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.
Dag 15 – Sumidero Canyon
After yesterday’s special experience, today you are going to do something completely different. You will visit Canyon del Sumidero , a deep gorge , which you can navigate with a fast boat. We go on a tour to Canyon del Sumidero, which you can arrange through the hotel on day 13. Pick up will be arround 9.00. A beautiful route will take you out of the mountains and into the gorge and an hour later you will boarding the boat. In San Cristobal and the villages around it is relatively cool because they are high in the mountains. You have to count on about 23 degrees during the day, where it really cools down at night and it can therefore be cold in the evening and in the morning. As soon as you visit the Canyon, the heat is back. You really have to apply good sunsblock, especially on your buttocks, because the sun burns seriously. Also put on a sun hat that you can put on, otherwise the breeze will be gone with it. You sail into the gorge for one hour, and then back again.
And what did we think of the plastic waste? We won’t deny that we didn’t see any garbage, yes there was. Unfortunately. However, we also saw that Mexico is becoming more and more aware of the importance of this unique National Park and got a tour with the staff who keep the river clean, got to see the waste that they clean every few days from the river and see that people are working on projects to encourage the local population not to just throw away their waste. The tour is best booked on the spot, it costs 300 MXN pp. Book it 2 days in advance , it is a popular destination.
You will be dropped back in the center of San Cristobal. One last exploration of this town, and again by taxi back. Tomorrow you will leave.
Day 16 – From San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque
+/- 215 km and 5 hours drive
Another long(er) car ride today. Fortunately a better road than this one from Kolem Jaa to San Cristobal. Along the road you see traces of just cleared roadblocks here and there, and at a certain point they are there: the cords that are pulled taut across the road. Maybe you heard about it beforehand.Those cords usually include kids who are eager to sell you all sorts of stuff. A tip: don’t buy anything, keep your window closed and slow down, but never stand still. Just drive 10 km per hour (you can’t go any faster because they are almost always at the infamous topes). Works perfectly. Palenque is once again scorching hot, and beautifully situated in the jungle, which promises a visit to the excavation! Tonight you can arrange another tour to Yaxchilan and Bonampak.
Overnight in Palenque
In Palenque you can choose to stay in the center. That has its advantages: you are close to restaurants, cafes, shops. The town of Palenque itself doesn’t really have many attractive bits. You can also choose to stay close to the archaeological zone, which is outside the city. If you choose the latter, you absolutely need your own transport. Also, be sure to find out if your hotel has a restaurant on site. Lets stay 4 nights in Palenque.
Our choice: Hotel la Aldea del Halach Huinic****
A mouthful this hotel. It is therefore really a topper, where you can celebrate your holiday in style. This paradise with an 8.7 on Booking.com is really wonderful! A very nice swimming pool, a wellness area and a large tropical garden , what more could you want? The rooms are very nicely decorated, with top air conditioning, parking is done in front of the door. The hotel can give you many tips for trips and can also organize them for you if you wish! Cost: from $70 for a double room, from $85 for a quadruple room. Book Hotel la Aldea del Halach Huinic**** quickly, because the hotel is very popular!
Day 17 – Visit Palenque and Ecoparque Aluxes
In Palenque we advice to do the same as at Uxmal and Chichén Itzá. Be are at the gate again before opening time, but sometimes it is already very busy in Palenque. The great advantage of Palenque is its vastness: the ruins are scattered in an immense, green jungle. So the visitors quickly spread out and we are no longer bothered by the crowds.
When you have seen the temples there is also an option to do a jungle walk. You can hire a guide on lacation who will atek you for a walk. When you walk into the jungle you will discover that the ruins you have seen is just a small part of the former city. You will see a lot of green hills….and under those hills there are hidden temples which they didn‘t dig up. Back in those days this must have been a huge city! During the walk you will also hear the sound of birds, monkeys and other wildlife. If you have the time, we would certainly recommend this jungle walk, it is worth it!
