Getting There

Until 1995, the road to Calakmul was only for the brave hearted. Now, however, a nicely paved road brings you directly into the archaeological zone from highway 186. The turnoff is near Kilometer 97, or just east of Conhuas. From this turnoff, the trip to Calakmul will take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

The one lane road takes you directly south to within 35 kilometers of the Guatemalan border, where Calakmul is situated. There are many reasons to drive slowly on this route. First, take your time to look at the luscious vegetation and abundant wildlife. From our car, we spotted many foxes and a large kinkajou or coati. Second, the same factors that make this a pleasant drive also prevent cars from seeing each other until the last minute. Busses from Chetumal and Escarcega are not uncommon, and can be travelling quite fast. Be sure to leave Calakmul with plenty of daylight left.

There are few places to stay near Calakmul. The closest accomodations are at the Ramada Chicanna Ecovillage (across highway 186 from the archaeological zone of Chicanna). The cost is pricy ($70-90 USD per night) but well worth the splurge. I also recommend the Ramada Chicanna as a great homebase for exploring the nearby sites of Xpujil, Chicanna, Becan, Hormiguero, and Rio Bec. Alternative places to look for rooms include the town of Xpujil, which has cheap places to swing a hammock, and the cities of Escarcega and Chetumal. Just remember that the further you are from the center of the peninsula, the less time you will be able to spend exploring Calakmul.

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