2 Week Chiapas Itinerary: Road Trip or Public Transport

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Mexico’s southernmost state, Chiapas, is made for adventurers and our 2 week Chiapas itinerary will tell you exactly how to explore the best of it! 

Home to the largest swathe of jungle in the country, chilly highlands, tumbling waterfalls and charming colonial cities, all with the backdrop of a rich Mayan culture, both past and present, Chiapas is unlike anywhere else in Mexico. 

San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque are the most popular tourist destinations, but there is so much more to this stunning state. 

We crafted the perfect 2 week Chiapas itinerary that includes ample time in these well-known destinations, but also ventures deeper into the south of the state, visiting hidden gems like the Montello Lakes and the Lacandon Jungle. 

Renting a car and taking a Chiapas road trip is the easiest way to tackle this itinerary. But if you’re on a budget or don’t want to drive, it’s also possible to follow this route completely by public transport, which is what we did and I include specific instructions on how to do it.

2 Week Chiapas itinerary summary

Chiapas travel route considerations

CHIAPAS IS MORE THAN SAN CRISTOBAL & PALENQUE

Chiapas is one of Mexico’s wildest states, and although not quite as visited as Quintana Roo or Yucatan, it has a pretty firm place on many backpacker routes through the country, usually sandwiched between Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula. 

However, most travellers only visit the charming mountain city of San Cristobal de las Casas and the jungly town of Palenque, home to the famous Mayan ruins of the same name. 

These places are amazing destinations worth visiting, but there is so much more to discover in Chiapas! 

Outside these towns, the rest of the state feels raw, remote and untouched and you can get deep into the rugged jungle and far out of your comfort zone. 

In addition, travelling directly between San Cristobal and Palenque is not always safe. You’ve likely read a little about the infamous Highway 199, but let me explain properly so you understand why we recommend our Chiapas itinerary. 

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T TRAVEL DIRECTLY BETWEEN SAN CRISTOBAL & PALENQUE

There is a direct highway between San Cristobal and Palenque, Highway 199. On the map, it looks like a simple, straight shot, with the journey taking around 5 hours.

However, this route is considered by many to be unsafe and the ADO and other coach buses will not travel this way. Some tourist shuttles and tours will take this road, however, they usually travel in a convoy or with a police escort. 

This part of Mexico is mostly controlled by autonomous Indigenous communities and the Zapatistas (read more about them here), not the federal government. They are not specifically violent, especially not towards tourists, but the entire area is a political hotbed, with lots of poverty, and tensions can often boil over between the government and the locals. The recent clashes between cartels are also amplifying these issues.

There are frequent roadblocks set up by the Indigenous communities or the cartels, particularly around the town of Ocosingo, where you are required to pay an unofficial ‘toll’ to pass through. The communities set up the blocks to try and garner attention from the government. Their reasons for protesting are valid, and they have a right to their voice, which is often repressed. 

All going well, you pay their toll and drive on safely. But if things have intensified for whatever reason at the time of your visit, you can be held up for hours, possibly asked for an unfairly high payment or even worse, encounter hostility or violence. At times there have been robberies, although this usually only happens at night. 

To be fair, deeming this route ‘unsafe’ might be a bit of a stretch, many travellers drive through here every day with no problems at all. I’m sure 9 times out of 10, it’s fine. But it’s definitely not a straightforward journey and has the potential to be a bit intimidating at the very least. Unless you’ve got a lot of experience travelling around the region, it can be nerve-wracking and uncomfortable. 

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES VIA BUS

So what is your alternative to travel between San Cristobal de las Casa and Palenque? 

Most people take the ADO bus between these destinations, which takes a much longer route via Villahermosa. This city is in the neighbouring state of Tabasco, and whilst not totally free from roadblocks or issues, it is rarer. The trip takes 10+ hours. 

I would still urge you to avoid the night bus on this route, as there have been incidents where the bus has been hijacked. The likelihood of this occurring during the day is very low. 

OUR CHIAPAS ROUTE

We think there is a much better way to travel between these two destinations AND see some of the hidden gems of Chiapas at the same time!

We didn’t want to risk travelling directly between San Cris and Palenque, but we didn’t want to take the ADO bus that bypassed so much of the state either, so we crafted this Chiapas itinerary instead. 

We followed Highway 307 through the south of Chiapas, which runs along the border with Guatemala. The highway is in pretty good condition most of the way, although it is quite narrow in parts, and the side roads leading to towns and attractions are mostly unpaved. 

It passes through the Selva Lacandona (Lacandon Jungle), which is the biggest jungle in Mexico. There are some epic places to see along the way, in the heart of the jungle, with remote Mayan communities. 

This area is not immune to the political tensions found in other parts of the state, it’s just generally not as bad as along Highway 199 around Ocosingo. It’s still a majority Indigenous area, who mostly operate autonomous communities, with a lot of Zapatista influence. 

You will see a lot of police presence along the highway, and we went through multiple police checkpoints. This is mainly because the highway is right along the border with Guatemala, and there is a lot of illegal immigration and drug/people trafficking. It’s a sad reality. 

You should be aware of all this as the region feels quite different to the popular tourist destinations, and unlike anywhere else we visited in Mexico, but pending the security situation with the cartels, it’s generally not unsafe. 

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty details of our 2 week Chiapas itinerary! 

Chiapas itinerary direction

We were travelling through Mexico from west to east, so we approached Chiapas from the southwest in Oaxaca. This meant our Chiapas itinerary started in San Cristobal de las Casas and finished in Palenque, where we travelled onwards to Merida in Yucatan state. 

