6 days · 5 nights
Three Maya cities, one of them reached by river, with canyons, lakes and waterfalls between.
Choose your dates when you enquire
Ask about datesBegin on the river in the Sumidero Canyon and spend three nights in San Cristóbal de las Casas, with days in Tzotzil Maya villages and at the lakes of Montebello. Two nights in Palenque follow, with a day by road and river to Bonampak and Yaxchilán, and a guided morning at Palenque itself before you fly out of Villahermosa.
The same person from your first question to the flight home, with a wedding or vow renewal planned alongside if you like.
How the days unfold. Your advisor tailors the pace, the hotels and the extras to you.
Sumidero Canyon and San Cristóbal de las Casas
Day 1 · Sumidero Canyon and San Cristóbal de las Casas
You are met at Tuxtla Gutiérrez airport and driven to the Sumidero Canyon for a two-hour boat trip between walls of rock and forest, watching for crocodiles, monkeys and birds along the way. Afterwards the road climbs to San Cristóbal de las Casas and your hotel.
San Juan Chamula, Zinacantán and San Cristóbal de las Casas
Day 2 · San Juan Chamula, Zinacantán and San Cristóbal de las Casas
A morning with a guide in two Tzotzil Maya villages: the candlelit, pine-scented church at San Juan Chamula, then Zinacantán for a local drink, backstrap loom weaving and tortillas made by hand. Back in San Cristóbal, a short walk takes in the colonial centre, and the afternoon is free.
Montebello Lakes and El Chiflón
Day 3 · Montebello Lakes and El Chiflón
Leave at about 8 am for Amatenango del Valle, a village of potters, and see clay worked the traditional way. Continue to the many-coloured lakes of Montebello and the El Chiflón waterfall, where you can swim beneath the falls, returning to San Cristóbal at about 7.30 pm.
Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and Palenque
Day 4 · Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and Palenque
An early start north towards Palenque, stopping to swim in the turquoise pools of Agua Azul and to see Misol-Ha, a 30 metre waterfall in the rainforest. The rest of the day is free once you reach your hotel.
Bonampak and Yaxchilán
Day 5 · Bonampak and Yaxchilán
Set off at about 6 am for the Maya site of Bonampak, then take a boat for an hour along the Usumacinta River to Yaxchilán, a ruined city reached only by water. You are back in Palenque in the late afternoon.
Palenque and Villahermosa
Day 6 · Palenque and Villahermosa
A guided visit to Palenque, a UNESCO World Heritage site, including the Palace, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Foliated Cross. Then the drive to Villahermosa airport, arriving at about 5 pm.
The hotels for each stop. Your advisor confirms them, or something just as good, for your dates.
San Cristóbal de las Casas · 3 nights
Or similar
Palenque · 2 nights
Or similar
Tell us when you would like to travel. Your advisor confirms dates and hotels, tailors the trip to the two of you, and stays with you until you are home.
Mexico
5 days · 4 nights
La Paz
Four nights in a hotel facing the cathedral in La Paz, with a day out on the water or the town each day. From January to March you head to Magdalena Bay to look for grey whales; the rest of the year the day is spent in the old centre and on the beaches. Then a long day down to Todos Santos and Los Cabos, and a boat to Espíritu Santo to snorkel with sea lions.
Mexico
5 days · 4 nights
Tuxtla Gutiérrez → San Cristóbal de las Casas → Palenque → Villahermosa
Fly into Tuxtla Gutiérrez and go straight out on the river through the Sumidero Canyon, then spend three nights in the highland town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, visiting Maya villages and the lakes of Montebello. The road then drops north past the waterfalls of Agua Azul to Palenque, which you explore on the last morning before flying out of Villahermosa.
Mexico
4 days · 3 nights
Tuxtla Gutierrez → San Cristobal de las Casas → Palenque → Villahermosa
Fly into Tuxtla Gutierrez and go straight onto the water in Sumidero Canyon, then climb to San Cristobal de las Casas for two nights among the highland Maya villages. The road then drops past the Agua Azul and Misol-Ha waterfalls to Palenque, and the last morning is spent among its temples before the drive to Villahermosa.
Begin on the river in the Sumidero Canyon and spend three nights in San Cristóbal de las Casas, with days in Tzotzil Maya villages and at the lakes of Montebello. Two nights in Palenque follow, with a day by road and river to Bonampak and Yaxchilán, and a guided morning at Palenque itself before you fly out of Villahermosa.
Every trip can be shaped around you before you book.
Arrive early or stay on at the end, in the same hotel or somewhere new.
Your travel expert books flights that fit the first and last day.
Choose a better room or a hotel with a view for the nights that count.
A honeymoon, an anniversary or a birthday, planned into the trip.
Other ways to see Mexico, closest in length first.
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Small group tour | 5 days | La Paz
Small group tour | 5 days | Tuxtla Gutiérrez · San Cristóbal de las Casas · Villahermosa
