Mexico /Dec 18, 2023
Located a short drive from the Puerta Calakmul hotel, the Calakmul Bat Cave is home to some 4 million bats, comprising 8 different species of both insectivores and frugivores.
Also known as the Zotz Cave or the Volcán de los Murciélagos, it’s easy enough to visit the site with your own vehicle and, as this incredible natural spectacle only takes place shortly before dusk, when the bats exit the cave en-masse, it can easily be combined with a morning visit to the great, ruined Mayan city of Calakmul which is approximately an hour’s drive from the hotel.
The cave is located just off between KM marker posts 106 & 107 on the main east – west highway and has a small, paid-for car park. From here, a guide (again, paid for) will take anyone waiting to a viewing point near the cave, a short walk from the car park.
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Beyond The Ordinary arrange fully bonded, tailor made holidays and tours to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Contact one of our experts on 01580 764796, email travel@beyondtheordinary.co.uk or contact us via our website. |
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As this is a frenetic but short-lived spectacle, and bats don’t know what the time is, it’s best to arrive in plenty of time.
If you would rather visit the Calakmul Bat Cave with a guide, this is best arranged locally through the hotel, ideally as soon as you arrive the day before (this is not something we can pre-book unfortunately).
Calakmul is a long way from anywhere and, as a result, the vast majority of clients stay for 2 nights, arriving in the afternoon of Day 1, spending Day 2 visiting the ruins and then Calakmul Cave, before continuing on the next morning.
For ideas and inspiration for holidays that include a visit to Calakmul, please check out our Itineraries page and, in particular, our 14 night loop of the Yucatan Peninsula self-drive holiday.
Starting and finishing in Cancun, this suggested 2 week long, self-drive itinerary takes in most, if not all, of the key highlights of the Yucatan Peninsula in an anti-clockwise loop of the region. At the end of the itinerary there is the option of extending your holiday at the beach.
14 nights Fly Drive
This 7 Night Mexico Tour is a small group, escorted tour, starting and finishing in Cancun / Riviera Maya and performing a clockwise loop of the Yucatan Peninsula. It includes the Mayan sites of Calakmul, Chichen Itza, Uxmal & Palenque, the colonial towns of Izamal, Merida & Campeche as well as n...
Northern Yucatan highlights, this is a 10 night Yucatan holiday. Starting and finishing in Cancun, this suggested 10-night itinerary takes in pretty much all of the key highlights of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, combining Mayan & Colonial sites as well as a taste of the region’s nature-based a...
Located almost due west of Merida on the Yucatan’s Gulf Coast, Celestun is a small, slightly scruffy fishing village as well as a base for the nearby Celestun Biosphere Reserve.
On the quiet shores of the Yucatan Peninsula’s north coast, Rio Lagartos is a small fishing village and jumping off point for Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos, a UNESCO Biosphere since 2004.
We’ve never really been one for bucket lists but, if we were, we’d be packing our flippers and masks and heading to Mexico to swim with whale sharks in Holbox.
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Whichever of our featured countries you wish to visit, we've been there several times. So, if you're after something beyond the ordinary to Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala or the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, we'd love to hear from you.
