One of the things I liked the most about the beautiful colonial city of Valladolid was that it was surrounded by lots of cenotes within a biking distance. One of those cenotes was the mouth-opening cenote Samulá, located just 7kms away from the city.

Getting there

To get there, you can hire a bike in one of the many bike stores around Valladolid’s downtown and ride to the end of town, where you’ll notice there’s a bike road that will take you straight to the area where Samulá and Dzitnup are located.

After paying a small fee, you can access both in any way you want, but I’d recommend you visiting Dzitnup first.

Taking the photo

Once inside the complex, I went down a staircase, feeling more cold with every step as I went inside Samula.

It is well lit, despite being almost completely covered by rock, with just a small entrance of natural light on the top, from where you can see roots reaching down into the fresh water.

If you plan well, you’ll be able to appreciate the sunlight entering the cave and illuminating the crystal-clear waters, a total marvel.

After admiring the scene for a few minutes I set up my camera and took several pictures to create a panoramic image later in post-production.

Technical stuff

Camera: Nikon D5300
Shutter speed: 1/20
Aperture: F/3.5
Focal length: 18mm

Where next?

• 

  Travel Diary #04

• 

  Snorkeling in Mahahual