If you’re starting your Mexico trip in the east in the Yucatan Peninsula (Cancun, Tulum etc.) you can reverse this Chiapas itinerary. You’ll start in Palenque and work your way southeast towards San Cristobal. 

I’m going to share this Chiapas itinerary in the direction we did it (San Cristobal – Palenque), but you can use the information about getting there and away, transport etc. to map out your route in reverse. If you have any questions about making the transport work in the opposite direction, please just ask in the comments! 

Rent a car or public transport?

🚙 RENTING A CAR

Renting a car and taking a Chiapas road trip is by far the easiest way to follow this Chiapas itinerary. 

You do have to take into consideration where you will rent the car and return it, as there aren’t that many big cities in Chiapas with rental agencies and none of the destinations on this itinerary have rental cars available. 

If you’re planning to do a Chiapas road trip, we would recommend renting a car in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital city of Chiapas, and returning it to Villahermosa, which is the capital city of the neighbouring state of Tabasco, just 2 hours drive from Palenque. Or vice versa if you’re travelling in the opposite direction. 

Both these cities are easily accessible from other parts of Mexico via air or ADO bus. 

This is a one-way rental, which will have an additional, sometimes hefty, fee. Personally, I think it’s worth doing so you don’t have to backtrack, particularly if you’re travelling onwards in Mexico. 

You could drive back to your starting point if you really wanted to save some cash, and it would be about 6+ hours to get from Palenque (your final stop) back to Tuxtla Gutierrez or vice versa. 

• 🚗 Browse for rental cars in Tuxtla Gutierrez
• 🚗 Browse for rental cars in Villahermosa 

🚐 PUBLIC TRANSPORT

I’m usually a huge fan of self-driving, and I don’t exactly remember why we didn’t go down this route for our time in Chiapas. 

Maybe because it was the tail end of our trip and the funds weren’t looking too healthy, or maybe because it is actually very possible to complete this Chiapas itinerary by public transport. 

In other parts of Mexico, like Huasteca Potosina or Baja California Sur, if you don’t rent a car, you basically can’t visit half of the attractions. 

However, in Chiapas, there is a vast network of public transport (colectivos) and it’s possible to get almost anywhere around the state without a car. Being one of the poorer states in Mexico, car ownership is quite low, which is why public transport is so extensive.

Of course, it takes double (or triple) the time it would to drive, you lose some freedom and flexibility and you’ll spend a lot of time waiting on the roadside for vans to pass. But if you’re on a budget or prefer not to drive, you can still visit all the same incredible destinations and see the best of Chiapas by public transport. 

I’ll include specific public transport instructions in this Chiapas itinerary. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as jumping onto the ADO website, checking the schedule and booking your ticket online. It’s a very informal network of colectivo vans that travel around the southern part of the state. 

Think ‘stand on the side of the road near this restaurant and the colectivo going to X will pass eventually’. You’ll proceed to wait 1 hour +, asking every van that passes if it is going to your destination and sitting back down on your backpack when they say no, and start waiting again for the next one! 

My advice is to have a good book on hand, ask your accommodations for the most updated info on transport and always have plenty of water and snacks on hand. Journeys will take much longer than you expect! 

We also found we didn’t really need a car once we had arrived at many towns, so it felt silly to rent a car for 2 weeks, but only really use it for a handful of days to travel between destinations. 

2 Week Chiapas itinerary

Stop 1: San Cristobal de las Casas

🌜 5 NIGHTS 

The first stop on your Chiapas itinerary is the magical town of San Cristobal de las Casas. The unofficial tourist capital of Chiapas, this quaint colonial-style city is bursting with vibrant Indigenous culture, a surprising food scene and plenty of beautiful sights to see. 

Indigenous Mayan communities surround the city, and visitors can get a real and raw insight into their culture and traditions like nowhere else in Mexico. 

It’s easy to fall in love with San Cris, as it’s affectionately known and we were immediately captivated by its charm. Set in the highlands, with an altitude of over 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) the temperatures remain pleasant when other cities are sweltering and for us, was a blissful reprieve from the steamy Oaxaca coast. 

Day 1: Getting to San Cristobal de las Casas

How you get to San Cristobal depends on how you’re going to tackle this Chiapas itinerary, with a rental car or by public transport. 

• 🚙 Rental car option
  
  If you’re planning to do a Chiapas road trip, you’ll want to pick up a car before you get to San Cristobal de las Casas. 
  
  There are a few rental agencies in town, but they are much smaller and most won’t allow a one-way rental, which you need for this itinerary. 
  
  You’ll need to travel via Tuxtla Gutierrez to collect a car, and then drive to San Cristobal (1 – 1.5 hours). Browse for rental cars in Tuxtla Gutierrez.
  
  Tuxtla is easily accessible by air or bus. 
  
  The airport, TGZ Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport, receives flights from several cities around Mexico if you’d prefer to skip a long bus ride. 
  
  If you’re travelling directly to Chiapas from another country, you’ll most likely need to transit via Mexico City or Cancun, as there are no direct international flights to the airport. 
  
  You can get a bus to Tuxtla from cities like Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca City, Puerto Escondido or Huatulco, among others. Expect a 10+ hour journey, but most routes are run by ADO which is a very comfortable coach service. 
  
  We use BusBud to check routes and schedules and book our bus tickets in Mexico. 

