Mexico has stolen many hearts! We would like to share this route with you. A 27-day road trip, to visit Yucatan and Chiapas. You fly out and back at Cancun Airport. Starting in an undiscovered paradise: Isla Mujeres . From there you set off on a road trip along well-known highlights and lesser-known pearls: Chitzen Itza , Uxmal and Campeche in Yucatan. It then go to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque via Kolem Jaa . Then you return to Yucatan via Calakmul, a little-visited Mayan complex in the middle of the jungle. And end up in laid back Puerto MorelosAkumal , two jewels on the Riviera Maya. You can easily make an independent car tour through Mexico. You can book the flight, hotels and car separately. We will share a route from day to day with you and some tips.
Day 8 – Visit to Uxmal
Today a visit to Uxmal is on the program. If you have less time, you could combine this day Uxmal and the Puuc Route and then continue to Campeche. If you have time you can choose to spread this over two days.
Uxmal is really great! Apart from the fact that it was built much earlier than Chichén Itzá and in a completely different architectural style, the setting is completely different. In Uxmal, nature is allowed to take its course more, you will not encounter a single stall on the site itself and there is much more left here from the original city. Much less ‘obvious’ restoration has been done than in Chichén Itzà.
You really have the feeling that you are walking in a city, with beautiful buildings and beautiful sculptures. I could imagine this much better! You cannot climb the pyramid of the wizard, but there are other temples that you can climb here. Be careful, the steps are uneven!
When you take your time and hire a guide you can spent 3.5 hours in Uxmal , and combine that with a visit to Choco-Story in the afternoon. This is right opposite the excavations of Uxmal. This is an ecological museum, dedicated to the history of cocoa. It is not a traditional museum, but you walk through the jungle from Maya hut to Maya hut. There you will find either more explanation about cocoa, or a number of demonstrations (cocoa tasting, mmm…).
Day 9 – Driving the Puuc route
+/- 200 km and 3.5 hours driving (without the stops)
You are going to drive the Puuc route . Uxmal is the largest excavation on the Puucroute in Yucatan and you already visited it yesterday. However, there are many other excavations nearby. Together they form the Puuc route. These excavations are all built in Puuc style, characterized by geometric, recurring elements and detailed sculpture. You can often see masks with long noses on the facades of the buildings, which represent Chac, the rain god of the Mayas. This route is a nice one, because you will encounter a lot less tourists. That’s why the excavations are no less beautiful! If you only have one day, combine Uxmal with Kabah and try to get Labna on the side! Today you can visit Kabah-Sayil-Xlapak-Labna, in this order. You will probably spent most of your time in Kabah, because the excavations here are the largest (and you can climb on them), and in Sayil, because the ruins are scattered in the jungle. The walk in the jungle is very nice and we spot vultures.
After this you drive to Campeche . There we splash in the pool and in the evening and you can explore the town. When you stroll around there will be a big chance you end up at the cathedral, where there is just a mass. The people stand outside and are dressed up. Once the mass is done, the square starts to live and at 20:00 a real sound and light show starts. It is projected against one of the buildings on the Plaza de la Independencia, as the square is called. The show lasts over half an hour and is great fun for both young and old. The town is really alive and very, very cozy.
vernight in Campeche
If you want to spend the night in Campeche, you have to look carefully where you want to sleep. You have the hotels, which are located on the Malecon , the promenade along the sea. On the other hand, you have the hotels that are located in the town. When you choose a hotel in the town itself, you can explore the town on foot, with our own parking. Because the travel distances are all a bit longer after this, Lets stay here for 2 nights .
Our choice: Hotel Plaza Colonial****
Another gem of a colonial building, which has now been beautifully restored as a hotel. Hotel Plaza Colonial**** has an excellent location, in the center, and only a 5-minute walk from the Malecon, the boulevard along the beach. Beautiful, spacious and clean rooms and free parking, an absolute pro in Campeche! Moreover, this hotel has its own swimming pool! Travelers give this hotel an 8.7. You sleep here with two people for about $71 per night or $96 per night for a quadruple room!
