Cenote Chikin Ha – Jungle Adventure – 2 Dives

Cenote Chikin Ha

Chikin Ha means “Western Water” according to the ancient Mayan language of the area.
Just a short drive from Playa del Carmen, it’s located in a park which offers three different Cenotes.
The maximum depth during both dives in Cenote Chikin Ha is 15 meters.

You start the dive in a relatively small open entry-area thats shared with snorkelers and offers another entry.
Diving down to approximately 4-5 meters in the open water area you will encounter the guideline leading you towards the dark, deeper area forming a huge tunnel.

Your guide leads you along the permanent installed guideline through the phreatic tunnel and with some luck you can see the halocline after some minutes, just hovering above the ground.
Different formations and fossils are found here, and soon you will see some natural light entering from another Cenote – the line starts directing towards this new encountered entry and ends where you can safely surface to admire ‘Cenote Rainbow’ on the surface before heading back your way down, through the tunnel and towards Chikin Ha from where we came, to end our dive.

This Cenote offers two guide lines leading through different parts of the cavern.

Parque Cenotes Chikin Ha – Aldea Maya

The Cenote Park Aldea Maya offers a total of three different Cenotes, two of which are regularly used for diving and snorkeling activities.
Apart of Temazcal offers, a small souvenir-shop, bathrooms, showers and changing rooms, there is lots of space to hang out and relax throughout the day.

Cenote Xtabay only offers a very shallow and small open water area, therefore it makes for a good snorkeling-option.
Nevertheless this Cenote is an entry-point to a submerged cave system, and is therefore used for Cavern and Cave diving training – the shallow open water area is usually spared though.

Cenote Chikin Ha offers a massive overhang for snorkelers to feel the cavern-feeling and allows to follow divers-sight for quite a bit before snorkeling-limits are reached.
Divers though regularly enjoy of this Cenote as a dive-site for recreational cavern-diving.
Two different dives lead through the cavern area of Cenote Chikin Ha towards Cenote Rainbow, connected by a wide tunnel.

Cenote Rainbow is not used as an entry to snorkel or dive, as it is a sacred place in which Mayan Ceremonies, Weddings and Events take place.
The dry area of the delicate cavern is decorated mindfully with candles to provide light in the dark areas during ceremonies.
A light smell of Copal incense can be noticed even upon surfacing from the dive here.

Definitely worth a visit diving or not, Aldea Maya Cenotes Chikin Ha is certainly a unique and tranquil place to connect with the nature, learn more about Cenotes or simply enjoy their natural beauty without being a very commercialised location for tourists.