Community Tourism Brings Income to Sacalaca With Small Groups and Cenote Protection

Sacalaca, Quintana Roo — Families in the community of Sacalaca are pursuing a community tourism model that offers guided visits to cenotes, trails, historic sites and working farms, keeping groups small to prevent overcrowding and reduce pressure on the area’s natural and cultural resources.

Fredi Reynaldo Un Noh, a professor at the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (UIMQROO), cultural manager and certified guide, said the experiences are designed to involve residents directly. Young people, women, older adults, artisans and the caretakers of historic sites take part in the activities and receive a share of the revenue generated by visitors.

From Cenote to Milpa

The offering includes cenote rappelling, hiking, cycling and birdwatching, along with tours of the local museum and churches. It also features the Caste War Route, which links Sacalaca with Sabán, X-Cabil and Tihosuco and introduces visitors to the history of the conflict that began in 1847.

The itinerary weaves in rural life, with visits to apiaries, milpas, Sembrando Vida plots and traditional cooking workshops. To ease pressure on natural areas, activities are limited to groups of roughly 10 people. At the cenote, the group Amigos de Sian Ka’an A.C. helps monitor water quality, and visitors are asked to avoid products that could contaminate it.

“The aim is for the activities to run with controlled groups, protecting the environment and distributing the resources fairly,” Un Noh said.

The model is intended to turn Sacalaca’s appeal as a destination into income for its residents without compromising the natural, historic and cultural sites that sustain the experience itself.