Cenote Zací: The Swim in the Middle of Valladolid
A broad blue pool under a rocky overhang, stone steps down to the water, a restaurant looking over it, and all of it inside the town itself: Zací is the cenote you swim in without leaving Valladolid. Here is what the 2026 reports say it costs, why the 30-peso price still circulating is stale, and which of its published facts genuinely conflict.
We run a shared Chichen Itza tour that swims at Cenote Ik Kil, not here. We are a new operator with a short track record. The price and hours figures on this page are dated published reports, labelled as such, because the venue publishes no verifiable official tariff.
Cenote Zací: A Cenote in the Middle of Valladolid
Cenote Zací is a semi-open cenote in the middle of Valladolid, Yucatán, on Calle 36 between Calles 37 and 39 in the current sources, several blocks east of the main square. Every other cenote in this guide layer asks for a drive, a bike ride or a tour stop; Zací asks for a walk across town, and that is exactly its role: the swim that belongs to a Valladolid day, paired with the plaza, the Calzada de los Frailes and lunch, rather than to a Chichen Itza itinerary. It is 45 km from the ruins, on the far side of the day from the tour cenotes.
Not our swim. Our shared Chichen Itza tour swims at Cenote Ik Kil. Zací is covered as part of this site’s complete cenote guide layer, for travellers spending time in Valladolid itself.
The venue is municipally run and publishes no official tariff that we could verify, so prices and hours below are dated reports with conflicts printed rather than averaged away, the same discipline as this site’s Hubiku and Saamal and Cenote Oxman guides.
The Swim: Stone Steps Down to a Semi-Open Pool
The pool is broad, about 35 × 25 m in SEDUMA’s published dimensions, and sits under a rocky overhang: part of the water is open to the sky and part lies in the rock’s shade, which is what semi-open means in practice, sun on one side and cool shadow on the other. Access runs through a grotto entrance and down a stone staircase with railings, the descent described in the Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable’s own coverage. A restaurant at the rim overlooks the water, so anyone who does not swim can still look down into the cenote from above while the swimmers are in it.
The life jacket is part of the swim here: 2026 reports agree it is included in the price and required to swim. Two caveats, printed because they are in the sources: one government page only “recommends” a jacket, and one guide describes a separate rental; and jackets can run out before mid-afternoon, so arrive early if the swim matters to you.
Depth, printed as a conflict. The published maximum is about 40 m (SEDUMA), while swim-depth reports describe 25 to 30 m. Those are different claims, a maximum sounding versus where swimmers actually are, so this page prints them as a conflict rather than one swim depth: treat the water as deep, and swim in the jacket.
Prices: The 2026 Tariff and the 30-Peso Trap
| Who | Price, as reported in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Adult | 150 MXN |
| Child, ages 4–12 | 75 MXN |
| Children under 3 | Free |
| Payment | Cash only, in pesos, at the ticket office |
That tariff is the 2026 convergence across TripAdvisor’s 2026 visitor reports, the municipal fee table (via yucatan.guide), valladolidmexico.tours and mexicocenotesandruins (August 2026), and September 2026 reports still held it. Confirm it at the ticket office on the day.
Why the warning? Because top-ranking guides still print the old 30-peso price. That figure is stale: the rise was a January 2025 municipal decision. If a page tells you Zací costs 30 pesos, it has not been updated, and you will arrive with the wrong cash. The same caution covers every lower figure on older pages: until the ticket office proves otherwise, anything well under the 2026 reports is a pre-2025 price.
Hours and Facilities: The Printed Conflicts
Hours conflict: sources give 09:00–17:00 and 09:00–17:30, with the last ticket around 16:00 and last water around 16:30. We publish the conflict, not a single closing time: plan to be there well before either.
One August 2026 source gives a stay limit of up to 2 hours; treat that as provisional, from a single source. Facilities are likewise conflicted across sources: changing areas, lockers and showers are described inconsistently, and no locker fee is settled, so expect basics, and ask at the ticket office. The restaurant above the pool is the one facility every source agrees on.
One more check before you build a day around the swim: Zací’s swim access has closed for works at times, so the current swim status is worth confirming before you count on it.
Fitting Zací Into a Valladolid Day
Zací is the flexible piece of a town day: the plaza and San Servacio in the morning, the swim when the heat builds, then the Calzada de los Frailes to the convent of San Bernardino de Siena, or the folk-art rooms at Casa de los Venados. The town plan those pieces hang off is in the Valladolid travel guide; the deep version, sights, food and short-stop plans one by one, is the Valladolid deep guide, whose own Zací passage now points here for the venue itself. The full cenote comparison, Zací among the Valladolid set, is on the best cenotes hub.
