Palomitas Cenote & Agua Dulce Cenote are only 30-40 minutes from Valladolid. Read our review to help you decide if these cenotes should be on your must-see list, for your visit to Valladolid.
Palomitas and Agua Dulce Cenote, on the same complex, came highly recommended and they were the last we visited in Valladolid. In fact we love the Valladolid cenotes so much they we returned three times in order to see them all. Below we tell you all about how to visit them, including how to get there, what you’ll pay & MORE!
If you want to find out more information about what a cenote actually is and the difference between a closed, open and semi-open cenote then don’t miss my post on Valladolid cenotes.
Visiting both Agua Dulce and Palomitas is no longer very easy, due to recently restricted access to Agua Dulce Cenote. Most of the posts we read, gave incorrect information about the price to enter and accessibility of Agua Dulce. But below we explain updated information for your visit during 2023. As well as which other cenotes are in the area, for a day chocka block full of cenote hunting inspiration.
Read our full guide below, for everything you need to know for the perfect day out to Cenote Palomitas & Agua Dulce Cenote near Valladolid.
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Table of Contents
Quick Facts on Palomitas Cenote
🌀 Type of Cenote – closed ceiling
💰 Price – 180 MXN pesos per adult, young children free
➡️ Distance from Valladolid – 28 km
🔍 Depth – 60 metres
🚿 Amenities – changing facilities, showers, lockers paid, life jacket optional
🍽 Restaurant
🛵 Best way to get there – scooter or rental car
⏰ Timings – 8am to 4.30pm, 7 days a week
🎒 What to Bring – towel & swimmers, Go-Pro, reusable water bottle
About Palomitas & Agua Dulce Cenotes
In the one complex – Agua Dulce Adventures – you’ll find the two cenotes. Both Palomitas Cenote and Agua Dulce Cenote are owned by the one family and are short walk between each entrance. However, these days Agua Dulce is more difficult to visit due to timings.
Let me explain – Between the hours of 8am to 3pm Agua Dulce is reserved for tours only. Arrive between these times and you’ll find a couple of Tui buses parked out front. It seems that the cenote owners have a contract with Tui, in which they are the sole visitors during the day. Only after 3pm can you enter.
We visited twice, as we’d heard Agua Dulce was beautiful. When we found we couldn’t visit we carried on, deciding to skip on Palomitas. But the second time we went, we concluded defeat that we would not get into Agua Dulce. Also given that we couldn’t hang around until 3pm waiting for Agua Dulce to open, we decided to check out Palomitas.
And Palomitas Cenote did not disappoint. When we initially arrived, there were perhaps 10 people already visiting. After 20 minutes they filtered away, leaving us to swim and enjoy Palomitas Cenote completely to ourselves. I mean you can’t complain with that!
Palomitas Cenote is a large closed cave-like cenote. There is a little natural light entering from a small opening in the ceiling above. Though most of the lighting comes from spotlights. Read below for our thoughts on what it’s like to swim in Palomitas Cenote.
How to Get to Palomitas Cenote from Valladolid
Cenote Palomitas and Agua Dulce are 28 km northeast of Valladolid. The best way to get there is through Yalcobá a small village north of the main 180D highway.
In terms of getting there, we recommend two modes of transport – scooter or rental car. We tried them both modes and can confirm that either option, are a great way to visit several of the more beautiful cenotes along the northern cenote route. Palomitas and Agua Dulce Cenotes are also very close to Ek’ Balam ruins and can easily be combined in a day trip.
If you’re considering to take a taxi, it will cost about 300 MXN pesos one way. But you’ll need to ask around in order to find a taxi driver that is willing to wait for you. This is due to the lack of taxis in the area.
Other cenotes to visit nearby – We recommend Sac Aua Cenote or Secreto Maya Cenote for two open cenote options. Or for another closed cenote experience check out the stunning Xcanahaltun Cenote.
