Best things to do in Palenque (Chiapas, México): a travel guide with everything you need to know

Although what attracts most travelers to Palenque is precisely the archaeological site of one of the most important cities of the classic Maya period, the possibilities of the area are not exhausted there.

The lungs of Chiapas, the Lacandon Jungle, is one of the most biodiverse areas of Mexico and hides, beyond lush trails where ancient trees, jaguars, monkeys and crocodiles live, two other important archaeological sites that make us travel back in time: Yaxchilan and Bonampak. Yaxchilan, imposing, on the banks of the Usumacinta River and Bonampak with its impressive colorful Mayan engravings that, just to contemplate them, make the visit worthwhile. Not to mention the many waterfalls that dot the area where you can refresh yourself after your visit, such as Roberto Barrios, Misol-ha or Agua Azul.

In this guide you will find everything you can visit in Palenque and its surroundings with specific itineraries for a day, a weekend or up to 4 days, with practical suggestions, where to stay and even where to eat to make your trip as special as ours has been.

Basic facts for traveling to Palenque

Language: Spanish

Currency: MXN ($) Mexican Peso (1$ equals 20$ MXN approx.). Check the updated exchange rate here

Population: 132,265 (in 2020)

When to visit: There are two main seasons (dry season and rainy season), ideally you should visit during the dry season (November to April) and best from February to April. In addition, there are interesting festivities that you can coincide your trip with. We detail more about when to visit Palenque in this section of the blog.

How long to stay: Minimum 1 day but if you want to see the surroundings, we recommend between 3 and 4 days. In this section we share specific itineraries for Palenque to help you organize your trip.

How to get there: If you want to get to Palenque from other parts of Mexico, the closest airport is Villahermosa. If you are coming from outside Mexico, you should know that there are no direct international flights to Chiapas (region where Palenque is located) so you will always have to fly to Mexico (to Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, Tijuana or Merida) and then catch a domestic flight to Villahermosa which is the closest airport to Palenque (although it no longer belongs to Chiapas but to Tabasco). To find the best flight prices we recommend you to use flight comparators like Skyscanner and Kiwi and to be flexible with the dates. From Villahermosa airport you can go by van (ADO, check schedules here) to Palenque in which it will take you 2:30h approx. We detail more how to get there in this section of the guide.

Visa: With a US, Canadian, European or UK passport it is not necessary to obtain a visa. Upon arrival in Mexico, it will be enough to show your valid passport, and depending on your departure date, you will be given up to a maximum of 180 days. Although Mexico does not require a passport with at least 6 months validity, some airlines do, so it’s better to comply.

Where to stay: Ideally, you can stay in downtown Palenque, near the ADO terminal, or you can also choose to sleep in the jungle, near the Archaeological Zone. More details in the where to stay in Palenque section of the blog.

What to bring: A good travel insurance (in this link we give you a 5% discount on the one we always carry) and here is the list of what you must have in your backpack for this trip

How to get around: The best option is to walk around Palenque’s city center (to go to restaurants) and take a colectivo (shared van), cab or tour to explore the surroundings. You also have the option of renting a car to move around freely, although when we went this option was not recommended due to conflictive areas in some parts of the state and police checkpoints. More info on how to get around Palenque in this section of the blog.

How much it costs: From 60$/day per person (approx.) depending on the type of accommodation, meals and how much you want to explore the surroundings. More information about budget in this section of the guide.

Internet connection: If you are visiting for a few days, your phone supports eSIM and you don’t want to complicate things, we recommend Holafly eSIM (unlimited data, 5% discount with the code RANDOMTRIP) or Airalo eSIM (limited data, but cheaper, 15% discount with the code RANDOMTRIP15). Otherwise, the cheapest way is to get a local SIM (we recommend Telcel). More info here

Vaccines: there are some recommended vaccines if you travel to Mexico, you can check them here

Time zone: UTC -6.

Where is Palenque

Palenque is located in southern Mexico, relatively close to the border with Guatemala. It is about 5-6 hours from San Cristobal de Las Casas (in Chiapas), 5 hours from Campeche, 8 hours from Bacalar (both in the Yucatan Peninsula) and 2 hours from Villahermosa (in the state of Tabasco).

When to visit Palenque

In our opinion, Palenque is a destination that should be visited during the dry season (November to April), since the rest of the year it rains a lot, which complicates and / or detracts from the beauty of some of the natural areas nearby. If you can choose, it is usually better from February to April, since from November to January depending on the year there are still some rains (that was our case, we were there at the beginning of November) that make the waterfalls change to a brown/chocolate color.

To decide the best time of the year, there are 2 main factors: the weather and the tourist demand, as follows

Weather in Palenque

The climate in Palenque is divided into two main seasons: the dry season (November to April) and the rainy season (May to October). The rainy season should be avoided, and depending on the year, the months of November to January may still have some rain, so if you have a choice, February/March is best.

Here is a summary table of the weather in Palenque to give you an idea of what to expect:

Palenque weather chart with temperatures and rainy days by month:

Month	Minimum temperature	Maximum temperature	Rainy days
January	19º	28º	9
February	20º	30º	7
March	21º	33º	6
April	23º	35º	6
May	24º	35º	12
June	24º	34º	20
July	23º	34º	20
August	23º	34º	22
September	23º	33º	23
October	23º	31º	18
November	21º	30º	12
December	20º	29º	9
Month	Minimum temperature	Maximum temperature	Rainy days

Tourism demand in Palenque

The times of highest tourist demand (and therefore, when we will find more people, more lines, more expensive prices and more complications to go to the most famous restaurants or places) are:

• National Holidays (November, December)
• Christmas
• Easter Week (March/April)
• Summer (June to October): in addition to being school vacation time in many countries and increasing demand (and prices), it is the rainy season.

So we recommend you to avoid those dates if you want to enjoy the city more calmly and with better accommodation prices.

