Campeche has a little secret: it is home to some of the most stunning Mayan ruins and architecture you will ever see, yet very few people know about them. While neither Campeche nor its ruins have made it big on the tourist path like those in Yucatán or Quintana Roo, I’m here to tell you that you absolutely need to explore Campeche and to visit Calakmul.

Truthfully, you have to really want to visit Calakmul or indeed, the other Campeche ruins because they’re difficult to get to and there aren’t many services available once you’re there but a visit to these ruins is oh, so rewarding!

Yucatán’s most famous ruin, Chichén Itzá is incredible. It absolutely is. I’d never claim otherwise but there are other phenomenal Mayan ruins that deserve your love and attention too, and many of them are sitting quietly in Campeche state just waiting for you to visit.

If you are ready to visit ruins that are somewhat off-the-beaten-track, and devoid of tourist crowds, where you’ll feel like Indiana Jones then read on…

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In this article I will 

✅ Introduce you to the main archaeological sites in Campeche, particularly in and around the Calakmul Biosphere

✅ Outline how to visit all the sites

✅ Offer suggestions on how to get to get around Campeche and where to stay in Campeche

✅ Hopefully fill you with as much enthusiasm as I feel for the ruins in Campeche and Campeche in general

Why Should You Visit Calakmul and the Surrounding Area ?

Because it’s there and it’s incredible.

Calakmul site, located deep within the reserve, is one of the most important Mayan cities ever discovered. There’s really nowhere else like it. Calkmul and Becán both make it into my top 10 best ruins on the Yucatán Pensula list.

Imagine yourself in the heart of the jungle coming across giant, imposing pyramids, whole structures barely separated from the trees and earth around them, no other people anywhere, just you, the ancient stone buildings and nature.

📌 The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve was established as a natural protected area in 1989. In 2002 it was given UNESCO World Heritage Site status.  It is one of the largest protected areas in Mexico, covering more than 14% of the state of Campeche.

📌 Don’t forget, though, that there are six other incredible Maya archaeological sites not far from the fabulous Calakmul that are even less visited than and less well-known than Calakmul. 

📌 Then there’s Edzná, located a short drive away from the city of Campeche and there are also other, even less well known ruins scattered across the state of Campeche. 

📌 Campeche’s ruins and archaeological sites don’t have the fame or tourist numbers like the ruins in Yucatán or Quintana Roo but they are astoundingly beautiful and there’s really nothing like being able to explore a ruin with almost no one else around.

Where is Calakmul?

🧭 The Calakmul ruins are found within the Reserva de la Biosfera de Calakmul, located in the state of Campeche, at the base of the Yucatán Peninsula abutting the Peten Region of Guatemala to the south. 

🧭 The nearest town to the biosphere entrance is Xpujil (45 minutes away) and this is the town around which most visitors base their planning. Here you’ll find hotels, restaurants and even a bus station. The nearest big town is the capital of Campeche State, Campeche City.  

🚂 The Maya Train is operational in early 2024, which offers yet more exciting experiences in this region and Xpujil will be one of the main stations on the route.

Best Time to Visit Calakmul

🔆 Calakmul and the other sites of this area are best visited in the dry season (October – April) as the biosphere roads and other small roads can be pretty impassable in the rainy season. Calakmul would make a great spring break family vacation option.

📌 Remember, too, that in order to visit the Calakmul archaeological site you need to allow for the two hours driving from the biosphere entrance at the main road to the actual site deep in the jungle. The site itself is open 8 am – 5 pm but you can enter the park before 8 am. When we went, we were at the biosphere gates at 7.45 am and we were by no means the first to enter the park (I believe it opens at 6 am). 

📌 No one is permitted to enter the biosphere after 3 pm. 

➡️ Hint: My preference is always to visit ruins early in the morning – the heat isn’t so oppressive and there are generally fewer people around then. 

How Long do you Need to Visit Calakmul

If you’re only planning on visiting Calakmul then you need one day in the biosphere but the reality is that very few people are visiting the whole area of Calakmul in a day wherever they’re coming from. I know of one person who did it from Mérida. Neither they nor I recommend it! 

⭐️ My recommendation is to take a trip to Calakmul nice and slow, really make the most of it. Not many people are privileged enough to get to visit Calakmul, so don’t rush this. 

If you can, I’d wholeheartedly recommend making this into a round-trip, but if you can’t, then turn around and go back the way you came. Ideally, you want 3 – 5 days based in Xpujil to ensure you really see the ruins. 

How to get to the Calakmul Sites

🚗 Without a doubt, the best way to tour the sites (and sights) of Campeche is with a car. The roads all the way to the entrance to the Calakmul biosphere are good and they are safe, too. Once you enter the biosphere, the road is not so good. It’s still safe but it’s littered with potholes.

