One of the great natural treasures of Mexico is its huge network of caves and underground rivers, that include records in length, depth and size.
You can visit these extraordinary places, that very few have seen. Imagine being part of a speleology expedition, rappeling into the depths, camping at the shores of underground lakes or rivers, and even paddle them on a kayak or raft. Only Incursiones can take you speleorafting in underground rivers, or let you be part of a true search and discover expedition into caves that are waiting for you to explore them for the first time. We have topographic and field information of caves, pits and underground rivers in Mexico that have not been explored. How would you like to be a discoverer, and baptize a cave with your name?
We have cave trips with different difficulty levels, all through Mexico.
Grutas de la Estrella, Mexico State.
the 'Caves of the Star' are named thus because of a star shaped formation on top of the Cerro de la Estrella, where the entrance to the grottoes is. This is an attractive, impressive and beautiful natural formation, result of water erosion over thousands of years in the limestone terrain. The beautiful internal formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns and helictites are the result of slow chemical processes through the filtering of water that deposits mineral compounds as it goes through the caves, forming capricious shapes which tradition has singled with names like Christ Brought Down From The Cross, The Tree, Crocodile, The Beautiful Arts Palace, The Chess Game, The Little Town And Its Pilgrims, The Tiger's Head, The Lion, The Hand, etc.
Likewise, the inner chambers and tunnels are called with particular names, like the Columns Room, The Bride's Salon, The Piñatas Room and the Room of Shame, among many others.
The Grutas de la Estrella have two options: one for the regular tourist, visiting the various rooms where you can admire the complex formations, on a paved road and an illumination that favors the already beautiful place. Another option for the more daring visitor; from November to June you can go down into the live part of the cave, trekking for about 4 hours the El Zapote underground river.
An experience that you just have to live.
Season: All year; December to June for the underground river.
Cacahuamilpa System, Guerrero
Undoubtedly one of the Wonders of the World and Nature's gift to Mexico, the Cacahuamilpa Caverns in Guerrero are a MUST for visitors from all parts. A mere 25 minutes from the charming Colonial town of Taxco and about 4 hours from Acapulco, the huge caverns located under the Cerro de la Corona at an altitude of 1,105 meters were discovered in 1835 but less than 10 of their 70 kilometers have been explored so far. Today, about 20 Chambers with a height of up to 40 meters and covering an area of 3 Kms have been spectacularly illuminated to display an awesome profusion of impressive and grandiose stalactite and stalagmite sculptural formations among them The Fountains, The Throne, The Bell Tower, The Goat and hundreds of others that can be visited daily with guided Tours, except on Sundays.
Below the dry, fossil caves of Cacahuamilpa lies Dos Bocas, where the Chontalcoatlan and San Jeronimo underground rivers resurface. These two rivers can be explored during the dry season, November to March, with amphibious treks of about 6 Kms each.
And there's much more! It is estimated that the Cacahuamilpa system could comprise up to 70 Km of caves, most of which have not been explored yet. These mostly fossil, horizontal caves are the perfect opportunity for the not-so-experienced-speleologists to record some discoveries of their own.
Season: All year; November to March for the underground rivers.
Grutas de Juxtlahuaca, Guerrero The Juxtlahuaca Grottos, are located 42 km (26 mi) from Chilpancingo in the State of Guerrero. The entrance to the grottos is guarded two huge "cocoxochitl" trees. They consist of 19 caves with stalactite and stalagmite formations such as: Los Idolos Rotos (the broken idols), Las Cataratas (the waterfalls), Las Cupulas (the domes) and Las Catacumbas (the dungeons). This underground sanctuary has several petroglyphs (rock paintings) representing a jaguar, a serpent and a human figure, among others. In this natural park are other extraordainary lanscapes to visit, like El Rio Azul (the blue river), this river forms spectacular waterfalls, water funnels and ponds.
Sotano de las Golondrinas, SLP
This huge pit, while not Mexico's largest, is probably the most widely known. This pit has served as a stage for many stunts, including a parachute jump out of a helicoptor where the jumper opened his 'chute after passing below ground level, or the more common base jumping from the edge of the pit.
The pit provides a free 1094 feet (376m) drop from the edge and a total depth of 512 meters. The opening measures 160 feet by 205 and the bottom 1000 feet by 440 feet. Three Titanics would easily fit side by side on the bottom. It has a volume of five million cubic meters.
