Close to Casa Tortuga are several adventures such as underground cenotes filled with crystaline water that flow beneath the Mayan Riviera. These Cenotes make for great snorkeling and diving adventures. The best cenotes are located on the road to Coba and are a great stopping point travelling to and from the ruins. Some cenotes even offer ziplinning through the caverns and guided tours.
Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies. Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground, and therefore contains very little suspended particulate matter.
Cenotes are formed by dissolution of rock and the resulting subsurface void, which may or may not be linked to an active cave system, and the subsequent structural collapse of the rock ceiling above the void. The rock that falls into the water below will then be slowly removed by further dissolution, creating space for more collapse blocks.
The widely distributed cenotes are the only perennial source of potable quality water and have long been the principal sources of water in much of the Yucatán Peninsula. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies, and therefore cities, including the famous Chichén Itzá, were built around these natural wells. Some cenotes like the Cenote of Sacrifice in Chichén Itzá played an important role in Maya rites. Believing that these pools were gateways to the afterlife, the Maya sometimes threw valuable items into them. (Wikipedia)
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What is a cenote?
Close to Casa Tortuga are several adventures such as underground cenotes filled with crystaline water that flow beneath the Mayan Riviera. These Cenotes make for great snorkeling and diving adventures. The best cenotes are located on the road to Coba and are a great stopping point travelling to and from the ruins. Some cenotes even offer ziplinning through the caverns and guided tours.
Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies. Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground, and therefore contains very little suspended particulate matter.
Cenotes are formed by dissolution of rock and the resulting subsurface void, which may or may not be linked to an active cave system, and the subsequent structural collapse of the rock ceiling above the void. The rock that falls into the water below will then be slowly removed by further dissolution, creating space for more collapse blocks.
The widely distributed cenotes are the only perennial source of potable quality water and have long been the principal sources of water in much of the Yucatán Peninsula. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies, and therefore cities, including the famous Chichén Itzá, were built around these natural wells. Some cenotes like the Cenote of Sacrifice in Chichén Itzá played an important role in Maya rites. Believing that these pools were gateways to the afterlife, the Maya sometimes threw valuable items into them. (Wikipedia)