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. It has a short zipline into the water, a slide and a restaurant. 2026 guides report entry of about 150 to 200 MXN. It is one of the easiest family cenotes near Tulum.
Cenote Zacil-Ha is a small, round, open cenote on the road to Cobá, 9.2 km from Tulum and right next to Cenote Carwash. The water is about 3 m deep, there are steps in, and a short zipline drops you into the water. A slide, a restaurant and shaded palapas (thatched shelters) make it feel more like a swimming pool than a cave. 2026 guides report entry at about 150 to 200 MXN, with the zipline and slide extra. Families like it; anyone after caves should go to Gran Cenote instead.
Checked October 2026:
| Where | Hwy 109, Tulum to Cobá, next to Carwash |
| Distance | 9.2 km from Tulum town, about 11 min by car |
| Type | Open, round, about 3 m deep |
| Entry | About 200 MXN (Sep and Oct 2026 guides); 150 to 200 MXN (Apr 2026 guide) |
| Slide | About 200 MXN extra (Sep 2026 guide) |
| Zipline | About 100 MXN a run (2026 guide) |
| Hours | 8:00 to 17:30 |
| Facilities | Restaurant, palapas, rest area |
The cenote entrance fees guide compares these with other cenotes.
Head west from Tulum on the Cobá road. You pass Calavera and Gran Cenote first; Zacil-Ha is about 9 km out, beside Carwash. By bike it is further than the first two cenotes but still a flat ride. If you drive, slow well before the turn: local news reported a crash at a cenote entrance on this road. The getting around Tulum guide covers bikes and taxis, and the Tulum cenote map shows the Cobá-road cenotes in order.
The pool is round and open to the sky, with wooden railings, steps down to the water and palapas around the edge. The zipline ends in the water, and the slide is a second way in. Both are paid separately.
Cavern divers also use Zacil-Ha as an entry point. Swimmers stay in the open pool.
No GetYourGuide tour we checked stops at Zacil-Ha. The pick on this page is the nearest family-style alternative: a day pass at the Casa Tortuga cenote park on Highway 307.
The water in cenotes along this coast stays at about 24°C all year, by dive-blog measurements, so swimming works in any month. The dry season runs from about November to May; September is the wettest month. Cenotes are inland fresh water, so the sargassum seaweed that reaches Tulum’s beaches in summer does not affect them. The best time to visit Tulum guide goes month by month.
Pack cash pesos in small notes, water shoes, a towel (rarely rented at cenotes), a mask if you have one, a dry bag and a rash guard or long sleeves instead of sunscreen. Life jackets for children who cannot swim are worth bringing if you have them.
Cenote Carwash is next door. Gran Cenote and Calavera are back toward town on the same road. At the far end of the road, about 45 km further on, the Cobá cenotes are three underground pools near the Cobá ruins. For a base close to the Cobá road, see the where to stay in Tulum guide. Every cenote is on the Tulum cenote guide homepage, and tours are on the tours page.
1 day
Entry to the Casa Tortuga cenote park with a 90-minute guided swim through three open and two semi-open cenotes, then free time until closing; higher passes add a zip line and lunch.
No pickup: meet on site
from$26
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 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 availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
It does not publish a price. A September 2026 guide gives 200 MXN entry plus 200 MXN for the slide; an April 2026 guide gives 150 to 200 MXN; an October 2026 guide gives about 200 MXN. Another 2026 guide prices the zipline at 100 MXN a run. Bring cash pesos and check the board at the gate.
It is one of the most family-friendly cenotes near Tulum. It is open to the sky, round and about 3 m deep, with steps into the water, a restaurant and shaded palapas. An October 2026 guide calls it the easiest family pick. The water is still out of a child's depth, so bring or rent life jackets.
Yes. A short zipline runs over the pool and drops you into the water, and there is also a slide. Both cost extra: one 2026 guide gives 100 MXN per zipline run, and another gives 200 MXN for the slide. Prices are posted at the cenote and can change.
No. They are two separate cenotes side by side on the Cobá road, about 9 km from Tulum, each with its own entrance and fee. Zacil-Ha is the round, pool-like one with the zipline and restaurant. Carwash, also called Aktun Ha, is a lily-covered pond with a cave that divers use.
Not as a surface swimmer. A 2026 guide says fins are banned for swimmers at Zacil-Ha, as at several cenotes, to protect the water and the people around you. Bring a mask instead if you want to look underwater. Divers using the cavern follow their guide's rules.
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.
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 Calavera is a semi-open cave cenote 3.3 km from Tulum on the road to Cobá, close enough to cycle.
Choo-Ha, Tamcach-Ha and Multum-Ha are three underground cenotes near Cobá village, 53 to 55 km from Tulum on the Cobá road and a few minutes' drive from the Cobá ruins.