Elske Heermans

Feeling very privileged that I was able to visit the Zona Arqueológica. How to get there: You have to buy a ticket at the dock first (blue building on the left). Then you'll have to get a boat. Prices we're fixed and around 1400 peso. With some hassling you'll be able to get them for 1200. Then, the boat ride will take about 40 minutes along the river which borders Guatemala. Once at the site, you get off the boat and have about 2 hours to wonder around. Last boat leaves at 14:30 from Frontera Corozal. There are toilets on the island near the small dock. Yaxchilán is gorgeous, very enchanting. It'll be far less crowded than Palenque. Lot's of ruins to see. After two hours, you'll meet your captain and you're off to Frontera Corozal again.

+3

L. D. W.

Getting to Yaxchilán by boat along the Usumacinta River already sets the tone — remote, slow, and slightly unreal. But the site itself is what really makes it special. Deep in the jungle, the ruins feel untouched and powerful, with buildings emerging straight out of the vegetation. The carved stone lintels above the doorways are exceptional, telling very direct stories of power, rituals, and rule. Yaxchilán doesn’t feel like a museum site; it feels like a place that was meant to be hard to reach — and absolutely worth the effort.

Aldo Márquez Aguilar

Amazing and antique city, the history in this place is amazing, you can see nature and archeological history, is quiet and amazing, beautiful place

+2

angela crowley

Wonderful guide with Hector, so peaceful here, very little restoration has been carried out on this site , wonderful frescos. Be ready for the heat but the boat trip to access the site is refreshing.

+1

Connor Murphy

It's certainly cool, with friezes, tunnels you can walk inside, stelae, and a huge staircase up a mountain. Not to mention you can climb up many of the buildings and it's not crowded. I enjoyed it and it's not like I regret going. But honestly I feel it's not worth the 3+ hour trip both ways from and back to Palenque, plus the 30-35 minute speedboat trip. I'd say there's not much reason to go out of your way to see this site in particular compared to Palenque or Uxmal, and this is coming from a guy who loves Maya ruins.

+2

Thais Ehinger

Amazing experience exploring these ruins!! You have to take a tour to come here as it is quite a complicated location. It is a 3 hour drive from Palenque, then you get on a small boat for one hour in the river that is the border for Guatemala and Mexico. You get about 2 hours to visit the ruins but I could have easily spent 3! The archeological zone is very big, make sure you don't miss acropolis south and the other ruins that are tucked away a little bit. You are in the middle of the jungle, you can hear howler monkeys, see spider monkeys and you just feel like an Explorer. I highly reccomend you spend the time and money to go there, you won't regret it!

+2

Thomaz Pinotti

The place is absolutely outstanding. One of the biggest Maya city-states deep into the second biggest continuous rainforest of the Americas. Hope this is enough for you – it is 100% worth the trouble getting there. The area, however, is politically unstable; check at Palenque how things are before going. We went with a van from a tourism office and it was all very smooth. No one recommended us going by ourselves. You take a van then a boat on Usumacinta river to get there. On the boat ride, ask your driver to stop if he sees a crocodile. There are plenty on the river. The site is completely wild, parts of it feels like you are the first to be there in hundreds of years. You are allowed to go up/inside everything. Use this power accordingly. Treat this beautiful site with respect and responsibility. If you do the “long route” of the site, I recommend you to not lose too much time in the first two acropolis so you have time to see the Grand Plaza. Many of Maya glyphs are actually on the “ceiling of the door” (photos are example). Look up to not miss it. We were soaked with mosquito repellent but were still very much attacked. Probably would have been worse without it – highly recommend you getting a good one.

Lettice Wigby

It's open! I went on a tour to Yaxilán and Bonampak from Palenque on Tuesday 16th April 2024. It was absolutely incredible and I 100% recommended it. I booked my tour with Pedro from the tour agency inside the ADO bus station. He had the best price compared to two other tour agencies I visited in town. Do the tour! It's 100% worth it. Support the locals. They rely on tourism. I looked into doing the tour myself but transport is complicated and it would end up being around the same price. Have fun!

Keith Jonah

A river boat ride is the only way to get to this awesome set of ruins in the jungle. A guide is a real necessity to get a historical perspective.

+5

Wannabe Worldschoolers

Our favorite ruins so far. It feels like a big adventure as you load into the lancha and head out, skirting the Guatemala border. The kids were thrilled to so casually “dip into” another country. The ruins themselves are amazing. It felt wild in the jungle with howler monkeys all around. I recommend going up to the Pequeño acropolis first and seeing what’s up top, then coming down into the labyrinth zone last. Don’t dally cause you don’t want to miss the labyrinth. We could have easily spent the entire time in the labyrinth, bring a flashlight!

+2