Tulum Mexico vacation, February 2023
Adventure for Noel and Lionel Space, Nanaimo BC
Cenote Taak Bi Ha, 2/16/2023
(Photos can be clicked on for a larger view)

One of the attractions surrounding this area is the availability of a myriad of cenotes (fresh water holes in the ground, some underground). The free ones are just holes in the ground that are fun to jump in and cool off. The nicer ones charge a fee, but can be a wonderland of beauty. About a half hour North of where we are staying is an underground cenote, Taak Bi Ha, with crystal clear water, stalagtites, stalagmites, and bats. The cost was 350 pesos / person ($26 Cdn) and well worth it.

We are slowly learning the lay of the land to find things as a tourist. It is understandable why so may people stay at all-inclusives and then book tours with a guide to visit the various and wonderful things available. Renting a car and heading out as a neophyte is extremely challenging, with little accurate online information (that often includes their own hooks into profiteering), poor directions and signage to a destination, then wading through all the hucksters that pretend to be official so that you'll park in their lot or buy their tickets before actually discovering your destination. It seems most of the tours that come to this cenote bring scuba equipment, as you can explore caves underwater. One tour guide had snorkelers that also disappeared from us for a while as they ventured with underwater flashlights into the small routes that were largely underwater. We had snorkels with us and the water was about as cool as the small pool at our rental, but we would not see much without flashlights, so we enjoyed from above.
 
Map to Taak Bi Ha from our community of Selva Norte. 
 
3 km from the highway to the cenote. 
 
Parking is available right at the cenote if you keep going. 

The Taak Bi Ha is not widely listed and we were lucky to find it. It is down a dirt road where many other cenotes can be visited. After taking a required returno to get to the entrance, a man immediately approached us (of course not speaking any English, which I'm starting to conclude may be being done on purpose so that they can pretend to not understand what you are really after). If we were completely clueless, he probably would have directed us to park right there and take a taxi into our destination. We had kept a phone with Taak Bi Ha in bold at the top and a picture of the facility; by waving that to him, he just waved us through. It helps to indicate that you have a handicap person in the vehicle as well, and Dave would often display his cane (he does actually have a bad hip). After another 100m there is a gate with a man that is responsible to raise it; two other cars had passed us while we were first stopped and we just proceeded through the raised gate with them. Most likely they normally only let tour vans through, but if you act like you know what you're doing, you can get through. The road is bumpy, dusty, with many topes (speed bumps), lots of twists, numerous 20 kph speed signs, where eventually another gentleman tried to steer us into the parking lot across from the restaurant. After continuing on and taking a turn at the sign for Taak Bi Ha, it's another 300 meters to their parking area, which is very small and mostly populated by tour vans. Once parked, there are no signs for guidance. There are several vendors in huts, changing rooms in huts, a 2 stall bathroom in a hut, and one of the huts happens to have ticket prices on their counter once you walk all the way in and happens to be next to a path that leads to the cenote. It's only about 10 meters down a path to the hole in the ground with very steep steps to get down to the cenote.
 
Sign to Taak Bi Ha. 
 
No signs to indicate where the cenote actually is at the parking lot. 
 
Ticket booth. 
 
Entrance path. 
 
Entrance steps. 
 
Cave steps. 

But then the wonder kicks in as the beauty, colors, and clear water are presented.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The underwater lights are snorkelers with flashlights. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dave & Dorothy. 
 
Lionel & Noel. 
 
Divers under water. 
 
Hole in the ceiling. 

The weather was very pleasant. Inside the cave, it was warm and very humid, which made the cool water more refreshing. We stopped for some cold drinks on the dirt road out and made another stop at the food store in Tulum on our way home.

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