Remember the 1st time you went to Palenque in the 1990s and everybody cool stayed at a mystic camp on the road to the ruins? They said you could trek through the jungle to the pyramids, stopping to take a swim in a stream, perhaps crossing paths with local Campesinos to trade artifacts or purchase newspaper-wrapped parcels of mushrooms. Maybe you recall how dreamy & fabulous it all was?
the bridge to the Jungle Palace
Well, guess what? El Panchan is still fabulous! The whole jungle compound seems much tidier than before. I heard rumors of a change in management after the vibe got too druggy a few years back. The central attraction of Don Mucho’s pizzeria is too big for my likes (and don’t get me started on pizza!), but the vibe of the neighboring camps suits me just fine. Stone & cement paved paths cut thru the lush jungle, swimming pools are abandoned, but cabanas are screened in, bathrooms have running water, and easy conversation is found at every corner.
The 3 nights that we spent at El Panchan flew by. It took hours to say goodbye to all the friends we had chatted with. We seriously debated extending our stay to include the 25th-anniversary celebration of Don Mucho’s. I think if we were to redo our trip we would have stayed at least a week, but we were at the beginning of a 15-day adventure in Chiapas, so we pressed on to the Selva Lacandona, Ocosingo & San Cristobal.
Some travelers get stuck at the jungle camp- ATRAPALENQUE- atrapado means trapped! Falling into the easy groove of camp life, and finding a slow hustle (connecting buyers of psychedelic mushrooms with foragers, making jewelry, selling rocks, slinging pizzas) earning just enough money to pay for the rent of their hammock & plenty of cold caguamas. A couple of weeks or months here would be a lovely escape from real life or just a welcome social respite from the isolation of travel.
I only took 39 photos in my 3-day visit to El Panchan. Here’s my little compilation of all of them: a visit to El Panchan.
. This jungle camp of relaxed cabanas and even more chilled out restaurants & bars is best enjoyed IN THE MOMENT- and not through a lens or screen. You never know when you will catch sight of a howler monkey, some tropical birds, or adorable sereques!
The best place to eat in El Panchan is a little fonda tucked behind Don Mucho’s- follow the signs for the reception for Jungle Palace and follow the laughter to Doña Felipa’s kitchen. Ask what’s available, “Que hay para comer?”
I highly recommend her enormous handmade quesadillas, possibly with grilled bistec and a generous helping of her special salsa de ajonjoli. If she has (cactus paddles), go for it because she slices them extra thin & they are delicious! Her menu is typical of regional eateries: eggs, chicken, chorizo, pork & grilled beef offered as tacos, quesadillas, or al gusto (entree prepared as you like, ie ala mexicana, frito, served with rice & beans, tortillas & salsa…
Breakfasts are $55 pesos and include local coffee, made in the cafe de olla style, but without sugar. We had huevos con nopales and huevos ala mexicana several times. I have to say that coffee has improved leaps & bounds over the last decade in Chiapas. So happy to see the gorgeous coffee grown in the area consumed locally! It used to be so much Nescafe!
Ooh! This is also a great place to drink beer! Caguamas are $45 pesos. Ask for glasses & share with friends.
Spontaneous feminine collective with Doña Felipe, her employees & daughters, all chopping nopales & laughingDoña Felipa
Doña Felipa is from Oaxaca. She married a Palenque local and lives on a ranch outside of town. All of the food waste is transported to her ranch to feed the chickens, turkeys & pigs. She’s super knowledgeable about agriculture & food traditions of the area. I love how she touches every table, even while her grandchildren were visiting. This is the kind of warm hospitality that makes eating memorable, and is not so often found in the wilds of the jungle.
Mayabell with a pool…this was the original camp- a backpacker mecca in walking distance to the pyramids. Now it’s more grown up & used a lot by groups Whatsapp: 916 3416977
A Chol Maya community on the banks of Rio Usumacinta, Frontera Corozal is where you catch a boat to Yaxchilan or the Guatemala border.
Escudo Jaguar…($580, 315)said to have a pool…This is where National Geographic & many other tours stop. Has camping
Hotel Nueva Alianza… ($700, 300) said to have a better restaurant…many comments/complaints about the walls of the cabañas not going all the way up to the roof
Zats- considered an exotic food, are only available during the months of June, July, and August. Zats are caterpillars living in the cork tree on the hottest days and that presents its larval stage between the aforementioned months.
The municipalities where this rich delicacy is mainly eaten are Chilón, Ocosingo, Huitiupan, Simojovel, and Yajalón. Prepared with the clean, boiling with salt and ending with frying in oil. Seasoned with ground chile and lime to taste.
In the municipality of Simojovel, many families are dedicated to collect, cook and market a worm that the locals consider a delicacy: zats that in the Tzotzil language means worm.
Its collection can be dangerous because the person must climb more than four meters on very thin branches, work that falls on children or very thin people because they must climb the tree and detach the caterpillar.
In an interview with the seller of the Ocosingo market, Mrs. Mari Trejo, who is originally from Tzotzil-Maya and has dedicated herself for years to the preparation of this worm, offers her recipe.
“First I wash it, then I put it in the pot with water, prepare the fire and for an hour’s cooking I add salt, wait an hour to remove it from the heat, drain it in a colander and cook it again with lemon and chili until that broth is consumed,” she said.
Zats preparation is thorough. First, the bowels are removed, then cooked in water with salt and lemon for about two hours. Later they drain to brown them in oil or lard and finally eat it in a very Mexican way, with a tortilla in a taco.
The zats are not alive when eaten, as with other insects, such as jumiles and maguey worms, which are very popular in all the indigenous peoples of Chiapas.
The tradition of eating insects is part of the diet of the indigenous communities of Mexico since prehispanic times since, according to specialists, insects contain a high nutritional level, with between 15% and 75% of proteins.
Throughout Mexico, indigenous groups such as the Zapotec, Tzetzales, Huicholes, Nahuas, Tzotzils, Tarascans, Mayas, consume more than 200 edible species of insects.
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)
SATURDAYstraight 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.
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
For thorough explanations of the history & legends of the Maya world, I adore Lydia Jones’s Hammocks & Ruins. She really digs deep into the subjects and collaborates with professional photographers to create content for travelers & wanders. Check out her itineraries to Bonampak & Yaxchilan, Chiapas. I plan to download her articles to read on my way to the pyramids. Lydia writes in English.
The other joyous discovery of my Chiapas research marathon is Sinpostal.com Rubi & Jose Luis are photographers & videographers on a year-long road trip of Mexico. I found them on YouTube, devouring the videos they made in Chiapas this spring. I really appreciate their website with it’s clear breakdown of costs & logistics. All content is in Spanish, but they are super clear communicators & use helpful graphics, so I think non-Spanish speakers can find the content helpful.
Gertrude Duby’s photo archive (1943-1990) at Na-Bolom
Slow Food piece on the milpa system in Chiapas: A complex Mesoamerican intercropping method, the milpa is a sustainable agricultural system that can combat the loss of biodiversity in rural areas thanks to the rich variety it incorporates. The most common crops, and the most representative of the local diet in the Mexican region of Chiapas, are corn, beans and squash, which coexist and form symbiotic relationships with each other and other plants like tomatoes, chili peppers, quelites (wild herbs), fruit trees and dozens of other vegetables, as well as fungi and insects who find their ideal habitat in the milpa.
Lasers reveal Maya war ruins in northern Guatemala
