If you want to visit Mayan ruins on a trip through Mexico (everyone who is there should do so 😉 ) most of the time you end up at the most famous ruins in Calakmul, Chichen Itza, Tulum or Coba. Although they all have their own peculiarities, they have one thing in common: They are well marketed for tourism and are always well frequented. After Tulum and Coba, we had Calakmul on our list as the absolute highlight. And then we changed our minds at the last minute. You can read in the article why and why this was probably one of the best decisions of our road trip through Mexico.
Until the Maya Train crosses the Yucatan in the middle to the end of the decade (~2030), there is only one way to Calakmul: by car over a miserably long mogul road. Since you cannot stay overnight in Calakmul, and the mogul slope alone takes 1.5 hours to drive, an overnight stay in the nearest place with accommodation is a good idea: Xpujil. From here it is at least 2:15 hours to Calakmul. Quite an oddity, especially with children in the car. After our exhausting drive from Bacalar to Xpujil, we really didn’t feel like it at all.
So we did a little research and agreed to skip Chalakmul and visit Becán and Chicanná instead. Travel time from Xpujil: 10 minutes.
Folge uns auf
Insider tip Becán: Enjoy the Mayan ruins alone in peace and quiet
Although we only got there comfortably around 9:00 a.m., we only had to share becán with the howler monkeys and toucans. The entire area can be climbed and explored, a single adventure research playground for our three little world explorers. When we thought about how much driving time we had saved, we were doubly happy: sitting on the 32m high pyramid of Becán, the sky above us, the jungle below us, monkeys and toucan sounds around us: one of the most amazing experiences of our trip .
At first glance, Becán may not be quite as impressive in its scale and artistry as Calakmul, but the tranquility of the resort, the comparative ease of access, and the freedom to explore (almost) everything within the resort make it a must-see for Familys. If you are planning a Yucatan round trip and driving from Bacalar to Campeche like we did, the stop in Xipujil is definitely worth it.
The dragon’s mouth in the Mayan ruins of Chicanná
The dragon’s mouth in the Mayan ruins of Chicanná
Similar to Becán, Chicanná is also very little visited – we were the only ones here too. Unfortunately, the larger buildings are more weather-beaten than in Becán and may not or cannot be climbed. However, since the site is right on the road towards Campeche, we can still recommend the visit without reservation.
