Explore one of the most marvelous caverns – Dreamgate Cenote

Cenote Dreamgate is located about 15 minutes from the Ko’ox dive shop on the road to Playa del Carmen. You’ll find a rope and pulley to lower all of your dive equipment down to the deck at water level. You can access by climbing down some wooden steps to the decking below. There is no shop at this cenote, but at Ko’ox we’ll give you refreshments so you can enjoy the time you spend here.

Dreamgate cenote is part of Sac Actun system, one of the largest in the world. The 20-foot depth of this highly decorative cenote is filled with very delicate formations of stalactites, stalagmites and columns. It’s one of our favourites in the local area, with a giant air dome where you can see how the roots of the jungle twine through the rock to reach the water. It’s also full of bats and, as not a lot of divers come to this site, you might encounter blind fish too.
Because of the topography of the cavern, you’ll need to demonstrate proper buoyancy control during a dive or two with one of our dive masters before we approve you to dive here.

How to get to Dreamgate cenote

You’ll find the entrance to the track leading to Cenote Dreamgate 11 km north of Tulum on Highway 307. It’s about 1 km south of the entrance to Cenote Dos Ojos. So if you’ve been there before, you’ll have some idea of where Dreamgate is. If you’re coming from Akumal, it’s 11 km south. From Playa del Carmen, 49 km south.

When you reach the turning, which should be signposted, you’ll need to follow the very rough dirt road around 4 km into the jungle.

Cenote Dreamgate – one of the most spectacular advanced cenote dives in Tulum

Because of the rock formations and the amount of silt at the bottom of the cavern, you really need to be an experienced diver with good buoyancy to get into the water here. If not, you risk causing damage to the beautiful, vulnerable structures as well as ruining the chance for any diver following you to enjoy the view as you’ll have kicked up a lot of sediment. But if you have those skills, it’s an amazing dive. You float between fantastical stalactite and stalagmite formations as you journey through this incredible underground world.

Cenote diving in Dreamgate with Ko’ox is a 1-tank dive which can be upstream or downstream, one lasting around 40 minutes and the other around 30 minutes. The average water temperature is around 26°C with good visibility of 50-80 meters. Your dive master from Ko’ox will always check to make sure you have the necessary buoyancy skills to stay near the surface.

We will provide you with all the necessary equipment for this dive: full dive gear set and a Go Pro to record your dive experience.

Certification level: you need to have advanced diving certification.

Dive Time: 40 minutes!
Depth: 30 feet!
Temperature: 78 degrees Fahrenheit!
Tanks: 1 tank!
Bathrooms: Yes ecological!
Parking: Yes!
Entrance Fee: Yes!
Snorkelling: No!

Check the prices for Cenote Adventures

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1-4 people small group visits – every day
Cave diving certification is required for cave diving
For private tours, please contact us, so we can provide an exclusive offer for you.
Prices include:
Transportation from our dive shop in Tulum or Playa del Carmen or Puerto Aventuras
High-quality dive equipment rental: full dive gear set and torches
Prices are fixed, regardless of the number of people in the group.

Topography of Dreamgate Cenote

If you want to experience one of the most unique sights available when cave diving in Tulum, Cenote Dreamgate will certainly make the grade. It’s so visually incredible that the BBC Planet Earth episode “Caves” was partly filmed here.
The topography of the linked series of caves that make up Dreamgate can best be imagined as a shallow subterranean doughnut. There are two clearly marked and permanent dive lines – Dreamgate upstream and downstream – which can be dived in both directions.

The surface

From the surface, Dreamgate appears as the classic cenote. Literally, a water-filled sinkhole in the middle of the jungle. It’s a jaw-dropping sight – if you haven’t had too many of those while cenote diving in Tulum already! Once you’re in the water, the view back up at the jungle with the roots of trees dangling down towards the water from above is well worth appreciating.

The light effects

As it’s almost completely cut off from the outside world beyond the entrance cavern, there isn’t much light in this cenote. But if you dive down and look back at the entrance, you’ll see the stunning visual effects which the sunlight shining down from above creates.

Deeper Diving

The bottom of the cenote is only six meters down. Deeper diving isn’t possible here. But with so much to see at shallower depths, why would you want to?

Cenote FAQ

Q. How deep is the cenote?
A. This cenote is between 1 and 6 meters deep. That’s 3-20 feet.
Q. What time of day is best to dive into the cenote?
A. You can dive in this cenote at any time of day, though during hours of daylight is better. Because you need advanced skills to dive here, you won’t normally have much in the way of crowds to contend with.
Q. Is the cenote freshwater or saltwater?
A. Fresh water
Q. Can I bring a camera into the cenote?
A. Yes. Bring proper dive lights as the cavern is dark, but the speleothems are well worth recording. Please mind that there might be a Go pro usage charge for some cenotes.