Even if you don't intend to go down, it is a place worth visiting, especially on late afternoons when thousands of birds return to their nesting places in the cave. Season: All year
Gruta de Zacatecolotla, Gro.
In the middle of the Guerrero mountain range, a few minutes from the silversmith town Taxco, is the entrance to this extraordinary marble cave. With a length of about 2 Km, between the main and secondary caves, this cave offers three rappel descents, the longest one with a 90 m vertical shaft. You can walk behind a waterfall into a secondary tunnel, following a clear creek in a series of chambers covered with extraordinary crystaline formations. This is a 2 day expedition, camping next to an underground pond in the cave. Speleodivers are still attempting to get past a syphon near the bottom of the third shaft, trying to figure out its real length.
Season: All year
Underground rivers
Take a two day trek in an underground river across a mountain, camping in the cave overnight. Or rappel 200m deep into a marble cave, camp on a sandy beach that has never seen the sun, and walk behind an underground waterfall following a clear creek through endless crystaline tunnels.
Kayaking in a class II/III underground river is an experience very few people have ever experienced. Combine the excitement of rafting with the breathtaking beauty of some of the largest caves in the world.
Some of the caves we use for these underground adventures are Aguabrava (Puebla), El Zapote (Mexico), Chontalcoatlan and San Jeronimo (Guerrero), Cuetzalan System (Puebla), Puente de Dios (Querétaro), Río La Venta / Sótano de la Lucha (Chiapas).
Season: Most are limited to the dry season (November to March).
CAVE NAME | STATE | LENGTH (m) |
---|---|---|
Ox Bel Ha | Quintana Roo | 96800 |
Sistema Purificación | Tamaulipas | 93755 |
Nohoch Nah Chich | Quintana Roo | 60985 |
Sistema Huautla | Oaxaca | 55953 |
Sistema Dos Ojos | Quintana Roo | 55322 |
Sistema Cuetzalan | Puebla | 37676 |
Cueva del Tecolote | Tamaulipas | 36562 |
Kihaje Xontjoa | Oaxaca | 31373 |
Sistema Cheve | Oaxaca | 24300 |
Sistema Tepepa (Ehécatl+Niebla) | Puebla | 24000 |
Sistema Soconusco | Chiapas | 21733 |
Coyalatl | Puebla | 20000 |
Sistema Naranjal (Najaron-Maya Blue) | Quintana Roo | 19394 |
Sistema Yax Ch'en | Quintana Roo | 18302 |
Sistema Sac Actun | Quintana Roo | 17078 |
Sistema Pondazul (PonDeRosa) | Quintana Roo | 14932 |
Cueva del Alpazat | Puebla | 13678 |
Sistema Nohoch Kiin | Quintana Roo | 13615 |
Cueva del Río La Venta | Chiapas | 13000 |
Atlixicaya | Puebla | 12200 |
Sistema San Andrés | Puebla | 10988 |
Grutas de Rancho Nuevo (San Cristobal) | Chiapas | 10218 |
Cueva del Arroyo Grande | Chiapas | 10207 |
Cueva del Mano | Oaxaca | 9790 |
Sistema Abejas | Quintana Roo | 9742 |
El Chorro Grande | Chiapas | 9650 |
Sistema Tepetlaxtli | Puebla | 9600 |
Actún Kaua | Yucatán | 9400 |
Cueva Quebrada | Quintana Roo | 9000 |
Sótano de Las Calenturas | Tamaulipas | 8308 |