Itinerary amendment: if you are renting a car for this Chiapas itinerary, you might like to amend the first few days of the itinerary. Instead of driving straight from Tuxtla to San Cristobal, you may like to include a stop in Chiapa de Corzo. This charming pueblo magico is the gateway town to the Sumidero Canyon and is halfway between Tuxtla and San Cris. Because we didn’t have a car we visited the canyon as a day trip from San Cristobal, but with the flexibility of a vehicle you could stop and visit en route. 

• 🚐 Public transport option
  
  If you’re navigating this Chiapas itinerary via public transport then you don’t need to worry about collecting a rental car, and therefore you have no need to stop in Tuxtla Gutierrez unless you’re flying in. 
  
  If you are already travelling through Mexico, you can take the bus directly to San Cristobal de las Casas. ADO runs routes to the city from all over the country, like Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca City, Puerto Escondido or Huatulco, among others. You can book your bus tickets to San Cristobal de las Casas via BusBud.
  
  If you are flying in from another country or just don’t fancy a long bus ride, you can fly into Tuxtla. ADO runs a bus route directly from the airport to San Cristobal de las Casas if you arrive at a reasonable hour and want a cheap option. You can book it via BusBud, just make sure you search for the airport name ‘Angel Albino’ as the origin. Otherwise, you can jump in a taxi when you arrive. 

Once you arrive in San Cristobal, check into your accommodation and head out for your first recon mission to explore the city and grab a bite to eat. 

If you arrive at a reasonable hour you can join the Free Walking Tour San Cristobal which runs every day in English at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Just turn up at the church in Plaza de La Paz a few minutes before.

We loved this walking tour, it provides a fantastic overview of the city, and valuable insights into the culture, cuisine and history of San Cristobal which is very different to other parts of Mexico given the predominantly Indigenous Maya population. We learnt a lot and it was the perfect intro to the city. 

Day 2: Exploring San Cristobal

Today is a full day to explore the gorgeous city of San Cristobal from top to bottom, and indulge in some of its amazing food! 

The best thing to do is simply get lost, wandering through the cobblestone streets and past all the pretty colourful colonial houses. 

The city centre is bookended by two small hills, both with churches on top. In the east, Iglesia de San Cristobalito isn’t necessarily impressive on its own, but the climb up a few hundred stairs offers some lovely views over the city. On the western side, Iglesia de Guadalupe is a pretty and ornate yellow church sitting at the top of 79 steps. 

My favourite part of San Cristobal was the andadors or pedestrian walkways. Basically these are streets that are closed to cars, with restaurants and shops spilling out onto the cobblestone street, and decorative flags hung overhead. There are three in the city to explore: Carmen, Eclesiastico and Guadalupe. 

Don’t forget to stop frequently throughout the day for drinks and food to fuel your explorations. The city has an amazing food scene, both local and international cuisine, and we were blown away by the quality of the food and vibe of the cafes, restaurants and bars. 

I’ve included a list of my favourite food spots in San Cris above, but I want to specifically call out a few must-visit places that I think you should visit today. 

For breakfast, Sarajevo Cafe Jardin is an absolutely GORGEOUS cafe, filled with lush plants, nice decor and of course, great food and coffee. Stop wherever in the city is convenient for lunch, but be sure to head to La Viña de Bacco in the evenings for some wines. This cosy little wine bar has a fantastic selection of wines, but even better, with every glass, you get a free tapas! 

For dinner, head to Esquina San Agustin, a really cool food court-type concept, with a range of different restaurants inside a gorgeous building. We loved the Thai restaurant, Bangcook, but there are so many options. 

Day 3: Sumidero Canyon

Cañon del Sumidero is one of Chiapas’ greatest natural wonders, a narrow river running 13 km (8 mi) through the deep canyon. With vine-covered walls towering over a kilometre (0.6 mi) tall in some places, we felt dwarfed by nature as we cruised through the river, spotting spider monkeys swinging in the trees above and crocodiles hiding just below the water’s surface. 

We always prefer to visit sites independently where possible, but if you don’t have a vehicle, visiting Sumidero Canyon is best done with a tour. 

The reason for this is that you actually want to visit multiple places throughout the day, so you don’t only have to figure out public transport to get to the canyon (spoiler: difficult and not readily available), you have to work out how to get between destinations too, if you want to see the best of the canyon. 

A complete visit to Sumidero should include three things: 

• 👀 A stop at at least one of the several miradors above the canyon, giving an aerial view of the river snaking through the tall canyon 
• 🚤 A boat cruise down the river the entire length of the canyon
• 🏘️ Some time to explore and grab some food in the pueblo magico of Chiapa de Corzo, near the mouth of the canyon 

There are dozens of tours departing from San Cristobal every day, and as long as they include all of these things, they’re all pretty similar. This tour is well-rated and fairly priced. 

🚤 Book a 3-stop tour to Cañon del Sumidero

If you’ve rented a car for this Chiapas itinerary, you can easily get yourself between these destinations in a day (although do note my previous comment about doing this on the way from Tuxtla to San Cristobal to avoid backtracking). Just make sure you get a return river cruise rather than a one-way route that the group tours take. You’ll find tours like this in Chiapa de Corzo. 

Day 4: Nature outside San Cristobal

Treat yourself to a relaxing morning and a nice brunch after yesterday’s full schedule. We loved Kukulpan, a cafe that spills out onto the street on a nice sunny terrace or Frontera, which had excellent coffee and great chilaquiles in a nice internal courtyard. 

Today you’ll escape the city again for another dose of nature. El Arcotete is a lovely eco park just 20 minutes outside the city. It’s named for its large naturally formed archway, with moody pine forests, a cave system and a river to explore. 

