The Candelaria Caves are a cave and underground-river system about 22 kilometres long, with five main entrances, inside the Parque Nacional Cuevas de Candelaria in northern Alta Verapaz. The park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., per the Ministry of Culture. The two entrances we could identify have different operators and different activities, and no official page publishes one park-wide fee, so the first decision is which entrance you are going to. The caves lie in Chisec and Raxruhá, not around Cobán town.
The base facts come from the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes’ Sistema de Información Cultural listing (modified 1 October 2026), which locates the park in Chisec, gives the 22 km and five entrances, and records that the French speleologist Daniel Dreux began exploring the region in 1966 and documented the caves on a Guatemalan-French expedition in 1974. Prensa Comunitaria (March 2024) reports that the national park was created in 1999 and profiles the Mucbilhá entrance as community-run tourism.
On price we have to be straight with you: none of the official or operator pages we could load on 3 October 2026 publishes a rate card. The Los Nacimientos entrance has its own website with a rate page, but on that date it showed only a bot-verification screen. We do not print the prices that travel blogs quote. Ask the entrance directly, and bring quetzales in cash.
Candelaria tours
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The park at a glance
| What | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Protected area | Parque Nacional Cuevas de Candelaria | SIC; Prensa Comunitaria |
| Created | 1999 | Prensa Comunitaria |
| Municipality | Chisec (SIC); between Chisec and Raxruhá (Prensa Comunitaria) | SIC; Prensa Comunitaria |
| Length of the system | About 22 km (Prensa Comunitaria, 2024, gives 33 km for the Candelaria Camposanto system Mucbilhá belongs to) | SIC; Prensa Comunitaria |
| Main entrances | Five | SIC |
| River | The río Candelaria runs through and carved the caves | SIC |
| Hours | Monday to Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | SIC (modified 1 Oct 2026) |
| Services | Parking, restaurant, souvenir shop, first-aid post | SIC |
| Price | No rate card we could read on 3 Oct 2026 | — |
Two entrances you will see named
| Entrance | Where | What the sources describe | Price status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mucbilhá | Raxruhá: km 315 of the Franja Transversal del Norte per Guatemala.com (2023); km 433, caserío Secacao, per Prensa Comunitaria (2024) | Community tourism run by the Candelaria Camposanto and Mucbilhá communities (Prensa Comunitaria, 2024). Tubing on a section of the río Candelaria, a 50 m rappel (Prensa Comunitaria gives 60 m), rock climbing inside the caves, the lit chamber El Jardín with a forest growing in it, and wood-and-palm cabins with full board (Guatemala.com, June 2023) | No operator rate card found |
| Los Nacimientos | Not stated on a page we could load | Runs its own website with rate, hotel and location pages | Rate page behind a verification screen on 3 Oct 2026 |
The Ministry counts five main entrances in total; the other three are not named on the official pages we read. Guatemala.com’s advice for Mucbilhá is to be in good physical condition, always wear protective equipment, and go in groups of four.
What you can do
The Ministry’s list for the park: guided cave tours with specialist staff, tubing on the río Candelaria through the caves, landscape and rock-formation photography, and watching Maya ceremonies held in authorised sacred spaces. INGUAT’s Candelaria Caves guide (September 2026) says visits are organised as guided tours, that some sections are wet or uneven, and that you can see the main sights in half a day or take a full day with the surroundings.
Not the same place: INGUAT’s “Candelaria Cenotes”
INGUAT also has a separate Candelaria Cenotes page, and it places those cenotes in the municipality of Nentón, Huehuetenango, on the Mexican border. That is a different department from the Chisec and Raxruhá caves on this page. If a tour or a map pin says “Candelaria”, check the department before you go.
What to bring
From INGUAT’s guide: trainers or boots with good soles for wet and stony sections, clothes you do not mind getting dirty, a light jacket because it is cooler inside, water and a snack for a full day, and a protective bag or case for a phone or camera. Carry cash too, since no entrance publishes a card price we could confirm.
Getting there and where to sleep
INGUAT’s Cobán guide (July 2026) names Cobán as a base for day trips that include the Candelaria Caves, and its caves guide recommends arranging road transport from a base in Alta Verapaz and allowing plenty of time, because the area is rural. None of the official pages publishes a distance or drive time from Cobán. For the leg from the capital, see Guatemala City to Cobán; for the far north, Laguna Lachuá is reached through Chisec.
Where to stay in Chisec
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Pair it with
- Laguna Lachuá National Park — the jungle lake reached via Chisec
- Grutas de Lanquín — lit caves and a dusk bat flight, by Semuc Champey
- Grutas del Rey Marcos — a guided cave near San Juan Chamelco, 14 km from Cobán
- Hun Nal Ye · Orquigonia
- Adventure sports in Guatemala · Alta Verapaz · All Guatemala activities
Sources read 3 October 2026: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes SIC listing for the Parque Nacional Cuevas de Candelaria (modified 1 October 2026); Prensa Comunitaria (27 March 2024); Guatemala.com (22 June 2023); INGUAT visitguatemala.gt Candelaria Caves guide (1 September 2026), Candelaria Cenotes page (8 September 2026) and Cobán guide (28 July 2026). The Los Nacimientos website could not be read. Every figure above is dated to the page it came from.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Candelaria Caves?
In northern Alta Verapaz. The Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes’ SIC listing (modified 1 October 2026) places the Parque Nacional Cuevas de Candelaria in the municipality of Chisec; Prensa Comunitaria (March 2024) describes the park as lying between Chisec and Raxruhá, in the Franja Transversal del Norte. Guatemala.com places the Mucbilhá community entrance in Raxruhá, at kilometre 315 of the Franja Transversal del Norte.
How much does it cost to enter the Candelaria Caves?
We could not confirm a current price from an operator. The entrances we could identify have different operators: Mucbilhá is run by the Candelaria Camposanto and Mucbilhá communities (Prensa Comunitaria, 2024), and Los Nacimientos has its own website. The Los Nacimientos entrance publishes a rate card on its own website, but on 3 October 2026 the site showed only a verification screen, and the Ministry’s listing and INGUAT’s guide publish no fees. Ask the entrance you choose before you travel and carry cash.
What are the opening hours?
Monday to Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., according to the Ministry of Culture’s SIC listing for the national park (modified 1 October 2026).
How big is the Candelaria cave system?
About 22 kilometres long with five main entrances, per the Ministry’s listing. The río Candelaria runs through it and carved it out of limestone hills. Prensa Comunitaria reports that the national park protecting it was created in 1999.
What can you do at the Candelaria Caves?
The Ministry lists guided cave tours, tubing on the río Candelaria through the caves, landscape photography and Maya ceremonies held in authorised sacred spaces. At the Mucbilhá entrance, Guatemala.com (June 2023) adds a 50-metre rappel, rock climbing inside the caves, and an illuminated chamber called El Jardín with a forest growing inside it.
Are the Candelaria Caves the same as the Candelaria Cenotes?
No. INGUAT’s guide to the Candelaria Cenotes places them in the municipality of Nentón, Huehuetenango, near the Mexican border. The Candelaria Caves on this page are in Alta Verapaz, in Chisec and Raxruhá. Check which one a tour means before you book.
