Palenque Ruins Exploration: Visiting Cascadas de Agua Azul and Misol-Ha Waterfall
3.1
21 Ratings
Palenque
Embark on an all-day adventure from San Cristóbal de las Casas to explore the Palenque Ruins, Cascadas de Agua Azul, and Misol-Ha Waterfall. Discover the beauty of Chiapas with cascading waterfalls, mineral-rich pools, and the ancient Maya city of Palenque.
Duration:
20 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Cascadas de Agua Azul - Cascadas de Agua Azul Chiapas reserva de la Biósfera es un área protegida con reconocimiento internacional por sus impresionantes cascadas blanquiazules.
- Cascadas de Misol-Ha - Misol-Há es una pequeña cascada rodeada de un entorno selvático en la que se levantan grandes árboles de caoba. La cascada se forma del caudal de un río que se abre paso entre rocas calcáreas a unos 30 metros de altura.
- Zona Arqueologica de Palenque - La ciudad de Palenque fue fundada en 1567 por Fray Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada, quien en 1573 obsequió a la comunidad palencana tres campanas como símbolo de la fundación de su pueblo; de estas campanas en la actualidad únicamente se conserva la más grande, en la iglesia de la ciudad, y es considerada como el único testimonio de la fundación.
La zona arqueológica de Palenque, ubicada a tan solo 8km de la ciudad que lleva el mismo nombre, ha sido y es considerado el centro ceremonial más importante de la cultura Maya.
Mantiene una temperatura promedio anual de 26°C, con lluvias torrenciales durante el verano que no opacan las sorprendentes imágenes de templos y edificios explorados desde el siglo XIX y que datan de un período clásico de entre 400 y 700 DC. Entre sus construcciones más importantes se mencionan El Palacio, distinguido por su torre que sobresale del resto de la edificaciones; el Templo del Sol, el de la Cruz y el de la Cruz Foliada, que constituye un conjunto que rodea a la Plaza del Sol, así como el misterioso Templo de las Inscripciones, en el que se descubrió en 1952, la tumba del Rey Pakal, en un sarcófago bellamente tallado y con el ajuar funerario del antiguo gobernante de la Ciudad, quien mandó construir este edificio para que funcionara como su tumba sagrada.
- Explorando Chiapas - Agencia de comenzamos el Tour
What's Included
- Hotel drop-off
- Hotel pickup
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Professional guide
Additional Information
This all-day trip from San Cristóbal de las Casas combines three of the most visited sites in Chiapas, a beautiful land of mountainous jungle filled with preserved natural sites and turquoise lakes and rivers. See the cascading falls of Cascadas de Agua Azul and swim in a mineral-rich pool beneath 115-foot (35-meter) tall Misol-Ha waterfall. After lunch, visit the archaeological wonder of Palenque, a 7th-century Maya city known for its wealth of hieroglyphic inscriptions, beautiful architecture, and for its mysterious temple housing the remains of a great ruler. Hotel pickup and drop-off from San Cristóbal de las Casas are included as are all entrance fees.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund.
Location
Cascadas de Agua Azul
Reserva Especial de la Biosfera Cascadas Agua Azul
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.1
(21 Ratings)
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Thomas_b
Jan 30, 2024
Fantastic experience but not easy going - This excursion was brilliant. The waterfalls were each very different, but both beautiful and Palenque was amazing. Being able to fit three fantastic visits into one day was well worth doing. It was however a very, very long day - more than 12 hours of driving in a small van along windy roads with what seemed like an infinite number of speed bumps. You start very early and don’t return until the late evening which was fine for me, but isn’t for everyone. Worth packing a travel pillow, snacks, water, hand sanitizer and bug spray.
There was a slightly more expensive option for an ‘English speaking guide’ which my partner and I opted for as our Spanish is minimal. Don’t pick this - there’s some sort of miscommunication and an English guide wasn’t provided for us, nor others who did the same having looked at other reviews on Viator. We complained about this after the tour and were provided with a partial refund. You should also note that the driver did not speak English either so confirming timings was a bit tricky.
So, in summary, a fantastic (albeit long and tiring) day, but maybe avoid if you are specifically looking for an English speaking tour (these are apparently a lot pricier FYI) or suffer from travel sickness.
Review provided by Viator
Roxana
Jan 25, 2018
Super tour guides speaking english - I went with this agency in 2 tours and i was very pleased: easy going communications, trustworthy, super drivers and the best well prepared and pleasant tour guides English speakers i ever met. Ask for Julio, Sergio or Elias they are the best!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Geetha_s
Mar 16, 2024
Nice way to travel to Palenque - Good way to see explore palenque. Feels a little rushed at the waterfalls and too much time at the ruins. The company were nice enough to let us bring our luggage (strapped to the top of the van) and allowed us to stay in Palenque for the rest of our trip.
FYI - No English and there was hardly any signal for Google translate; just to confirm the plans for the day. -Also try to be picked up first as the back row is very tiny and it's a very bumpy ride.
