Day 23: Visit Calakmul in Campeche
Today we are going to visit Calakmul in Campeche, one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Mexico and the world, so the day starts somewhat earlier than usual, when it is 4 in the morning.
As we told yesterday, before visiting Edzná and for the change of plans, today we will make the journey from Campeche to Calakmul, thus having the possibility of visit Calakmul This afternoon, as we hope to get there before noon.
We leave the Francis Drake Hotel, our accommodation in Campeche these days, when it is 5:30 in the morning, to brand new Our rental car in Mexico.
If you do not have a car, a good option is to book this excursion to Calakmul from Palenque or from Bacalar, both with a guide in Spanish.
But before we get going, we stop at an Oxxo supermarket, open 24 hours a day, where we have a coffee for 10 pesos each and buy something for breakfast, which makes us start the route very attentive and awake and energized to Escarcega, 140 kilometers from Campeche and 2 hours and a half, which will be the first stop of the route of the day, to load the gas tank, since from that moment and until Xpujil we will not find any gas station again.
This first part of the journey from Campeche to Calakmul we do it on the same route that we came from Palenque to Campeche, a couple of days ago, which includes a stretch of highway, with a toll payment of 65 pesos, and takes us by Champotón and Escárcega, meeting again with the sea in the middle of the route, something that we take advantage of to make an impromptu stop to stretch our legs and eat something with unbeatable views.
First stop on the way from Campeche to Calakmul
How to get from Campeche to Calakmul
As we discussed yesterday in detail, when we made a change of route planning before visiting Edzná, the route to Calakmul from Campeche that we had planned for today, have confirmed that it is not good, since in addition of being in very bad condition, there have been some assaults.
With this panorama, we decided to follow the advice of the hotel staff and make some changes to make the paths much quieter, in addition to going with more tranquility.
In this way we canceled the following route that was the one we had planned:
1st day: Visit to Edzná - Journey to Calakmul by internal road - Visit Balamkú - Sleep at Puerta Calakmul hotel.
2nd day: Visit to Calakmul - Journey to Laguna Bacalar where we will sleep.
That once reformed has been as follows:
We advanced the visit to Edzná on the morning of the last day we were in Campeche.
1st day: Route from Campeche to Calakmul along the road that passes through Champotón and Escárcega - Visit Calakmul in the afternoon - Sleep at Puerta Calakmul hotel.
2nd day: Visit Balamkú, Chicanná, Becán and Xpuhil - Journey to Laguna Bacalar where we will sleep
After making this journey today, we have to say that our first route option, changing the access road to Calakmul from Campeche, was totally feasible in times, although it is true that we had reached the hotel Puerta de Calakmul in the afternoon, Something they did not recommend.
In the same way we want to highlight that with this change we gain a lot, both in times and in security, in addition to the possibility of visiting tomorrow Chicanná, Becán and Xpuhil, three of the most incredible sites of the trip to Mexico for free.
We arrived in Escárcega when it's 9 in the morning where we stopped at the first gas station we see to fill the tank for 564 pesos (we had a room when we left Campeche) and after having another coffee and a sweet, go back to the road, now with direct destination to Calakmul.
Escárcega gas station
Not many minutes pass when the landscape changes significantly, finding ourselves already surrounded by an incredible jungle, in addition to losing mobile coverage, something that we had already been notified and that we confirmed as soon as we left Escárcega.
Road from Escárcega to Calakmul
It's 10:20 when we arrive at the road that gives entry to the archaeological site reserve and from where we have 60 kilometers to reach the Calakmul gate.
Although we only separate 3 kilometers from the Puerta Calakmul hotel, where we will stay tonight, we decided not to stop to go directly to the archaeological site and thus start visit Calakmul sooner.
Access road to the Archaeological Site of Calakmul
Here we stop at the information booth, where we pay 50 pesos per person for the entrance and begin to travel the last 60 kilometers, surrounded by vegetation and incredible landscapes, but paying more attention to the road, since this is not so good as the previous sections, so you have to drive with all your senses.