Important festivities in Palenque

If you want to be in Palenque during the biggest festivities of the year, don’t miss out:

• Mundo Maya Festival (usually in March or April)
• Santo Domingo de Guzman Fair (early August)
• Day of the Dead (10/27 to 11/02)

Summary: best months to visit Palenque

Based on the above, if you are looking to visit Palenque with less people, good weather and reasonable prices, the best months are November, December, January and February (avoiding long weekends, holidays and Christmas), March and April, although if you can choose, you will have better chances of good weather and crystal clear turquoise waters in the rivers and waterfalls from February to April.

How to get to Palenque

If you want to get to Palenque from other parts of Mexico, the closest airport is in Villahermosa. If you are visiting in the south of Mexico, you can also get to Palenque from the Yucatan peninsula (by ADO night bus for example from Bacalar or Campeche), or if you are in Chiapas from San Cristobal de las Casas (by ADO night bus or on a van tour that leaves you in Palenque making stops to visit some of the places we recommend in this guide).

If you are coming from outside Mexico, you should know that there are no direct international flights to Chiapas (the region where Palenque is located), so you will always have to fly to Mexico (Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, Tijuana or Merida) and then catch a domestic flight to Villahermosa, which is the closest airport to Palenque (although it no longer belongs to Chiapas but to Tabasco).

We recommend that you use flight comparators such as Skyscanner and Kiwi and be flexible with dates to get the best possible price.

How to get from Villahermosa Airport to Palenque

From Villahermosa airport you can take a van (with ADO, buy and check schedules here) to Palenque, which takes about 2:30 hours and costs 350 pesos per person (about 18$). You will be dropped off at the bus terminal in Palenque, from where cabs will be waiting to take you to your accommodation, although if you stay where we stayed at Randomtrip, you will be within walking distance of the bus station and restaurants.

You also have the option of taking a cab, although it will be much more expensive (we were told about 1600 pesos, about 80$).

Do I need a visa to travel to Mexico?

For people with USA, Canada, UK and European passports it is not necessary to obtain a visa. Upon arrival in Mexico, it will be enough to show your valid passport, and depending on your departure date, you will be given up to a maximum of 180 days.

Although Mexico does not require a passport with at least 6 months validity, some airlines do, so it’s better to comply.

Are there required vaccines to travel to Mexico?

There are some recommended vaccines if you travel to Mexico, you can check them here

How many days to stay in Palenque

Minimum 2 days, one for the archaeological site and one for the Lacandon jungle, but if you can dedicate a couple more days to explore the surrounding waterfalls you won’t regret it. In this section we share specific itineraries for Palenque to help you organize your trip.

Things to see and do in Palenque

Map of Palenque

Here you have all the places recommended in the guide on a Google Map created by Randomtrip that you can take with you on your smartphone to use during your trip to Palenque.

Palenque Archaeological Zone: brief history

What attracts most travelers to Palenque is precisely the archaeological site of one of the most important cities of the Classic Maya period. Palenque developed in the middle of the Lacandon jungle as the seat of a powerful dynasty that dominated the mountains of northern Chiapas and the plains of Tabasco (territory now recognized as the kingdom of Lakam Ha’ in some research). It is considered one of the most interesting archaeological cities in Mexico and an excellent gateway to the soul of the Mayan World in order to understand its myths, rituals and beliefs. Indeed, it was our particular gateway to the Mayan World in Randomtrip since it was the first Mayan city we set foot in, which would be followed by a few more during our trip of several months through Mexico.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, Palenque was founded by Fray Pedro Lorenzo, some distance away from the ruins of the same name in 1567. The Dominican priest integrated the town with many Chol families dispersed in the Lacandon Jungle. It is known that the native population called Palenque Otulún, a word of Chol origin that means “fenced or fortified place”, although in theory the original name was Lakam Ha’ that means “place of much water”/”abundance of water”. It is also said that the name “palenque” is of Catalan origin (from the word palenc) which means fence or barrier.

Palenque is believed to have been one of the most powerful Maya cities of the classic period, along with Calakamul (in the Yucatan Peninsula) and Tikal (in Guatemala).

In theory, construction began in the third century A.D., which had its period of maximum splendor between the years 600 and 800 (where it reached 8,000 inhabitants) and from there began its decline to abandonment, approximately 100 years later. The jungle “ate” the constructions, and it was discovered, in theory, around 1730 (the guide told us that the native people knew the area but did not report it to Guatemala).

The guide also told us that 30-40% of what we see has been reconstructed.

The reasons for the abandonment are not clear, the guide told us about some hypotheses:

• Overpopulation
• Overexploitation of the environment: in order to survive, humans exploit the surroundings (destroy to build, kill to live). He told us that the stucco (made with lime) needed a lot of wood to be obtained (8-10kg of wood to obtain one kg of lime) so it is possible that the resources were exhausted since a lot of lime was needed for the stucco of the temples (which were all covered with stucco and painted red).
• Chaos due to lack of food: another theory says that for the stucco pigment they used, without knowing it, mercury. It was used in everything, including in theory in the subway aqueducts that transported water, and that it gradually contaminated everything and poisoned food and people.

As we say, the motives are not clear, and these are only theories.

The archaeological zone rises in an area of 16 km with more than 200 architectural structures and constructions, among which stand out the Temple of the Inscriptions that dominates the Great Plaza, an authentic mausoleum where the tomb of King Pakal is located, the Palace and the Temple XI. The temples of the Foliated Cross, of the Sun and of the Count also stand out, and there is also a ball game field. In addition, you can enter the jungle that surrounds the Mayan city. In our case we were lucky enough to see and, above all, hear a family of howler monkeys in front of the Palace during the visit, which made it even more special. Really, the sound was so loud that we thought it was a recording. In the following sections we tell you everything you can visit inside the archaeological site.

How to get to the Palenque Archaeological Zone?

