Cenote Xkeken (Dzitnup)

Cenote Xkeken, also known as Dzitnup, is an entirely underground cenote reached by descending a narrow, dimly lit stone stairway cut into the rock, arriving in a cavern where the ceiling opens to a small skylight that lets a single shaft of natural sunlight fall onto the pool below. Stalactites hang from the cave roof at varying lengths, some nearly touching the water's surface, and small catfish move through the clear pool beneath swimmers. The lighting inside is otherwise dim, supplemented by artificial lights along the stairway and platform, which makes the contrast with the sunbeam through the skylight especially striking around midday when the sun sits more directly overhead. A visit typically takes 45 minutes to an hour, most of it spent swimming and taking photos of the light shaft and stalactite ceiling. The cenote sits directly across the road from Cenote Samulá, another underground cenote, and many visitors combine both in a single stop near Valladolid. Because the cave space is enclosed, it can feel crowded when several tour groups arrive together; visiting soon after opening or later in the afternoon reduces the crowding inside the cavern.