Tag: cabañas

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? 

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.

Doña Felipa’s kitchen is the best place to eat at El Panchan & one of the best in all of Chiapas!

More visuals of El Panchan.