If you are in Palenque, you have 3 options to go:

• Public transportation: if you want to go by public transportation, there is a colectivo (shared van) that goes to the Archaeological Zone (25 pesos/person) and you just have to wait for it in front of the ADO terminal in Palenque. The trip takes about 20 minutes or less on the Palenque-Ruinas highway. If you find that the colectivo takes a long time or you prefer to go by cab, at RandomTrip they charged us 40 pesos/person (160 pesos between 4 people) and we caught it at the same place, where the cab driverrs already wait and offer you the option. Since between the ticket office and the entrance to the archaeological site of Palenque there are 1.5 km, in our case the cab left us at the ticket office to buy the tickets and then took us to the entrance of the site, we do not know if the colectivos do the same.
• Own/rental car: if you have your own vehicle or in case you rent a car, you just have to go to this point. Parking in the archaeological zone is free and there are two parking lots: one on the left, easily visible and which fills up first, and another more hidden, on the right, behind the toilets. Remember that it is not advisable to drive at night in Chiapas.
• By tour: If you prefer more comfort, this tour picks you up at your hotel in Palenque, takes you to the archaeological site and includes a guide. If, in addition, you want to know 3 in one, this other tour picks you up at your hotel in Palenque, you visit the archaeological site with a guide, and then go for a swim in the waterfalls of Misol-Ha and Agua Azul.

If you do not want or do not have time to spend more than one day in the Palenque area and you are based in San Cristobal de las Casas, you have the option of visiting the archaeological site of Palenque, along with the Agua Azul and Misol-Ha waterfalls in a day tour from San Cristobal de las Casas. Price of the Palenque + Agua Azul + Misol-Ha tour: from 700 pesos/person. Departure from San Cristobal de las Casas at 4:00 am and return at 11:30 pm. You can hire the tour with Paxial when you arrive in San Cristobal as the agency is located here, in the middle of the Andador Guadalupano, or, if you prefer, contact them by Whatsapp at +52 967 312 8471 or +52 961 458 6362. If you choose this option, keep in mind that it is quite a long drive.

Price: how much is the entrance fee to the archaeological site of Palenque?

To enter the archaeological zone you must first go to the ticket office (which is 1.5 km from the entrance to the archaeological zone, in the same building as the Alberto Ruz L’Huillier Site Museum) and buy two tickets:

• Entrance fee to the Archaeological Zone: 95 pesos/person (free entrance for children under 13 and adults over 60 years old) which also includes entrance to the Alberto Ruz L’Huillier Site Museum which is located in the same building as the ticket office (although when we went there it was closed). You can buy this ticket online here although it is more expensive.
• National Park entrance fee: 105 pesos/person (free entrance for children under 13 and adults over 60 years old)

Palenque Archaeological Zone Opening hours

The archaeological zone is open from Monday to Sunday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (last access at 4:00 pm). The hours of the Alberto Ruz L’Huillier Site Museum are Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 16:00h although when we went there it was closed for maintenance work.

What time and day is best to visit the Palenque Archaeological Zone?

If you go on your own (since if you go by tour you will not be able to choose a specific time slot), the ideal is to visit early in the morning (at 8:00h or 9:00h) since from 12:00h (approximately) tours start arriving, often with groups of 30-40 people. However, the area is large so it is not as crowded as in other places.

As for the day of the week, if you want to avoid the crowds it is best to avoid Sundays (when admission is free for Mexicans and Mexican residents), and weekends and holidays in general. The ideal is to go on a weekday that does not fall near holidays.

What to visit in the Archaeological Zone of Palenque?

Map of the Archaeological Zone of Palenque

Here is an official INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) map of the archaeological site of Palenque. Access is through zone A :

And here you can see two other maps with suggested tours of the archaeological zone:

Is it worth hiring a guide in Palenque?

In our opinion, in archaeological sites it is always advisable to be accompanied by a guide in order to understand what we are seeing and to notice details that would otherwise go unnoticed.

We hired the guide service at the ticket office building and then went in the cab in which we had come from Palenque (and which was waiting for us) for 1.5 km to the entrance of the archaeological zone. We don’t know if it is possible or if the price will be different hiring a guide already inside the archaeological zone but when we visited the archaeological zone of Palenque (November 2023), we paid 700 pesos for a guide for a group of 3 people for a 2 hour tour (the short tour), although we had read that the price would be around 500 pesos. If you want to save, you can wait at the ticket office and ask if anyone wants to share a guide. It is true that our guide first started by saying that it was worth between 1000 and 1800 pesos depending on the tour (long or short) and the season you visit. The organized tours usually include the guide even if it is shared with the whole group like this one (archaeological zone only) or this one (with waterfalls afterwards), which we recommend.

In our case we hired Felix, a Tzetzal guide who taught us several curiosities of the Maya civilization during the tour and, as a bonus, he even taught us some words in the Tzetzal Maya language such as Gracias (“woko lawal“). If you want to do the tour also with him, you can contact him through the number +529161276347.

How long does it take to visit the archaeological site of Palenque?

If you hire the guide, the short guided tour (the one we did in Randomtrip) lasts approximately two hours, so if you choose the long guided tour (which the guide told us includes walking through the jungle and seeing constructions that are still in the process of being analyzed), it will be a couple of hours more. If, in addition, you want a little more time to explore on your own, you should spend at least one morning in the archaeological zone. In our case we spent about 3 hours (we arrived around 10:20, did a two-hour tour with the guide and then walked around on our own for another hour).

Templo de la Calavera (Temple of the Skull)

The Temple of the Skull is so named because at the base of one of the columns you can see a skull, in theory it is the skull of a rabbit.

It is the first one we find when entering, on the right hand side. According to the excavations, underneath the temple they found remains of substructures, in one of which they found a tomb with an offering of more than 700 green stones (like jade) and other materials.

Templo de la Reina Roja (Temple of the Red Queen)

To the left of the Temple of the Skull, we find the Temple of the Red Queen, which receives this name because there was found, in 1994, the tomb of what is believed to be the queen, wife of King Pakal (whose tomb was also found in the temple to the left of this, of which we speak below); her skeleton had reddish tones, due to the cinnabar, and from there it was identified as the Red Queen.

Before the pandemic it was possible to visit her tomb, now it is no longer possible. The remains found (with her mask, necklaces, etc.) are on permanent exhibit at the Alberto Ruz L’huiller Site Museum, at the entrance of the archaeological zone, which unfortunately was closed for remodeling during our visit.

