Palenque Area

Agreed that a week in Chiapas isn´t very long at all, but a week in Palenque alone might be a challenge, unless you really like getting off the beaten path. I´ve always stayed in the pueblo of Palenque and liked it; lots of services, and historical church, museo, mercado, and sports fields busy with locals in the evening. If you do want to visit San Cristobal de las Casas, there are a lot of threads about that place and nearby attractions. Since you like falls, I´ll mention El Chiflon which I believe are the biggest falls in Mexico, near Comitan de Dominguez, a day trip from San Cristobal de las Casas.

I´m reading a lot of comments about taxis, buses, and tours, yet you mentioned ¨no unlocked cars¨ in your opening post. If you´re going to rent a car, please make that explicit.

This will only be our first trip to Chiapas - as we plan on moving to Mexico in 10 years we are beginning to explore areas of interest, a week or two at a time, one or two times a year, to see where we want to end up eventually. This trip will be 7-9 days, and we know it's just a small taste.

We aren't afraid to rent a car, and usually do for some of our trip, but we also usually use cabs a fair amount. It's going to come down to logistics, so I'm open for suggestions either way. We typically fly into the airport, cab to a town nearby and set up there for a day or so to get our bearings, get some pesos, supplies, relax after a plane trip, then if we are going to get a car we get one in the town where we're staying. But our trips are usually sandwiched between a couple of days of cab rides on either end.

San Cris is a can't-miss destination that combines well with Palenque... but driving between there, the Tonina region, and San Cristobal really isn't super recommendable with frequent unrest in the region. First or second class buses are a great option, as are collectivos.

In addition to these great suggestions, maybe become familiar with Tuxtla Gutiérrez since it has the main regional airport for flying in and out of Chiapas. There are great attractions to see in the area near Tuxtla including Sumidero Canyon and Chiapa de Corzo.

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