Cuevas de Actún Kan is a municipal cave park in Santa Elena, 4 km from Isla de Flores. Entry is Q25 for foreigners and Q15 for Guatemalans; CONAP lists it open every day from 8:00 to 17:00. You can walk a lit, signed loop on your own in about an hour, or hire a guide for the two-hour Sendero de la Serpiente, which squeezes through narrow passages and comes out of a different cave.
It is an underground half day you can do without booking anything — the afternoon after a Tikal morning, for example.
Quick summary
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Where | Santa Elena de la Cruz, Flores (Petén) |
| From Isla de Flores | 4 km, ~15 minutes (CONAP) |
| Entry | Q25 foreigners · Q15 Guatemalans |
| Guide | Q35 extra (one Dec 2025 report) |
| Hours | Monday-Sunday, 8:00-17:00 (CONAP) |
| Short route | ~1 hour, lit, arrows, no guide needed |
| Long route | ~2 hours, guide, narrow passages, exits another cave |
| Park size | 76 hectares, declared in 2010 |
| Managed by | Municipalidad de Flores + Fundación ProPetén |
| Where to sleep | Flores / Santa Elena |
Hours and park facts from CONAP’s tourism portal, retrieved 24 September 2026. CONAP publishes no fee; the fee comes from the dated sources below.
What the entry costs — and why you may see other numbers
| Source | Foreigners | Guatemalans | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| guatemala.com | Q25 | Q15 | Updated 12 March 2024 |
| guatevalley.com | Q25 | Q15 | Undated listing |
| Bag & Board travel blog | Q25 (short route) + Q35 guide | — | Dec 2025, updated Mar 2026 |
| showcaves.com | Q35 | Q25 (listed as “Adults”) | Fee stamped 2021 |
The other three sources agree on Q25 for foreigners, and the two that give a national rate say Q15 for Guatemalans. The older showcaves.com figures are the outlier. Bring small bills in quetzales; we found no source saying cards are accepted.
Two routes: pick before you go in
guatemala.com and guatevalley describe two routes, and the difference matters more than the fee.
| Short loop | Sendero de la Serpiente (long) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | ~1 hour | ~2 hours (one blogger: 2-3) |
| Lighting | Lit trail, ~1 km, arrows in and out | Not stated — bring a flashlight (CONAP) |
| Guide | Not needed | Needed — you would get lost |
| Difficulty | Easy, circular | Medium: big chambers and tight squeezes |
| Exit | Back out the main entrance | Out through the Jovitzinaj cave |
| Get dirty? | — | Yes — some crawling |
The full cave system runs about 2.5 km, according to guatemala.com; the lit section is roughly the first kilometre. The Bag & Board writer arrived late and only had time for the short loop — which is the practical point: if you want the Serpent route, get there early enough for a two-to-three-hour trip underground before 17:00.
What you will see
CONAP describes caves and caverns with stalactite and stalagmite formations, several of them named for what they resemble: La pata de elefante (the elephant’s foot), La virgen de la gruta and El dios de la lluvia (the rain god). guatemala.com says the caves are home to hundreds of bats.
The name, per CONAP, means Serpent Rock or Serpent Cave in Maya, and the caves were found by workers quarrying the hills for building material. CONAP also notes the site’s mystical-religious importance for Maya peoples, who have held ceremonies there since pre-Hispanic times.
Getting there
CONAP puts the park 4 km from Isla de Flores, about 15 minutes, in the urban area of Santa Elena de la Cruz, reached by car, motorbike or bicycle — look south from the island and the cave hills are the ones you can see.
| From | How | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isla de Flores | Car, motorbike or bicycle | ~15 minutes, 4 km | CONAP |
| Santa Elena bus terminal | On foot | ~15-20 minutes | Bag & Board, 2025-26 |
| Santa Elena bus terminal | Car or tuk-tuk | ~5 minutes | Bag & Board, 2025-26 |
Tuk-tuks around Flores, Santa Elena and San Benito were Q10-15 a ride as of June 2024, according to Wikivoyage; agree the price first.
