· MEXICO ·
The Mayan Ruins of Calakmul, Campeche – a Guide
Scribbled by Claire ◊ 09 Jun 2025
If you’re up for the adventure, take some time to explore the outstanding Mayan archaeological wonder of Calakmul – it really is worth it! Read on for all the information and logistics you’ll need to plan your trip.
Hidden deep in the Yucatan jungle, adjacent to the Mexican border with Guatemala, lies the ancient, isolated Mayan city of Calakmul.
This impressive Mayan ruin will reward adventurers with incredible, vast vistas across the surrounding jungle canopy, ancient architecture, and if they are fortunate, the sights and sounds of the famed wildlife that live in this huge biosphere reserve.
It takes several cautious hours of driving from the nearest town to reach the site, via an overgrown, solitary road that cuts through dense forests. You will have to navigate potholes, fallen branches and various animals on your voyage while hearing only the noises of the jungle inhabitants for company. When you reach your destination, you are presented with some of the most spectacular Mayan ruins in all of Latin America – think Tikal but with far less people.
As Nick just said ‘Calakmul is the Calak—coolest’.
IN THIS GUIDE //
The Mayan Ruins of Calakmul
ABOUT CALAKMUL
WHY VISIT THE CALAKMUL RUINS?
HOW TO GET TO CALAKMUL BY BUS OR TAXI
HOW TO REACH CALAKMUL BY CAR
2022 ONWARDS – A DRIVING UPDATE FOR CALAKMUL
COST OF ENTRY TO CALAKMUL
WHERE TO STAY FOR CALAKMUL
WHAT TO BRING FOR YOUR VISIT
ROUTES AND MAPS
FINAL THOUGHTS
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About Calakmul
The ancient site of Calakmul means ‘Two Adjacent Mounds’ in Yucatek Maya. This city was a major power between 500-800 A.D., and with over 50,000 inhabitants, was a key site of Mayan commerce. It is one of the most prominent cities in Mayan history, although less well known today compared with its biggest rival, the city of Tikal, located in the jungles of Petén, Guatemala.
As long-term competitors, multiple wars broke out between the two competing superpowers. These wars stretched over many decades and throughout centuries, dating from the 500s onwards until Calakmul’s defeat sometime in the 700s. The last date inscribed in Calakmul was around the year 900.
When the ruins were first studied in the 1930s, the area was completely covered, with only large mounds indicating where the larger structures were. The entire site covers an area of over 70 square kilometres, set within an immense biosphere reserve. Over 6500 recorded structures have now been found, although only a small percentage of these have been excavated so far.
Among them is one of the largest structures in the Mayan world. This building, named Structure II (the one you always see on Google Images) stands at over 45 meters high and towers over the jungle canopy below. The site also has 120 carved stone markers (called stelae) and eight ancient roads called Sacbes (or Sacbeob).
Today, Calakmul is located 35 kilometres north of the Guatemalan border in the Campeche region of Mexico and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002. Excavations are ongoing.
CALAKMUL QUICK FACTS
OPENING TIMES | 8am – 5pm every day (remember that Campeche is in a different time zone to Quintana Roo)
NEAREST TOWN – Xpujil, Campeche
COST – MX$315
BEST SEASON – any, But avoid the rainy season between June and October if possible
AVERAGE DAILY VISITORS – less than 100
TIME NEEDED – about 3-4 hours at the site
CLIMBABLE – yes
AVOID – visiting on Sundays, it is free for Mexican Nationals so is generally busier
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A GUIDE TO EDZNA | BEST MAYAN RUINS IN THE YUCATAN
Why Should You Visit the Calakmul Ruins?
Archaeological wonder | in our opinion only Tikal beats Calakmul in terms of impressive ancient Mayan archaeological sites (even then, Tikal has its downsides, like crowds, apart from this one supremely weird time I was there).
Wildlife | there were so many occelated turkeys (we love ridiculous birds), plus we saw a tapir, a jaguar (only briefly), frogs and monkeys. We came across hundreds (really, hundreds!) of howler and spider monkeys, with the howlers doing their deafening shouty thing for all to hear.
Adventure | if wildlife isn’t your priority, then there is also the adventurous aspect of these fantastic ruins. The Calakmul site is located deep in the jungle biosphere so we felt like intrepid explorers, meandering around the muddy pathways, discovering moss covered, overgrown structures. Atop the taller ones, I gained a sense of scale and intrigue looking down over the jungle canopy below, aware that a myriad of untouched Mayan remains lie beneath the trees. It is also undoubtedly a great site for more active people – you certainly feel the burn when you climb to the top of the tallest structure in one go.
Quiet | Calakmul has, by far, the highest crowds to impressiveness ratio in the Yucatan Peninsula. Even when the howler monkeys were in full swing, there were barely any people around watching them (despite them announcing their presence extremely loudly). The feeling of being so isolated (especially in contrast to places like Tulum, Chichén Itzá and Palenque) in addition to such a magnificent location, adds so much to the overall experience.