Check Car Rental Options Here

 If you do take a car, watch your petrol (gas) usage and be sure to fill up when you pass gas stations as there aren’t many in the Calakmul area.

🚌 It is technically possible to get around on public transport but if you have a possibility of renting a car I highly recommend it as while there are buses to Xpujil, once you’re there you will need to book either taxis or tours to get aroun.d

Buses to Xpujil

Mérida – 6hr35 with change in Hopelchén

Campeche – 5hr direct bus

Cancun – 7hr direct bus

Check Bus Timetables with Busbud or ADO

💰 If you really want to do things on the cheap you could take colectivos between towns, hopping from Campeche to Escárcerga and then taking colectivos whenever you find them to Conhuas or Xpujil. You will find them but they have no set timetables.

📌 Once you are in Xpujil you’re reliant on colectivos to get between towns or taxis to take you to Calakmul (around 500 pesos each way). Renting a car once you’re in Xpujil is nigh on impossible. 

📌 Once you’re in Xpujil, you can visit Tourist Information if you have any questions or hire a local guide from a company such as Experiencias Calakmul. 

🚊 I’ve read that the Tren Maya will make Calakmul more accessible but we don’t know yet how this will look.

Visit Calakmul on a Tour

I visited Calakmul from Mérida with my own car. If you don’t want to rent a car and have sensibly decided that public transport is not a good idea, then your next best option is to take a tour or pick up a guide once you’re in Xpujil.

⭐️ Recommended Calakmul Tour from Campeche

⭐️ Recommended Calakmul Tour from Palenque

Where to Stay When You Visit Calakmul

Generally people stay around Xpujil but there are a few hotel options in or around the entrance to the reserve. 

🌮 There are perfectly decent restaurants in Xpujil or just outside the reserve gates.

Important Information for Your Visit to Calakmul Ruins

🔆 Campeche is hot. The archaeological sites are very hot and often very remote. If you’ve visited Chichen Itzá and Uxmal then you may be surprised to realise that Campeche’s sites are nowhere near so touristy. You won’t be purchasing postcards, handicrafts or even water at these sites. You need to go prepared.

You should take 

🧢 Sunscreen and hat

🦟 Insect repellent

💧 Water…water and more water. I mean it when I say you won’t be able to buy water at these archaeological sites

🌮 Snacks – we always take fruit and snack bars. Because we have a car we also leave crisps, more fruit and biscuits in the car for our hungry and sweaty return

📸 Camera, obviously. You’re about to see some of the most spectacular Maya sites of your life

💰 Cash – take plenty of Mexican pesos in cash. Credit cards and foreign currencies will not be useful in this part of Mexico

⭐️ Check out our helpful packing list for Mexico with kids for more information

📌 All sites are run by INAH. In Campeche we never once had to pay for our children and a few of the sites are even free for everyone.

📌 Sites are generally open 8 am – 5 pm every day. Sundays are free entry for Mexican residents (including foreign residents: you’ll need either your residency card or a photo of it to prove your residency).

Visiting Calakmul Archaeological Site

The Calakmul Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Mexico, covering more than 14% of the state. To help you get a clearer picture of the size of the Calakmul site, check out this map of the Calakmul ruins. I know I would have found it incredibly useful to have had this map in advance.

⭐️ Calakmul is the largest Mayan city found in Mexico to date. It is considered to be one of the most outstanding pre-hispanic cities of the Mayan Classic period. There is evidence of an uninterrupted architectural sequence from 550 BCE to 900 CE at Calakmul.

⭐️ Calakmul’s location in the geographic centre of the Mayan region, was influenced by the cultures form both the north and south. Calakmul was part of a regional coalition that included El Mirador, Nakbe and Uaxactún. This group would do battle with southern neighbours such as Tikal. Tikal ultimately beat Calakmul, causing its decline as a great centre 695 CE and Calakumul to look north for relationships with cities such as Río Bec.

⭐️ During the Post Classic period (1000 – 1500 CE), Calakmul was used as a site of pilgrimage.

📌 There are three different walking trails around the site. We opted for the longest, figuring we would want to see everything. If we went again I’m not sure that we would choose the same: it was a very long walk in a very hot and sweaty jungle. We were fine but the kids found it hard going.

📌 Although there are over 6,750 ancient structures found so far in Calakmul, most people go to Calakmul to see the two pyramids, in fact,

The meaning of Calakmul is ‘two adjacent mounds / pyramids’

📌 Other names have also been identified with the site, including ‘Kan’ – snake.

