Swinging into the aquatic underground

The Yucatán Peninsula’s many cenotes offer magical places to swim for thrill-seeking adventurers

Slivers of bright sunlight illuminate my face as sweat runs into my eyes. I squint through hanging tree roots and see my son, Noah, putting on a yellow life vest and fastening it firmly. He tosses me a matching vest and shouts, “We have to swing off the rope and jump in!”

Peering into the dark watery abyss that awaits, I catch the vest but shake my head firmly to the rope swinging, and he rolls his eyes at my staunch refusal in the way only teenagers can. Back in my youth I wouldn’t think twice about swinging into a cenote in the middle of a Mayan forest, but these days I’m a bit more cautious.

Noah and I have been travelling together, just the two of us, since he could wheel his own luggage, and there’s no one I would rather explore the world with. Like most people, over the past two years we’ve had to put our adventures on hold, and we chose the Riviera Maya as our “get-back-to-travel trip.”

Located in the middle of the northeast Yucatán Peninsula in Quintana Roo, it’s a magical destination with sunshine and white sand, ancient archeological sites (including Chichén Itzá, once the heart of the Mayan empire), adorable wildlife (coatis!), and natural wonders such as coral reefs, caves and cenotes. I’d only seen the famous cenotes in photos but dreamed of visiting in real life. They’re the doorway to Mexico’s mysterious aquatic underworld that I’ve always wanted to swim in. Or at least stick my foot in.

Cenotes are natural, deep-water formations shaped by collapsing limestone bedrock and the percolating of rainwater and currents of

underground rivers through cracks over time.

These resulting pits and sinkholes, which range in size, expose the groundwater underneath. In the Yucatán Peninsula alone, there are more than 6,000 cenotes, named after the Yucatec Maya word “D’zonot” — a place with underground water. Notable ones include the especially beautiful Cenote Ik Kil (near Chichén Itzá), Río Secreto (a spectacular cave and cenote system in Playa del Carmen), and the famous Gran Cenote in Tulum (also a top diving and snorkeling spot).

Eight hours earlier, at the crack of dawn, Noah and I boarded a tour bus from the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya for a guided day trip packed with adventures, including a stop at Cenote Oxmán, a 15-minute drive from the colonial city of Valladolid and two hours from Cancun. It’s located within an estate property, Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxmán, a former agave plantation dating back to 1746.

Upon arriving at Cenote Oxmán, I quickly swap jean shorts for my bathing suit and rinse off in the showers. (On any tour, ensure your sunscreen is biodegradable and eco-friendly to help protect the cenotes, coral reefs and water reserves in Riviera Maya.) My mouth waters as I pass the snack bar’s fresh coconuts, with their tops sliced off and straws sticking out. But the call of the cenote is strong. Coconuts must wait.

This cenote is open to the sky (unlike cave cenotes, with mostly intact ceilings), allowing for a striking view from the platform above. The water looks almost black from up here, but it’s actually crystal-clear turquoise.

Accessing a concealed “Indiana Jones”–style entrance through a hut, we descend all the way down 73 twisting steps into the underworld. I lean against perspiring rocks and take it all in: the tree roots dangling from above me like a fringe curtain, the cascading leaves wrapping around the cenote, the smell of everything fresh and green.

There are two ways into the water: the adrenaline-inducing rope swing, or the slippery and somewhat uneven staircase. Easy decision. I crawl down the steps on all fours like our cat and cautiously make my way into the most refreshing, purest water, where harmless, little fish welcome me with bubbles.

I look up just as Noah swings like a monkey and lands with a dramatic splash. With my head bobbing above the cool water and the rest of my body submerged, I hang onto my life vest and paddle to him laughing.

We float next to each other and look up from our hole deep in the earth. Sunlight sprinkles in from a blue sky and birds circle above. I am so grateful to travel again. I turn to Noah.

“OK, I’ll do the rope swing. But first, we drink from coconuts.”