Day 10 – Visit Campeche
Campeche’s full name is San Francisco de Campeche. The city became an important transit port. Because of its wealth, the city quickly attracted pirates. After a major attack in 1663 by the English, French and Dutch, city walls 3.5 meters thick and other forts were built. The construction took 18 years and resulted in Campeche being one of the best defended cities in the Spanish Empire became. The fortifications and the city center are so well preserved that they became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Within the city center, the former facades have been beautifully preserved and form a colourful, harmonious whole. Campeche is no longer the largest port, nor is it the largest city in the Yucatan.
You explore this city on foot. Wander through the colorful streets and I take too many pictures again. Back on the square visit Centro Cultural Casa 6, a mansion, which has been restored to its original state. Once back outside, you walk a few houses further back into the Museo de La Arquitectura Maya. It is mainly about archaeological finds from the state of Campeche, especially the recent excavations in Calakmul. This museum is closed on Mondays. Then you head to the famous city walls and bastions. First have lunch in a typical Mexican eatery and then brave the heat. You can visit the bastions in various places and you can also go up the walls for a while. There are two fortresses, located just outside the city, that you can also visit. You need transport for this. You can just visit the bastions on foot. Please note that the forts and some bastions are closed on Mondays. In the evening we have a nice dinner in Calle 59.
Day 11 – Campeche to Kolem Jaa
+/- 480 km and 7-8 hours drive
Today is all about a long car ride .It will take 8 hours in total. Especially on the last part will take more time. That is because you have to leave the motorway and then pass through a number of villages. Here are the topes , or the Mexican version of thresholdsAnd the road is in worse condition than on the Yucatan Peninsula. That’s nothing compared to Chiapas, but that adventure is yet to come. From the Yucatan Peninsula you can go over Palenque to San Cristobal (round trip), along Villahermosa, or you can choose an off-the-beaten-path destination. Lets spend the night in the jungle, more specifically Kolem Jaa. That is definitley a good choice!
Overnight in Kolem Jaa
You can stay here for 2 nights .
Our choice Kolem Jaa
WOW and again WOW! You sleep here in the middle of the jungle in bungalows in cheerful colors. Getting to your destination is an adventure in itself: you will be taken by boat to the other side of the river, where the bungalows are located. Your luggage goes over the river with a cable car.
Kolem Jaa is a nature park/outdoor activity center. There is a lot to do on the site: walking along marked trails, admiring waterfalls, spotting wildlife (watch out for monkeys!), but you can also book adventurous activities, such as canopy, command slope, ziplining … You pay extra for the adventurous activities. The longer activities, such as the commando course, cost around €20 per person and the guidance is very friendly. Been there, done that!
For $48 you can spend the night here with two. With four, the price starts from $91.
Overnight in Villahermosa
If you have less time, or don’t feel like ziplining in the jungle, an overnight stay in Villahermosa is also possible! One night is enough, and then you can drive straight to San Cristobal de las Casas the next day.
Budget hotel: Mia City Villahermosa***
This is a very nice hotel for a great price! This hotel has everything you want after a long day of driving : spacious rooms, comfortable beds, good air conditioning, a private bathroom. You park your car in front of the door. The next morning you can enjoy a delicious breakfast (not included). For $42 you sleep in a double room and for $53 you have a quadruple room at Mia City Villahermosa*** ! Delicious, just like the rating with 8.1!
Dag 12 – Around Jaa
Kolem Jaa is a very special place. We are not here to view colonial cities, no Maya temples for us this time either, we are here to be active in nature! And to sleep in the jungle of course: being woken up by howler monkeys, you have to experience it once in your life! In Kolem Jaa you can undertake various adventurous activities, but also relax. It is relatively undiscovered by tourists, making it a piece of untouched nature.
You can choose for the canopy, the commando tour and the rappelling of a waterfall. But on a day with the heat it might be smarter to limit yourselve to one major activity and two smaller ones. Therefore you can decide to choose to replace the canopy with the zipline . We first go ziplining, then rappelling from a waterfall, to end with the commando course.
