Cenote Azul

Cenote Azul lies just outside the lagoon, beside the highway a few kilometres south of Bacalar town, and it is nothing like the lagoon's shallows. The round pool is about 200 metres across and drops almost straight off the edge to around 90 metres, so the water is a hard, dark blue. Non-swimmers should rent a life jacket.

You get in through the restaurant on its bank, which charges a small entry fee and serves regional food, and many people make a lunch stop of it. Skip sunscreen and repellent, and keep off the stromatolites along the edge.