There is a small entrance fee to access the park (10 MXN) and then you can choose if you want to add additional activities like visiting the caves (15 MXN), ziplining (150 MXN) or taking a short boat cruise (30 MXN). You won’t need all day, but we spent a lovely few hours wandering around the park and enjoyed a picnic lunch from Roots Panaderia. 

There is a colectivo that runs from the city to the park. It departs from the corner of Calle Nicolas Ruiz and Avenida Remesal. There is no set schedule, but you shouldn’t wait more than 15 minutes. The vans say Arcotete on the front of them.

Spend the afternoon and evening enjoying more of San Cristobal. The shopping in San Cristobal is excellent and if you’re looking for some souvenirs to take home, this is the place to find them! 

Every day stallholders travel from neighbouring Maya villages to sell their goods at the markets in the city, with so many gorgeous textiles in particular. If you want to shop, Mercado de la Caridad y Santo Domingo is a great place to start, as is Mercado de Dulces y Artesanías Ámbar. You’ll see informal stalls in all the plazas around the city though.

Day 5: Maya villages around San Cristobal

Chiapas is the heart of the Maya world in Mexico, and there are dozens of Indigenous villages surrounding San Cristobal de las Casas. 

Chiapas was the first place in Mexico where we experienced real culture shock, despite having been in the country for more than 4 months already. The traditions have been preserved and maintained, and you can still see the vibrant local dress, hear different Maya languages and learn more about the customs, culture and religion. 

One of the most common villages to visit from San Cris is San Juan Chamula. Chamula is known for its syncretism religion, blending Mayan beliefs with Catholicism. 

The Templo de San Juan Bautista church is unlike any other Catholic church you’ve ever seen. From the outside, it shares a similar style of architecture, and inside you’ll see statues of Jesus and the saints, but the similarities end there. 

The local community have some unusual ceremonial practices involving local liquor pox, chickens and pine needles. Visitors are allowed to enter the church and quietly and respectfully watch the ceremonies, but there are absolutely NO photos allowed. It is a very eerie experience and we were both quite overwhelmed. 

It’s very easy to get to Chamula on a colectivo from San Cristobal, and we thought it would be an easy activity to do independently, but I deeply regret not joining a tour. You absolutely need a local guide to explain what is going on. 

This tour is highly rated and led by an experienced local who will give you valuable insight into the Maya culture and communities around San Cristobal, not just in San Juan Chamula but all over. You’ll also visit the village of Zinacantan, known for its textiles and traditional weaving techniques. 

⛪️ Book the customs of indigenous villages of Chiapas tour

You’ll be back in the city in the mid-afternoon. Pop into Kinoki, a local cinema and cultural centre to see what they are showing. They screen lots of independent films, including many about the Zapatistas and local Indigenous communities. Their rooftop is also an excellent place to enjoy the sunset on your final night in San Cristobal (but skip the food, it’s not that great). 

Stop 2: Cascadas El Chiflon

🌜 1 NIGHT

One of Mexico’s most impressive waterfalls, Cascadas El Chiflon is a collection of five spectacular falls in a vibrant blue river. Located just a few hours from San Cristobal de Las Casas, in the small town of Tzimol, this incredible sight is a must-visit.

Most people visit as a day trip from San Cris, but it made a lot more sense for our southern Chiapas itinerary to stay the night at the falls, and not need to backtrack to the city. There are a handful of basic cabins inside the park. 

Plus it means you get to experience the falls without the crowds! You’ll be last out of the park in the evening, and first back in the morning. It is a truly special experience to see these spectacular falls all to yourself.

Day 6: Getting to Cascadas El Chiflon 

You could technically join a day tour from San Cristobal to transport you to the falls, but you don’t really need to, given you’re staying the night, and the trip is very straightforward. 

• 🚙 By car: if you’ve got a car, the drive will take 2.5 – 3 hours, and there is parking at the falls. 

• 🚐 By public transport: you first need to get yourself from San Cristobal to Comitan. You can book an ADO bus for this leg, and it takes about 2 hours. 
  
  Once you’re in Comitan, you need to cross the road and walk a few blocks north along the highway to around this location, where you will find lots of colectivo vans. Just ask around for El Chiflon and someone will direct you to the right van. The drive to the falls takes around 50 minutes, and they drop you at the top of the road running into the park. 
  
  It’s still about 1 km (0.6 mi) to the actual entrance of the waterfalls, and there are lots of moto-taxis (tuk-tuks) around to take you. If you didn’t have luggage the walk would be easy enough, but we were not keen to haul our big bags down the road so we jumped in a tuk-tuk.

After paying our entrance fee to the park (80 MXN) we were able to check straight into our cabin, dump our bags and grab a late lunch from the restaurant. Then we headed into the park to start exploring the falls! 

Cascadas El Chiflon is not just one, but five spectacular waterfalls in the most beautiful turquoise river. The falls are staggered along a few kilometres of the river, and to see them all you hike up a gradually inclining path. Each fall is unique in shape, size and name. You can’t swim directly under the falls as they are so powerful, but there are plenty of calm pools in the river that are perfect for a dip. 

It was quite late in the afternoon by the time we got into the park, so we knew we weren’t going to be able to see everything on day 1, but the majority of the day trippers had already left so we had the place to ourselves! 

We decided to tackle the first three falls and save the final two, which are quite a bit further, for the following morning. Stay inside the park as long as they’ll let you. It wasn’t until after 6:00 pm when they came and kicked us out, even though the park technically closed at 5:30 pm. 