How to Get To Calakmul by Bus and Taxi
The nearest town to the Calakmul Mayan ruins is Xpujil. It is situated 120 kilometres along the main road that runs from Chetumal into Campeche State and 55 kilometres from the road that turns off towards the site.
ADO | to reach Xpujil without a car, it is possible to take an ADO bus which runs daily services from Chetumal (often at horribly unsociable hours, for some reason). There are also numerous colectivos that run this route, connecting all the local towns. The other option is an ADO bus from Bacalar which, at time of writing, has one service a day, again at a horribly late hour.
Public transport | there are no buses or colectivos that go all the way to the ruins at Calakmul. It is however possible to hire a taxi or organise a private tour from Xpujil. People we have spoken to told us they paid US$50-$60 per person for a tour involving Calakmul and a few additional stops included within that price.
Taxi | if you want a taxi to drive you, then the best option is from Xpujil. You are likely to be staying overnight here anyway and all hotels will be able to arrange a driver for the next day. Many Facebook and other social media Mexico backpacking groups have people who are looking to save money by sharing a ride – check them out if you are a solo traveller.
Day trip | it is also possible to day trip from Chetumal or Bacalar but that is an extremely long day in the car! It also means arriving later in the day which means it will be warmer, busier and possibly rainier. The one small upside to this is it is easier to find travel buddies to share costs (the initial costs will be higher though due to distance travelled). However, I would still personally advise that if you are able to find some travel buddies, stay together in Xpujil for the night.
How to Reach Calakmul by Car
We chose to hire a car to reach Calakmul. It gave us freedom to explore and the ability to do things at our own pace (we always try to arrive at opening time). It is also the most cost effective choice, especially if there’s more than one of you.
Directions | from Xpujil, drive west along the 186 for about 40 minutes before turning off near Conhuas – the turn is marked as ‘Entronque a Calakmul’ on Google Maps.
After the junction, the road continues for around 63 kilometres until you reach the archaeological site.
There are three points along that journey where you will stop to pay the relevant, separate, INHA, CONAMP and Ejido fees. The fees must be paid in cash, credit cards are not currently accepted at Calakmul.
There is a checkpoint where the Calakmul ruins actual park begins. Here, the rules were explained to us (very quickly in Spanish). Fortunately, there is a massive sign which displays all the information (don’t speed, watch for animals, don’t litter, etc.). After that checkpoint there is still another hour to go, so strap yourself in for a long journey!
Travel tip | make sure to fill up on gas before the drive in as there are no gas stations within the biosphere itself.
CAR HIRE FOR YOUR YUCATAN TRIP
We always rent our vehicles all over the world, including all our recent trips in the United States, Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco, with Discover Cars. They’re often the most affordable, plus they paid out immediately on an insurance claim we made when our car took some heavy damage in Sicily. We fully recommend them.
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TAKE A LOOK BELOW OR CHECK CAR RENTAL
Road Conditions for Calakmul
Many guides advise that the access road is very rough and full of potholes. This was not our experience, although the road conditions are all a little subjective! It appears that many parts of the road have been greatly improved and the drive was relatively comfortable compared to our expectations. As of 2025, the road to Calakmul is completely asphalted and there are mixed (very subjective) reports on the state of the road. It seems to be in a constant state of construction and improvement.
There are still some large potholes and overgrown areas to be aware of, but the journey is much quicker than it used to be. We drove our low clearance rental car with no concerns.
Driving tip | it is worth noting that potholes are much harder to see if there are puddles and it has been raining – go slower than you think you need to.
Speed | the speed limit is 30 kmph for a lot of the road, so it isn’t exactly hard to avoid potholes unless you’re speeding substantially.
It will always be drivable, as staff and residents traverse the road into Calakmul every day in their two-wheel drive, low clearance vehicles!
Cost of Entry to Calakmul
There are three separate fees to pay for entry to Calakmul. These are an entry fee for the park (INAH), the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CONAMP) and the Ejido fee for accessing the Conhuas communal land that the Mayan ruins are located within.
The cost for entry to Calakmul in 2025 is a total of MX$405. This is made up of: MX$100 for the INAH fee, MX$215 for the CONAMP fee and MX$90 for the Ejido fee.
Another optional cost is a guide for around MX$700-800. After you enter the ruins there are options for Spanish speaking and bilingual tour guides. You normally pay a little more for an English-speaking guide. Guides are not essential but can be informative and can help fund local people. If you choose not to get a guide, much of the information on signs are in both Spanish and English.
Parking is free at Calakmul.
CALAKMUL HOTELS
The best place to stay near Calakmul, relatively locally, is Xpujil. This is not a particularly tourist orientated town like other places in the Riviera Maya because there isn’t the demand for it. Calakmul’s ruins receive so few visitors a day versus attractions like Chichén Itzá, which hit a high of 12,400 people per day in 2023. As a result, there are far fewer food and accommodation options to choose from in the local area. Despite this, there are still budget, middle and upper end options for places to sleep as well as multiple food choices.