Gruta del Tigre | Quintana Roo | 8300 |
Cenote Chac Mool - Mojarra | Quintana Roo | 8182 |
Sumidero Santa Elena | Puebla | 7884 |
Cueva Yohualapa | Puebla | 7820 |
Cueva de la Peña Colorada | Oaxaca | 7793 |
Cueva de Comalapa | Veracruz | 7750 |
Sótano del Arroyo | San Luis Potosí | 7200 |
Sistema Perrito | Oaxaca | 7148 |
Cueva de la Puente | San Luis Potosí | 6978 |
Sistema Zoquiapan | Puebla | 6597 |
Xongo Dwi Ñi | Oaxaca | 6500 |
Cueva Vinata | Michoacán | 6460 |
Sumidero de Jonotla (Teponahuas) | Puebla | 6381 |
Cueva Aerolito | Quintana Roo | 6100 |
Cueva del Ferrocarril | Morelos | 6100 |
Sistema Cretacico (Suchomimus) | Nuevo León | 6065 |
Cenote Zapoté | Quintana Roo | 6000 |
Sima Castor - Sima Grande | Puebla | 5952 |
Gruta del Río Chontalcoatlán | Guerrero | 5827 |
Sistema H31-H32-H35 | Puebla | 5745 |
Cueva de la Iglesia | Morelos | 5700 |
Gruta del Río San Jerónimo | Guerrero | 5600 |
Sima Talcómitl | Puebla | 5340 |
Sistema Huayateno -Tecaltitlan | Puebla | 5300 |
Cueva Charco | Oaxaca | 5290 |
Los Bordos | Chiapas | 5211 |
Cueva de Agua Blanca | Tabasco | 5200 |
Grutas de Juxtlahuaca | Guerrero | 5098 |
Veshtucoc | Chiapas | 4930 |
Akemati | Puebla | 4918 |
Sistema Ocotempa | Puebla | 4720 |
Cueva del Nac. del Río San Antonio | Oaxaca | 4570 |
Sistema Atlalaquia | Veracruz | 4530 |
Sótano de la Tinaja | San Luis Potosí | 4502 |
Sótano de Japones | San Luis Potosí | 4500 |
Cueva Escalera | Oaxaca | 4500 |
Sótano de Agua de Carrizo | Oaxaca | 4477 |
Sumidero de Pecho Blanco No. 2 | Chiapas | 4435 |
Sótano del Río Iglesia | Oaxaca | 4206 |
Sima del Borrego | Guerrero | 4087 |
Sistema del Encanto | Puebla | 4000 |
Aztotempa | Puebla | 4000 |
Cenote Esqueleto (Temple of Doom) | Quintana Roo | 4000 |
Cueva Burrodromo | Quintana Roo | 3962 |
Sumidero San Bernardo | Puebla | 3931 |
Sótano del Río Coyomeapan | Puebla | 3900 |
Cueva de Agua de Carlota | Oaxaca | 3759 |
Cueva de la Llorona | Tamaulipas | 3540 |
Nita Nashi | Oaxaca | 3524 |
Las Brumas | Puebla | 3521 |
Cenote Dos Pies | Quintana Roo | 3516 |
Cueva Tepetzala | Puebla | 3492 |
Cueva del Río Jalpan | Querétaro | 3440 |
Resumidero la Joya | Guerrero | 3377 |
Sotano de Venadito | San Luis Potosí | 3362 |
Actún Xpukil | Yucatán | 3353 |
Cueva de la Laguna Verde | Oaxaca | 3350 |
Sumidero Yochib | Chiapas | 3316 |
Cueva de El Chorreadero | Chiapas | 3280 |
Atepolihuit de Nauzontla | Puebla | 3066 |
Sótano de Tlamaya | San Luis Potosí | 3057 |
Sistema de Montecillos | San Luis Potosí | 3022 |
Resumidero de Toxin | Jalisco | 3005 |
Sótano de Huitzmolotitla | San Luis Potosí | 3002 |
Sumidero de Atliliakan | Guerrero | 3000 |
Sótano del Tigre | San Luis Potosí | 3000 |
Cueva de Los Hornos | San Luis Potosí | 2960 |
Cenote Carwash | Quintana Roo | 2874 |
Sótano de Trinidad | San Luis Potosí | 2780 |
Boca del Río Apetlanca | Guerrero | 2750 |
Sótano de la Cuchilla | Tamaulipas | 2716 |
Cueva Ayockal | Puebla | 2702 |
Perdida de Gabriel Esquinca | Chiapas | 2698 |
Actún Loltun | Yucatán | 2682 |
