Xpujil
Xpujil is a remote village in the state of Campeche, located at an important junction in the interior of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It offers the only services on Mexico's Federal Route 186 in the interior of the Yucatán.
Get in
Highway 186 is well-paved and in mostly excellent condition, with little traffic. The road north connecting Xpujil with Holpelchén is narrow, most of it has been recently paved and is in excellent condition. However, there are portions of the road to the north of Reserva de la Biosfera Calakmul that are in disrepair; littered with astonishingly deep potholes that resemble a never ending abyss into the depths of hell. Some travellers may want to avoid this route or expect to travel at a much slower speed. To the south of Xpujil, this road is an unimproved seasonal track.
Many buses, both first class and second class, traverse Route 186 and stop in Xpujil on their way to Chetumal or Escárcega.
Get around
Xpujil is small enough to navigate by foot, and automobile traffic is very light off the main highway. Calle Chicaná is well lit with a paved sidewalk, and makes for a pleasant evening walk.
See
- The 1 Calakmul Archaelogical Zone.
Do
Modern Xpujil is east of the site of the ancient Mayan city of Xpujil. It contains important ruins. Nearby sites include Chicanna, Becan, Hormiguero, Rio Bec. Mayan archtecture in this region is characterized by the Rio Bec style.
An ecotourism information center in Xpujil offers information and guided tours for the nearby Reserva de la Biósfera Calakmul.
There are at least two different companies offering day trips to the Calakmul archaelogical site for M$350-400 (not including individual park and road fees). A driver may approach you outside the bus station or you can contact Calakmul Transporte Colectivo via Facebook. The day trips leave at 08:00, arrive at the site shortly after 10:00, and leave by 16:00, in time to make a stop at a nearby bat cave before sundown.
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- Posada Victoria.
- El Mirador Maya. 983 871 6005
- Hotel Calakmul, ☏ +52 983 871 6029. This place is right downtown and has 20 M$600 double rooms with AC and TV, but there are also 8 M$250 rooms with shared bath and fan. All rooms have two beds.
Go next
If you are heading to Chetumal, it is easy to catch either a colectivo or wait for enough people to fill up a taxi near the bus station for the 1.5-2 hour ride.