A daytrip to Palenque and Agua Azul waterfalls

As a phoenix from the flame, the stone creatures of Palenque appear out of nothing from the dense and suffocating Mexican jungle. It doesn’t only make for stunning photos, but also for an experience you will not easily forget, including some hidden treasures along the way.

(there is also a photo album about Palenque)

To do or not to do. The other option was to travel to Palenque with a long-distance bus, stay there for one or two nights, and visit the Mayan ruins from there. But of course I went for THAT OTHER option, the more difficult one. And in return I even got an unexpected little bonus…

Hidden in the jungle

The question to my best friend, who had visited the area before, was quite simple: was it worth the enormous effort to go to Palenque? The answer was as straightforward as well. Absolutely. An experience you will not forget, this settlement hidden in the jungle.

The price of course was a 4am departure from San Cristobal de las Casas. Make that 45 minutes later for me, as I was the last in line. Which meant I had drawn the short straw: the only remaining seat in the cramped minivan, the sole consolation being a cute Mexican twenty-something as my neighbour.

Off we went, more than two hours on a provincial road littered with speed bumps of the nastiest kinds. The ones where the van had to come to a complete stop and then move over the small but awkward bump in slow-motion. Hundreds of them. Until we came to the breakfast restaurant near Ocosingo.

Spectacular Chiapas

The darkness had slowly given way to a beautiful kind of morning fog that was now and again revealing the spectacular Chiapas mountain scenery. Around every hairpin another photo opportunity presented itself.

Things only got better after the breakfast buffet, a rather stressful experience with lots of minivans arriving at the same time. That, our driver told us, was not without reason. The stretch between Ocosingo and tourist magnet Palenque was best traversed in convoy, to minimize the risk of robberies. Yeah, that is Mexico as well.

It was hard to imagine any kind of violence gliding – and bumping – through these luscious landscapes. Green everywhere, until after ninety minutes a small road revealed the entrance to the most pleasant surprise of the day.

Agua Azul

The entire point of the trip had been Palenque of course. So for convenience’s sakes I had ignored the two other locations we would visit on the road towards the ruins. And the first one just took your breath away.
Agua Azul literally means ‘blue water’. It is a stunning collection of small natural waterfalls. The sound of water just draws you in. And once you start to follow its borders, the most breathtaking sunlight will break in visible rays through the trees.

Most people don’t venture beyond the first two or three drops. But more upstream are plenty of surprises, and the minivans actually wait for 1,5-2 hours here to give you time to venture around. To take the rope bridge into the jungle. Or, yes, to swim for yourself in the beautiful and warm water. Only do that in the dry season though, in rainy season the undercurrent can get too strong and apprently occasionally cause visitors to die.

The most astonishing thing was that an entire small community was actually living there. The beautiful tiny school building for the kids. The small kiosks where locals tried to make a living. It was irresistibly cute.

Tourists at Agua Azul waterfalls in Mexico

Walkway in magical sunlight in Agua Azul waterfalls in Mexico

Rivers everywhere in Agua Azul waterfalls in Mexico

Misol Ha

Bad luck for Misol Ha. After such an astonishing opening act, the second stop could only disappoint. Which doesn’t do this site justice. Because this huge waterfall in the jungle, including a small lagoon lake, is a beautiful place. But not when hundreds of tourists descend on it at the same time, all hunting for their Instagram moment.

So off we went, to our final destination. Though, of course, our tour organizers had to incur provision/commission once again at a buffet restaurant, literally on the doorsteps of Palenque. We just wanted to get on with it, make the most of our time at the ruins, but we had to train our patience.

So it was only around 3pm, eleven hours into the journey, before we circled our way up the road in the jungle. And out of nothing, not even rising above the trees, the parking lot and souvenir kiosks appeared. Into the suffocating, humid jungle.

Highlight

My fourteen tourist colleagues and me were immediately horded towards a small kiosk where a guide offered his services. Group pressure did its work. My luck was that the guy could only speak Spanish, so I had the perfect excuse to explore this site on my own.
Yes, you miss the background info on this Unesco World Heritage site. But you regain independence, the feeling you can discover at your own pace and at your own terms.
The highlights cannot be missed. Almost immediately after the entrance the Temple Of The Inscriptions rises row by row, stone by stone. It is one of the few constructions yoju cannot climb.

What followed though is an explorer’s delight. The Palace is a set of buildings that was constructed over the course of 400 years on a plateau in the middle (Palenque was in use from around 226BC to 799AD).

Beyond that vast complex lied the Temples of the Cross group. The name-bearer is joined by the Temple Of The Sun and Temple of the Foliated Cross: all step pyramids which you can climb. This is one of the few spots where you can view across the treetops far into the valley. A beautiful view, and a necessary break as well after the strenuous climb in the suffocating heat.

Panorama of Palenque site and beyond in the jungle

More to explore

The guides usually stop here, but there is more to explore when you really dive into the jungle on the higher or the lower side. I opted the latter, walking a trail through the trees and passing some smaller religious relics.
This felt completely differently from the sites where the hordes gathered. This was exploring again, getting lost a bit as well. Ignore the ‘a bit’ part by the way: I ended up on the main road, and thus discovered my exit was actually a free secondary entrance to the ruins.
Walking the road up again to the main entrance – as slowly as possible of course so not to overheat – it was hard to make sense of it all. Just like in Teotihuacan it was just so overwhelming to see an entire, developed civilization. And also one that had completely disappeared, for no apparent reason, which could and should be seen as a warning sign for the current generation of humankind.

Back to San Cristobal

Plenty of impressions to digest. But not during the way back, in convoy, accompanied by police for three hours until we reached the Ocosingo restaurant again for a small bite around 8pm. And off again, for two more hours and dozens of speed bumps again, until we reached chilly San Cristobal de las Casas and it almost seemed surreal we had been in Mayan ruins in the jungle today.

Good to know:

From San Cristobal de las Casas, several travel agencies offer one-day tours
You can also book these, but then stay in Palenque village
Another good option is to take a long-distance bus to Palenque. These are more luxurious, but take much more time