Mayan jungle exploration

If Palenque gives you Mayan jungle fever, you'll probably want to spend more time exploring more ruins in the area. This Bonampak tour will take you further into the Mayan jungle over land and water to the remote ruins of Bonampak and Yaxchilan. They're small but very exciting. Bonampak has some of the best preserved frescos from the Mundo Mayan and Yaxchilan is the best Mayan ruin site to spot wildlife. As these sites are less frequented by tourists you'll often find yourself wandering alone among the towering trees and overgrown jungle. After this, you can head further inland to San Cristobal de las Casas, in the highlands of the Chiapas, or drive to the Caribbean coast at Tulum to end your Mexico trip with a couple of days on a white sandy beach.

Duration	2 days / 1 night Departs daily from Palenque or Flores	Accommodation	Double room (room only) with ensuite facilities. Full board if staying at Lacandon community. Comfort level 3 (and 2 if travelling on to Guatemala). See accommodation.
Price	£106 per person - based on 2 people sharing or £121 per person (if travelling on to Guatemala)	Includes	1 night in Palenque (or Lacanja) 1 Bonampak tour with all transport, meals as described, admission to ruins Bonampak and Yaxchilan includes. (total trip length: around 12 hours)
Transport	Minibus, boat	Excludes	If travelling to Guatemala: border fees (US$5)

Day 1: Palenque - Yaxchilan - Bonampak - Palenque

At the crack of dawn you'll depart from Palenque in into the Mayan jungle for your Bonampak tour. Bring your passport because you're close to the Guatemalan border and will pass two military checkpoints on the way. After an hour you'll arrive in a makeshift roadside restaurant where a breakfast buffet laid out for you. After breakfast you'll continue on to Corozal where a colourful longboat will take you across the wide Uscumacinta river to Yaxchilan. You can see local children playing along the river banks near the Mayan jungle and elegant white ibises diving for fish in the river.

Unlike Palenque, the Mayan built Yaxchilan on the river. This is why you'll find a lot of wildlife living among the ruins. On your walk through the ancient ruins bats flutter around you and toucans, woodpeckers, parrots and howling monkeys make their presence known in the jungle canopy overhead. The inscriptions tell us that women played an important role here, something you won't see at other Mayan jungle ruins. Apparently the Yaxchilians were liberal for their time.

After a couple of hours exploring the ruins the boat trip continues on to a border village along the river where you can enjoy some local vegetable soup. After lunch it's a short drive to the next stop where you'll switch minibus. Our bus isn't allowed to travel any further as you are now entering the sacred land of the Lacandon Indians. Passing under an archway of overgrown trees at the entrance you reach a large clearing in the Mayan jungle.

This is Bonampak. The temples themselves don't seem very spectacular but in the temple chambers you'll find beautiful frescos portraying the life of the Mayans. The murals have been astonishingly well-preserved after all these centuries. The first chamber displays the exuberance of the elite in that time, the second chamber depicts the bloody war against an unknown enemy and the barbaric torture of captured warriors. The last chamber shows that even the royals couldn't escape the ritual sacrifice to maintain their claim to the throne. Several royal limbs were perforated in ritual blood sacrifice to the almighty gods.

After the Bonampak tour you will be taken back to Palenque where you'll arrive back at your accommodation around 7pm.

Total time for Bonampak tour is around 12 hours.

Bonampak tour - Fresco paintings in Bonampak

Day 2: Palenque - End of tour

Your night in Palenque marks the end of this Bonampak tour. You can continue your trip to the highlands to San Cristobal de las Casas or head to the coast (via Chicanna or in an overnight bus) to the Caribbean beaches at Tulum.

Going to Guatemala:

If you'd like to include the Tikal ruins in your trip, then you can spend the night in the Mayan jungle at Bonampak and travel on to Flores in Guatemala the next day.

Having explored the ruins on the Bonampak tour we'll then take you to Lacanja, a small village close to Bonampak, and home to the local Lancandon Indians. The traditional men here have long hair, wear long white robes, guard the ruins and sell homemade jewellery and woodcarvings. You'll really be going back to basics for the night, staying in a simple cabaña (shared facilities) with all meals provided. The next morning you'll travel by boat (45 mins) to Betel on the Guatemalan border. You'll receive your exit stamp for Mexico and cross the border to Guatemala where you'll need to pay US$5 before boarding a Guatemalan bus (with 30% less leg room) to Flores. It's a 5-hour trip along bumpy roads in an old, cramped bus without air-conditioning. On arrival in Flores you'll be dropped off in the centre and you'll make your way to the hotel.

You can also do this trip in reversible order, leaving from Flores, but there is a £38 surcharge if you do it this way round.

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