Templo de las Inscripciones (Temple of the Inscriptions)

The Temple of the Inscriptions is the highest and most important construction in the archaeological zone of Palenque. It was here where the tomb of King Pakal was found in 1952, inside the tomb, whose access was hidden.

It is called Temple of the Inscriptions because 3 limestone boards with hieroglyphic inscriptions were found inside .

Until 1999 it was possible to visit the tomb, but not anymore. The tombstone or crypt found inside the tomb (3.80 meters long by 2.20 meters wide and 25 cm thick) is still there. It contains very detailed bas-reliefs that express the name, origin and ancestry of Pakal. It is believed that it also represents the Mayan cosmovision and Pakal’s journey from the underworld to heaven to become a corn god.

Another theory, discarded by those who study Mayan culture, says that the tombstone represents King Pakal in a spaceship: his hands and feet manipulate the commands to drive the ship, in his nose there is a device that could help him breathe in space, and behind him there is fire or something similar resulting from the burning of fuel to move the apparatus.

The tombstone has constant monitoring of its conditions to preserve it.

On the other hand, Pakal’s mask, made of jade (a green stone then considered the most valuable material that existed – more valuable than gold and silver – symbol of eternal love, immortality and eternity), shells and obsidian, is in Mexico City, in the Museum of Anthropology.

To access the space where the tomb is located, one had to first climb the exterior stairs, then enter the interior of the temple, and then go down some stairs. It is believed that this also represents the Mayan cosmogony: going up (being born), entering (living) and coming down (dying).

El Palacio (The Palace)

The Palace was probably the ceremonial and administrative center of Palenque. In the columns we can appreciate bas-reliefs that show sacrifices and the king.

Groundwater Aqueducts

Scientists discovered in the Palenque Archaeological Zone the oldest example of a pressurized water system in the New World. The Maya used (knowingly or not) advanced engineering skills to pressurize water. They channeled the water in subway aqueducts carrying it in a fall, and then restricted the passage of the water, generating pressure.

The guide told us that they might have used this as part of the Temazcal ritual (steam baths for healing purposes: they opened the pores with steam, used aromatic plants that when they opened the pores absorbed the aroma, and immediately closed the pores with cold water, keeping it in. By sweating, they released the aromas).

Camplo Juego de Pelota (Ballgame Playing Field)

Next we see the Ballgame Playing Field, something common in many of the Mayan archaeological sites and in Mesoamerica in general. The rules of the game are not known for certain, although it is believed that it could be a form of conflict mediation to avoid wars. In general, the field consists of a central area (a sort of corridor) that in its parallel sides has falling walls, where in theory the ball bounces. In the postclassic period, the Maya added a kind of ring on each side, with the goal of passing the ball through it.

The guide told us that the captain of the winning team was beheaded as a sacrifice.

Complejo de la Cruz: Templo de la Cruz (Temple of the Cross), Templo de la Cruz Foliada (Temple of the Foliated Cross) and Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun)

The next 3 temples (Templo de la Cruz, Templo del Sol and Templo de la Cruz Foliada) are known as Conjunto de la Cruz or Plaza de las Cruces. You can climb 2 of them (the Temple of the Cross and the Temple of the Sun) and in fact from there you will have the best views of the archaeological site.

The 3 temples are built on natural land elevations, and in their interior they house sanctuaries with carved limestone tablets, with iconography and glyphic texts. In theory each temple was dedicated to a level of the cosmos:

• Temple of the Cross: Celestial Level

• Temple of the Foliated Cross: Ground Level

• Temple of the Sun: Underground or Underworld Level

Don’t miss the climb to the temples nor the boards inside.

The Temple of the Cross is one of the highest, and the one with the best views. The interior panel represents the moment when K’inich Kan Balam II (on the left) is enthroned, and also appears on the right the image of his father (King Pakal) although he was already dead. In the lower part there are astronomical elements, indicating that we are in the celestial level, which is the one represented by the Temple of the Cross. In the middle there is a cross, which gives the temple its name.

Next to the Temple of the Cross is the Temple of the Foliated Cross, so called because on its board there is a cross representing the corn plant, and on both sides two “versions” of K’inich Kan Balam II (son of Pakal) in two different moments of his life (as an adult king on the left, and as a 6 year old heir on the right).

Finally, we have the Temple of the Sun, whose board is a symbol of war, with a shield representing the god GIII decorated with the face of the “Jaguar God of the Underworld”.

Alberto Ruz L’Huillier Site Museum

Museo de Sitio Alberto Ruz L’Huillier: it has one of the main collections of Mayan art in the world. It owes its name to Alberto Ruz, Mexican archaeologist who discovered the tomb of King Pakal in 1952.

The museum is located here, on the grounds of the Archaeological Park. Unfortunately during our visit it was closed for remodeling.

If you want to learn more about Palenque, the guide recommended this documentary:

The “Tren Maya” (Maya train), under construction when we visited the area, will connect the main archaeological sites including Palenque and will probably increase tourist visits to this archaeological zone. It will link Palenque (Chiapas) with other archaeological sites mainly in the state of Yucatan.

Downtown Palenque

Although we consider that the center of Palenque itself does not have much interest, if you have time and want to take a walk you can stop by the Central Park (where the colorful letters of Palenque are), the Church of Santo Domingo Guzman or the Handicraft Market.

Surroundings of Palenque

The main reason why we consider that it is worth staying in Palenque for at least two nights (and if you can stay more, even better) is because of its surroundings.

The Lacandon Jungle

The lung of Chiapas is one of the most biodiverse areas of Mexico and its name, Selva Lacandona, comes from the indigenous community that lives there, the Lacandones, descendants of the Mayas.

On the jungle trail, thanks to our Lacandon guide, we learn about trees, medicinal plants and meet the famous Ceiba! Famous because the ceiba was a sacred tree for the Mayas that represents the three levels of the universe in Mayan cosmology: the branches represent the sky, the trunk represents the earth and the roots represent the underworld. It is one of the trees with the longest longevity, it can live up to 500/600 years!

