The ruins of Palenque! In the middle of the jungle, really beautiful and completely different from all other ruin sites. Because of the symbiosis with the jungle. To be honest, I wonder why more people don’t know about these pyramids or talk about them. So don’t get me wrong, it’s just right – not too crowded, but at the same time you’re not alone. Nevertheless, you walk into a real paradise. You walk along a path through the jungle to the pyramids, the first of which you then climb up to from under the trees. Nature and the ruins have simply grown together here. Of course, there are also ruins that stand completely alone and don’t have trees towering next to or behind them or half disappear into the jungle. Nevertheless, it is a real symbiosis of jungle and ruins, which gives the whole thing an incredible calm and grace.

It is also the only ruin where there is no clear path from A to B. At the time, I found it confusing and didn’t know where to go first because everything was so beautiful and the whole area was simply enchanting and unfortunately I was under time pressure because I was there on a tour. Today I think that’s really cool. You’re given the freedom to just explode and see where your nose takes you next. As a result, it’s not quite so blatant. At least it wasn’t the case there.

Another cool thing is that it’s completely interactive. You can climb almost anywhere, have a really great view from one of the highest pyramids and simply feel like you’re in a jungle of ruins. It’s like being in a huge playground in the countryside with lots of great ruins to play in. When you’ve had enough of that – or, like me, the time pressure drives you on – you walk along a path through the jungle and get to see a few more things: a few ruins, a waterfall, a cute bridge and a few more things. It’s a really big area. There’s just one thing you should be aware of: you can’t go back. Well, you can, but then you have to go all the way back through the jungle. So you should be sure when you leave the ruins area. My tip: stay with the ruins for as long as you want. They make up the lion’s share of the things you want to see. You’ll need a maximum of 30 to 40 minutes to get there. And only if you take lots of photos or videos or are incredibly fascinated by the jungle itself.
To go or not to go? For me, there’s no question about it. When you’re in Palenque, you simply have to do these three things: Misol-Ha, Agua Azul and the ruins. You’ll need two days for the three things without a tour, one with a tour. But I would recommend doing it on your own 😀 And for me, skipping is like…. Depriving yourself of a wonderful experience. Because Chiapas is the most scenic part of Mexico. So… what are you waiting for? 😀 😊