Zací or Ik Kil? They are different swims. Zací is the in-town add-on: semi-open, overlooked by its restaurant, reached on foot. Ik Kil, near Chichen Itza, is a deep, round, open cenote reached by a long stairway, and it is the swim included in the shared tour on this site. On a Chichen Itza day, swim at Ik Kil; Zací is worth its own half day in town, or a second swim if you are staying over and the heat wins.
Our Tour’s Swim Is Ik Kil: The Shared Tour
Planning a Valladolid visit? Our shared day trip includes Chichen Itza, a swim at Cenote Ik Kil, and a stop in Valladolid. It costs $130 per adult and $115 per child up to age 12, with the 697 MXN Chichen Itza entrance fee included. We pick you up from your own hotel or pickup point and confirm your exact pickup time on WhatsApp the night before. To reserve, pay a 30% advance, with the balance due on the day of the tour. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the tour, and the advance is refunded in full. We are a new operator, and we say so plainly.
City pages: Chichen Itza tour from Cancun · from Tulum · from Playa del Carmen
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The 697 MXN Chichen Itza entrance fee is included in these prices: nothing extra to pay at the gate for entry.
Cenote Zací: Questions, Answered
How much does Cenote Zací cost in 2026?
As reported in 2026, entry is 150 MXN per adult and 75 MXN per child aged 4–12, with children under 3 free. Payment is cash only, in pesos, and 2026 reports say the life jacket is included in the price and required to swim. Confirm the tariff at the ticket office on the day: older guides still print the old 30-peso price, which has been stale since the municipal rise of January 2025.
Is Cenote Zací on the shared Chichen Itza tour?
No. Our shared tour swims at Cenote Ik Kil, near Chichen Itza. Zací is a separate swim inside Valladolid town, covered here for travellers spending a day or a night in Valladolid itself.
What are Cenote Zací’s opening hours?
The sources conflict: 09:00–17:00 and 09:00–17:30 both appear, with the last ticket around 16:00 and last water around 16:30. This page publishes the conflict rather than one closing time: plan to be there well before either, and check the day’s board at the ticket office.
Do you have to wear a life jacket at Cenote Zací?
Per the 2026 reports, yes: the jacket is included in the entry price and required to swim. Two caveats are in the sources: one government page only recommends a jacket, and one guide describes a separate rental. Jackets can also run out before mid-afternoon, so arrive early if the swim matters to you.
How deep is Cenote Zací?
The published figures conflict. SEDUMA gives a maximum of about 40 m, while swim-depth reports describe 25 to 30 m. Those are different claims, a maximum sounding versus where swimmers actually are, so this page prints both rather than one swim depth: treat the pool as deep and swim in the jacket.
Where is Cenote Zací?
In the middle of Valladolid, Yucatán, on Calle 36 between Calles 37 and 39 in the current sources, several blocks east of the main square, a short walk from the plaza. It sits about 45 km from Chichen Itza, on the Valladolid side of the day.
Zací or Ik Kil: which should you swim?
They are different swims. Zací is a semi-open cenote in the middle of town with a restaurant overlooking the pool, an easy add-on when you are already in Valladolid. Ik Kil, near Chichen Itza, is a deep, round, open cenote reached by a long stairway. If you only have time for one swim on a Chichen Itza day, Ik Kil is the one on the tour route; Zací rewards a separate half day in town.
What facilities does Cenote Zací have?
The restaurant overlooking the pool is the one facility every source agrees on. Beyond that the reports conflict: changing areas, lockers and showers are described inconsistently, and no locker fee is settled. Expect basics, and ask at the ticket office. The swim has also closed for works at times, so check the current swim status before you count on it.
Check Your Date on WhatsApp
Booking opens on WhatsApp: that is where your date is checked, your pickup point is set, and your exact pickup time is confirmed the night before the tour. Send one message with:
- Your tour date
- Your pickup city and hotel or pickup point
- How many adults and children (to age 12)
$130 per adult · $115 per child · 697 MXN entrance fee included · 30% advance to reserve · free cancellation up to 48 hours before.
Start with your date
One tap opens the conversation. Prices above are the full per-person prices: the entrance fee is already in them.