📌 These two pyramids are apparently the highest Mayan pyramids in Mexico. In fact, at over 45m tall, the Great Pyramid is one of the tallest Maya pyramids ever found. The views from the top are stunning and well worth the climb.

📌 It’s possible to see into Guatemala from the top of the pyramids but given that you’re looking over jungle it’s hard to tell where Mexico ends and Guatemala begins. Note that El Mirador is not found in this part of Calakmul. Although it’s technically within the ancient Maya city, it’s actually in Guatemala.  

Sitting, hearing the noise of the howler monkeys all around us and watching the view with the sun beating down on us was a reminder of how lucky we are that these sites have been preserved and restored and that we are able to visit.

Top Tip For Calakmul: The two pyramids are located on the Great Square (la Gran Plaza) so if that’s really what you’re visiting for, I recommend heading here first. We opted to see them last and we were exhausted by the time we reached them. 

Important Calakmul Notes:

• There is no chance of buying petrol, or water or anything else you might need once you’re in the biosphere proper so take enough of everything with you. Fill up the tank, fill the boot (trunk) with water and snacks.
• Along the side of the road, hanging in the trees are green boxes. These, I believe, have emergency medical supplies and also car fixing bits and pieces. That is it though, otherwise, you’re on your own.
• Phones don’t work in the biosphere.
• The second section of road is pretty bad: at its worst it is wide enough for 1.5 cars and full of potholes.

Interesting Fact: The incredible jade mask on display in Campeche was found in Calakmul

What Else to See Around Calakmul

Flora and Fauna

📌 The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including

🦜 Over 350 species of bird – Toh Birds, Parrots, Ocellated Turkeys and more

🐒 Howler monekys, Spider monkeys

🐆 Jaguars, ocelots, Puma and more

🌳 Don’t ignore the incredible trees that include the Ceiba (the tree of life for the Maya), strangler figs, chicozapote and gum trees

🦇 Just after 5.30 pm every day millions of bats wake up and leave a huge cave making for a fantastic natural show. When we visited anyone could show up and watch this incredible show but today, in late 2023 I know it’s required to visit with a guide on an official tour (book directly via contacto@visitcalakmul.com)

Address: Entrance to the Calakmul Biosphere is off the 186 near Conhaus

Becán

I’m ashamed to say that we hadn’t heard of Becán until researching for our trip to Calakmul. Now, I can honestly say it is one of my most favourite sites ever. Just looking over my photos for this article is making me want to go back immediately. We were absolutely blown away by the size, grandeur and quality of the buildings.

⭐️ Becán was the political, economic and religious capital of the province known as Río Bec. Earliest archaeological evidence here is from 550BCE and the site was abandoned around 1200 CE. Becán means ‘gully by water’, probably so named because it has a ditch all the way around the site. 

📌 As you arrive at the plaza you’ll find a large and complex building on your left. Directly in front of you is a tunnelled passageway through to a huge twin-towered temple, a small pelota court and two pyramids (all climbable). The views from the main pyramid took our breath away and all four of us sat quietly just taking it in, listening to the (deliberate) fire crackle in the farms below and watching the trees sway as birds flew both below and above us.

Balamkú

We had this entire site to ourselves. I asked why and the guide (you need one of the staff to come with you to open up the frieze) told me that Campeche doesn’t advertise this site at all so almost no one visits.

⭐️ Balamkú was only rediscovered in 1990. The name means Jaguar Temple, so named for the incredible frescoes and the frieze.

⭐️ This ancient Mayan city is thought to have flourished between  500-650 CE but was probably inhabited from around 300 BCE. The style is mainly Rio Bec with some clear Peten influences. We very much felt like we were exploring a satellite town of Calakmul and we joked about teenaged ancient Mayas being desperate to get to the action in Calakmul.

📌 Balamkú is made up of three distinct areas, the first you reach has a small pyramid (that my kids played on for ages). The second area that’s open to visitors houses the incredible frescoes and the frieze that’s under lock and key in the largest structure. It’s well worth getting inside.

Address: Turn off the 186 in Conhaus Pueblo

Chicanná

Handily for us, this site was right opposite our hotel. We actually expected nothing of the site, to be honest, and almost didn’t visit as we knew we had so much to try and fit in our day. I’m so glad we did. We had the site to ourselves and had a fabulous time

⭐️ Chicanná is a small site. Most of the buildings are Río Bec in style and were constructed during the late Classical Period. In the second area you’ll visit you will find the most fantastic structure with the form of a giant mask symbolising Itzamna, the Mayan god of creation represented as a reptile (also very important in Izamal in Yucatán). According to legend, anyone who entered the building through the mouth was swallowed by this god. Truly it was magnificent. There is also a section of original red painted decoration left you can see.

