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Étaperia

Mexico in 21 days: Montebello, Palenque and Calakmul, day by day

Twenty-one days from Chiapas to Campeche: the El Chiflón waterfalls, the Montebello lakes, the Toniná acropolis, Agua Azul and Misol-Ha, Palenque and its Temple of the Inscriptions, Bonampak, Yaxchilán up the Usumacinta and two full days at Calakmul.

Sequenced by Kylian Updated on 20 September 2026

The pyramid of Chichén Itzá at sunset, the Yucatán jungle on the horizon
  • 21 days
  • 50 places
  • 21 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas
End
Kohunlich, Quintana Roo
Main transport
Rental car throughout, plus a lancha up the Usumacinta to Yaxchilán on day 88
Recommended season
November to March, the dry season: the Carretera Fronteriza and the Calakmul tracks stay passable, and the heat of the Lacandon jungle stays bearable in the morning

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 21 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 31 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The travel book preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 7

Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and the arrival in Palenque

Morning

Cascadas de Agua Azul

Several hundred steps and pools stacked along the río Shumuljá, in travertine, over several kilometres. The colour comes from the calcium carbonate in suspension, and it disappears after heavy rain when the river carries earth: in the dry season it is at its best. A path follows the bank for about a kilometre. Some pools are open for swimming, others are not, so stick strictly to the signs.

Afternoon

Cascada de Misol-Ha

A single fall of about 35 metres into a circular basin ringed by tropical forest. A path goes behind the curtain of water and gives access to a small cave. The contrast with Agua Azul, all in steps, is complete.

Good to know

The hard point of the route : Federal highway 199 between Ocosingo and Palenque is the most exposed stretch of the whole trip: more than 400 topes, and occasional blockades of one to four hours set up by the local communities. Drive in daylight only, set off early, allow time in hand, and carry water and cash in small notes. Never force a barricade: wait, or turn back.

Hotel · Night 7

Chan-Kah Resort Village

Bungalows scattered in a tropical garden on the road to the archaeological zone, with a large stone pool. Five nights in total, with one night at Lacanjá slotted in on day 87.

Address
· Carretera Palenque-Ruinas km 3, Zona Arqueológica, 29960 Palenque, Chiapas
Website
· chan-kah.mx (new tab)
Check-in
3:00 PM · Check-out 12:00 PM
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €1.86 per day of travel

The buy button becomes active once the box is ticked.

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  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 21 days

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A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 48 working hours.

The day-by-day rundown

19 stops, 1,290 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Comitán and Tenam Puente Comitán and Tenam Puente Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 El Chiflón and the cenote of Chinkultic Waterfalls of El Chiflón Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 The lakes of Montebello Lagunas de Montebello national park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Las Nubes, the rapids of the río Santo Domingo Las Nubes, the rapids of the río Santo Domingo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 The paths of Las Nubes, back towards Montebello The paths of Las Nubes, back towards Montebello Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Toniná, the 74-metre acropolis Archaeological zone of Toniná Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and the arrival in Palenque Cascadas de Agua Azul Free
  8. Day 8 Palenque Templo de las Inscripciones Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 The museum, the forest and Roberto Barrios Museo de sitio Alberto Ruz Lhuillier Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Welib-Já and Bolón Ajaw Cascada Welib-Já Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  11. Day 11 Bonampak and the Lacandon community Bonampak, the Templo de las Pinturas Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 Yaxchilán Yaxchilán Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  13. Day 13 The Parque-Museo La Venta Parque-Museo La Venta Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  14. Day 14 Comalcalco and the cacao plantation Archaeological zone of Comalcalco Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  15. Day 15 Paraíso, the laguna Mecoacán and Yumká Paraíso, Puerto Ceiba and the laguna Mecoacán Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  16. Day 16 Balamkú and the polychrome frieze Balamkú Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  17. Day 17 Calakmul, first day Museo de Naturaleza y Arqueología Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  18. Day 18 Calakmul, second day Calakmul, second day Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  19. Day 19 Chicanná, Becán, Xpujil and the bats Chicanná Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  20. Day 20 Hormiguero, then Río Bec Hormiguero Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  21. Day 21 Kohunlich, Dzibanché and Kinichná Kohunlich and the Templo de los Mascarones Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • The stage leaves San Cristóbal's 2,200 m for the rainforest: at Palenque, Bonampak and Calakmul it is hot and humid from 10am, and the sites are visited at opening.
  • November to March is the dry season. That is what keeps the Carretera Fronteriza and the Calakmul tracks passable: after the rains they deteriorate fast.
  • Agua Azul on day 83 only earns its name in the dry season: rain loads it with sediment and turns it brown for weeks.

Transport and permits

  • Rental car throughout. The Carretera Fronteriza on days 80 and 81 runs along the Guatemalan border: long, isolated, with very few filling stations, so fill up in Comitán.
  • Yaxchilán on day 88 is reached only by river: an hour of lancha up the Usumacinta from Frontera Corozal, there and back, with the return time set on departure.
  • The access road to Calakmul runs sixty kilometres in from the federal road, with no shops and no fuel: drive it early, it crosses a reserve where wildlife walks onto the road.

Formalities and safety

  • Calakmul, Bonampak and Yaxchilán are in regulated zones: a reserve fee on top of the site fee, daytime access only, and a compulsory Lacandon guide at Bonampak and Lacanjá.
  • The Bonampak paintings on day 87 are visited in small timed groups to protect the humidity of the rooms: no flash, no backpacks.
  • The Yaxchilán lancha on day 88 is booked in advance or shared on the spot: allow the whole day from Lacanjá.

Budget and meals

  • The Mexican peso, roughly €0.05 to 1 MXN. Across this whole stage cash is essential: reserves, lanchas, guides and ecolodges do not take cards.
  • Heavy items: the Yaxchilán lancha, two Calakmul reserve entries over two days, the Bonampak guide and the ecolodge nights at Lacanjá and Las Nubes.
  • The Roberto Barrios and Welib-Já waterfalls on days 85 and 86 are run by local communities: a small entry fee, in cash, straight at the barrier.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is sequenced by hand, place by place, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Mexico itinerary: 149 days, hotels and bookings

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