Gruta de Tasalolpan | Puebla | 2661 |
Cueva del Cinco de Abril | San Luis Potosí | 2632 |
Cueva de Tres Marías | Chihuahua | 2591 |
Iztac-Ha | Tabasco | 2525 |
OZ 20 | Puebla | 2500 |
OZ 5-6-7 | Puebla | 2500 |
Cuevita Chica | Veracruz | 2500 |
Sistema Santa Lucía | Puebla | 2500 |
Meandro Que Cruce (CH54) | Veracruz | 2500 |
Cueva de Juan Sánchez | Oaxaca-Veracruz | 2493 |
Cueva de Queso Suizo | Chiapas | 2484 |
Sima Chapultepec | Puebla | 2413 |
OZ 21 | Puebla | 2400 |
Cueva del Viejito | Oaxaca | 2400 |
Nita Cho | Oaxaca | 2357 |
R'ja Man Kijao | Oaxaca | 2347 |
Sima de la Cruz Verde | Puebla | 2301 |
Cueva del Río Corona | Tamaulipas | 2301 |
Guixani Ndia Guinjao | Oaxaca | 2292 |
Xocomanetlán | Guerrero | 2223 |
Cueva de Eligio | Puebla | 2218 |
Sumidero de Xochiotepec | Veracruz | 2200 |
Grutas de Estrella | Guerrero | 2100 |
Sumidero de Cuetzaloztotl | Veracruz | 2100 |
Sistema Carrillo | Quintana Roo | 2100 |
Sima la Pedrada | Chiapas | 2090 |
Sima la Pedrada | Chiapas | 2090 |
Soncongá | Oaxaca | 2057 |
Sótano de El Berro | Veracruz | 2029 |
Cueva del Diablo | Morelos | 2019 |
Sumidero de Atecarla | Puebla | 2005 |
Cenote Nonec | Quintana Roo | 2000 |
Sótano de Vasquez | Tamaulipas | 2000 |
SOL 2 | Veracruz | 2000 |
Cueva del Río | Michoacán | 2000 |
Sótano de Yerbaniz | San Luis Potosí | 1980 |
Quichat | Puebla | 1936 |
Grutas de Tenextepec | Puebla | 1920 |
Cueva del Arroyo de Tenejapa | Chiapas | 1910 |
Cueva de la Mantilla | Michoacán | 1900 |
Olbasco de Temaxcalapa | Veracruz | 1900 |
Cueva de Villa Luz (Las Sardinas) | Tabasco | 1897 |
Cueva de Cañada los Pastores | San Luis Potosí | 1882 |
Cueva de la Finca | Oaxaca | 1876 |
El Abra | Coahuila | 1841 |
Sistema de los Ojos del Tigre | Chiapas | 1840 |
Cueva Xantilco | Puebla | 1840 |
Sistema Ictlatlela | Veracruz | 1835 |
Cueva Tecolo | Puebla | 1830 |
Nita Ka | Oaxaca | 1813 |
Cueva Paraíso | Tamaulipas | 1799 |
Cueva de la Canoa | San Luis Potosí | 1794 |
Cueva de los Huesitos | Distrito Federal | 1792 |
Sonyance | Puebla | 1785 |
Dachiki Nita | Oaxaca | 1769 |
Sótano del Pueblito | Veracruz | 1752 |
Cueva San Francisco | Chiapas | 1750 |
Gruta de Aclalá | Guerrero | 1744 |
Chapultepec 1 | Puebla | 1744 |
Sótano de Matapalma | San Luis Potosí | 1722 |
La Ciudad | Puebla | 1677 |
Resumidero de Izote | Guerrero | 1649 |
Sistema Maincomio Paralelo de Satanas | Nuevo León | 1639 |
Sistema Holjuaztle-Tlilastoc | Veracruz | 1630 |
Cuaxilotla | Guerrero | 1620 |
Grutas de Xtacumbilxunam | Campeche | 1600 |
Grutas de Balankanche | Yucatán | 1600 |
Cotzalostoc | Veracruz | 1600 |
Cueva del Achin | Chiapas | 1585 |
Nita He | Oaxaca | 1555 |
Nita Xonga | Oaxaca | 1550 |
Sótano de los Planos | Puebla | 1526 |
Akemabis | Puebla | 1505 |
Cueva de Los Sabinos | San Luis Potosí | 1502 |
Zacatecolotla | Guerrero | 1500 |
Nacimiento de Siete Aguas | Veracruz | 1500 |
Cueva de Vitaliano | Oaxaca | 1500 |
Sumidero del Río Xocotlat | Puebla | 1500 |
Any adventure you wish, we can make it happen