⭐️ The city was thought to have been an elite suburb of Becán.

Xpuhil

This site is in the small town of Xpujil. Xpuhil means ‘cattail’ in Maya, which we initially found confusing as the sign for the site says ‘Cola de Gato’ (cat tail in Spanish) rather than Xpuhil and we had no idea why, wondering whether we’d come to the wrong place.

⭐️ The first evidence of humans on this site comes from 400 BCE. It was considered to be an important site between 600 and 900 CE declined around 1200 CE. The site is architecturally part of the Río Bec group. The city had 17 building groups in its heyday.

Río Bec

Emese, from Wanderer Writes kindly agreed to tell me about her recent trip to Río Bec as we didn’t have time to explore there.

⭐️ Hidden in the jungle, the ancient Maya site of Río Bec showcases gorgeous temple-pyramids, built in a style named after it.  Accessible only through dirt roads and tracks through a protected forest, getting there is an adventure, and once you see the structures, they will leave you in awe. Most representative of the architectural style that gave its name to an entire region, the site comprises a few independent groups scattered through the jungle.

📌 Spectacular, and fun to explore, Río Bec A has the best-preserved, excavated pyramid-temple, which you can climb and even walk on, crossing from one of its towers to the next. But the building where you will recognize the style most is in Río Bec B, a ride away from the first site.

📌 To visit the site of Río Bec, you need a local guide. We got lucky enough to find one who even spoke English and took us in on quads through jungle paths not only to all the Río Bec groups but other ruins scattered through the forest. I definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to visit the area. Humberto Dzib Tun knows everything about these ruins and the surrounding jungle, and as a native Maya, he can offer insights into his culture, past and present. You can find him in the Mayan village of Veinte de Noviembre, a few miles from Xpujil.

Emese adds that it would be very difficult to find the Río Bec site on your own. You can read more about her adventure at Río Bec here. If you’d like to know more about Humberto’s tours, you can check out his website here. 

Hormiguero

I also didn’t make it to Hormiguero so Emese came to my rescue again!

⭐️ Though home to one of the most beautiful and well-preserved temple-pyramid representative of Río Bec style, Hormiguero is a little-known site, hidden behind miles of a narrow dirt road in the jungle. Though you can find the site following Google Maps to get there, be prepared to drive on a narrow dirt road that won’t fit two cars. We drove in a rental car in, and it was fine, but when we encountered the only other car coming out, we had to drive backwards until we found a spot wide enough to stop so we can pass by each other.

📌 Chenes style decorations highlight the Río Bec architectural style, including the telltale Chak masks. You can hire a guide or take a tour to Hormiguero, and you can find info about either of these options in Xpujil if you ask at the Hotel Calakmul. Or, you can venture into the jungle on your own, as we did.

Location: 20km from Xpujil on the 269 from Turning on right.

Edzná

On the other side of Campeche, just 53km from Campeche City (under an hour’s drive) is Edzna. We visited Edzná on our first trip to Campeche.

⭐️ Edzna was inhabited as early as 400 BCE but became a major city by 200 BCE. It was only abandoned in 1500s CE. Its architecture is an amalgamation of architectural styles. For example, the pyramid and other buildings are in the Puuc style, suggesting influences, and even occupation, from northern groups.

⭐️ Opinion is that the site grew in importance due to its location at the bottom of a valley that used to flood. A canal system was developed to deal with the flooding. They were later used for defence and trade, hence the growth of the city.

Visit Local Communities

Both Comunidad 20 de Noviembre and Comunidad La Mancolona offer workshops and tours around their villages.

Other Campeche Ruins

Also in Campeche are some smaller sites that I haven’t yet made it to

Dzibilnocac – just over the border from Yucatan near the modern town of Hopelchén. The name probably means ‘Painted House’. Its style is Chenes and it is thought to have flourished as a city between 600 – 1100 CE.

Free to enter.

Hochob – The name means ‘place of corn ears’. In Chenes region. 800CEA single group of buildings.

Nadzcaan – near Balamku

Xcalumkin – near Yucatan border. Only open Wed – Sun 8 am – 5 pm.

Tohcok – This is a small archaeological site near Hopelchén. Constructed in the Puuc style with some Chenes influences.

Santa Rosa Xtampak – one of the largest Mayan cities in Chenes style but with notable Puuc influences. Peaked between 600 – 800 CE.

El Tigre – El Tigre is the name for the ancient city of Itzamkanac, the capital of the province of Acalan. Near the pueblo magico of Caldelaria. The site was occupied between 600 BCE and 1557 CE.

Have you visited any of these sites? Which did you enjoy the most?