They are widely regarded as a world-class natural attraction containing marvellous stream passages formed by three rivers that sink underground on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain.
Because most of the peninsula sits on a limestone shelf, there are no surface rivers, and rainwater quickly seeps underground where it gathers and forms subterranean bodies of water known as cenotes.
Characterised by porous limestone geology and countless underground springs, the region is a wildlife-filled paradise of turquoise rivers and lakes, forested hills and massive subterranean caverns.