There’s nothing to do at night, so just relax, enjoy the sound of the river flowing past your cabin window and get to bed early. 

Stop 3: Lagos de Montebello

🌜 2 NIGHTS

A collection of 59 lakes that would be more at home in Europe than Mexico, Lagos de Montebello is a hidden gem in the south of Chiapas. Nestled right on the Guatemala border, lakes with all shades of blue are bordered by towering pine forests with options for hiking, kayaking, swimming and admiring the stunning views. 

Some of the lakes are in government national parks, and others are managed by the local community. The town of Tziscao offers basic lakefront cabañas and enough amenities to keep simple travellers happy. 

Day 7: Cascadas El Chiflon to Lagos de Montebello

We got up early and headed back into the park around 7:00 am. I’m sure we weren’t allowed to do this, but nobody was around to tell us otherwise! 

We quickly trekked past the first section of the river and the three falls we had seen yesterday and beelined for the final two. These two falls sit quite a way up the river, and the hike to get there goes from a gradual incline to a pretty steep, tiring trail. 

It’s so worth it though, and it was magic to see these two falls without anyone else around. Benefits of staying overnight!

Even if you were able to get to all five of the falls yesterday, I’d still recommend going back to some of them this morning, it was really beautiful in the morning and we saw a lot of coatis and monkeys. 

You can walk back to the entrance when you’re done, but we decided to zipline back. The lines start from the third waterfall and take you back to the entrance of the park. You’ll fly through the jungle and get some epic views over the bright blue river.

Head straight to the restaurant for breakfast before packing up your stuff, checking out of your cabin and getting ready to move on to the next stop – Lagos de Montebello!

• 🚙 By car: if you’re driving, it’s about 2 hours. You’ll backtrack to Comitan and then reconnect with the highway. 

• 🚐 By public transport: Walk or take a tuk-tuk back to the main road, and wait for a colectivo going to Comitan. They should pass every 15 – 20 minutes.
  
  The colectivo should terminate where you got on yesterday, but you’ll need to walk to a different station for the next leg. Walk to ‘Transporte Montebello’, where you can take a colectivo to Tziscao, the main town in the Lagos de Montebello area.
  
  It should take around 1.5 hours and you will be dropped on the side of the highway in town. You’ll most likely need to take a tuk-tuk to your accommodation, there are usually a few hanging around town. 

Spend the afternoon settling into your accommodation and exploring Lago Tziscao. If you arrive early enough, you can hunt out a kayak rental and go for a paddle on the lake. Ask at your accommodation about rentals, otherwise, we found one from Ecolodge & Villas Tziscao. 

You can also pop into Guatemala for a brief visit! Pretty cool, huh?! Tziscao is right on the border with Guatemala and you can actually walk across the border a short way without needing to do any immigration or passport control. There are some little handicraft markets and food stalls to check out, as well as Lago Internacional. 

This lake is split across the border between the two countries and you can see a line of buoys down the middle. It was fascinating for us to see borders handled like this, being from Australia where we are miles and miles from any of our neighbours! 

Day 8: Lagos de Montebello

There are 59 lakes in the Lagos de Montebello area, but only a handful of them are open to visitors.

The traditional way to see these lakes is via a moto-taxi (tuk-tuk) tour. Local drivers will spend the day zipping you around to all the different lakes, allowing plenty of time to walk/swim/raft at each, as well as a stop for lunch. They’re experts on the area and you just sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Even if you have a rental vehicle, I’d still recommend taking a tuk-tuk tour for the day. It was a lot of fun, and we really enjoyed getting to know our driver and spending the day with him. Your accommodation can organise a tour for you. 

If you do want to drive yourself, or you’re a type A like me and need to know what you’ll be doing, here’s the general outline of the day and where you’ll visit: 

• 👙 Lago Tziscao: you’ve most likely already seen/swum/kayaked in this lake, but you’ll stop at a few different viewpoints, and your driver can drop you off at a nice cove for swimming at the end of the tour if you want to. 

• 🏝️ Lago Pojoj: a very picturesque lake with a small island in the middle. You can go out on a local raft with a guide to the island, look around and have a swim in the crystal clear waters. This costs extra if you want to do it and your driver will wait. 

• 🥾 Cinco Lagos: a collection of five interconnected lakes with spectacular elevated viewpoints. This is somewhere you may want to come back without a tour to do the hiking trail. 

• 🐎 Lago Montebello: the biggest lake in the area, but nothing special in terms of scenery. It’s the jump-off point for horse rides further into the forest to see hidden lakes, if you want to come back separately after your tour. 

• 💙 Lagos de Colores: a collection of five lakes ranging in colour from blue to green to brown. These were my fave, they were so stunning! 

If you’ve got extra time this afternoon, I’d recommend coordinating transport (or driving yourself) back to Cinco Lagos to do the hike around the lakes. The trail is a 5.8 km (3.6 mi) round trip and will take you through the forest to more miradors and sandy beaches. 

Optional stop: Las Nubes

If you’ve got a vehicle, more time, or a higher tolerance for slow and unreliable colectivos, you can include a stop at Las Nubes at this point of the Chiapas itinerary. 

Las Nubes is a set of milky turquoise waterfalls, rushing through the Rio Santo Domingo, creating natural spas. You can see the waterfalls from a suspension bridge, swim in calmer sections of the river and hike to a mirador for a beautiful aerial view. 

