Cave Opichén, Yucatán Camino Real (Yucatán)
A wild cave system near Oxkintok entered through a sinkhole, explored with local guides by headlamp, from easy walks to hours of crawling and climbing.
From Mérida: 1 h by car (71 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near Grutas de Calcehtok
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Tours to Grutas de Calcehtok
Day trips and guided outings from Maní often include Grutas de Calcehtok; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Tours from Merida
From Merida: Chichen Itza Tour, Izamal, Cenote Ik Kil and Food
★ 4.9 (578) · From US$74
How to get to Grutas de Calcehtok
- From Mérida: about 1 h by road (~71 km)
- Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 1 h 27 min by car to Maní
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Tours from Merida, near Grutas de Calcehtok
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About Grutas de Calcehtok
The Grutas de Calcehtok, also known as Actun Xpukil (X'pukil), are a large system of connected caverns in the municipality of Opichén, just south of the village of Calcehtok and about 5 km from the Maya city of Oxkintok. They lie some 55 km southwest of Mérida as the crow flies, roughly 70 km by road via Maxcanú. The name is Maya for "deer-neck stone" (cal, neck; ceh, deer; tok, flint or stone): locals named the place after a carved stone showing a deer's neck found nearby. You go in through a cenote, a collapsed sinkhole whose mouth lets daylight into the first chamber, and from there the passages run off into total darkness.
The caves have a long human history. Archaeologists have found Maya ritual offerings inside, along with pottery, red-slipped plates, everyday vessels, arrowheads, grinding bowls, human and deer bones, and haltunes, hollows that collected dripping water, signs that the caves were both sacred and a refuge at different times. The American archaeologist Henry Mercer described Actun Xpukil in his 1896 book on the hill caves of Yucatán, and the village above it was the scene of bloody fighting in 1847, at the start of the Caste War. The village itself grew up in colonial times around a cattle and henequen hacienda, also called Calcehtok.
This is not a show cave with lights and walkways. Visits are run by guides from the village, and only they may take people in, because it is easy to get lost. Everyone gets a headlamp. Routes are graded by difficulty: a short family walk through the larger galleries with stalactites, stalagmites and high ceilings, and medium and extreme routes of several hours that involve crawling through tight passages and climbing with ropes. The floors are slippery and muddy, so expect your clothes to get dirty or torn; there are bats but no dangerous animals. It is not for anyone who is uneasy in narrow, dark spaces, but it is a real underground adventure for everyone else, and it pairs well with Oxkintok on the same day.
How to get to Grutas de Calcehtok
Drive from Mérida: 1 h, 71 km
From Mérida take Federal Highway 180 toward Campeche to Maxcanú (about 62 km), then the secondary road east from Maxcanú toward Calcehtok and Opichén; Oxkintok and the caves are both signposted on this road, about 70 km from Mérida in all, roughly an hour and a quarter. You can also come from the Muna side on the road from Muna toward Maxcanú via Opichén.
Directions to Grutas de Calcehtok on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Grutas de Calcehtok
- Mérida · 71 km by road, 1 h
- Campeche · 120 km by road, 1 h 35 min
- Valladolid · 229 km by road, 3 h
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Grutas de Calcehtok: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Daily about 9:00–18:00. Zona Turística · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- Guided tours priced per person: family walk about 50 pesos, light adventure about 80, extreme about 150 (listed for groups of 6 or more). These prices are undated and may have gone up, so confirm on arrival. Zona Turística · checked Oct 2026
- Time needed
- Family walk about 1–2 hours; light adventure 4–6 hours; extreme route 6–8 hours. Zona Turística · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- Only the local cave guides may take visitors inside, because it is easy to get lost; they provide headlamps and safety gear. Some guides speak only Spanish and Maya. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Yucatán Travel (SEFOTUR) · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Jeans or sturdy clothes you don't mind ruining, non-slip closed shoes (no sandals) and water; soap and water are provided at the end to wash up. Yucatán Travel (SEFOTUR) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Grutas de Calcehtok: what to see and do
Climb down through the cenote mouth, where daylight reaches the first chamber.
Take the short family tour past stalactites, stalagmites and high galleries.
Try the medium or extreme route, crawling through passages and climbing with ropes.
Ask your guide about the spots where Maya pottery, bones and water-collecting haltunes were found.
Visit the Maya city of Oxkintok, about 5 km away, on the same day.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Grutas de Calcehtok
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Grutas de Calcehtok.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Maní often include Grutas de Calcehtok; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at MID (Mérida): about 1 h 27 min by road to Maní, then 57 km more to Grutas de Calcehtok, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 1 h 27 min by road from Maní, the base for Grutas de Calcehtok.
Travel insurance
If you plan on caving at Grutas de Calcehtok, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Maní: download a map of the way to Grutas de Calcehtok before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Grutas de Calcehtok warm
Grutas de Calcehtok shares the climate of Maní, 57 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
Underground water keeps much the same temperature all year, so Grutas de Calcehtok is good in any month and coolest to visit in the hottest ones (April, May, and July).
See the month-by-month climate of Maní
Weather in Grutas de Calcehtok now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Maní
Maní is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Grutas de Calcehtok, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Closest to Grutas de Calcehtok
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Oxkintok · Archaeological site · 4 km away
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Opichén · Village · 6 km away
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Maxcanú · Town · 10 km away
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San Bernardo · Village · 10 km away
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Hacienda San José Chactún · Landmark · 11 km away
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Kopomá · Village · 11 km away
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Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima · Landmark · 19 km away
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Halachó · Town · 20 km away
Near Grutas de Calcehtok
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Grutas de Calcehtok
Caves in Yucatán · 3Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.