Photo credit: Marcea Cazel @mycornacopia
All great adventures start with crocodiles and end with crocodiles, right? At least that is what my friends over at AllTourNative Lifetime Experiences planned for my Swimming in a Cenote experience, which included a kayak ride, Mayan Blessing, and a Zipline finish. But those crocodiles made everything just a bit more exciting, you know, eyes darting everywhere, hoping not to fall in the water terror of being eaten alive by vicious creatures.
Taking a tour with AllTourNative is an all-day adventure starting with a pick-up at our resort the Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Playa Del Carmen, Cancun, Mexico. We met our guide for the day Rebecca, climbed aboard the van and off we go! AllTourNative had three adventures planned for us today, climbing a Mayan Pyramid, swimming in a Cenote, and rappelling into a Cenote. Two of the three, I might add, had crocodiles in the scenarios!
What I love about AllTourNative is their philosophy of partnering with Maya communities to create eco-tourism projects that help preserve the environment and the Maya heritage. EarthCheck also recognizes them as a company that supports sustainable development. Big thumbs up from me!
Now, back to the crocodiles …
Our second stop for the day was at a Mayan village near the Coba (pronounced cō-bǝ) Ruins, an ancient Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in what is now northeastern Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Kayaking with Crocodiles
Offloading from the van, we change into our swimsuits, strapped on our life jackets, and launched our kayaks onto a freshwater lake. Home to crocodiles we came to find out while making our crossing. Thankfully, no one tipped their kayaks over, and we all arrived on the other side of the lake safely and with little concern for the crocs. They were far more scared of us than we were of them and we never saw a single one.
Mayan Purification Ceremony
Out of the kayaks and up a trail into the jungle, such a beautiful experience too. Where we arrived for our Mayan Purification Ceremony offering us blessings of good health and well-being by a Mayan Shaman. A profound experience to have, without knowing the Mayan language, it was still obvious the significance of the ceremony and the ancient words gifted upon us for our journey into the Mayan Cenote. From the beautiful native flowers to the tree sap burnt during the ceremony filling our senses with wonder while listening to a ritual spoken for 100’s of years. Humbling to say the least.
Arriving at the Cenote, our guide Rebecca, explained to us the significance of the Cenote in Mayan life. They are not only a source of pure drinking water but a place of ceremonial and spiritual importance to the Mayans. We were asked to thoroughly shower before entering the underground Cenote to remove any sunscreen or bug spray that might contaminate their drinking water. The experience was refreshing enough to raise goose bumps and encourage expediency.
Swimming in a Cenote
Our approach into the Cenote was through a natural cave entrance, then down several flights of steep stairs to reach one of the most beautiful natural underground caves I have ever experienced. Deep crystal clear blue waters filled the mesmerizingly quiet cavern, a picture out of a National Geographic magazine. I was the first one down into the Cenote, and it was like walking into a prehistoric cavern with the stalactites formed on the ceiling and dangling jungle roots hanging in various locations. If you looked closely, you could see bats sleeping in the cracks of the cavern’s ceiling.
Stepping, gliding, and then jumping into the Cenote was an act of pure courage similar to crashing through ice into a frozen lake or so it seemed at the time! Coming from the warmth of the jungle above into the cold waters of the Cenote was quite refreshing and my body adjusted within minutes. The motto of “Just do it” applied perfectly here.
Swimming in a Cenote exceeded all of my expectations and more! Such a surreal experience to share with my travel partners, we were underground, in a cave, swimming in some of the purest waters we will ever be able to enjoy. Laughing as we floated around the Cenote like kids in a splash pool, swimming from new discovery to new discovery amongst the rock formations.
Ziplining over Crocodiles
Leaving the Cenote was difficult but our time allotment was up, and we had to depart for the next group to enjoy. Climbing those stairs back up out of the Cenote cavern was a challenge in itself, but we were soon to find out we had one more thrilling adventure ahead of us.
Yes, as you can imagine, we finished up our adventure by zip lining over another Cenote. An above ground Cenote which happens to be home to crocodiles!
Fun? 110% yes, but everyone was just a little hesitant with the upcoming experience. We were quickly reassured that no one has ever fallen in the water and the crocodiles were even more fearful of us than they were hungry (not sure I fell for that line.) So we all decided to harness up, paste huge grins on our faces, and take the leap of faith off the zip line station to fly across crocodile-infested waters. Now I am not saying we didn’t think about those crocs, but we were certainly not going to let them stop us from our final adventure after swimming in a Cenote!
Hearing the screams of excitement from the first in line pumped everyone’s blood up, and we all finally reached the safety of the end of the zip line. Once again we found ourselves laughing like children on a grand adventure and our silly fear of the big bad crocodiles.
We kayaked, received a Mayan blessing, went swimming in a Cenote, and zip lined across a Cenote that is home to crocodiles all in a half days time. AllTourNative delivered an experience like no other!
Remember, it’s not about the crocodiles, it’s about an adventure of a lifetime.
Full disclosure: NevertoOldtoTravel was a guest of AllTourNative Lifetime Experiences for this tour. All thoughts, opinion, and expressions are my own without stipulation or expectation of AllTourNative Lifetime Experiences.
