🤫 Cenote Secreto Maya – our favourite cenote in Valladolid, Mexico! I have a feeling it’ll be your favourite too after you’ve read this post!
We have just finished visiting Valladolid for the second time, on a mission to find the prettiest and quietest cenote in Mexico. Off the beaten track is the kind of travel we strive to find… and Secreto Maya delivered! This cenote came recommended from a local friend in Valladolid. We rented our scooter, arrived late in the day and had it ALL to OURSELVES! I mean how often in life, do you get to experience a place like this… like this!
Below we explain your options for getting to Secreto Maya, including their offers and packages available. Secreto Maya provides life jacket rental, swimming pool access, food and drinks, massage, a Mayan ceremony AND a tour of their Jaguar Cave. And if you are looking for a unique place to stay outside Valladolid then book a night or two in one of their three luxury cabins. Read on for ALL the details.
We have spent a great deal of time searching for the best cenotes in Valladolid… that way you’ll know exactly which ones to choose. So get our COMPLETE guide to Cenote Secreto Maya near Valladolid, Mexico – and our recommendations for more of the best hidden cenotes in the area!
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Table of Contents
Key Things to Know – Cenote Secreto Maya
🌀 Type of Cenote – open ceiling
💰 Price – 200 MXN pesos adults / 100 MXN pesos kids
🚿 Amenities – changing facilities, showers, life jacket optional
💆♀️ Hotel & spa available onsite
🍹 Restaurant & bar with pool
🛵 Best way to get there – scooter or rental car
⏰ Timings – 10am to 5pm, 7 days a week
🎒 What to Bring – towel & swimmers, Go-Pro, reusable water bottle, snorkel & mask
About Secreto Maya Cenote – Valladolid
As you cruise the almost empty road through the jungle on your rental scooter, you certainly get the feels like you’re onto something secret. Then as you follow the signs and gravel road to Secreto Maya, you know you are!
We’ve visited our fair share of cenotes by now… Valladolid, Mexico has been a place that we keep returning to in search of the perfect cenote. And our first impression of Secreto Maya blows the other experiences out of the water. This one feels a little more luxurious, a bit more boutique and a lot less touristy. The staff take time to explain the cenote and also just to chat. It seems that they really care about your experience.
And the cenote well it’s stunning! The large open air cenote with small platform, provides enough resting space to put your belongings without intruding on the cenote itself. This means you can sit and admire the tranquility of Cenote Secreto Maya in the middle of the Mexican jungle.
So the story goes… the owner was visiting Valladolid from Mexico City, she fell in love and decided to buy a cenote. Well it seems that she found a beautiful one and turned it into a place of peace and luxury.
Getting to Secreto Maya & Map of Valladolid, Mexico
Secreto Maya Cenote is 33km, as the crow flies, north-east from the centre of Valladolid, Mexico. In other words a 30-40 minute car journey, or a 55 minute scooter ride. Which sounds like a lot, but in fact it was a GREAT scooter ride. The picturesque roads, particularly the 9km through the jungle beyond Yalcobá, only added to the adventure.
What’s more, nearby and not far from Secreto Maya is the cenote route. That means it’s easy to combine a visit to a couple of cenotes in one day trip, and possibly even Ek Balam ruins. For example combine Cenote Secreto Maya with a visit to another one of the best in the Valladolid area – Cenote Sac Aua.
The beauty of these northern cenotes, is that they are less visited. As such, they are more off the beaten track. Fewer fellow tourists, makes for a more enjoyable experience right!
But herein lies the challenge – because of the fewer visitors means taxis don’t often go in this direction. And so getting to Secreto Maya and other cenotes along this route requires a more intrepid approach. You guessed it… you need to rent a scooter!
Renting a Scooter from Valladolid
But before you begin to worry, take a breath, relax… it’s not that hard! Trust me, I’ve never driven a scooter and it took me 10 minutes to figure out.
I took the scooter around the block a few times to get the hang of it. They’re easy to handle, and the roads, even the highways are easy to drive on. You will be asked by the rental operator if you have experience. If you’re a quick learner and confident you can do it, then give them the thumbs up and you’ll figure it out I reckon.
If not, and renting a scooter seems like one adventure too many, then consider renting a car, OR check out some of the tours along the cenote route that I have listed below. Alternatively, book a night stay at Secreto Maya Cenote. Yes indeed, they have a hotel… I explain more below.
Taking a Taxi & Renting a Car from Valladolid, Mexico
Taxis are a little trickier given that Cenote Secreto Maya is more remote from Valladolid. And so we suggest that you chat to a few taxi drivers in Valladolid. Perhaps you can find a taxi driver who is willing to wait for you while you visit Cenote Secreto Maya.
Otherwise, there are some great car rental options in Valladolid. Click here to see one of the more popular car rental locations in Valladolid – Ko’ox Balak. They also have many great 5 star Google Reviews.