Day 13 – From Kolem Jaa to San Cristobal de las Casas
+/- 165 km and 5 to 8 hours drive
Another travel day! Normally it will be only five hours long on paper, but that can chance on the way. The road winds, where it does not wind, there are topes, sometimes it is a combination of both. And…sometimes the road is just gone. We therefore advise anyone coming from Kolem Jaa or Villahermosa to detour towards Tuxtla Gutierrez and follow the road to San Cristobal. Thats why the trip can take five to eight hours. This road is the most picturesque that you will probably drive in Mexico. You will pass indigenous Indian villages, where everyone walks the streets in traditional clothing, where women do the washing in washtubs or weave in front of their houses and where the children herd the sheep. Beautiful and very colorful. Unfortunately, the population here does not appreciate it when pictures are taken of them. The Zapatista uprising broke out in this area in 1994 and you can still find traces of it in slogans, signs and flags.
Spend the night in San Cristobal de las Casas
We chose a hacienda, which is a bit outside the center. Wonderfully quiet and easily accessible by car! We stay 3 nights in San Cristoba
Our choice: Hotel Hacienda Don Juan***
You can wander around here for hours: sleeping here is like sleeping in a living museum. This hacienda in San Cristobal de las Casas with an 8.7 on Booking.com is really lovely! Very nice staff, who are happy to arrange trips for you, free parking and a very nice restaurant on site, where you can also have breakfast. What else do you want? An oasis in the city. You have a double room from $86, a quadruple room from $111, including a fantastic breakfast. Book this topper, Hotel Hacienda Don Juan*** !
Day 14 – San Juan de Chamula
San Cristobal de las Casas is an attractive city full of colonial buildings, colorful streets and (many) richly decorated cathedrals and churches. The daily Indian market is also worth a visit. The city also has many nice cafes and restaurants. From here you can easily make a day trip to the Indian village of San Juan Chamula . The special Indian culture is still very much alive here and the visit is highly recommended. That is exactly what we are going to do today. We join a tour to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan.
San Juan Chamula is a very special village, with very special people. Their customs go back to the pre-Christian tradition and their faith is a combination of their ancient faith and the Christian faith. This results in all kinds of fascinating customs and in a very special church. When you enter you step on the pine needles. Candles burn everywhere, even on the floor. People are sitting and kneeling everywhere. There is no altar, nor chairs. There is also no priest, no mass etc… people just walk in and out as they please and perform their ancient rituals in the church. For example, it is very normal to see a live chicken in the church. Next to it a sick-looking girl. People believe that if there is a sick person in the family, you should take this person to a holy place. You also need to bring a chicken and perform some rituals. Then you go around the sick person a number of times to catch the disease from that person and into the chicken.
Then the chicken is sacrificed and the disease is gone. Nowadays there are more and more families who exchange the chicken for an egg and ‘catch’ the disease in it… It doesn’t feel like people watching. Mainly thanks to the inhabitants; they are not doing this for the tourists, they are doing this for themselves and out of their own conviction. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures of the people, their customs and in the church. After this we will go to Zinacantan, a village where a number of old customs still live, but which has chosen to be traditionally Catholic. Although that is also with a twist here and there. You can visit some churches here, a weaving mill, a typical house and help to make real tortillas. Then eat well, of course.
When back in San Cristobal. You will be dropped off in the middle of the city at the main square. This is a very convenient starting point to explore beautiful San Cristobal. San Cristobal has very beautiful, colonial buildings in cheerful colors, and ditto churches. What makes the city really special is its population. This consists largely of native Indians, who also keep their traditions and their costumes.
You can easily take a tour to San Juan Chamula yourself and then you only pay an entrance fee for the church. We paid 300 MXN pp for the tour, including the tortillas and the guide, which is about $15 pp. If you want to go from the center of San Cristobal back to Hacienda Don Juan, you take a taxi at the main square. This should not cost you more than 40 MXN.