Cenote Sac Actun

By the Cenote Taak Bi Ha editorial team · Independent guide · Updated 10 October 2026

A guided snorkel through decorated caves, and the giant flooded cave system that shares its name.

Sac Actun: a cave system and a cenote tour

"Sac Actun" (Maya for "white cave") means two different things, which confuses many visitors:

The Sac Actun system, a vast network of flooded caves under the jungle between Tulum and the coast. In January 2018 Mexico’s INAH announced that explorers of the Gran Acuífero Maya project had connected it with the Dos Ojos system, making it, by their measurement, the largest known flooded cave system in the world, at about 347 km at the time. Many famous cenotes are entrances to it, including Gran Cenote and, according to Dive Cenotes Mexico, Taak Bi Ha.
Cenote Sac Actun, the tour site, a cave cenote about 22 km north of Tulum, reached by the same access road off Highway 307 as Parque Dos Ojos, that is visited on a guided snorkel tour through decorated chambers. This is what most people mean when they search for "Sac Actun cenote".

Cenote Sac Actun price and hours: what the sources say

Unlike open cenotes where you pay once and stay all day, Sac Actun is visited with a guide. Here is what sources list, as listed on 10 October 2026. Verify before you go.

Source	Price as listed	Hours as listed
Amo Playa del Carmen (2026)	650 MXN (about 35 USD) incl. guide, snorkel gear, wetsuit; phone pouch 200 MXN	Daily 9:00–17:00
Nguide (2026)	n/a	9:00–17:00
TripAdvisor visitor review	650 MXN incl. admission, wetsuit, snorkel and tour	n/a

In short: plan on about 650 MXN per person for the guided visit, with snorkel gear and a wetsuit included. Private tours from Tulum that add transport and other cenotes are sold separately by tour operators at much higher prices.

What the guided snorkel is like

Guided only: you follow a guide with a light through cave chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites. Visitors report the swim lasts around an hour.
Cool water: cave water stays cool year round, which is why a wetsuit is included.
Dark sections: parts of the route are dim. If you are uneasy in enclosed spaces, ask about the route before paying.
Protect the cave: no sunscreen, keep your fins off the formations, and never touch them. Broken formations do not grow back in our lifetime.

Sac Actun, Taak Bi Ha or Dos Ojos?

All three are cave cenotes in the same stretch of jungle, and the experience overlaps. Sac Actun is a structured guided snorkel. Taak Bi Ha is smaller and quieter, with a single spectacular chamber you can swim on your own (see snorkeling and diving at Taak Bi Ha). Dos Ojos is a bigger park with two connected caverns and a busy dive scene. With a car you can combine two in a day. See our full list of cenotes near Tulum.

Diving in the Sac Actun system

Many dive centres in Tulum offer cavern dives at entrances to the system, such as Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos. A cavern dive stays within reach of daylight with a certified guide; going further into the cave needs full cave training. Ask your dive centre which site they use and what certification they require.

How to get to Cenote Sac Actun

Sac Actun is about 22 km north of Tulum, roughly 25 minutes by car. It shares its access road with Parque Dos Ojos, off Highway 307 (the Tulum–Playa del Carmen highway):

Drive north from Tulum toward Akumal and Playa del Carmen. The Dos Ojos turn-off is on the left (west) side of the highway; coming from Tulum you may need to continue to the next retorno and U-turn to reach it.
Take the Dos Ojos access road. At the entrance booth, tell staff you are going to Sac Actun. You may be asked to pay a road or access fee.
Continue past the Dos Ojos park entrance. Travellers describe Sac Actun as about 6 km further inland along a dirt road, with a left turn near the end. Signage is limited, so download an offline map before you go.

Without a car, take a northbound colectivo and ask to be let off at the Dos Ojos entrance, then arrange a taxi for the 6 km inland, or book a tour that includes transport. Taak Bi Ha is on the same road, so the two pair easily. See how to get to Taak Bi Ha for more detail on the area.

What to bring

Cash in pesos; card payment may not be available
Swimsuit, towel and a change of clothes. The wetsuit, mask and snorkel are included in the listed price
A waterproof phone pouch if you want photos (sold on site for about 200 MXN, according to one source)
Insect repellent for the parking area only, not for the water

Who Sac Actun suits, and who should skip it

It is a great choice if you want to see cave formations up close with someone leading the way, or if you are a confident swimmer but don’t dive. It is less suitable for very young children, people who are uncomfortable in dim or enclosed spaces, or anyone looking for a place to relax in the sun all day. For that, an open cenote such as Calavera is a better match.

A one-day plan: Sac Actun + Taak Bi Ha

Book the earliest Sac Actun tour you can (around 9:00), then drive back along the same road to Taak Bi Ha for an unhurried swim in its single big chamber. Bring lunch or eat in Tulum afterwards. Check the current hours of both sites, as they can change.

How much is Cenote Sac Actun?

Sources list about 650 MXN per person for the guided visit, including snorkel gear and a wetsuit. A waterproof phone pouch costs extra. Verify before visiting.

Can you visit Sac Actun without a guide?

The cave sections of the tour site are visited with a guide. Some other entrances to the system, such as Gran Cenote, can be visited independently.

Is Taak Bi Ha part of Sac Actun?

According to Dive Cenotes Mexico, yes: Taak Bi Ha is one of the many cenotes connected to the Sac Actun system.

What does Sac Actun mean?

It is usually translated from Maya as "white cave".

Sources

Prices and hours below were taken from these pages on 10 October 2026. They are as listed there, not verified by us: confirm before visiting.