Access road to Calakmul
Route from Campeche to Calakmul
- As we have commented several times, even if the GPS marks you a route, in this type of routes, it is best to check with a local to verify that this is correct. In the case of the journey from Campeche to Calakmul, it is better to avoid the interior road, which in the GPS marks that it does not reach two hours and go through Escárcega, doing several kilometers more and taking about 5 hours. A journey much longer, but safer.
- On the highway the maximum speed is 110 kilometers / hour. The first part of the trip, from Campeche to Escárcega is by highway. The rest of the route is by normal road and the last section, the access to Calakmul, is 30 kilometers / hour.
- It is advisable to bring water and supplies, since in Calakmul there are no places to buy.
- Although Escárcega is the last place where you will find a somewhat larger supermarket, until the entrance of the archaeological site, next to the Puerta Calakmul hotel, you will pass through several small villages where there are small shops and ticket offices where you can buy basic things or stop at eat something.
- You have to take into account that if you go from Campeche, you will pass through Escarcega, there you load the gas tank, since there are no more gas stations to Calakmul.
- From Escárcega you will lose mobile coverage, keep that in mind, since although there is some signal in the hotels, this is quite bad.
- Before leaving it is advisable to look at the sunrise time to leave a little earlier. It is best to drive during the day and with peace of mind.
- You will probably read or be told that it is a dangerous road, since there are assailants who take advantage of the low speed of the car at the stops for the assault. Do not obsess. Surely it happened on occasion, but it is not common. Have common sense, close the latches just in case and enjoy!
- Even if you read that the road is very bad, it's not like that. We would tell you that it is even much better than most Spanish roads. Of course, the last 40 kilometers must be taken with peace of mind, since the road is narrow and runs within the reserve.
Access road to Calakmul
- After passing the entrance to the road of the archaeological site, where you pay 50 pesos, at 20 kilometers there is a second booth, where you turn right. There they inform you that you have the last 40 kilometers of the route, through a narrower road, with curves in which they recommend you not to exceed 35 km / h, so the driving will become somewhat longer in this section . Better to go in time so as not to have pressure on the arrival time.
- If instead of turning right you follow 20 meters, you have the site museum, ecological baths and camping area.
- Right here they recommend you not to enter later than 3 in the afternoon to visit Calakmul. Although there is no closing time itself, this must be taken into account both for the time required for the visit and for the return trip to the entrance.
We arrived at the gates of the archaeological site of Calakmul at 11:30 in the morning, 5 and a half hours after leaving Campeche, counting a couple of stops along the way, so as we discussed earlier, the visit to Edzná today it would have been feasible, although less adequate than the route we have decided to do at the end.
The first thing we do is park the car, free of charge, get some food and water and go straight to the box office to visit Calakmul.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Mexico
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Tips to visit Calakmul in Campeche
- The access to the archaeological zone of Calakmul is through a 60 km road, which starts next to the Puerta Calakmul hotel.
Calakmul access road
- The price to visit Calakmul is 50 pesos per person at the entrance to the reserve and 70 pesos per person to the archaeological site. Both amounts must be paid.
- The schedule is from 8h to 5h but you can leave whenever you want, even later than that time. What they do not allow you is to access the enclosure later than 4 in the afternoon.
- Bring water and supplies. In the archaeological site there is nowhere to buy.
- Since Escárcega there is no mobile coverage, keep that in mind.
- Something very important is to be aware that we are in full nature. Take care of her!
- At the entrance of the site there is a free parking. If you see that there is no place you can park on the side of the road without problem.
- Upon entering you can see a map in which you can choose two options to visit the archaeological site of Calakmul.
The first is the short route, which takes you through the most important structures of Calakmul and the second is the long route that takes you through all the structures of the site.
Although initially it may seem a bit difficult to follow, everything is very well signposted and you should only follow the arrows that indicate each of the routes.
- We decided to make the long route to visit Calakmul, which includes all the archaeological zone that can be visited. This route divides the route into two parts, first by the structures Less important then access the most interesting or important areas of the site.