In addition, the Lacandon jungle hides, beyond the biodiversity of fauna and flora, two important archaeological sites that we really wanted to visit: Yaxchilán and Bonampak .

Yaxchilan Archaeological Zone

The two most important cities in pre-Columbian times that fought for control over the Usumacinta River were precisely Yaxchilan and Palenque. Bonampak was not so important in pre-Columbian times but today it is very interesting for its original murals. Famous for its sculptural art evident in stelae and lintels, in Yaxchilan what is most impressive is its structure and its environment, on the banks of the river and sheltered in the Lacandon jungle, which makes it very special. Unfortunately, there are hardly any pieces left in Yaxchilán and practically all the pre-Hispanic jewels of its interior are in the British Museum (it is about time they return them, isn’t it?).

To build Yaxchilán, the Maya took advantage of the terrain characteristics of a peninsula surrounded by a meander of the Usumacinta River. The development of Yaxchilan took place between 350 and 810 A.D., although the political expansion of the site over the region took place during the rule of Escudo Jaguar. The surface of Yaxchilan is very extensive but the visit to the area is restricted to part of the Great Plaza, the Great Acropolis, the Small Acropolis and the South Acropolis.

Unfortunately when we went to Chiapas (November 2023), Yaxchilán was closed. Why? Yaxchilán is an archaeological site on the banks of the Usumacinta River that can only be accessed by boat from Frontera Corozal . According to what we were told, the town of Frontera Corozal, from where you take the boat, has suffered problems related to drug trafficking, which led them to remove the criminals and close the town, so only people from the community could enter. This meant that, at the moment, it was not possible to access Yaxchilán.

Fortunately, it is possible to visit Yaxchilan again since March 2024. More info here

Bonampak Archaeological zone

At 30 km from Yaxchilan and in the heart of the Lacandon jungle is this ceramic center built between 300 and 900 AD whose heyday occurred during the rule of Jaguar Ojo-Anudado who ascended to the throne of Bonampak in 743 AD and was reflected in the stelae (stone monoliths), lintels and mural paintings still in existence.

In fact, here is the largest stele of the Mayan World in Mexico with the image of the King, which was the political propaganda of the time, an outdoor or something like that.

But what is most impressive and what we believe makes a visit to Bonampak a must is inside the three chambers of the ceremonial center: well-preserved colored Mayan engravings depicting three scenes!

• The first chamber depicts the presentation of the heir to the throne:

• The second chamber depicts warfare, more specifically the scene of the greatest battle of all Maya art that took place in 792 AD:

• Finally, the third chamber depicts a post-war scene:

How to get to know the Lacandon Jungle, Yaxchilan and Bonampak?

• Public transportation: in case you want to go by public transportation, we could not find much information. As we understood, you have colectivos (shared vans) from Palenque to different zones (like to Frontera Corozal to go to Yaxchilan or to Lacanjá for Bonampak). From there you will have to take other transportation (another colectivo to Bonampak, and the boat to Yaxchilan) to the archaeological zones.
• Own/rental car: if you have your own vehicle or in case you rent a car, you simply have to go to the desired point (Bonampak, Frontera Corozal for Yaxchilán or other points in case you are going to spend the night in one of the ecotourism centers or to hike through the jungle). For Bonampak you will have to stop before, where it is mandatory to get on a colectivo from the community to get to the archaeological site. Remember that it is not recommended to drive at night in Chiapas.
• By tour: If you prefer more comfort, and in this case, due to the problems of the area, this is the option we recommend, you can hire a tour that will take you to both archaeological sites.

At Randomtrip we did it on tour with Kichan Bajlum and the tour includes Selva Lacandona + Bonampak Archaeological Zone and, in case it is already accessible, Yaxchilán): from 950 pesos/person. Departure from Palenque at 05:30h and return at 19:00h. If you prefer the tour with one night in the jungle included: from 2000 pesos/person with breakfast, lunch and dinner and basic cabin accommodation (depending on the accommodation the price increases). You can check the type of accommodations and book with Kichan Bajlum directly at their agency in Palenque or through whatsapp +52 916 117 2035 or +52 916 112 8394.

You can also book the tour online in advance here with Viator.

RandomTIP: In case you do the one-day tour of the Lacandon Jungle without overnight stay, take clothes to change if you get wet (especially if you go during the rainy season), booties or similar for hiking through the jungle (in Randomtrip we had ankle-deep water pools) and a snack in your backpack because you will not sit down to eat before 16:00h.

If you travel to the Lacandon Jungle with your own car and want to spend the night among ancient trees, monkeys and jaguars, there are a few options to stay and varied depending on your budget. The best value for money is the Cabaña Sak Ja (from 79$/night). If you are looking for something more special take a look at Tu Casa en La Selva (from 139$/night). If, on the other hand, you want something more economical you have the Topche (from 40$/night).

Roberto Barrios Waterfalls

One hour from Palenque are the Cascadas de Roberto Barrios, several waterfalls where you can get lost, take a dip and even enjoy a natural jacuzzi!

They are a group of waterfalls that can be accessed by trails, where you can cool off and relax. There are areas where small pools are formed, and one of the star activities, in the dry season, is to slide down some of the waterfalls.

There are two entrances, one on each side of the river, and there is a restaurant where you can have a snack (dishes between 140 and 200 pesos, a beer 50 pesos) if you feel like it. Then in the waterfall area there is nothing to buy, although you can bring your own food if you feel like it. It is also important to bring some booties.

During our visit in November, it had rained several days before so the water was not blue, but brown, and the water came down hard so it was not feasible to relax or bathe in most waterfalls.

How to get to the Roberto Barrios Waterfalls?

• Public transportation: in case you want to go by public transportation, ask for the colectivos to confirm that there are buses from Palenque (it is also important to check if there are return buses).
• Own/rental car: if you have your own vehicle or in case you rent a car, you just have to go to this point. The place has ample parking. Remember that it is not advisable to drive at night in Chiapas.
• By tour: If you prefer more comfort, you can hire a tour, which usually leaves you about 3 hours to enjoy the waterfalls.

