Best Mayan Ruins To Avoid Crowds

Calakmul - Review 2025

By: Tom Gaffey & Annie Gunton - Updated: June 2025

About this guide

We gave our Outoria Team one job:
Find the best and most popular ruins in Mexico

Here you go, now you should be all set for your next trip to Mexico.

Our review team:

Tom Gaffey

Contributor at Outoria.com

Tom Gaffey is a journalist, and sailor from the University of Connecticut.

Annie Gunton

Editor at Outoria.com

Annie has lived on 4 continents and traveled through 6. Spending her time in places as different as London and the Kalahari she has adapted how she gets out and enjoys what’s around.

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Calakmul is one of the least visited of all the important ancient Mayan ruins in Mexico, and this is one of the top reasons you should add it to your list. Calakmul is located deep in the Mexican wilderness in the state of Campeche.

This archeological site is not located near any major city and is just 35 kilometers from the Guatemala border. While the surrounding area is void of buildings, the temple complex of Calakmul itself is grand and impressive. In fact, it is one of the largest and most powerful of all the Mayan ancient cities.

What separates these Mayan ruins from many others is their remoteness. Calakmul has not been commercialized and does not have the best infrastructure. The journey here involves a long and windy road that can be difficult to navigate at times.

But once you arrive, you are treated to a giant complex of ruins in a jungle. You can climb several of the giant structures to get a view of the vast jungle around you. There are several species of monkeys that live here, as well as exotic birds and beautiful butterflies.

If you are looking for an authentic, untamed, and mysterious Mayan ruins experience, look no further than Calakmul. For those nervous about the remote surroundings and difficult roads, there are guided tours with pickup available. Just keep in mind these ruins are off the beaten path and will take an entire day (or more) of your time to visit.