Hoyo Azul Cenote

Hoyo Azul is a natural sinkhole at the foot of a roughly 75-metre limestone cliff inside Scape Park, at Cap Cana in the Punta Cana area. Underground rivers keep the basin — about 14 metres deep — filled with cold, brilliantly turquoise water, and you reach it on a mostly flat 15-to-20-minute walk through tropical forest that crosses a hanging bridge and passes small waterfalls. You can swim: life jackets are provided and required for everyone, lifeguards are on duty, and the water is noticeably colder than the sea, which is the whole point on a hot afternoon. There is no standalone ticket — access comes with a Scape Park admission pass that also covers ziplines, cave walks and nature trails, so plan on at least half a day. For photographs, arrive early, around 8 to 9 a.m.: the turquoise only really glows once light reaches the water, and the swimming deck is quiet before the tour groups get there. That is also the hard part to do yourself — there is nowhere dry to leave a phone, and the bright pool against a towering green wall is a brutal exposure. Our photographers work the deck and the trail while you swim, so the cliff, the colour and your family end up in one frame.