If you have a car, you could possibly visit for the day on the way to Las Guacamayas. The waterfalls are around 30 minutes off the highway, so it’s only a 1-hour detour. If you get an early start from the lakes, I think you could easily squeeze in a short visit if you didn’t have time to stay the night. 

If you’re trying to reach Las Nubes by public transport, I’d count on staying the night as I don’t think you’d be able to coordinate two journeys in one day plus sufficient time at the falls. 

There are colectivos that pass Tziscao going to Las Nubes. On the return journey, you would need to get a colectivo back to the main highway and wait for the colectivo going to Las Guacamayas to pass. 

There are cabins and a restaurant on-site at the Centro Turistico Las Nubes. You can book a cabin here.

With hindsight, I wish we stopped here, but we were so uncertain about the colectivos and if it would work out as we had been told it would. We didn’t want to sign up for even more unreliable trips. But I’m sure it would have been fine, or if we had a car, we definitely would have stopped here. 

Stop 4: Las Guacamayas

🌜 2 NIGHTS

Any Chiapas itinerary should include some time in Mexico’s most impressive jungle, the Selva Lacandona. This lush swathe of green is almost 2 million hectares in size and stretches across the entire state and into Guatemala.

The heart of the jungle is the UNESCO-protected Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. The best way to experience this is a stay at Las Guacamayas, a community-managed eco-lodge set on the banks of the Rio Lacandona. It’s a truly remote experience in the heart of the jungle. 

The lodge is formally called the Centro Ecoturistico Las Guacamayas AraMacao. The name ‘Guacamayas’ is the Mayan name for the scarlet macaw, and the lodge was originally started as a conservation project for the birds. They continue to do amazing work protecting and expanding the population of Macaws, and you can visit the sanctuary at the lodge.

The lodge organises tours into the biosphere with local guides. You can go hiking, do a night walk or a river cruise deep into the jungle to spot wildlife.

But you needn’t go far, as the lodge itself receives many wild visitors! Howler monkeys loudly swing past the restaurant at breakfast, howling the strangest noise you’ve ever heard! Spider monkeys play in the trees at sunset, and iguanas sun themselves all day long. You can spot toucans, hummingbirds, squirrels and resident deer, who are protected as part of a conservation program.

Day 9: Getting to Las Guacamayas

Today it’s time to move onto the jungle phase of this Chiapas itinerary, Las Guacamayas! 

• 🚙 By car: from the lakes, it takes 3 and a half hours to drive to Las Guacamayas. It’s mostly on the highway, but the final stretch is local roads that are in mixed condition. 

• 🚐 By public transport: return to the highway in Tziscao, and wait near where the tuk-tuks park around this location. This part of the journey is uncertain, as you are waiting for a colectivo with no set schedule. Most of the colectivos running along Highway 307 are heading towards Palenque, but each takes a slightly different route. 
  
  Some will detour off the highway, and drop you right near the entrance to Las Guacamayas Eco Lodge. Flag down any colectivo going past, and confirm with the driver if they are going to Las Guacamayas, the right one will pass eventually. 
  
  It should take around 3.5 hours, and you will need to walk around 1 km (0.6 mi) to the lodge from where the van drops you off. 

Spend the afternoon checking in and wandering around the grounds. You can see the macaw sanctuary and there is also a conservation program for white-tailed deer. There are always monkeys, iguanas, birds and butterflies hanging around the restaurant so keep an eye out. And an ear too, the sound the howler monkeys make is like nothing you’ve ever heard before! 

We were so insanely hot when we arrived we went for a swim in the river. (We visited in May, the hottest time of the year, in the middle of the jungle with next level humidity!). The staff said it was fine to swim and we we were safe, but we did spot many crocodiles on our boat tour the next day, so do with that information what you will!

Enjoy dinner in the restaurant and sleep to the sound of the jungle. 

Day 10: Las Guacamayas

The lodge organises a range of different activities you can choose from for today: 

• 🥾 Hike in the biosphere with a guide
• 🚤 Take a boat cruise along the river to look for wildlife
• 🔦 Do a night walk
• 🦜 Formal tour of the macaw sanctuary 
• 🚣🏽 Kayak tour 

The prices are per activity, so if you are just one or two people, it can be quite expensive. For example, the lancha (boat) tour was 2,100 MXN (~$100 USD) but the boat could hold probably 8 people. 

I’d suggest scouting out other guests at the lodge, and seeing if anyone else wants to coordinate on tours. The staff can also help to connect people wanting to do the same activities, and we were lucky enough to share the boat cruise with a lovely Mexican couple. 

Because it was so intensely hot, we opted for a boat tour instead of a hike and we loved it! We cruised along the Lacantún River and down small tributaries deep into the biosphere reserve. Our captain pointed out so many animals along the way, including crocodiles, hundreds of butterflies, toucans, bats, monkeys and even a tapir having a drink on the riverbank! 

Our captain expertly zipped us up and over a small set of waterfalls, and we got to a calm, lagoon area of the river which he assured us WAS okay to swim (I guess crocodiles don’t scale waterfalls?). 

Spend the rest of your day relaxing around the lodge and soaking up the atmosphere. There are so many sounds, smells and sights of the jungle to enjoy and animals are always around! A night walk is a great way to see a different side of the jungle and see all the creepy crawlies and nocturnal animals that come to life when the sun goes down. 

Optional stop: Yaxchilan and Bonampak

We didn’t end up stopping here, for the same reasons as Las Nubes. It would have meant adding at least 2 – 3 more shuttle rides which we didn’t have any proper information about, with all our backpacks, but again, with hindsight I think it would have been totally feasible. 