At Randomtrip we did it with Kichan Bajlum and the tour includes the round trip to Roberto Barrios (pick up at 10:30, around 12:00 you arrive at the waterfalls, and at 15:00 you leave back to Palenque). It costs 350 pesos per person. You can book with Kichan Bajlum directly at his agency in Palenque or through whatsapp +52 916 117 2035 or +52 916 112 8394.

Misol-Ha Waterfall

The Misol-Ha Waterfall is an incredible waterfall of 30 meters high, which we can observe both from the front and from the inside. It is located in an ecotourism center, and during the visit, besides being able to admire the waterfall, if the weather is nice, you can also take a dip. As a curious fact, the movie Predator (1987, with Arnold Schwarzenegger) includes a scene filmed right here.

How to get to Misol-ha?

• Public transportation: ask for the colectivos in Palenque, in theory they leave you at the entrance, and remember to confirm until what time they return to Palenque.
• Own/rental car: if you have your own vehicle or in case you rent a car, simply go to this point. Remember that it is not advisable to drive at night in Chiapas.
• By tour: If you prefer more comfort, you can hire this tour, which also takes you to the nearby blue water waterfalls, which are described below.

In Randomtrip what we did is the Paxial tour from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque, which stops at Misol-Ha and Cascadas de Agua Azul on the way and ends at the archaeological zone of Palenque, only that we asked not to do the archaeological zone part to go the next day more calmly (i.e. we did the transfer to Palenque with stops at these two places). It leaves at 4:00 am (early morning) and costs 700 pesos per person (including Palenque).

Agua Azul Waterfalls

Another set of waterfalls that, in dry season, have turquoise blue, and in which you can also take a dip. Unfortunately during our visit in November it was still raining so the color was not what you see in most photos during the dry season.

How to get to Agua Azul?

• Public transportation: ask about the colectivos in Palenque, in theory they will take you to the entrance/diversion, and be sure to ask about the buses back to Palenque.
• Own/rental car: if you have your own vehicle or in case you rent a car, simply go to this point. Remember that it is not advisable to drive at night in Chiapas.
• By tour: If you prefer more comfort, you can hire this tour, which also takes you to the nearby Misol-ha, which we talked about in the previous point.

In Randomtrip what we did is the Paxial tour from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque, which stops at Misol-Ha and Cascadas de Agua Azul on the way and ends at the archaeological site of Palenque, only that we asked not to do the archaeological site part to go the next day more calmly (i.e. we did the transfer to Palenque with stops at these two places). It leaves at 4:00 am (early morning) and costs 700 pesos per person (including Palenque).

Toniná Archaeological zone in Ocosingo

The Toniná Archaeological Zone has the tallest pyramid in Mexico, 75 meters high (higher than the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán). The name Toniná comes from the Tzeltal language and means “The house of stone” or “The place where stone sculptures are erected in honor of time”.

It coexisted with other cities such as Palenque and Tikal (in Guatemala).

Unfortunately, the archaeological zone was closed during our visit in November 2023 due to a conflict between the owners of the land where the archaeological zone is located and INAH (apparently, the landowners have to allow people to enter the archaeological zone but receive nothing in return from INAH).

How to get to Toniná?

• Public transportation: ask for the colectivos to Ocosingo in Palenque; from Ocosingo you will have to use another colectivo to get to the archaeological site. Remember to ask until what time there are colectivos in the opposite direction to return.
• Own/rental car: if you have your own vehicle or in case you rent a car, simply go to this point. Remember that it is not advisable to drive at night in Chiapas.
• By tour: If you prefer a more comfortable solution, you can find out about the tours available to Toniná from Palenque when the archaeological site reopens.

Get inspired with stories from our visit to Chiapas

You can see the featured Instagram stories about our visit to Chiapas here.

Where to stay in Palenque

At Randomtrip we stayed at the Hotel Maya Palenque (from 54$/night) and we highly recommend it for its location, services and staff. The only thing, in terms of food we only tried a sandwich one night when we arrived late, but we didn’t think it was very good. In terms of location, it is equidistant from the ADO bus station (ideal for walking as you only have to cross the street) and the street with a variety of restaurants (area known as La Cañada). It has a swimming pool, ideal for cooling off after a visit to the archaeological site where it is usually very hot.

Our hotel was located in La Cañada, one of the recommended areas to stay in Palenque. Other options to stay that we know first hand in La Cañada are:

• Casa Janaab (from 13$/night for a single bed in a shared room): the hostel of Sara, the traveler we met in Palenque and with whom we shared the visit to the archaeological site. If you are looking for something more economical, Sara loved this hostel. She told us that it had 24h reception and security and that the shared rooms are for 4 people, no more, and that some of the shared rooms even include a double bed in case you don’t want to stay in the bunk bed. The bathrooms have 3 showers and 3 toilets. This hostel also has lockers to store your belongings, washing machine in case you need to wash your clothes and swimming pool with sun loungers and massage service, something not so common in a hostel.
• Hotel Maya Tulipanes (from 65$/night) is one of the best hotels in the city and, in addition to having spacious and comfortable rooms and a swimming pool where you can cool off, we have heard great things about the hotel’s restaurant service.

Another option is to stay near the archaeological site, in the jungle, where there are plenty of accommodations and some restaurants around the corner, although in our case we discarded it for having less variety of dining options.

• Cabañas Kin Balam Palenque (from 23$/night in shared room, from 38$/night in double room): has several types of rooms depending on how much you want to spend and is located 3 km from the archaeological site. It also has a swimming pool.
• Hotel Maya Bell (from 60$/night): If you want to stay close to the archaeological site, this hotel is a 15-minute walk away! Besides being just a few meters from the ruins, it is in the middle of the jungle and has a swimming pool, restaurant and even live music on some nights.