Review provided by Viator
Annakurg
Dec 1, 2018
Great travel agency owner who cares about customer experience - As there are many travel agencies in San Cristobal that do identical day-trips, it is hard for one of them to stand out. As long as you walk around and ask in a few places - you will quickly understand what is the standard price - just don't book any tours in your hotel for double the amount!
When we went on a day trip to Palenque, one of the villages we were driving through went on a strike, and were not letting any cars pass through throughout the whole day, no matter how hard we tried to talk them into it. Unfortunately we had to leave our guide & minibus there, "cross the border" and arrange another local guide on the other side as we were determined to see the sights. In the end it all worked out well, and when we returned to San Cristobal and spoke to the travel agency owner - he was very apologetic about the experience we had and refunded us a very fair amount of the sum we paid.
Unfortunately the driver didn't speak English and when our minibus was stopped by the locals it was hard to communicate about the situation and the way out of it, but luckily other tourists on the bus helped us out
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guatemejor
Nov 6, 2018
Misol Ha Agua azul - The best of Misol HA IS ITS WATER very fresh cool to swiim the first on from the parking and comedors area is th biggest, taking the tours to this site is the best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chriswildc
Mar 10, 2018
Demanding tour - Booked with otisatravel through our hostal. Leaving from San Cristobal around 4 a.m, tie your seat belt and hang on tight. This trip was really not comfy, if you have back issue or can't seat for more that two hours, don't try it. The time allowed at each site is more than enough, and they are beautiful places. Is just the whole trip who's tiring and make the whole experience not that enjoyable in the end. We choose to stay in palenque after the tour, that's an option they gave you before you leave, and I would recommend doing that ! The one who went back to san cristobal left around 5 p.m from palenque with 8 hours ahead... That means they probably arrvived in San Cristobal around midnight, if they arrived ^^
Overall, that's a good tour if crazy driving on mountains road for 8 hours do not scares you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Claudio
Jan 6, 2018
Be prepared - The road is simply awful. Up and down, left and right.. with lots of holes in the asfalt & bumps every 200mt ( no kidding). As mentioned drivers must atop and accelerate every time ..
A) every travel agency does exactly the same ( leave at 4am, have breakfast at the same place & drivers drive basically one after the other, all at the same time). Do not waste time to find the "best one".
B) take a place in palanque if you dont want to experience 11h+ of drive in tiny vans. We regret we didn't..
C) do NOT have heavy breakfast or lunch.this would result in an nightmare for you and the rest of the group you ate travelling with.
D) waterfalls are not as described. Quite poor actulally.
E) PALANQUE is beautiful but very small. 2h with a good guide are enough
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosa
Jan 13, 2018
The sites exceeded our expectations... - <p>The sites exceeded our expectations. The food was good. However, the van was uncomfortable. The road was awful with hundreds of speed bumps that slowed progress to a crawl. The driver made no effort to modulate his language for the Spanish impaired. Fly to Palenque!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Bruiz1987
Mar 5, 2024
Little attention to the safety and well-being of travelers - They didn't let us wait in the van or at the outbound stop (around 6.30AM and after having picked us up at 4AM so we were super tired), they made us wait outside standing for 45 minutes in a place with a bad atmosphere and a dangerous looking man hanging around. Same thing on the way back, 45 minutes standing in the sun after a very tiring activity, instead of waiting inside sitting. They care more about things on the bus than about people's well-being. It seems dangerous to me.
When I mentioned it to customer service, I got a person who, far from being decisive and attentive, seemed to me not to care about our experience or safety and I did not like the way she addressed the customer after explaining a fairly serious problem. This person is Georgina. Medina. Luckily our experience in Chiapas is always good and with friendly people, not like this time when we had to deal with a poor and unprofessional service provider.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lucia_s
Jan 7, 2018
The tour has too much destinations... - <p>The tour has too much destinations. The Cascades are great, but if you want to take a swim you'll be in a hurry and everything will be too fast, since the trip to Palenque is almost 5h30 driving with curves and topes. When we arrived in Palenque the driver, that is the only person from the San Cristobal Agency present all day, told us that there would not be a guide in English for whom we payed an extra 20 on Viator even though we had asked repeatedly during the trip. So we got very angry and asked again firmly, and they gave us, after a bit of wait, a young local guy that didn't seemed an official guide but in the end worked well because was guiding only the two of us. You'll spend a long time on the van, and when you'll arrive in Palenque, that is absolutely amazing, you'll have only one hour to see all the ruins and do the guided tour, that is superficial and not exhaustive, since you'll have time only to see the first temple and the Palace. And more, when you'll arrive in Palenque you'll be asked for the Wlaking in the Selva for extra Pesos for all the group. <br/>
Finally, the tour is cheaper if booked in San Cristobal in one of the hundreds of agencies.</p>
Review provided by Viator
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