Palenque Travel Forum

Hi,

I've booked flights for Mexico very last minute (from Scotland) and have less than a week to do research. Arriving at Mexico D.F. going to spend a few days then possibly hire a car, drive to Oaxaca down the non toll road to enjoy a contrast and see thigns a little off the beaten track.

After a few days in Oaxaca area am thinking of continuing to Palenque. Can't really find much info about the road - how long does it take driving in a relaxed way, and what exactly is the risk of robbery en-route which I seem to read about but am not convinced is too great a risk ?

Partner and I are very fluent in Spanish, and we are considering using bus in place of hire car but don't want long journeys via bus. Is it better to perhaps get bus to Oaxaca and fly to Palenque or what ? Any suggestions most welcome - I'm doing non stop reading and research at the moment to get the most out of our trip next week.

Thanks!

In general I do not think that "relaxed driving" would be a good term for any driving in Mexico. There are good paved toll roads, but the other national roads are likely to have heavy truck and bus traffic along with other road hazzards unlikely to be seen in Scotland. Robbery while driving is extremely unlikely, and beyond the usual precautions that are especially important when parking, this danger can be ignored. Finding a safe parking lot in Mexican cities can be a challenge. I would certain advise against parking overnight on the street. I have been in small Mexican cities where on first pass it did not look like there was anyplace to park, but a careful search revealed that the safe parking is behind old masonary walls that on the outside just look like the walls of a typical enclosed Latin American residency.

Of course, this does not even mention the strain of city driving in a country with flexible driving practices (to say it politely). Nor does it mention the possible legal complications of an accident.

Even if you were not fluent in Spanish I would urge you to take the bus. I believe the Mexican bus system is the best in the world with a convenience and frequency that allows a traveler to make many stops in small off the beaten places without risk of long waits for the next bus. This might require a willingness to travel at times in lower class buses, but it does mean that you can break up most long trips with stops along the way. The super luxury buses (beyond lst class) are not convenient for multiple stops.

One other small suggestion; a nice way to start your particular trip would to take a bus straight from the airport to Puebla and plan to spend your visiting time in Mexico City for when you return from your roadtrip. (If you wanted to go to an even smaller city you could take a taxi (only about 5 minutes) to the TAPO bus station and take a bus instead to Tlaxcala.) Puebla is a large city certainly worth a day or two, and in my opinion, it is a more relaxed introduction to Mexico than Mexico City.

Good luck, bob

As the previous poster wrote, driving outside of the toll (cuota) roads is far from pleasant, particularly when crossing the multiple localities along the roads with all their exageratedly sloped speed bumps.

There is a toll road (partly double lanes) from Mexico to Oaxaca, so that part would be fine to drive. As it was also posted, Puebla and Cholula, with its world-heritage hill-top monasteries and amazing Popocatepetl views would make great stops.

I would not suggest that you fly from Oaxaca to Palenque, as the closest airport is in Villahermosa, which is around two hours drive away and I doubt that there are non-stop flights, so you would possibly have to change flights in Mexico. I have never taken any bus in Mexico, but a night bus from Oaxaca to San Cristóbal de las Casas might be a good alternative to doing the tyring driving yourself. San Cristóbal is a delightful colonial city with plentiful activities to do: the Sumidero Canyon, the Montebello lakes and the Chiflón cascades or a visit to the indigenous communinites are some of the interesting daytrips that can easily be arranged from there.

In San Cristóbal you can also arrange with one of the many travel agencies the transfer to Palenque. This will most surely include stops in the stunning Agua Azul and Misol-Ha waterfalls, which are both on the way.

Allow some days for the exploration of the ruins around Palenque (including Yaxkilán and Bonampak if possible) and take a cab or a bus to Villahermosa, Tabasco, from where you can fly back to Mexico City.

Good luck and have a good trip.

Wow - thanks for some really well considered replies. In my own experience of driving in less developed places in the world it is not coping with the driving that poses a problem for me but always, always, finding somewhere safe to leave the car seems to take up half of your time.

