Seyé and the ring of cenotes

• The pyramid of Acanceh is a few minutes away.
• The cenotes of Homún, the henequen haciendas and Javier Marín’s workshop, under 40 minutes.
• Mérida, Izamal, Maní, Uxmal and Celestún are all within a day trip.

You can head out every morning, or not at all.

The ring of cenotes follows the edge of the Chicxulub crater, the buried trace, beneath Yucatán’s limestone, of an asteroid impact. Above it lie Maya villages, churches from the first colonial decades and the haciendas that lived off henequen, the agave fibre that made the region rich. Galopina occupies seven hectares of scrub forest on a former henequen plantation: the day follows the sun, the afternoon rain and the birdsong.

The house has binoculars and a species guide for birdwatching from the terrace or on a walk through the forest; it points to spring, from March to June, as the best season.

The cooking is home cooking:

• breakfast with freshly ground coffee and seasonal fruit;
• something in the afternoon and a bar all day;
• a dinner whose menu changes every day.

With the pool and the terrace, it is easy to have no plan at all.

• Acanceh. About 4 km, under 10 minutes.
  • In the centre of the village, a three-tiered Maya pyramid that has kept stucco masks on its façade.
  • A few streets away, the Palace of the Stuccoes, with a frieze of modelled figures.
  • A short visit.
• Plantel Matilde. About 7 km, a little over 10 minutes. The workshop and exhibition space of the sculptor Javier Marín, in the forest next to the community of Sac Chich. Arrange the visit in advance.

• Cenotes of Homún. About 22 km, under half an hour.
  • Homún has several cenotes open to visitors, each with its own access.
  • Organise the visit with the house or with guides from the village.
• Cenote diving, with the tours the house organises: from introductory dives in shallow cenotes to caves for advanced divers.

• Hacienda Sotuta de Peón. About 28 km, around half an hour. A henequen hacienda that still works: the tour explains how the fibre is processed and ends at a cenote. Allow about three hours.
• Uxmal. About 88 km, an hour and a half. The great city of Puuc architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It can be visited from the house or on the way to Campeche, as the Seyé → Campeche leg suggests.

• Mérida. About 35 km, around half an hour to the centre. For an afternoon of walking, markets or museums.
• Maní. A little over an hour. A Pueblo Mágico, with:
  • its Franciscan convent;
  • its embroidery and its cooking;
  • the meliponaries where the stingless melipona bee is kept.
• Izamal. About 52 km, under an hour.
  • The yellow façades.
  • The convent of San Antonio de Padua on a pre-Hispanic platform.
  • The pyramid of Kinich Kak Moo among the streets.
  • If you did not stop on the drive from Espita, it fits into a morning.

Celestún. About 120 km, nearly two hours. The Celestún estuary, a Biosphere Reserve, is one of the main feeding and resting places of the American flamingo on the peninsula. Boat trips leave from beside the bridge over the estuary. It is a full day: leave early.

• Short mornings. Acanceh and Javier Marín’s workshop, or the Sotuta de Peón hacienda, back at the house for lunch.
• A morning of cenotes. Homún, or a dive with the house’s guides.
• A Maya day. Uxmal, if you will not see it on the way to Campeche, or Maní and its convent.
• Izamal or Mérida, for a morning or an afternoon in town.
• A day on the coast. Celestún and its flamingos, leaving early.
• Time at the house. The pool, the terrace, the birds and dinner.

Galopina presents on its website the house’s own experiences and those of the region, which can be done independently or with the house’s guides. Ask Elisa and Guillaume directly.

Galopina’s experiences (opens another website in a new tab)

• From the village: the Espita → Seyé leg, with a stop in Izamal or at Chichén Itzá.
• On to the walled city: the Seyé → Campeche leg, direct with a stop in Becal, via Uxmal or by Tren Maya.

Which cenotes are near Mérida?

From Galopina, those of Homún are under half an hour away, and the house also organises cenote diving. Each cenote has its own access conditions.

Can you visit Mérida from the house?

Yes: the centre is about half an hour away by car.

Is it worth staying outside Mérida?

If you are looking for nature and quiet, yes: from the ring of cenotes the cenotes, haciendas and archaeological sites are close by, and Mérida is still within reach.

Galopina Casa Silvestre is independent. Bookings, rates and policies on its official website.

About Galopina Casa Silvestre → · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

Reviewed in October 2026.