Secreto Maya Cenote – What to Expect
Tickets to Secreto Maya Cenote & Mayan Welcome Ceremony
At the ticket hut you’ll receive a warm welcome from the beautiful Secreto Maya staff. There are a few options and packages available, so read below for the Secreto Maya Cenote and activities costs.
The beautiful welcome doesn’t end at the ticket hut. Jump into the clean, stylish, changing facilities and get yourself ready for a swim. It’s important to note here that visitors mustn’t swim with suntan lotions and repellants on as this can interfere with the delicate cenote ecosystem. So be mindful, and if in doubt, shower here to prepare.
Then follow the path to the shaman offering a traditional Mayan welcome. This ritual isn’t compulsory, but it’s the first Mayan blessing I’ve ever had and let me tell you… it was special. Each of our group received an individual blessing, which seemed perfectly fitting for such a sacred place.
Carrying on towards the cenote we came across another friendly member of the Secreto Maya team. She kindly explained to us some of the details of the cenote, the facilities and the premises.
Swimming in Secreto Maya Cenote
Brace yourself, because as you take the stairs leading down to the cenote, you’ll be left speechless. Especially, if you’ve been fortunate with timing, and have arrived when Secreto Maya Cenote is empty. If you have arrived in the middle of the day and the sun is hitting the water, the deep turquoise colours will take your breath away.
It isn’t mandatory to wear life jackets when swimming at Secreto Maya Cenote as it is in other cenotes near Valladolid. However, it is possible to rent them OR to rent a large inflatable like we did! Now I’m not an inflatable kind of person, but swimming in Secreto Maya Cenote with a large inflatable crocodile was a good laugh.
The other thing to absolutely love about Secreto Maya is the swing rope and jumps. The largest jump at 18 metres requires you to sign a waiver – the no responsibility kind of waiver. But the swing rope, is a free for all… Tarzans are welcome on this one.
How Much Does Entrance to Secreto Maya Cenote Cost
Secreto Maya Cenote came in marginally higher than the majority of other cenotes we visited in Valladolid, Mexico. But given the fact it was our family favourite, we had no issue with the few extra pesos we paid.
Below are the standard prices as well as the packages available at Secreto Maya Cenote.
🌀 Normal: adults 200 MXN pesos – cenote
🌀👙 The Mayan Package: adults 300 MXN pesos – cenote + life jacket, Mayan ceremony, Jaguar cave tour & pool access
🌀👙✨ VIP: adults 900 MXN pesos – cenote + life jacket, Mayan ceremony, Jaguar cave tour, pool access, food, coconut cocktail & massage
Book a Spa / Stay the Night at Hotel B. Secreto Maya
Those looking for a truly unique experience, should consider spending a night at Hotel B. Secreto Maya. Three cabanas are available on a nightly basis and children are welcome. For a truly off the beaten track and unique cenote experience in Valladolid, Mexico – this is it!
Guests who stay the night are offered an after hours, candle-lit swim in the cenote. And this is in addition to the spa and shaman blessing available. Hotel B. Secreto Maya sounds like the perfect retreat destination or weekend getaway if you ask me!
Cenote Tours of Valladolid, Mexico
There are no direct tours associated with Cenote Secreto Maya, but there are other guided tours along the cenote route to the north of Valladolid, Mexico. The following tours are the best listed on Viator, which come with high reviews from previous travellers.
The first on the list, combines a cenote tour with my favourite Mayan ruins at Ek Balam. But also a visit to Rio Lagartos and the pink lakes in the far north. This is a beautiful area of the Yucatan and off the beaten track. We lived in this area for a month while travelling around Mexico.
The third tour combines a visit to Chichen Itza. After all, if you’ve come to the part of the world it would be crazy to come all this way and not visit a Wonder of the World.
Final Thoughts & Review of Secreto Maya Cenote
Secreto Maya Cenote was recommended to us by locals from Valladolid, which just confirms it as one of the best in Mexico. With the tree roots dipping into the water, the steep cenote walls and the contrasting foliage – words just don’t do justice.
It was undoubtedly OUR family favourite, of all the cenotes we visited. As such we thoroughly recommend Cenote Secreto Maya for your visit to Valladolid, Mexico.
If you have been to Cenote Secreto Maya, let us know below in the comments what you thought! And be sure to check out other cenotes through our reviews below, as well as other things to do for your visit to Valladolid.
- Planning a visit to Mayan ruins – read our self-guided tour of Chichen Itza and self-guided tour of Ek Balam (post coming soon)
- Looking for the best place to stay in Valladolid – get our review of the Oryx Hostel
- Visit cenotes to the south of Valladolid – Saamal and Dzitnup cenotes
- Swim in one of the best cenotes to the north of Valladolid – Sac Aua cenote
- The best things to do in Valladolid – (post coming soon)
- A full list and complete guide to the best cenotes in Valladolid
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