- The time for the visit of the long route is around 4-5 hours and the short one about 2 hours. This is something to keep in mind for planning the day.
Visit Calakmul in Campeche
What to visit in Calakmul
With more than 6500 structures, most of them without digging at the moment, Calakmul whose name means adjacent mounds, in reference to its two large structures, it is an impressive natural setting within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, named Mixed World Heritage.
Long route of Calakmul
The long route through Calakmul is, as we mentioned earlier, the itinerary that, through indications, takes you through smaller structures, as well as less known ones, to arrive later at the Great Acropolis, where the best-known structures and also more are concentrated Visited
Visit Calakmul in Capeche
We recommend you, whenever you have between 4 and 5 hours, opt for this long route, since you can go entering the site in a staggered way, visiting the structures less first flashy, and then reach the most spectacular.
Little Acropolis
Following the long route, the first of the areas visited is the Little Acropolis, where only some of the structures are preserved, not yet largely restored.
Calakmul trails
Little Acropolis
Little Acropolis Visit Calakmul in Campeche
Large square
In the Grand Plaza we find structures IV, V, VI, VII and VII, all of them very relevant in the archaeological site of Calakmul. Most of them are still unrestored, so you can still see in an incredible way the power that nature has exerted on them, practically absorbing them in many cases.
Large square. Visit Calakmul
Structure II
We could say that this is the most important structure of Calakmul in which the substructure II-c is located inside, which is accessed by a central staircase, surrounded by masks and an incredible frieze that gives entrance to a ceremonial enclosure.
With an initial height of 60 meters, it is said that it is one of the most impressive buildings in the Mayan world.
Structure II Visit Calakmul in Campeche
Visit Calakmul in Campeche
Although it may seem exhausting, which undoubtedly is, climbing to the structure is practically an obligation since it is from the heights from which Calakmul can be understood much better and it is that this impressive archaeological site becomes unforgettable at the moment in which We are aware of its privileged location, in addition to the surrounding environment, one of the most incredible we have ever seen.
Calakmul from the heights
Calakmul
Structure I
Further away than structure II of the Grand Plaza, this is the second most important structure in Calakmul. Like the first one, you can also ascend, although the quite uneven and somewhat slippery steps due to humidity are not as friendly as possible.
Structure I
Stairs Structure I
Impressive Calakmul from the heights
Grand acropolis
To the northeast of the Grand Plaza, is this impressive complex of great importance in which the Calakmuleña elite lived. It is here that you can see Structure XV, which houses three graves.
Visit Calakmul in Campeche
Calakmul
Ball game
On one of the sides of the Great Acropolis is the Ball Game, one of the best preserved structures.
Ball game
Steles in Calakmul
One of the great gifts that Calakmul has given us is the possibility of seeing, today, the more than 120 steles that are preserved in the archaeological site and that are an impressive source of information to know much more about the history of this Mayan city
Steles in Calakmul
Steles in Calakmul
It is 4:30 in the afternoon, after 5 hours of visit, when we leave the archaeological site of Calakmul, after a visit of the most intense, again traveling the 60 kilometers, in little more than an hour, that separate us from the Hotel Puerta Calakmul, our accommodation in Calakmul, where we will stay tonight.
We arrived there when it was almost 6 at night, with the sun already very low, finding an incredibly integrated enclosure in the surroundings, with some cabins that we love and in which the only bad thing is not being able to enjoy them with more time.
We spent some time resting and showering at 7 to go to the restaurant, fully integrated like the rest of the enclosure, where we ordered a sirloin, grouper fillet, soft drinks plus dessert and coffees for 795 pesos.
And so, at 9, we return to our cabin, where surrounded by the sounds of the jungle, we fall surrendered. Today has been one of the most incredible and intense days of this trip to Mexico in 45 days.
Day 24: Calakmul - Archeological sites of Campeche: Balamkú, Chicanná, Becán and Xpujil - Laguna de Bacalar