Renting a Scooter from Valladolid
Renting a scooter is probably one of the most adventurous ways to explore the cenotes. We loved our full day exploring nearby cenotes and the Ek’ Balam ruins. Scooter rental outlets can be found easily throughout Valladolid and it costs between 500-550 MXN pesos for a scooter day rental.
You needn’t be concerned about the roads as they are well set up for motorbikes and scooters. In addition, the smaller roads between cenotes don’t attract a lot of traffic.
🛵 Book your scooter rental here in advance through Viator.
Renting a Car from Valladolid
Car rental is obviously better if you want to cover more ground. For example if you wanted to visit Palomitas Cenote and Chichén Itzá ruins in the same day.
There is a great little car rental place in Valladolid called Ko’ox Balak. They get great customer feedback and reviews, not to mention they are currently the only car rental option in Valladolid.
But seriously, car rental in Mexico is not expensive and driving in the Yucatan is very straight forward. We loved having the freedom of a rental car for the day and I’m sure you will too!
What to Expect at Palomitas Cenote
On arrival you’ll see signs for the two separate cenotes. Entrance to Agua Dulce is the first, and further on around behind the restaurant is Palomitas Cenote.
All under one roof, there is a small desk, with a guy ready to sell the tickets. Behind him are the bathrooms, lockers, life jackets and showers. Life jackets are optional. Lockers are an extra fee for 30 pesos.
In my opinion you don’t need to worry about the locker rental as there are plenty of places to keep your belongings while you swim. It is of course, very important that you take the shower before entering the cenote. This is to ensure that no toxic creams, lotions or repellants make it from your skin into the water.
Can You Swim at Palomitas Cenote
Swimming is possible at Palomitas and you’d be crazy not to! Yes it’s a little cold at first, okay quite cold… but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity so just do it. There are a couple of places to jump into the cenote as well. Just double check with the custodian whose job it is to oversee the cenote and swimmers, before you jump.
There are a few small fish swimming in Palomitas Cenote if you want to bring a snorkel and mask. And a Go-Pro is also a lot of fun when it comes to cenote swimming.
The stalactites inside Palomitas Cenote are very special to see. I also found it interesting to talk to the custodian about the water levels inside the cenote and the connected underground caves. Apparently during the wet season and following really heavy rain the cenote level rises some 5 metres. He showed me the point at how high it gets, and then overtime he explained that it very slowly begins to drop again.
It is also possible to scuba dive in Palomitas Cenote. Simply turn up with your gear and pay the 300 MXN pesos entrance fee and off you go.
Palomitas & Agua Dulce Cenote Tickets
Entrance prices of Palomitas Cenote is 180 MXN pesos and an extra 180 MXN pesos for Agua Dulce Cenote.
Just for reference, this is more expensive in comparison to the Dzitnup Cenotes – Xkeken and Samula – which is a similar setup, in that there are two cenotes at one complex. The difference there, being that the one fee of 220 pesos provides entrance to both cenotes.
Amenities at Palomitas
You’ll find all the usual amenities at Palomitas Cenote, including showers, bathrooms and a restaurant.
We personally didn’t eat at the restaurant, but it is a large complex that caters for the Tui tour groups that come to visit Agua Dulce Cenote.
Cenote Tours from Valladolid
IF you’re not keen on the scooter or car rental options, then below are a couple of tours we have hand selected for you. Each of these tours provide a pickup in Valladolid. While the third option below includes the option for a pickup from further away in the Riviera Maya.
The second option is for the cenote lover, four cenotes in one day! Included in this list is Palomitas Cenote and Xcanahaltun Cenote – which is one of my personal favourites.
More on Valladolid
That about covers everything we can think of from our visit from Valladolid to Palomitas Cenote. If you have visited recently and swam at Agua Dulce, drop a comment below on your experience.
If you have any further questions, be sure to give us a shout. And in the meantime check out some of our other content from in and around Valladolid.
- Read here for the best things to do in Valladolid (post coming soon)
- Click here to get our self-guided tours of Chichén Itzá and Ek’ Balam
- For our ultimate list of cenotes near Valladolid then don’t miss this post
- Is Suytun Cenote really worth it – read our review here
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