Cenotes & Selvatica

Cenote Verde Lucero

Cenote Lukuma

Before going to Selvatica Adventure Kingdom, most people have never even heard of a cenote (ce-no-te). Most people by instinct call it simply a “sinkhole” however; by definition a cenote “is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath,” Wikipedia. For many, many years cenotes have been a very important part of life and culture in the Yucatan of Mexico. Because rivers and lakes are not common in this area, the water provided by the cenote was very important to surviving here. One very famous cenote is located at Chichen Itza, called Ik Kil. (Follow the link to read more about that topic.) This cenote was thought to be sacred by the Mayan people and believed to be a doorway to the afterlife. “Pre-Columbian Maya sacrificed objects and human beings into the cenote as a form of worship to the Maya rain god Chaac,” Wikipedia. To make a visit to the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza and to see the famous cenote, you can find tour information at Cancun Best Discounts. 
There are different types of cenotes as well as a classification system to identify the varieties. It was discovered sometime in the 1980’s through diving exploration that some of these cenotes are connected by an underground river system. Some even flow into the ocean. A super cool video I found is on YouTube. If you are interested, it is a 5 part series about the exploration of the cenotes of the Yucatan and how they are connected underground. It is amazing to see what they found underground and to see the formations in the caves. Follow this link to see the video on YouTube, the video is called, Secrets of the Mayan Underworld.

Cenote Lukuma   (BEFORE)

Cenote Lukuma    (AFTER)

An interesting fact about cenotes is that they all have names in Spanish and some in Mayan. The cenote at Selvatica is called Lukuma, which means “Mouth of Heaven” in the Mayan language and is used for purposes other than human sacrifice. The cenote needed a lot of work before it became a part of the tour. It needed zip lines, stairs, and a bit of landscaping around the edges as well as restrooms/changing rooms. It was finally opened for guests in October 2010. Along the stretch of highway leading to Selvatica, named Routa de Cenotes/Route of Cenotes, you will find several cenotes such as Verde Lucero (bright green star), Boca de Puma (mouth of the puma), and Siete Bocas (seven mouths). The cenote Verde Lucero will be remembered by some past Selvatica guests because it was the first cenote that Selvatica used for their tours. But because it was also open to the public the owners of Selvatica decided to give their guests more space and privacy by purchasing the land where we now know Lukuma to be. In case you are not familiar with Selvatica yet, after the zip line portion of the tour, guests arrive at the crystal clear refreshing cenote for a splashing good time. There are 3 ways to enter into the water. The first is by the stairs, the second is jumping from the cliff, or third and most fun, the zip line that has been stretched along the length of the surface. So many frontflips,  backflips and belly flops are recorded on photo and video at least four times a day at Lukuma. To see some of the tours that Selvatica has, take a peek at this link. 

Today many tourists and Mexican locals travel to the many cenotes of the Yucatan for all types of recreational activities. Snorkeling and cave diving are very popular as well as swimming, sightseeing and sunbathing. 

Notice the guy in the red shirt, he is the paparazzi.
You will get to see the video when you return to have lunch!

Above the Trees

Above the Trees

The day that changed their lives forever came about when they arrived in Cancun and began looking for things in Cancun to do outside of the resort. Some friends had recommended them to contact Cancun Best Discounts, who they had used when they were looking for zip lines in Mexico. They booked a tour with Selvatica Adventure Kingdom because it was rated #1 attraction in Mexico. Because it is located between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, it´s not far from the hotel zones of either city.

The Selvatica van arrived at the entrance to the hotel and at that moment the level of excitement began to rise. None of these friends had ever done zip lines before and were a bit nervous, anticipating the day to come. At arrival to the park the guests were greeted by friendly staff who would explain the activities for the day, which was the ATV Tour, Cancun style. After signing the waiver, paying the insurance for the ATV, and getting a locker key, it was time to apply repellent and get geared up to fly through the trees. Sitting through the instructions was fun and gave them time to let the anticipation rise a bit more. So up some stairs and time to go, the adrenaline is beginning to RUSH! After a few lines and a bit more confidence, it was time to do it UP-SIDE-DOWN!!! The entire time the guides were making jokes and making them feel right at home.

Cenote Lukuma

Returning from the zip lines, they changed into swimwear and boarded the army truck and headed to the location where the ATVs were kept. A twisting and turning course through the Mayan Riviera jungle was even more fun since it had rained the night before. After some extreme fun in the mud it was time to go for a dip in the cenote to wash it off and cool down a bit. Front flips, back flips and even some belly flops were created from the zip lines attached to the trees on either side of the water.

Refreshed and a tad cleaner, it was time to board the army truck again and head back to the palapa (thatched roof structure) to enjoy an authentic Mexican lunch. While they were enjoying their lunch, the video of the tour was playing on the TVs. Then wait…the crew of paparazzi came to the table with Ipads to show them all the photos they had taken throughout the day. How COOL! All the moments of the tour were captured and they didn´t have to worry about a thing during the fun.

They had some time to purchase souvenirs, take some extra photos with the staff and board the van (through the line of staff giving high fives) for the ride back to the hotel. Everyone could not stop talking about how much fun they had in the Selvatica Adventure Kingdom. They had even made friends with the other people on the tour and showed them the personalized shirt with their name on it that they had bought. Truly now they can say they are “Citizens of the Jungle”!  

For more information contact us at info@cancun-bestdiscounts.com and be sure to visit the site Cancun Zip Line Tours to see our special prices!