24 Jun2022
I guess you might have heard of interesting town Tulum in Mexico. If so, and if you ever decide to visit the area, then you should have fun at cenote Zemway. There’s many spectacular cenotes (sink holes) around Tulum but out of all of them I can highly recommend you to visit cenote Zemway Tulum.
I was told that the cenote Zemway was open to public only in 2021. So far, it’s still one of the less-known cenotes in Tulum area, so if you get lucky, you might even have it all to yourself.
entrance to the cenote Zemway
The impressive cenote Zemway Tulum has:
- crystal clear turquoise water.
- the water color is changing from green to blue depending on the sunlight.
- very few fish swimming around cenote. You can bring your snorkeling gear but you would not see much, if anything at all.
- no algae makes the water even more clear.
- stairs and a platform to make entering the water easier.
- a couple of different jumping platforms with the highest one of 12 metres.
- a lifeguard watching over the cenote guests.
enjoying the cenote Zemway
Everything you need to know about cenote Zemway
Location
Zemway cenote is located approximately 12 km from Tulum city center towards Coba town, in Quintana Roo state in Mexico. It’s more or less 10 km on the main road and then to the right another 1.5 km on the side jungle road.
How to get there?
1. you can rent an e-scooter from Zynch (which is what I did with a friend of mine). This would be the most eco-friendly way to get from Tulum to cenote Zemway.
2. take a colectivo bus from the Avenida Coba street somewhere close to Super Aki supermarket in the direction to Coba. Tell the driver to stop at the Rancho el Alux. There you’d need to turn right and walk almost 1.5 km to the cenote itself.
3. take a taxi – the most expensive option. Bargain the price and make sure the taxi driver picks you up at certain time to get you back to Tulum.
4. hitchhike – maybe it would be easier to hitchhike on the way back from the cenote to Tulum. But probably to get to Zemway from Tulum would be ok, too, if you waited somewhere on the Avenida Coba after Super Aki. However, please remember that hitchhiking can be dangerous, and especially in Mexico. Use your common sense.
Entrance
When I visited in the end of February 2022, the entrance fee was 250 Mexican pesos per person (adult foreigner). I doubt it would cost any less in future; only more. So bring cash with you. There’s no ATM, nor exchange office at the site.
stairs into cenote Zemway
sitting on a platform
More tips:
- it’s closed on Saturdays.
- bring a towel and swimsuit.
- lifejackets are not required for swimming in cenote Zemway.
- as it’s an open cenote, the water is not extremely cold (unlikely to closed cenotes where the water is freezing).
- there’s showers and toilets to use.
- I heard there is a palapa where they prepare some snacks which you could buy but the morning we spent there I didn’t see anyone selling any food there so just in case bring your own food and water.
- chemical repellent and sunscreen lotions are NOT allowed to use in the cenote.
- if you need to use something, then use only 100% natural mosquito repellent.
- if you need to, use only 100% natural sunscreen lotion. Personally, I do not use any lotions, just 100% organic cold-pressed raspberry oil to protect my skin from sunrays.
- if you’d like to hide from the sunbeams, there are some places with shadow around the cenote, e.g. pergolas and palapas.
Cenote Zemway is just one of many cenotes to visit around Tulum. It was one of my favorite ones not only thanks to clear water and different options to have fun, but also because it’s surrounded by jungle. I still remember observing the jungle trees while floating there. Breeze, birds and even saw some butterflies! Unforgettable memories!
standing on a platform
cenote Zemway from upstairs
entering the cenote Zemway
Recommendation: If you are in Tulum, you can book a tour to 4 cenotes here. Each cenote is a different experience!
On my Instagram I posted a yoga video I took in cenote Zemway. Check it out:
TIP 1: Mexico is a lovely country you should definitely put on your bucket list. Before you go, first read 5 things you didn’t know about Mexico to learn something new.
TIP 2: If you are in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo where Tulum is located as well, then you should not miss snorkeling with whale sharks. You can go on a trip from Cancun usually between May and September when whale sharks are in the area.
Would you like to visit the unique cenote Zemway or other cenotes close to Tulum? Tell me in the comments below.
*Disclaimer: All my photos in this post are from a cloudy day. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to visit cenote Zemway on a sunny day when the water looks so much nicer.
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