Chiapas itinerary

15 days of eating & drinking, swimming & exploring

When my friend Gabi invited me to her wedding in La Concordia, Chiapas, I immediately & enthusiastically accepted. I imagined crossing the Yucatan peninsula & the Isthmus of Tehuantepec by bus, stopping in the cool mountain town of San Cristobal de las Casas, and finally paying a visit to the island of Boca del Cielo, on the Pacific Coast.

A few days later my friend Carmen said she could come for a visit that same week. She was easily convinced to embark on a Chiapas adventure and furious & obsessive planning commenced. I believe that I spent a solid 3 days researching & planning. I’ve had the good luck of visiting Chiapas, but the last time was over 10 years ago.

My careful planning yielded this itinerary (all prices are in pesos chiapanecos):

WEDNESDAY : meet at Villahermosa airport & take an ado van to palenque $95 (2hrs)

Palenque pyramids $75

FRIDAY:

COMBI TO Misol Ha $30…cabanas $290 52 (916) 121 3764

Also from Palenque:

visita cascada roberto barrios.. $50, 1 hr away
visita agua azul $40…agua azul has cabanas

SATURDAY straight to JUNGLE: visit Bonampak & Yaxchilan, swim in the river

3 hours by bus from Palenque- hopefully, we can take combis from Misol Ha to one of the camps, about 3 hrs in. I think we can book when we get there. The best options seem to be in the Crucero Bonampak community, where there’s at least 10 little camps scattered around.

Places to stay in Frontera Corozal

Costs of visiting Bonampak & Yaxchilán :

Autotransporte Chamoán Palenque to Frontera Corozal ($145, 2½ -3hrs, every 40 min from 4 am to 5 pm) boat to Yaxchilán for 2 people costs $1000, for 6 people $2000. Takes 40 minutes to get there. Rates are non-negotiable. You have 2 hours in the archeological zone. The last boat leaves at 15h but as the site closes at 17h.
Taxi from Frontera Corozal to Yaxchilán $300 pesos.
Linea de Pasajeros Comitan Lagos de Montebello runs from Palenque to Comitan and will stop at the cruceros (intersections)
Autotransporte Chamoán Palenque to Crucero Bonampak ($95, two hours), instead of the San Javier stop on the highway.
Getting to Bonampak: highway 199 t from Palenque – Chancalá – Corozal Border, as far as the San Javier exit at km 97; continue on the road towards Lacanhá and the archeological zone is 4 km further on.
It’s mandatory to use a local guide & their transportation for $500 pesos
Bonampak community fee $75 pesos
Entrance tickets to the Bonampak site are $75 pesos

It’s also possible to visit more waterfalls from this area using Linea de Pasajeros Comitan Lagos de Montebello &/or Autotransporte Chamoán Palenque :

Cascada Golondrina $25
Cascada Welib-Já and Nueva Palestina, take any Carretera Fronteriza bound combi from Palenque.

MONDAY : TRAVEL DAY OR STAY AN EXTRA DAY IN THE JUNGLE

Return to Palenque, and catch a combi to visit Tonina has the tallest pyramid on Mexico. Read more about the Tonina pyramids. Ocosingo has a couple places to stay, an interesting market, and breaks up the 5.5 hour trip to San Cristóbal.

TUESDAY: WEDNESDAY: THURSDAY: 3 nights San Cristóbal de las Casas

Rent a little casita ($500)
Casa Na-Bolom, the former home of Franz & Trudy Blom. Superstar anthropologist team working in Chiapas. Last time I was there, I saw an incredible display of Frida Kalho’s jewelry
The main reason I am going to San Cristobal is to visit the central market
There’s also an organic market on Wednesday mornings
EL TZITZ cooking class for $870
interesting walking tour for $1200
Organic
day trip to cascada chiflon & lago montebello $400
cool eco trips good prices & socially responsible