenote Calavera is a semi-open cave cenote 3.3 km from Tulum on the road to Cobá, close enough to cycle. Three holes in the rock give it the skull look, and you jump about 2.5 to 3 m through the largest into deep water, or climb down a ladder. 2026 guides report fees from about 100 to 300 MXN.
Cenote Calavera is the closest cenote to Tulum town on the Cobá road: a cave pool under the jungle floor that you reach by jumping through a hole in the rock. It is 3.3 km from the town centre, so you can walk or cycle it. Three openings, one large and two small, give it the skull face behind its name (calavera is Spanish for skull). Fees in 2026 guides run from about 100 to 300 MXN. It suits strong swimmers who want a jump; it does not suit young children.
Checked October 2026:
| Where | Hwy 109, Tulum to Cobá, before Gran Cenote |
| Distance | 3.3 km from Tulum town, about 6 min by car |
| Type | Semi-open cave cenote |
| Jump | About 2.5 to 3 m through the largest hole; ladder alternative |
| Depth | About 15 m (two 2026 guides); about 7.6 m (one other source) |
| Entry | About 100 to 300 MXN in 2026 guides |
| Hours | 9:00 to 17:00 |
| Facilities | Basic; life jacket rental sometimes; no gear rental reported |
No official price exists, and the spread is wide. Por Esto, the regional daily, gave about 250 MXN in March 2026. An April 2026 guide said 200 to 250. A July 2026 guide said about 120. In September 2026 a villa-rental guide gave 100 to 250 and called the price disputed. An October 2026 guide gave about 300. Bring 300 MXN in pesos, in cash, because a card terminal is not always available. The cenote entrance fees guide tracks the figures.
Leave town on the Cobá road. Calavera is about 3 km out, before Gran Cenote, and both fit in one morning by bike. No GetYourGuide tour we checked lists Calavera as a stop, so it is a place to visit on your own; the tour suggested on this page is a cenote tour from Tulum that includes Gran Cenote instead.
The Ciclovía Maya cycle path from Tulum toward Cobá passes Calavera. It was due to open officially in March 2026; whether every section is open now is not confirmed. If you drive, slow down for the turn: local news has reported a crash at a cenote entrance on this road. The getting around Tulum guide covers bikes, taxis and colectivos, and the Tulum cenote map shows Calavera with its neighbours.
You walk from the gate to the holes in the ground. The jump is through the large hole into the water inside the cave, and a ladder is there for anyone who does not want to jump. The two small holes make up the rest of the skull.
Inside, the pool is deep and enclosed by rock. Certified divers also use Calavera as an entry to the cave beyond, which needs cave training and a guide; the cenote diving guide explains what that means.
Swim clear of the landing spot after you jump, so the next person has room.
The cenote swimming guide has the general safety advice for cenotes around Tulum.
Gran Cenote is next along the road and has turtles and a cavern. Zacil-Ha and Carwash are about 9 km from town, side by side. To the south of town on Highway 307, Cenote Cristal and Escondido are a similar distance and quieter. If you want to cycle to all of them, look at the town and Cobá-road hotels in the where to stay in Tulum guide. Every cenote is on the Tulum cenote guide homepage, and tours are on the tours page.
4 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 budget park visit at Yax Muul on the Tulum-Playa highway: a copal blessing from a local shaman, a 12 m rappel into a cavern and swims in four open and enclosed cenotes.
No pickup: meet on site
from$28
Check availability6 hours
Young guides from the Chemuyil community lead you on jungle trails to three dark cave cenotes with headlamps and wetsuits, then back to the village for a home-cooked meal.
No pickup: meet on site
from$56
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Calavera does not publish a price, and 2026 guides disagree more than for any other cenote near Tulum. Figures run from about 120 MXN (July 2026) through 200 to 250 MXN (March and April 2026) to about 300 MXN (October 2026). A September 2026 guide calls the price disputed. Bring 300 MXN in cash and check the board at the gate.
Two 2026 guides give about 15 m, and that is the figure we use. Another source gives about 25 ft, or 7.6 m. Either way it is deep water from the moment you land, with no shallow edge to stand on, so you need to be comfortable swimming in deep water before you jump.
About 2.5 to 3 m from the edge of the hole down to the water, by the accounts we found. That is a modest height, but you land in deep water inside a cave, so it is for confident swimmers. If you would rather not jump, there is a ladder, and you can use it to get down to the water instead.
Calavera means skull in Spanish. Seen from above, the one large hole and two smaller ones in the rock look like a skull. Temple of Doom is a modern nickname that travel blogs use. No early source explains it, so treat any legend you hear about either name as a tour-guide story rather than Maya history.
Not for young children. A September 2026 guide says Calavera does not suit nervous swimmers or young kids, because you enter through a hole into deep water in a cave. Life jackets are sometimes available to rent, but not always. For families, Zacil-Ha further along the same road is shallow, open and has a small zipline.
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.
Cenote Zacil-Ha is a small, round, open cenote about 3 m deep, 9.2 km from Tulum on the road to Cobá, next door to Cenote Carwash.
Cenote Carwash, also called Aktun Ha, is an open, lily-covered pond 8.8 km from Tulum on the Cobá road, next to Zacil-Ha.
Cenote Cristal and Cenote Escondido are two quiet open cenotes facing each other across Highway 307, about 4.8 km south of Tulum town.