Tulum, Mexico Day 2: Zip Lining & Cenotes

For our second day in Tulum we decided to try a jungle adventure. There are many tour companies in and around Tulum that conduct what they purport to be 'jungle adventures' but they are tailored towards the cruise ship crowd and churn hundreds (if not thousands) of people through their tour mill daily. Fortunately Amy was able to find an outfit called Labna Ha that seemed to be focused on longer tours with smaller groups. The problem was how to get in touch with them.

Our hotel room was not equipped with a telephone, I suppose due to the ubiquity of mobile phones. However, our Belize cell phones do not work in Mexico, and I discontinued service on my USA telephone. Amy tried calling Labna Ha using one of the hotel employee's phones, but the call kept dropping. I  hit the streets in search of a pay phone.

Amazingly there are still pay phones in Tulum. The first one I found was not functional. The second one seemed to be functional, but it did not accept coins. It had a card reader, but not for credit cards. What was this deviltry?! Finally, after scrutinizing the Spanish directions at length, I determined that I needed to purchase a pre-paid calling card. But where to find one? Eventually I figured out they are available at Oxxo (kinda like 7 Eleven, but without the soda fountains and Slurpee machines, and with Mexican beer) and after using a whole bunch of barely remembered vocabulary from my 20 year-old Spanish classes, managed to buy a 50 peso calling card. After more mind-melting Spanish directions at the payphone--success! I talked to Jose, the owner of Labna Ha, and he said they had availability for an 11:00 tour.

Inside the Labna Ha lodge

The bathroom sink is made from a conch and a hollowed out tree trunk

We hopped on one of the many collectivos zooming down the Avenida, and for about US $2 each, he drove us the 7 miles or so to Labna Ha. The lodge looks like it was hand made from found materials and is really, really cool. Jose explained that Sergio would be our guide for the day, and he drove us to the first activity--zip lining. During the drive, Jose explained that he used to be an economist in Spain but hated the work. He moved his entire family to Mexico in 2002 and he started diving the cenotes (say-no-tays) that are all over the Yucatan peninsula. He discovered numerous closed cenotes, and discovered that many of the known cenotes are in fact connected by underground rivers. Eventually he created Labna Ha and formed partnerships with local Mayan communities to take tours onto their lands. Initially, they conducted only diving tours of the cenotes, but in 2006, he was leading a trip of divers when a non-diving spouse wondered if there were any other activities that she could participate in while she waited the 3 hours for the dive to finish. They took her snorkeling, canoeing, etc., and since then that side of the business has exploded and now comprises 95% of their business.

They've done a tremendous amount of work putting in trails, bathrooms, signage, zip lines, etc. throughout their tour area. I was really impressed with their operation. As it happens, we were the only people on a tour that day and had the entire place to ourselves--amazing.

The first order of business was the 'small' zip line. This was a total blast. We were strapped into harnesses, marched up to a platform, clipped on to the zip line, and then flung into the void by a tiny but surpisingly strong (and silent) Mayan fellow. The boys absolutely loved it, and since we were the only ones there, were able to ride the zip line three times. 

Ready to zip line! We are holding our 'Mayan brakes' (yes, they are sticks, and we really did use those to stop)

Liam, clipped in and ready to fly

And he's off!

Lochlan, with not a trace of fear

Kid number 2 away!

Amy, a little less certain than the boys

Looks to me like she might be regretting this decision (definitely click this one to embiggen)

Then it was time for the 'big' zip line. This one ran all the way across the longest part of the lake, and when we all made it to the other side, we were given a canoe and explored the lagoon for about half an hour. When we made it back to the other side, it was time for our first cenote.

In the canoe on our way across the lagoon

Finally, I have a pot to piss in!!

This first cenote was 'open' meaning it is not within a cave, but more like a deep, circular pond with crystal clear water and hundreds of tiny fish. We spent about an hour snorkeling, swimming, and diving off the dock into the water. The water was cool but very refreshing in the middle of the hot day.

The open cenote

The water was extremely clear

Taking the plunge

After the open cenote we took a short drive to our next stop, a closed cenote. This was really, really cool--we walked down a flight of stairs through a rock-lined entrance into a water-filled cave. This was like something out of an Indiana Jones set.

Lochlan about to descend into Xibalba, the Mayan underworld

A bat greeted us at the entrance (there were bats flying around throughout the cenote)

 The roof of the cave was covered with stalactites, and the water extended off into the distance beyond the reach of our guide's flashlight. We put on our snorkeling gear and jumped into the chilly water. Looking down through the water, I could easily understand why the underworld plays a huge part in Mayan mythology--it seemed to descend forever. I also noticed several white ropes running in various directions at different depths. These are the lines the divers use to find their way between the connected cenotes. Some of the dives are several kilometers long, and if the divers lose their way, they are trapped and can run out of air. Although I'm sure the diving tour is an amazing experience, it sounded pretty dangerous to me and I was happy to be snorkeling.

We followed Sergio through the water, and as we swam, he stopped at intervals and explained the geology and ecology of the cenote. We passed through a pretty low and narrow passage and entered into yet another cave of equal or greater size to the one we started in. Sergio asked us if we were ready to see something cool, we said yes, and he turned off his flashlight. It was utterly, impenetrably, indescribably dark. There was no discernible light of any kind. We posed for pictures, and the boys were getting really cold, so we swam back to the cave entrance and ascended back to sunshine and warmth.

Stalactites! The dust you see in the photo is actually minerals falling from the roof of the cave

Another view of the cenote

Deep inside the cenote--it was DARK

Further into the cenote

We had to navigate some tight spaces, but the boys were very brave

We returned to the lodge where Jose had laid out a bunch of fruit, guacamole, and chips. We snacked and talked with him at length about our experience, and he gave us a DVD with a bunch of video footage and information about the cenotes and the surrounding jungle.

The tour was a really great experience for all of us, and I highly recommend Labna Ha if you are interested in doing something similar.

With Jose, after the tour.