Cenote Dos Ojos is an underwater cave system in Mexico, near the town of Tulum on the Yucatán Peninsula. Its name means "Two Eyes," a reference to the two round openings that give the site its character. Through them, visitors look down into freshwater that is famously clear, and into a network of limestone caverns decorated with stalactites and stalagmites.
What to expect
The water is the main draw. Because it is freshwater and so transparent, the cenote suits snorkeling as well as diving, and the passages below the surface reveal formations that are otherwise hard to see. Divers can explore a long network of surveyed passages, which is why the site is known to cave divers around the world. Snorkelers stay nearer the openings and the shallower sections.
Planning a visit
- Expect a cave environment: the light changes quickly as you move away from the openings.
- Snorkeling and diving here suit different levels of experience, so choose the activity that matches your training and comfort in enclosed water.
- Tulum is the natural base for a trip, and the surrounding coast and other cenotes in the area make it easy to combine several stops in one day.
For visitors who want a memorable half-day outside the town, Cenote Dos Ojos offers something quite different from the beaches: a quiet, cool world of rock and clear water, reached through the open air of the Yucatán.