If you’re travelling via public transport and have the same hesitations, it is possible to join a 1 or 2 day tour from Palenque instead. It is kind of backtracking as you would have already passed by the ruins en route, but you won’t have all your luggage with you and someone else will be taking care of the transport and logistics, so that’s an option too. 

If you’ve got a car, and you’re interested in visiting these ruins, this is the best point in your Chiapas itinerary to do it and you can do it with relative ease. You can visit one or both, but I’d recommend staying at least one night if you want to comfortably fit them both in. 

If you’re navigating public transport, you’ll definitely need to factor in at least one night. 

Yaxchilan is the first stop after Las Guacamayas, and you need to head for the town of Frontera Corozal. If you’re driving, it will take 2 and a half hours. 

If you’re taking public transport, I would recommend organising a taxi from Las Guacamayas to Benemerito Las Americas (which I explain a bit further in the next section). From there, you should be able to get a colectivo to Frontera Corozal. If not, you can get a colectivo going to Palenque and get dropped off at the crossroads where you should (repeat: should!) find a tuk-tuk or taxi to take you the final stretch. I’d confirm this with your accommodation in Frontera Corozal in advance though. 

No matter how you arrive in town, you’ll need to organise a boat ride down the Rio Usumancita to reach the Yaxchilan ruins. You can organise a guide for the site too if you wish. I’ve heard it’s best to go first thing in the morning at sunrise, to see the most wildlife along the way and have the ruins to yourself. 

This means you’d spend the night in Frontera Corozal, but you could choose to visit Yaxchilan your first afternoon and then move to Bonampak, spend the night there, see the ruins in the morning and then travel onwards to Palenque. Your call. 

Bonampak is a little further along the highway towards Palenque and is accessed via La Selva, a small town at the junction of the road to the ruins. To get here you can get a colectivo from Frontera Corozal, but do make sure you check the times, as I have read they stop quite early in the afternoon. Otherwise you could organise a taxi, or if you’re driving, it’s about 40 minutes. 

There are a handful of jungle lodges in this area on the border of the Selva Lancandona. It is mandatory to visit Bonampak with a guide, and it should only take a few hours to see most of the structures. 

You’ll need to get a taxi from Bonampak back to the La Selva junction and wait for a colectivo to Palenque to pass. 

Stop 5: Palenque

🌜 3 NIGHTS

Famous for the ruins of the same name, the town of Palenque doesn’t exude the same appeal, but the jungle surrounding it is full of hidden treasures. 

From the forest-clad Palenque ruins, one of the best Mayan cities in the country, to the thundering waterfalls, and verdant jungles filled with creatures of all shapes and sizes, Palenque is understandably one of Chiapas’ highlights. 

Don’t hang around too long in the town, instead spend your time in one of the eco-style accommodations lining the rainforest road into the ruins. 

Day 11: Getting to Palenque

Say goodbye to the jungle this morning – but not completely! There are still plenty of jungle adventures to be had at the next stop on your Chiapas itinerary, Palenque. 

• 🚙 By car: this is one of the longest driving legs, and it will take 4.5 – 5 hours to drive to Palenque. The first part of the trip until you reconnect with the highway will be a bit bumpy, but after that it is a relatively straightforward drive. 

• 🚐 By public transport: to make a long travel day easier, I’d recommend organising a taxi with Las Guacamayas for the first leg of the journey. 
  
  The colectivo that dropped you off at the lodge when you arrived wasn’t actually going all the way to Palenque, so even if you returned to the main road to wait for one to pass, you would have to change again. Plus, it’s anyone’s guess when they will pass, so you can save a lot of time and waiting by getting a taxi from Las Guacamayas to the town of Benemerito Las Americas. 
  
  We paid 500 MXN for the trip, which was quite a lot, but it cut out a lot of uncertainty. Benemerito Las Americas is a big and bustling transport town and the taxi dropped us off at a colectivo station, where we were immediately herded onto a van about to depart for Palenque. 
  
  That leg of the trip took about 4 hours and we were dropped at the main bus station in Palenque town. We were staying nearer to the ruins, so we jumped in a taxi but you could wait for the local colectivo that runs back and forth between town and the ruins. It depends on how hot, tired and frustrated you are at this point of the trip! 

Have a relaxing afternoon settling in to your accommodation. Assuming you opted to stay in the jungly area outside of town, you can have a wander around your accommodation’s grounds. Keep your eyes out for wildlife – even though it is much busier and more developed than Las Guacamayas, we still saw lots of animals. 

After our remote jungle stay we decided to splurge a little and booked a stay at Chan Kah Resort. We spent the afternoon swimming in the pool and had room service for dinner in the aircon. A total boujee blow out but very needed! 

Day 12: Palenque Ruins & Cascadas Roberto Barrios

Get an early start today to be waiting at the ticket off for the Palenque Ruins when it opens around 8:15 am. You’ll beat the crowds and the heat. A colectivo runs from Palenque town to the ruins, which passes all the accommodations on the jungle road. 

The system is a little complicated, as the ticket office is about 1.3 km from the main entrance to the site. So you need to buy your tickets (one to enter the national park and one to enter the ruins themselves) and then get yourself to the main entrance. 

We snagged a lift from a nice couple with a rental car. Otherwise you can wait for the colectivo (but you’ll have to pay for the 2 minute ride), or follow a path through the jungle that leads to a different entrance to the ruins. I would recomend doing this when you leave, not at the start, as you want to be near the main temples as early as possible to avoid the crowds. 

