Do you want to spend a day full of adventure, surrounded by nature and refreshing yourself in crystal clear waters? Well the Cenote Maní Chan is your best option.
Located in Homun just before entering the town, you will see a wooden sign where it points the way and emphasizes a journey of 3700 meters inside the Mayan jungle.
We will visit 3 Virgin Cenotes
The Tour of the 3 Cenotes starts from the Casa Isabela Restaurant that is located just 3 corners from the entrance, you will not get lost because they have a beautiful couple of wooden mestizos who welcome you. Once they give us the safety instructions and we are well mounted on our bicycles, then we will prepare to return in a row towards the exit of the town until we reach the sign indicating the way.
From the moment you leave the road, the road becomes completely unpaved surrounded by nature, tranquility and silence. While pedaling on the adventurous rocks you will come across birds, hares and cattle that suddenly go out to graze, until you finally arrive at the entrance of the first cenote which is Maní Chan.
The Maní Chan Cenote is located in a completely open area, very clean and ready for you to discover that this beautiful cenote is sheltered in a small cave entrance. You will be immediately surprised when you enter, since you cannot imagine the amplitude and the natural treasures that it protects, at first its vault tells the story of the collapses that it has suffered and that have formed it, details of embedded seashells and petrified corals suggest that at some point he was completely under water. As you walk you will notice that the land is soft, this is because it is clay, a decomposed sedimentary rock that is rare to find in cenotes, here is a complete bank that can be seen very clearly on one side of the road.
On the right side you can see a crack that clearly has a pile of stones as an albarrada with the intention of accommodating and cleaning the entrance, which was made by its former inhabitants, since when they discovered the place it was already like that. When descending to the cave you must be very careful because it is narrow, but it is worth it because it shelters a small shallow cenote, the ceiling of the vault is completely made up of small stalactites that drip and form waves in the water.
On leaving the cave we will continue our tour of the grotto, passing the clay bank and coming across the remains of vessels used by its ancient Mayan inhabitants, when turning around you will see a large stone on the left side that has small steps which suggests that this way they descended to reach the fresh waters, due to these steps this Cenote Maní Chan “Small Steps” owes its name, it is still possible to use it to appreciate the width of the cenote from above or to reach the entrance again .
Although it is not very large in its surface, its transparent waters of green tones and a warm atmosphere will surprise you. To cool off you can go down its step, which is the lowest part where you can start swimming and start to go through it completely, while you move forward it is impressive to see the bottom and how transparent it is. It has a depth of 15 meters and a cave of a kilometer and a half that adjoins other cenotes. Due to the recent rains, the level is a little higher than normal, so it covers another cave that at the moment it is not possible to visit. There is a stone that allows you to sit on it comfortably and enjoy the panoramic view of the place.
The adventure continues visiting the Cenote Cleotilde
After enjoying this wonderful place, we will take the bicycle again and we will drive where we come from, we will go to the Cenote Clotilde. This cenote is located on a very wide area that was once a cattle ranch, it is quickly distinguished by the fact that they have made a stone curb around a large Alamo. You have to descend about 10 meters down some spiral wooden stairs until you reach an esplanade built of stone with benches around it so you can leave your things or sit while enjoying the view, in the middle of this place there is a well. The cenote is beautiful, surrounded by stone walls in which you can see colonnades, stalactites, aspen roots that fall until they touch the water and listen to the murmur of birds and bats that flutter all over the place. Its depth is approximately 35 meters, with a crystalline blue tone that is not noticeable with the naked eye since the branches of the poplar do not allow the sun's rays to fully enter and reveal its beauty. However, swimming and cooling off while you contemplate the place is wonderful.
The impressive Caliskutz cenote
Finally, we will move to the cenote known as Caliskutz, a closed cenote through which you have to descend on a wooden platform, which is divided into two parts, one to dive about 8 meters high and the other takes you to a platform to descend to the fresh waters. It is a very wide cavity in which the white stone walls contrast with the crystalline green water. It is of great depth so going through it is a great challenge, so enjoy it with caution.
To finish, we will return to our starting point to enjoy a rich and delicious Yucatecan meal at the Casa Isabela Restaurant, where you can rest and regain your energy.
The cost of this wonderful tour is $ 380 pesos per person.
- Additionally, you can camp in the Maní Chan cenote and spend a magical night surrounded by nature, where the only noise you will hear is that of the surrounding fauna, while the stars illuminate the place.
- For the most extreme, they can request information to carry out this same route, but by ATV, this is exclusively with a prior reservation.
Contact Information
Cel: 9994204852
Facebook Oficial Cenote Manichan