Calakmul is a breathtaking!!!! Climb on the top of the pyramides, look around, enjoy the view and sounds of the jungle. Come here in the morning to have a space to walk around and rest on the top. The long drive is totally worth it! Be carefull of animals on the road - especially the wild turkey… :)

I loved everything about Calakmul! Staying in Xpujil is close to the site, but it’s still a long trip to get to the ruins. The road to the site from the highway is no joke with its twists, turns and countless potholes. Having a cab for the day with a couple other travelers was perfect. Time to see Calakmul, visit nearby ruins of Balamku (Calakmul closes at 1pm) to “kill time” before seeing the Cueva de los Murcielagos for sundown. Though half the ruins are closed (including the Ball Court), the half that is open is more than enough to make it worth it! All structures can be climbed including the incredible Structures 1 & 2! Great views from the tops of these pyramids. I loved that there’s plenty of shade since I gets hot. Bringing a nice lunch to eat atop the ruins was a great idea!

The road is now paved almost till the end. At the date of writing you do cross the road work of the Maya train. But the drive is much easier than it used to be. It is about an hour of driving in the jungle from the main entrance to the site. There are 3 tickets to buy, two at the main entrance and one at the archeological site. You will find bathrooms and a large parking at the site. There are no places to buy food or drinks. The site is just amazing. You really feel like an explorer because of the few tourists and it is really fun to climb the pyramids. The views are amazing. The site is huge so plan to walk a lot take plenty of water and bug spray. We spend more than 4 hours exploring. Now with the paved road and the train I am afraid that the site will drain tons of tourists. So hurry up if you still want the uniq experience to be (almost) alone in the mayan jungle.

Our visit to Calakmul was extraordinary. Our guide Jacobo, a bilingual guide who was extremely patient with our children, shared a lot of information with us and helped us locate animals during our tour of the Calakmul archaeological zone. We started our tour from the hotel to the archaeological site at 6:00 a.m. After an hour on the road and having seen different birds, we arrived at the archaeological zone. During the first 1000 meters before reaching the first structures, we were able to learn a lot about different plants and insects that we found during the walk. We heard and saw different birds as well and we were excited when, thanks to the sound of their movements, our guide directed our attention to the tops of the trees to delight us with the spider monkeys. Upon arriving at the structures, we received extensive information about them and the history of the place. Before climbing the first structures, we heard the sound of the howler monkeys and enjoyed watching them. We climbed the highest structures of the site at our pleasure and were enraptured by the beautiful view from the top of the structures, that enormous green expanse that seems to have no end. Calakmul exceeded our expectations. It is true that there is too much construction work going on around it, but the site is still fabulous, very beautiful. For the children it was extremely enriching, seeing them climb the structures and ask questions to our guide was comforting.