Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival Palenque
The road from Campeche to Palenque (roughly 6 hours) is pretty flat up until the last 20 minutes when countryside becomes more tropical and hilly and road becomes bendier.You'll be staying in a hotel with pool in lush tropical surroundings, close to the bus station and within walking distance of the village. It's very peaceful here with the exception of tropical birds and the occasional howler monkeys making their presence known in the canopy overhead.Palenque village is 7km from the ruins and as it's frequented mainly by tourists it's a good place to check your email, do some laundry or send some postcards. It's very hot and humid here though, so unless you love saunas we suggest you find an air-conditioned restaurant for dinner, for example Las Tinajas.

Day 2

Palenque - Chetumal
At 8am you'll be picked up at the hotel for the short drive to the most awe-inspiring Mayan ruins in Mexico. Make sure you bring plenty of water as you'll be sweating buckets. It can get very hot even this early in the morning!Palenque lies deep in the heart of the jungle and is one of the few Mayan cities which gave discoverers an insight into the history of the Mayans thanks to the amazingly well preserved hieroglyphs that were found here. Wandering among the temples and houses of this city you will learn about dynasties, conquests, wealth and destruction. You'll also come across one of the most sensational discoveries of the Mayan world: the tomb of King Pacal.After about four hours exploring the complex you'll be ready to escape the heat and seek the cool comfort of the air-conditioned minibus waiting for you at the entrance.An hour later you'll find yourself standing waist deep in the cool waters of the Agua Azul waterfall. The river drops about 1000m over a distance of 2km in a number of 'steps', causing several small waterfalls. In rainy season (July - October) the waterfalls swell and come crashing down, though they do lose their beautiful turquoise colour. You'll have about 3 hours to splash around or perhaps take the path that leads up along the waterfalls. It's hot, but the views over the waterfalls are amazing.At 4pm you'll board the minibus back at the entrance for the drive back to your hotel in Palenque.Relax at the hotel pool then pack your bags to catch the 8pm overnight bus to the coast of Yucatan.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Scheduled bus from Campeche to Palenque, Accommodation Palenque, Minibus hotel - ruins - waterfall (incl. admission) -hotel, Overnight bus from Palenque to Tulum.

Exclusions -

All meals and admission for Palenque (approx. US$ 4)