What to wear and bring
CONAP’s own recommendation: canvas trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, closed non-slip shoes and an extra flashlight. Bag & Board was given a helmet with a headlight, and adds water, bug repellent and a waterproof bag. On the long route you will crawl in places, so wear clothes you do not mind ruining.
Doing it with a tour instead
There is no Actún Kan product on the big platforms. A Viator search for Actun Kan on 24 September 2026 returned Belize’s Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave and Cancún tours — a different cave in a different country.
The local option we found is Tikal Expedition’s private Actún Kan Caves and Lake Petén Itzá tour, sold on the operator’s own site: four per-person price tiers between $85 and $130 (the page does not say which group size gets which), 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, pickup at Isla de Flores or Mundo Maya airport. It includes private transport, a boat on the lake with life jackets, entrance to ARCAS and to Actún Kan, a Spanish/English guide, lunch and water.
| Option | Cost per person | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| On your own, short loop | Q25 (foreigner) | Lit route, ~1 hour |
| On your own + guide, long route | Q25 + guide (one Dec 2025 report: Q35) | Serpent route, ~2 hours |
| Tikal Expedition private tour | $85-$130 | Caves + lake boat + ARCAS + lunch, 9:00-2:00 |
If the lake and ARCAS are on your list anyway, the tour bundles them. If you only want the caves, go on your own.
Book the rest of your Flores days
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Where to stay
Actún Kan is a half day from a base in Flores — Bag & Board calls it a great half-day trip if you are based there. Stay on the island or in Santa Elena; the caves are 4 km from the island. Live availability:
Where to stay in Flores
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Contact
CONAP lists the park’s administrator as the Municipalidad de Flores with Fundación ProPetén, with phones (+502) 5484-3759, 7867-5296, 7867-5249 and 7867-5248.
More in Petén
- Tikal sunrise tour and Flores to Tikal transport options.
- Ixpanpajul Natural Park — hanging bridges and canopy, also in Santa Elena.
- Guatemala City to Flores and Tikal — getting to Petén.
- Flores municipality guide · all activities.
Affiliate links — if you book, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the entrance to Actún Kan caves?
Q25 for foreigners and Q15 for Guatemalans. guatemala.com (updated March 2024) and guatevalley both publish Q15/Q25, and a travel blog updated in March 2026 paid Q25 for the short route plus Q35 for a guide. An older listing stamped 2021 gives higher figures (Q25/Q35); the fresher sources agree on Q15/Q25. CONAP’s official page lists no fee, so carry small cash.
What are the Actún Kan opening hours?
CONAP’s official protected-area page gives Monday to Sunday, 8:00 to 17:00. guatemala.com gives 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Plan on 8:00 to 17:00 and arrive with time for the route you want — the long route takes about two hours.
Do I need a guide for Actún Kan?
Not for the short route. The first section is lit and signed with arrows, and visitors walk it on their own in about an hour. The long route, the Sendero de la Serpiente, takes about two hours (one blogger reports two to three), goes through narrow passages and exits through a different cave, and a guide is needed. A guide was Q35 extra in a December 2025 report.
How do I get to Actún Kan from Flores?
The park is 4 km from Isla de Flores, about 15 minutes, in the urban area of Santa Elena de la Cruz (CONAP). From the Santa Elena bus terminal it is about 15-20 minutes on foot or about 5 minutes by car or tuk-tuk, according to a traveller’s report updated in March 2026.
What should I wear in Actún Kan?
CONAP recommends canvas trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, closed non-slip shoes and an extra flashlight. Bag & Board (December 2025) was given a helmet with a headlight, and suggests water, bug repellent and a waterproof bag. On the long route you may crawl and will get dirty.
Is Actún Kan the same as the ATM cave?
No. Actún Kan is in Santa Elena, Petén, Guatemala. Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) is a different cave in Belize. A Viator search for Actun Kan on 24 September 2026 returned only ATM and other non-Guatemala tours.