I have to say, I have enjoyed some nice bus journeys in places but the bad ones kind of always make me wary and put me off! I've read in many places that the better services in Mexico are really rather good (probably better than Scotland anyway!). I also accept the point that if you need a bit of flexibility for an afternoon its possible to hire car + driver.

I almost follwed the suggestion about going straight to Puebla on arrival - and if I had read your post I undoubtedly would have done. Just yesterday I already made arrangements for the first few days in Mexico D.F. It'll be a hectic introduction then! Actually I figured that arriving on Holy Thursday is not a bad idea because there should be (relatively!) less traffic and pollution over the holiday weekend. Levels of pollution in other cities really do make me feel ill and its the one aspect of Mexico D.F. that I'm not looking forward to. We're leaving DF on Easter Sunday probably although I might extend this a day. I'm not even sure if the holiday affects the buses yet.

I'd be interested to know if folk consider Puebla and Oaxaca places that are uncomfortable due to pollution ? My partner actually needs to have a blast of an inhaler in the best of times so we do tend to only stay short periods where the pollution is bad.

Just another question about security - on the buses, presumably you need to hand over any luggage to the driver for the luggage compartment. Is this generally ok? I'm always concerned that at some intermediate stop its so remarkably easy for someone to get hold of your bag - whatever the country. Obviously the most important valuables will be kept with us but we probably will have one piece of luggage that might be checked.

Thanks again guys for the sensible suggestions. If you ever want any advice about Scotland....

B.

1. You might indeed encounter heavy traffic out of Mexico City at the beginning of the holiday and heavy traffic upon your return. To be assured of seats on the buses of your choice you will probably have to buy these tickets ahead of time. (Usually this is not the case and I buy tickets just before departure.) Since the best bus station for Puebla and Oaxaca is the TAPO located only a few minutes from the airport it might be easiest to go there right after you arrival to buy your outward bound tickets, and then take a taxi into the center of the city.

2. The problems of smog and altitude combine to make Mexico City a challenge. The conditions do improve over the course of a holdiay and the weekend. In comparison, Puebla is a delight and Oaxacan air seems almost pristine. You will still experience the smells of diesel buses and other more organic sources --some much more pleasant then others. good luck. bob

About the driving . . . don't do it.

I am a Mexico Travel writer for Advantage Mexico and I just did that drive. Let me give you a hint about roads in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Palenque is only about 45 miles away from San Cristobal (as the crow flys) . . . but the drive is 120 miles, takes 5 and a half hours (by car) and there is nothing relaxing about a drive on a road with no shoulders, sheer cliffs, one dangerous curve after another, extreme speed bumps as you pass each small village along the way, and an average speed of 25 MPH (on a good day). You will spend a day driving between Oaxaca and San Cristobal, then 5.5 hours to Palenque (6 by bus) then explore the ruins for a few hours . . . then . . .

I recall that Palenque does have a small private air field . . . if you have the means, flying (even just between Oaxaca and San Cristobal) will trade a couple of hours for an entire day of traveling by land.

PS. If you rent a car to trive anywhere South of the DF, rent a truck or SUV. Any non toll road will beat the hell out of a car. Clearance (for the speed bumps erected by the locals who drive bikes), large tires and a truck frame will give you more controll while driving.

On your question about the security of checking your luggage onto buses: If your bag is big you will have no choice. In general, the higher the quality the service and company, the more secure you will feel about putting your bags into the baggage compartment because it is more likely that you will be given a luggage tag and even have to pass though some sort of security check, etc. On these buses you can also feel more secure about luggage you carry on to the bus. A long distance bus with few stops and those almost always in well controlled locations pretty much allows you to sleep throughout the trip.

You will have to be more vigilant on lower class buses where the aisles may get filled with standing passengers, extra luggage is placed onto the top of the bus, the stops are more frequent and perhaps less secure, and/or the diligence of the bus staff may be lower.

I have travel buses extensively in Mexico and never lost a thing. With common sense and luck neither will you.