Palenque is beautifully situated in the rainforest and you can hear howler monkeys in the distance all the time. You should also keep your eyes open, because you can occasionally spot monkeys here, as well as many colorful birds. When you are lucky you might see animals like howler monkey, a toucan and scarlet macaws . A guide is not necessary, but be sure to take your time and not only concentrate on the excavation, but also on the tropical environment! The museum of Palenque , just outside the site, is also worth a visit. Very beautiful masks, statues and other objects have been found and exhibited.
When you think you have seen enough temples for today, you can visit ecoparque Aluxes , a sanctuary for native animal species. This is around the corner from the ruins and from our hotel. Injured and sick animals are taken care of with the aim of releasing them back into the wild. Unfortunately, this is not possible for some animals and they get a second chance in ecoparque Aluxes. A beautiful park and a wonderful initiative!
Dag 18 – Yaxchilan en Bonampak
On day 16 you can take a tour to Yaxchilan and Bonampak . You will be picked up at 5:30 am. A drive through the jungle, where you stop for breakfast on the way. Then you literally come to the end of the road and get on the boat. The boat sails on a border river: Mexico on one side, Guatemala on the other. From the boat you can see small villages on the other side, and people who come to do laundry on the side of the river, special. Finally, Yaxchilan appears in the middle of the lush jungle!
Yaxchilan is large, and the ruins that have been excavated are scattered throughout the jungle. You will have a few hours to explore at your own pace. Then you go back on the boat. You go to a family, where you eat. Then you re-enter the van. When you get to the Lacandona rainforest, you have to transfer to the transport of the Lacandon Indians, an indigenous people who only live here.
Bonampak is a small complex, but you come here for the frescoes inside. It is the only Mayan temple in Mexico where you will find such frescoes and where you are allowed to enter. You can also find the Lacandon Indians special: they had a completely different appearance and physique than the Indians around San Cristobal. The men wear long white robes, the women long floral robes. In the end, you will not be back until around 7:00 PM.
You can not actually visit Yaxchilan / Bonampak independently , because it is so difficult to get there. We recommend booking a tour when you arrive in Palenque. Tours all follow the same program and all cost around 900 MXN, about $45 pp, if you book on the spot. Do not book a tour via the internet before you arrive in Mexico, these costs more than double! $45 is very reasonable for what you get in return: all transport, breakfast and lunch and all entrance fees. Also you can visit both Yaxchilan and Bonampak at your own pace. This is of course very personal, and you should do what feels right for you.
Day 19 – waterfalls near Palenque
A day in nature today. We are going to visit waterfalls near Palenque. Now you have a lot of choice. Very famous are the Aguas Azules and the waterfall Misol-Ha. However, We advice to go to the lesser-known Cascadas de Roberto Barrios . Easily accessible by car, much less crowded than the more famous Aguas Azules, and also azure blue in the rainy season.
Beautiful waterfalls, where you can swim in several places. There are underwater caves, and there are levels with several basins that are connected to each other. You leave your stuff upstairs and you just walk, slide (and jump for the daredevils) down. The nature around it is also great.
Day 20 – from Palenque to Xpujil
+/- 370 km and 5 hours drive
Time to leave for Your next destination: Xpujil. In the province of Campeche you will find dozens of beautiful sites that are hardly visited. Xpujil is a good base for a visit.
Overnight in Xpujil
This region is one of the least touristy in all of Yucatan, and accommodation options are much scarcer. Two nights is the absolute minimum to stay here, you won’t be bored for a second longer.
Our choice: Hotel Casa Ka’an
Wow, this is a wonderful place, in the middle of a vast jungle! You sleep in bungalows here, and they are really finished. The complex is new, and everything is very neat. We call that sleeping in the jungle, equipped with every comfort! You have a double room from $82, a quadruple room from $92. Great detail: the room rate includes a delicious breakfast and the staff takes this very literally. They come and prepare your breakfast in your bungalow, at the time you want. Great to see and nice and fresh! Don’t hesitate, book Hotel Casa Ka’an quickly , with no less than a 9 on Booking.com!
Side note: these jungalows are super popular and therefore sold out very quickly! In that case, be sure to try the alternative Hotel “Casa Las Lolas” , a similarly set up complex, which is also very recent!
Monday the last days of this tour!