There are plenty of guides around at the ticket office and main entrance if you’d like a bit more information about the city. 

The Palenque Archaeolgical Site is UNESCO World Heritage listed and is one of the more impressive and best-preserved Mayan ruins we visited in Mexico. The location deep in the jungle gives it a very atmospheric feel, and lush greenery has reclaimed part of the city. The sounds of howler monkeys echo around the site and there are all kinds of animals running around the jungle. 

Depending on how in-depth you’d like to be, I think anywhere from 2 – 4 hours at the site is a good amount of time, leaving the afternoon free for another adventure to the Cascadas Robertos Barrios. 

Take the colectivo back in to Palenque town, grab some lunch and then head to the ‘Transportes de Turismo Robertos Barrios’ to get a colectivo to the waterfalls, which takes 45 minutes – 1 hour. 

This set of beautiful waterfalls is managed by the local community, and it’s a much more laidback approach than other falls around the area. You can jump, swim, climb, slide anywhere you like. There are dozens of different falls and series of interconnected pools to explore, it felt like a maze! 

Just take note of when the last colectivo returns to Palenque. Grab an early dinner in town before heading back to your accommodation via colectivo or taxi. 

Day 13: Misol-Ha and Agua Azul Waterfalls

The final full day of your Chiapas itinerary will be spent doing something so synonymous to the state, waterfalls! 

Misol-Ha and Agua Azul are two of the most popular waterfalls in the state, and both are easily accessible as a day trip from Palenque. 

If you’ve got your own car, you can easily drive yourself to both falls and back. 

If don’t have a vehicle, you have two choices: join a tour or go via colectivos. 

You know we normally opt for doing things independently, but after some quick research, the tour was almost the same price as doing it ourselves, and we wouldn’t have to worry about colectivos and waiting around on the highway to get between the two of them. 

If you’re happy to shop around in town, we found the most affordable tour with ‘Tulum Transportadora Turistica’ which is located at the ADO bus station. If you prefer to organise things in advance, you can book a tour online. 

If you want to go via colectivo, the Palenque – Ocosingo route passes by the junction to both falls on Highway 199, so you can use that to get there, between and back. Don’t worry you’re not going too deep along the highway and this area is considered safe and very touristy.

For Misol-Ha, you’ll need to walk about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from the highway to the falls. For Agua Azul, you’ll need to take a short taxi ride and they are usually hanging around. 

Misol-Ha is the smaller of the two falls and I think is so underrated! It’s a single-drop fall, thundering 35 metres down into a jungle-clad pool! You can swim underneath, and it’s possible to walk behind the falls too. The canyon is dripping with greenery and it felt so lush. 

Cascadas Agua Azul is Palenque’s most adored waterfall. The waterfall is made up of a series of small cascades, with intense turquoise water. You can’t swim everywhere, as some sections have very strong currents, but there are calmer pools and sections of the blue river where you can take a dip. 

My best advice is to keep walking away from the entrance. Everyone congregates around the restaurants and stalls and it feels super commercialised and very busy. But keep following the river upstream and you’ll find some peace and quiet! 

Day 14: Departing Chiapas

Your Chiapas itinerary has come to an end! We absolutely adored our time in Mexico’s jungle state and it truly lived up to all the hype. 

Where you go from Palenque depends on your method of travel and onwards destination. 

• 🚙 By rental car
  
  If you rented a car for the trip, you’ll most likely be dropping it off in Villahermosa in the neighbouring state of Tabasco. It’s a 2 hour drive from Palenque. 
  
  From here, you can fly or travel onwards by bus. 
  
  The VSA Carlos Rovirosa Pérez International Airport has flights to a handful of cities within Mexico. If you want to fly internationally, you’ll need to transit via Mexico City or Cancun. 
  
  There are ADO buses from Villahermosa to a number of neighbouring cities. If you’re continuing to travel north/east, Merida would be a logical next step. You can check the schedules via BusBud. 
  
  As I mentioned earlier, if you really want to save on a one-way drop-off fee, you can drive back to Tuxtla Gutierrez. The quickest way to get back is via the risky HIghway 199 which as we mentioned we don’t recommend. The long/safe way around will take at least 6 hours.

• 🚐 By public transport
  
  If you want to fly home or to another city in Mexico, the VSA Carlos Rovirosa Pérez International Airport has flights to a handful of cities within Mexico. If you want to fly internationally, you’ll need to transit via Mexico City or Cancun. 
  
  You can get from Palenque to the airport via ADO bus which you can book via BusBud (if you type in ‘Villahermosa’ the airport will come up as a destination option).
  
  If you’re continuing your travels into the Yucatan Peninsula, your next logical stop would most likely be Campeche or Merida. We travelled onwards to Merida. ADO runs buses to both these cities, and again, you can check schedules and book online via BusBud. 
  
  As of 2024, the Tren Maya (Maya Train) is now running some of its lines, including the Palenque – Cancun line. So you could choose to jump on the train from Palenque and stop at one or more stops along the line to Cancun. 

Chiapas itinerary: Final thoughts

I hope this Chiapas itinerary has helped you plan your time in this special state. 

Whether you’re doing a Chiapas road trip or navigating the local colectivos like we did, following this route in the south of the state will lead you to some stunning natural places. 

You’ll see a side of Chiapas most people don’t, get a taste of the proper jungle and be exposed to remote Mayan communities. 

It’s a place for adventurers, and I’m sure it won’t be without some hiccups, but we adored our time here. All the waiting and uncertainty with transport and lack of amenities in the more remote areas of the state was totally worth it!