Notice: As of July 2023 the archaeoligical sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Xlapak, Sayil, and Labná are open to the public. The caves of Loltún remain closed until further notice.
Its name is derived from two Maya words, LOL (flower) and TUN (stone). Located in the hilly Puuc region, 110 km. southeast of Mérida, these are the largest caves on the peninsula. They are also the ones that are the most studied. Evidence has been found here of human contact going back 7,000 years. Mammoth, bison, feline and deer bones have been found in the caves, along with fresco paintings on the walls.
The caves will amaze and delight even the most jaded traveler, and are a special treat for children. A special feature in these caves is the columns that can be “played” like musical instruments. When struck with the flat side of one’s fist, they strike two deep and beautiful bell-like tones. The caves seem to go on forever, and have not been fully and completely explored, even to this day.
The cave has been made more accessible for visitors with lighting on its paths. Your two-hour tour of approximately 1000 meters will take you from cathedral-like underground spaces, to dry riverbeds, beautiful glittering stalagmites that look like frozen fountains, and much more. At the end of the tour is a majestic collapsed vault.
The tour starts at the entrance of Nahkab, or beehive, where the famous bas-relief known as El Guerrero de Loltún (the Loltún warrior) is located, who seems to be emerging from the caves and is believed to be the God of the underworld. Another attraction of great interest is the cave paintings: on one wall one can see negatives of hands, on another there are more elaborate paintings representing faces, animals and staggered fret patterns. In the diverse halls, galleries and chambers – almost 60 m deep and extending over more than 700 m – diverse archaeological pieces, ceramics, stone artifacts, marine shells and petroglyphs have been found, corresponding to the Maya culture in its different stages of development.
Important Information:
For your own safety, you can only enter the caves with a guide. The bilingual guides do not charge for their services, so we recommend that you tip them.
Open: Monday to Sunday (As of May 22, 2023 it remains closed)
Various tour schedules: 9 am to 4 pm
Fees:
Entrance Fee: $146 pesos non-Mexican citizens, $109 pesos Mexican citizens
Guide Fee: This is something you negotiate with the local guides. The price varies between $500 to $600 pesos for a group.
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Esta entrada también está disponible en: ES
Could not find any information about Loltun Cave during Covid. Unfortunately, as of May 2021 it’s closed “until further notice”. We had to arrive there to see the closed gates first hand. On the bright side, Ruta Puuc is picturesque on its own.
What is better? Loltun or Calkehtok caves?
It is a matter of preference since they are very different caves. Loltún caves are very spacious, it’s great if you’re travelling with people that are nervous in enclosed spaces, one thing to take into account when visiting Loltún is that they have set times for tours, so make sure to plan ahead so you’re not stuck waiting around too long.
As for Calcehtok, there are several guided tours available, from moderate to rather extreme, you will feel much “tighter” at the Calcehtok caves as at times you will be required to crawl to get through tight spaces, these caves are better for the adventurous traveller!
I hope this answers any questions you might have, you can also check out our editorial for Lol tún to get more information: https://yucatantoday.com/lolt-n-caves/?lang=en
We also have an editorial about Calcehtok you can read to get a better idea of what to expect: https://yucatantoday.com/experience-darkness-in-las-grutas-de-calcehtok/?lang=en