Mexico 2012 RV Trip, Day 22, January 18 Grutas de X’tacumbilxuna’an – Uxmal Ruins

It has been an interesting day. We waited until the the Grutas de X’tacumbilxuna’an opened at 10am only to find out that their electricity was not working, so the caves were closed today!They opened the gate and let us walk down and look around in the first part of the cave at no charge.

We walked down about 100 steps into the first room in the cave. It was pretty cool – all of the colors were natural – not done with special lighting!

Okay, so that didn’t work out so well. We read about another cave, Loltun Caverns, which are one of the biggest known in the Yucatan area and not far out of the way (about 30 miles) to our next stop, so we changed course and were on our way.

This archway welcomed us as we left Campeche state into the Yucatan. We did take some very narrow roads to wind our way to Loltun. We arrived at Loltun, paid $22 pesos for parking, grabbed a quick lunch, and bought our tickets for the 12:30 tour. Tickets were $102 pesos each and you are required to have a guide, but it is up to the individual to decide how much you pay him. We gave him $100 pesos for the 1 hour tour (Total at Loltun -  $326 pesos – about $24USD). There was a German couple on the English tour with us.

The Loltun caves were used by the Mayan people since 600BC. The main zones were mapped and explored in the 1940’s.

Archaeological excavations found remains of mammoth, bison, feline and other animal bones. There are carvings and designs on the walls, as well. It is now operated by the Mexican government cultural and tourism department. One room in the cave is called the Cathedral because it is 45 meters high and 20 meters wide.

After the tour we stopped in Oxkutzcab to get an oil change on the RV. We had our own oil and filter and Tobey found a mecanico who would do the work for $50 pesos (about $3.75USD). He had lived in Oregon and spoke great English, nice guy! Going through the town of Ticul was a challenge. This was some of the traffic we encountered. They make mini taxis with motorcycles and build a seat section in the front!

From there it was a short drive to Uxmal Ruins, where we are camped for the night. While we only traveled 81 miles, it looks like quite a long trip!

Once again, we are the only people camping here, cost was $131 pesos. We are in a large field next to the ruins with no facilities, but we have been able to tap into the hotel’s internet. 

We went to the 7pm sound and light show (so-so, would have been better if we had known about the English translation headsets) and will tour the ruins tomorrow. Admission is $177 pesos per person, and we are told we will need to hire a guide for an additional $550 pesos. We hope we can find some others willing to make up a group to save some money on the guide!

GPS 20.36129°N, 89.76831°W