• Bamboo Cottage in the Jungle (from 92$/night): if you are looking for a little more privacy, this cottage with 1 bedroom, living room, kitchen, terrace and garden has a private pool!

• In this link you can check more options near the Archaeological Zone of Palenque (open the map to make it easier to locate where each lodging is located).

And if none of these still convince you, or if you don’t have availability for your dates, you can find a few more options here. As always, we recommend you look at the map for the location where it is located.

Where to eat in Palenque

On the street of Maya Tulipanes, perpendicular to our hotel, there are several restaurants and some stores. At Randomtrip we liked Café Jade where we tried the enchiladas suizas and tacos dorados, delicious and it also has vegetarian options!

Two other restaurants that looked good (a bit more expensive than Café Jade) but we did not go were the Maya Cañada restaurant and Kinich Kan Balam. We tried Chivo’s although it was also a bit expensive and the service was bad. You also have this family restaurant with homemade food: La Tradición. If you arrive late and don’t feel like going out, you can always bring a Pizza del Panchán to eat at the hostel/hostal.

We were also recommended these other 3 restaurants in the center of Palenque: Café Haki Palenque, Las Tinajas, and Café de Yara.

Palenque Itineraries

Things to see and do in Palenque in 1 day

If you only have one day, we would dedicate it to see the archaeological site of Palenque (you will need between 2 and 4 hours depending on your interest) and combine that with one or more nearby waterfalls such as Misol-Ha, Agua Azul or Roberto Barrios.

Things to see and do in Palenque in 2 days

With two days we would do the following:

• Day 1: visit the archaeological site of Palenque and a waterfall.
• Day 2: visit Bonampak and Yaxchilan in the Lacandon jungle (tours usually include a jungle hike as well).

If you are not interested in going to the Lacandon Jungle, you can also go to Toniná on the second day (in Ocosingo) combined with the lagoon of the missing waterfalls.

Things to see and do in Palenque in 3 days

With 3 days in Palenque you can do the following itinerary:

• Day 1: visit the archaeological site of Palenque and the Roberto Barrios waterfall.
• Day 2: visit Bonampak and Yaxchilan in the Lacandon jungle (tours usually include a jungle hike as well).
• Day 3: visit the archaeological site of Toniná and combine with Misol-Ha and Agua Azul Waterfalls.

Things to see and do in Palenque in 4 days

Here is an itinerary to get to know Palenque during 4 days:

• Day 1: visit the archaeological site of Palenque and the Roberto Barrios waterfall.
• Day 2: visit Bonampak and Yaxchilan in the Lacandon jungle and sleep there.
• Day 3: other activities in the Lacandon Jungle, such as a hike to the Lacanjá Lagoon.
• Day 4: visit the archaeological site of Toniná and combine with Misol-Ha and Cascadas de Agua Azul.

Transportation: How to get around Palenque

The best option is to walk around the center of the city of Palenque and take a colectivo to the archaeological site or the waterfalls. If you prefer more comfort, you can hire a tour to explore both the archaeological site and the surrounding area. You also have the option of renting a car to move around freely, although when we visited, this option was not recommended due to conflictive areas in some parts of the state and police checkpoints. More info on how to get around Palenque in this section of the blog.

How to have internet in Palenque

To always have internet on your smartphone, the easiest and most convenient way (if your phone supports eSIM) is to buy an eSIM from Holafly, which has unlimited data (you get a 5% discount with the code RANDOMTRIP), or to buy an eSIM from Airalo, cheaper but with limited data (15% discount with the code RANDOMTRIP15)

The other option, cheaper but more cumbersome, is to buy a local SIM, which we recommend is from Telcel (the main telecom company in Mexico, with more coverage).

Safety: Is it safe to travel to Palenque?

Yes! Although you may have read about political instability in the region and that Chiapas has become more internationally known for the Zapatista revolution in the 90’s, visiting the city of Palenque is totally safe and not only have we not had any mishap in all the days we spent there, but we have felt very comfortable and can only recommend visiting it. Of course, we apply common sense at all times, we do not flaunt valuable belongings on the street (although we do not stop ourselves from using our cell phone or camera whenever we want, putting them away when we are not using them) and we avoid driving at night.

In any case, when you go to visit Palenque, get information about the current situation, to know if it is advisable to go on your own or not, which areas should not be visited if there are any, etc.

Taking into account that when we visited the area, there were conflict zones in some parts of the state of Chiapas and police checkpoints (especially on the Ocosingo highway that connects San Cristobal de las Casas with Palenque), and indigenous communities (to ask for pesos), they did not recommend driving at night. Since it was getting dark early, around 18:00h, we discarded the option of renting a car to move around freely (as we like to do) and preferred to visit the surroundings by means of tours.

In any case, we always have our Iati travel insurance (which also covers our belongings) as in all our trips and gives us more peace of mind. If you contract your travel insurance in this Randomtrip link, you will get it with a 5% discount.

Money in Palenque: cards to save commissions

To pay and withdraw money in Mexico while minimizing fees, we recommend the 2 cards we use in our case:

• Revolut: with the standard version up to 1000$ without commission on card payments (remember to always pay in local currency – Mexican pesos). Up to 400$ of withdrawals at ATMs without commission, from then on commission of 1%.
• N26: with the free version you can pay with your card without commissions in an unlimited way. For ATM withdrawals, you pay 1.7% commission, which you can eliminate by paying for the monthly plans You (the one we use) or Metal. If you use the code N26Summer24 with this link, you get 3 months completely free.

It is important to keep in mind that although your card does not charge a fee for ATM withdrawals, ATMs in Mexico do charge a fee for their use. The ones that charge the least are Banamex (31 pesos, 1.7$), Banco Santander (34 pesos, 1.8$) or Banco Azteca (34 pesos, 1.8$), so when withdrawing money try to withdraw as much as possible to save money.

Another important issue when withdrawing money at an ATM in Mexico: many times the ATM will ask you if you want the transaction to be done in local currency (Mexican pesos) or in your own currency (in our case, it was euros): always choose the local currency option, otherwise, it will apply an unfavorable exchange rate and you will be overpaying (as a hidden commission).

