If you ever wanted to feel like Indiana Jones this place is for you. Explore ancient ruins and sleep to the sound of howling monkeys!
STAY...
Palenque city centre isn't very nice & there isn't much to do so I would highly recommend staying in an accommodation by the ruins.
We stayed at the Cabanas Kin Balam which was very nice and convenient as you can work to the ruins from there too. They also have a small pool, a restaurant and regularly host open mics night too. When everything is closed, you can start up a bond fire and socialise with the rest of the guests too. Overall, it’s a very chilled place to stay
Across the road from there, you can find a bustling italian restaurant called Don Muchos. It’s not your authentic italian but food was pretty good and ravioli are freshly made there too.
DO...
The main attraction here are, of course the ruins. They are fairly touristy but you won’t get the crowd from Chichen Itza either.
The ruins are set in a prosperous jungle filled with howling monkeys. You can wander around the wilderness and the old mayan ruins, it's a truly magical place. If you want a guide, there's plenty of them offering their services at the entrance. The more you are the less you will pay so try getting here in groups.
Getting there:
If you are coming from San Cristobal, you can get a day tour which will bring you to the ruins and back. I wouldn't recommend doing this as this means you'll be in a car for eight hours in one day. We took the tour from there and decided to stay overnight and not go back to San Cristobal. The price is the same but you get to stay in Palenque, falling asleep to the sound of howling monkeys!
Go for a swim in Agua Azul Waterfalls
You can access these beautiful waterfalls from San Cristobal and Palenque. We took a tour from San Cristobal to Palenque which included a stop here. It was really nice as we were the first tourist load to arrive so it wasn't too busy. I can imagine the place getting really crowded in the afternoon. Make sure to take your swimsuit as there are beautiful clear water pools you can swim in!
Visit the Aluxes Palenque reverse
This beautiful animal reserve is aimed to help endangered species rehabilitate into the wild. You will see giant turtles, lots of crocodiles from very close, flamingos, snakes... etc... There's a also a lovely bamboo forest you can walk through.