A cenote (pronounced say-no-tay) is a freshwater sinkhole formed from the collapse of limestone. Cenotes come in all shapes and sizes, both above and below ground. They are found all over the Yucatan peninsula… seriously, there are thought to be over 6,000 of them!
If you’ve visited Tulum, Playa del Carmen or one of the surrounding areas, you’ve probably visited a cenote. But, have you ever wondered if there were any crocodiles in the cenotes?
Well, the answer is: yep, crocodiles can be found in some of the cenotes.
Here’s my experience swimming with a crocodile at Casa Cenote in Tulum!
About Casa Cenote
Casa Cenote is an open air cenote that connects to the ocean which makes it pretty unique! The brackish water allows for marine life that you won’t see in other cenotes. Like large fish, blue crabs and… even a crocodile named Pancho!
Pancho, or Panchito, is a small to medium sized crocodile that has lived in Casa Cenote since he was a baby. As such, he’s used to being around people constantly and is docile or perhaps even friendly for a crocodile. He’s known for mostly either keeping to himself or getting a bit curious and swimming alongside people in the cenote!
Casa Cenote is one long cenote that snakes from the ocean through the jungle for about one half mile. It can be narrow at parts but it’s mostly wide enough for plenty of swimmers and is known for its clear water and gorgeous mangrove trees. With its depth range of about 6 to 20 feet, it’s a popular spot for swimmers, snorkelers, divers and free divers alike!
How to Get to Casa Cenote
Located about 15 minutes drive from Tulum, Casa Cenote is right off the highway driving north from Tulum towards Cancun. If you enter ‘Casa Cenote’ into your GPS, you should have no problems getting directions there! Once you turn off the highway and onto the dirt road, you’ll turn left and pass a security gate to enter the semi-private community. After passing a couple of rental houses on the right as well as the adjacent hotel, you’ll see a sign for Casa Cenote. And bonus, there is free parking right next to the entrance of the cenote!
This is a well established cenote so they have some rental equipment (life vests, snorkels, etc.) as well as guides who can show you around the cenote.
To enter the cenote, the entrance fee is around 500 pesos per person (or roughly $25 USD) and if you want to bring a GoPro, it’s an additional 100 pesos (or about $5 USD).
My Experience at Casa Cenote
Our friendly guides, Oscar and Jess, from Serenity Free Diving brought us to this cenote and guided us around. They showed us their favorite mangrove passageways and let us know that we may spot Pancho the crocodile but it wasn’t very likely. Jess is also a talented photographer and took many of these beautiful underwater photos!
Once we jumped into the main entrance area of the cenote, I was immediately impressed with how clear the water was. It had amazing visibility for spotting fish and blue crabs on the sandy floor.
Assisted by the current, it was easy to glide down the winding cenote which felt like a natural lazy river. Swimming under the crystalline water, the sun light made beautiful illuminations among the roots of the mangroves and it felt totally magical!
As we reached the far end of the cenote, we noticed Pancho, the crocodile, sunbathing on a large rock surrounded by mangrove bushes. It was definitely the closest I’ve been to a wild crocodile and, given we were in his habitat, I felt pretty vulnerable. Still, it was very cool to see him up close and I was glad he was not the water with us!
We went on our way to explore the last section of mangroves and, as we were underwater, we spotted Pancho swimming underneath us (!!!). Coming up for air with my adrenaline pumping, I gathered myself and stayed with our group as we observed Pancho from a distance. He was totally docile and just seemed curious about us!
Swimming with a crocodile in a cenote was a crazy experience and one I won’t soon forget.
Tips for Visiting Casa Cenote
- Be prepared to swim with a crocodile! While I thought it was going to be pretty unlikely that I’d see the crocodile, I turned out to be very wrong. So, swim at your own risk, be respectful of the wildlife and definitely don’t try to get too close!
- For this cenote, you should pack a towel which you can either leave in your car or rent a locker. And pack or rent a mask, snorkel and fins as you won’t want to miss seeing the beauty that lies beneath the surface. Fins aren’t totally necessary but I thought they were helpful to have for the swim back against the current or diving down to take a closer look at something.
- If you want to capture some photos, bring a GoPro and cash for the 100 pesos camera fee.
- And make sure to bring cash for the entrance fee of 500 pesos per person as well.
- Rinse off any lotions, sunscreen or bug spray you have on, or just apply it after you’ve finished swimming at the cenote. You don’t want to wear it while swimming as it can be harmful to the cenote and its ecosystem!
Did anybody see that crocodile in 2023? I‘ve been there in 5/23 but Pancho was not there. Now I coming back to look for Pancho again.
Good burgers and beer across the street
It is not pronounced “say-no-tay”. In Spanish it’s pronounced “se-no-te” so why would it be pronounced differently in English? Edit please.
Haha you’re right! It’s pronounced more with ‘e’s than ‘a’s but super close… I was just sounding out how I say it 🙂
Panchi is not there anymore, there is another crocodile. So please be very careful! (August 2022)
Oh good to know! Is the other crocodile causing any issues or have they closed the cenote?
Where are you getting this info from. I don’t see anything online about this.