The above also applies to card payments (although the option almost never appears, on several occasions also when paying with a card in establishments we were shown an amount in euros instead of pesos). In our case it almost always happened to us with the orange CLIP terminals. If this happens to you, ask the person to charge you in Mexican pesos.

A bad practice in Mexico is that in any business where you want to pay with a card, they have the habit of asking you for your card and do the whole process themselves, passing you the terminal only to enter the PIN (in Mexico they call it “firma” or NIP). This means that sometimes, depending on the type of terminal, you do not see the amount and/or you are charged in the original currency of your card instead of in Mexican pesos – making you lose money because an unfavorable conversion is applied. Always ask nicely to be allowed to see the process to make sure you are charged the correct amount and in local currency.

Finally, some establishments charge an extra commission for payment by card (the times it happened to us, it was 5%), they always tell you before and if you do not see it when confirming the amount. In those cases, it is better to pay with cash.

Tipping: The tipping culture is very well established in Mexico, and although it is not and cannot be obligatory by law, it is in practice, since it is frowned upon not to leave a tip. It is recommended to leave a minimum of 10% (usually you will be asked at the time of payment, and if you pay by credit card, the terminal usually gives you the option of adding 10, 15 or 20% as a tip).

How much does a trip to Palenque cost?

Making a budget is complex as it depends greatly on your type of trip: how many plans you want to include in your trip, if you are going to go to restaurants or cook to save money, the type of accommodation you are going to use… In any case, so you can get an idea, we leave below the average prices and what we consider as average price per day (we reiterate that these are ORIENTATIVE prices and may vary at any time):

• Flights: From other parts of México, you can fly to Villahermosa from 50$/person (without luggage) with low cost airlines like Volaris or Vivaaerobus. Use flight comparators like Skyscanner and Kiwi to find the best price.
• Transportation: Within the city of Palenque you can get around on foot for free. There are also buses that will take you to some nearby points (such as the archaeological site or the Roberto Barrios waterfall) for between 20 and 50 pesos per person (between 1$ and 3$).
• Accommodation: from 45$/night for a room with private bathroom or small apartment with kitchen. Find accommodation of all types and prices on Booking, with up to 15% discount.
• Restaurants: many options between 10$ and 30$ per person, for all tastes.
• Entrance fees and tours: the archaeological sites are paid (200 pesos for Palenque – about 10$ -, 75 pesos for Toniná – about 4$-, etc.) and in general, unless you have your own or a rented car, you will most likely do half-day or full-day tours, which cost between 350 pesos and 1000 pesos (between 18 and 50$). If you want to do a tour to the Lacandon jungle for at least one night, the price goes up from 2000 pesos per person (from 100$).

In total, a weekend trip (3 days/2 nights) to Palenque can cost you about 60$ per person per day, with the cheapest lodging options, eating out in cheap restaurants and visiting some of the pay sites (not counting international flights if you are coming from outside Mexico).

Useful Apps to get around Palenque

• Google Maps (Android / iOS): is the one we use to save/classify all the places we want to go/we have been and as a GPS both to orient ourselves in the area and if we rent a car. You can see other people’s opinions about the places, photos, restaurant menus, telephone numbers to contact them, etc. You can also open our map with all the places included in this guide.
• Maps.me (Android / iOS): application similar to Google Maps but works offline (although Google Maps can also work offline, it works better) and in many cases has information that Google Maps does not have.
• Windy (Android / iOS / Web): essential app for our trips. It allows you to see forecasts of rain, clouds, wind, etc. to help you plan your days based on the weather (as there are places that lose a lot depending on the weather). Obviously the forecasts are not 100% reliable.

Tips for traveling to Palenque as a responsible tourist

• Be responsible when visiting a place: a large influx of people to a certain site can have a negative impact so respect the rules, do not climb the tree/monument you are visiting, do not paint on its walls, avoid touching and, out of respect for the rest of the people visiting the place, do not make noise or “monopolize” the place with your photos.
• Take care of natural and archaeological monuments and respect existing rules.
• If you rent a car, respect the speed limits on highways.
• Don’t go to Aluxes Ecopark! Don’t be an accomplice to animal abuse! This ecopark masquerades as a rescue center but is really just another attraction where animals are unfortunately kept in captivity and/or used for human entertainment.
• Avoid the use of plastic and do not throw garbage away
• Respect other people: don’t play your music loud; pick up your trash; don’t throw cigarette butts, etc. Leave the place better than you found it.
• Always travel with travel insurance: medical expenses, theft or problems with your plane on a trip can cost you a lot of money, so the ideal thing is to take out travel insurance. At Randomtrip we always use IATI and we recommend it. If you purchase your insurance through this link you have a 5% discount.

Checklist: what to pack in your backpack/suitcase for Palenque

Here is a list of must-see items you can’t forget to bring with you on your trip to Palenque:

• International plug adapter such as these as they use type A plugs (those with two flat parallel pins).
• A  reusable water bottle like one of these to carry water with you all the time and void single-use plastic.
• Windbreaker waterproof jacket: like this one. On the boat, depending on the conditions, it can be a bit chilly, so the ideal is to wear a windbreaker to protect you from the cold, the sun, and the water if it splashes.
• A good camera to register your adventures. At Randomtrip we carry a Sony ZV-E10 and a Gopro Hero12 Black (for underwater pictures)
• A Power bank: taking so many pictures will drain your batteries, so it’s always a good idea to carry a good powerbank. At Randomtrip we travel with these 2 (Anker 20000 mAh and  Anker 10000 mAh), which allow us to charge both our phones and our cameras.
• First aid kit: In our first-aid kit there is always a medicine against seasickness (such as biodramine for seasickness on boats), antibiotics, anti-diarrhea medication (and a probiotic to recover more quickly), antihistamines, painkillers and antipyretics and, of course, travel insurance. If you hire your travel insurance with IATI using this link you will get a 5% discount

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Didn’t you know that Palenque was hiding so many plans? Bon voyage, Randomtripper!