I personally quite enjoyed being in this little town. I found it refreshing after the touristy Riviera Maya. It was small enough to wander around on foot and had some lovely friendly ladies who made us vegetarian tacos despite our awful Spanish (near the bus station). There was even moderate pizza!
We also had a basic clean, cheap, central hotel to stay in with secure parking (Hotel Villa Calakmul). If you are wanting something a little nicer, we recommend:
◊ Hotel Cabanas Aldea Maya
◊ Hotel Casa Las Lolas
There are also several places to stay nearer to the main junction for the ruins. We investigated these options, but the prices, facilities and reviews didn’t really sit well with us for various reasons (they may suit you perfectly though!). If you want to check them out, use Google Maps and Booking.com around the Conhuas area.
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What to Bring for your Visit
This is the same basic list as anywhere else you might visit, but with the addition of lots of food and a full gas tank! There are no facilities anywhere nearby apart from bathrooms at the entrance, so stock up before you go.
We brought with us to Calakmul:
Cash | bring enough for the entry fee as no cards were accepted during our visit.
Packed lunches, snacks and loads of water | for the day (plus car snacks. Obviously need loads of car snacks).
Sunblock | a lot of the area is in the shade though so don’t worry too much.
Hats | again loads of jungle shade though so not essential – it’s useful when you climb the structures.
Insect repellent | we visited in November and didn’t need to use our bug stuff. It’s definitely possible that you may need to at other times of the year though.
Light clothing | even early in the morning it was warm.
Waterproof shell | we didn’t need it but it makes sense to take one in case of rain.
Footwear | hiking boots or trainers with good grip would be good. It was *very* slippery on the main paths – we were sliding about all over the place! Other paths were very muddy and the pyramids themselves had large uneven steps. Choose your footwear wisely.
Waterproof covering | for our bag and camera. We didn’t need it, though it did rain briefly on the drive out of the biosphere.
Map of Calakmul
Below is the map the park provides as you enter the ruins. It’s not super clear! In simple terms, there are three routes you can take, all marked as you walk around the park by reasonably obviously signs. However, you do not need to follow any of these routes – we didn’t and went the opposite way immediately out of the gate. I don’t think this is such a huge site that you could get lost that easily (I didn’t, yet managed to somehow get lost in both Tikal and Yaxchilan).
The three routes are short, medium and long – even if you are not feeling overly energetic I would recommend you do the longer one. It’s not that much longer as you can see from the routes on the first picture below.
In terms of time, I think three to four hours would be decent for most people – a bit more or less depending on how fast you walk and how many photos you take.
Tours to Calakmul
If you’re on a tight schedule, or like to reserve things in advance, consider booking an organised tour via Get Your Guide. This website is an excellent way of looking for escorted tours for your holidays that would otherwise be difficult to do independently, or within a restricted timeframe.
It’s perfect, particularly if you are not able to book a car or are a solo traveller.
Final Thoughts
Calakmul really is one of the best Mayan ruins we’ve visited.
It’s wild, exciting, remote and there’s just this wilderness vibe that few other sites can compare to. It’s also pretty staggeringly huge and I love that you can climb to the top of all the structures for crazy panoramic views across the jungles. Plus, we saw a big cat! It’s a really special place.
Hopefully this guide is useful and you enjoy your trip as much as we did!
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Thank you, Claire + Nick
Thanks for this . Could I ask is the drive down there safe or filled with Road blocks . We traveling will a small child and font want wsny issues. Thanks
Hi Tao,
When we drove in we had no issues with road blocks. There were a few potholes on the road but nothing to worry about. The journey is totally suitable for a child.
Hope you have a great time.
Hello! And thank you for this guide! Curious what month you went in? Thanks!
Hi Nadine,
We visited in November 🙂
Great insights, thanks! Headed there tomorrow!
How did you get on Ian? We land in Chetumal
Saturday and plan to hire a car and head there with our toddler and baby!
Hi Sarah how did you get on also? We are headed there in August 2024 without young children
Thanks, Amy
Hi
We visited Calakmul on April 14th 2024 and need to give you some up to date information.
First:-
Site opens 0530 until 1300.
Last ticket sold at the actual site entrance 95 MXn is at 11:00
Entrance from the main road where you park the car is now TWO prices, one for armband one for ticket (taxes)
IIRC both came to 190MXN
So total cost is now 190 + 95 = 285MXn
Road.
First 20kms to the second checkpoint (checks the armband) is rough but OK.
Supposedly 30kph but with vigilant driving 60kph is achievable
After checkpoint.
40 kms of the worst road I have ever driven in my life!!!
I have driven on 5 continents
Huge Pot holes
Road works turn the surface to mud.
One section is now an elevated ONE WAY concrete NARROW “road”.
I fell off it!!!
Luckily some clever thinking and two Mexicans in a following car helped me get back on.
TIP
I usually never advise this
BUT
Get a tour until they have repaired this “road”
Calakmul was great thank goodness!
Horror
Had to go back the same way!!
Nigel