Help with planing for Mexico and Central America
 

I could really do with some help planning for a part of the world that we have yet to visit.

Background
We spend much of our time travelling for extended periods, South America, Asia, Australasia etc. This year have decided to spend much of this summer back home in the U.K., house and pet sitting in various parts of England with a few side visits to mainland Europe.

We both speak reasonable, if a little rusty, Spanish. We usually stay in a wide variety of hostals, homestays etc. With the occasional splurge now and again. We tend to intersperse travelling around with stays in one place for two weeks or more - my wife is currently looking at places around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala which seem beautiful - any thoughts or suggestions.

Generally we like to get off the tourist trails ( except for the obvious places), dislike big resorts intensely and are always keen to avoid the mass tourism areas.

We enjoy (in no particular order), arts and culture, historical sites, hiking, nature, photography, food wildlife scuba diving, big cities and small villages.

Potential Itinerary

In the autumn we plan to spend maybe 3-4 months. In Mexico and Central America. I am currently wading my way through the many guidebooks picked up from the library and could really do with some help narrowing down the seemingly infinite options. It does seem that ( as we have in the past) that we may well make a return trip.

We will probably fly in and out of Mexico City from London and will almost certainly top and tail our trip there. Is a week to much? Too little?

Oaxaca is calling to my wife especially as she has a keen interest in food.

We would like to include a few days diving somewhere.

What areas of Mexico should I be concentrating on?

Which other Central American countries should I throw into the mix? So far Guatemala and Nicaragua are drawing us, although we re not fixed on these.

How to allocate our time between Mexico and other Central America countries?

How easy/difficult would it be to include times side trip to Cuba?

Any thoughts or suggestions really would be appreciated.

Given your criteria, I might suggest a Mexico itinerary something like the following. And 1 week in Mexico City is a decent amount of time. So, starting there, visit Puebla and Cholula. Puebla's regional food is arguably second only to Oaxaca's, and the city is a colonial gem. Cholula has supposedly the world's largest pyramid by volume, (though it's mostly covered with dirt and doesn't look like a pyramid), plus some 365 churches for every day of the year.
From there, Xalapa. The city itself doesn't have a spectacular colonial center, but it does have the country's #2 anthropology museum which has some fine examples of the colossal Olmec heads, and is easier to navigate than Mexico City's museum. From there, it's easy to visit the colonial cities Coatepec and Xico, which besides being in the heart of coffee country, the falls of Texolo are nearby and you can hike to the base.
Next, Veracruz. While it's a port city, it's still fascinating. Unbeknownst to most tourists, who tend to focus on Cozumel for diving, Mexico's largest reef system is in (near) Veracruz. There's a number of wrecks in the waters as well. Diving in Veracruz
There's also the San Juan Ulua fort, an aquarium, and naval museum. Music and dancing in the zocalo; Son Jarocho. No visit to Veracruz would be complete without cafe con leche at either Cafe De La Parroquia or Gran Cafe Del Portal. Or both. The city has some nice French influenced colonial architecture as well. Nearby ruins of Cempoala.
From there, you can bus to Oaxaca, but if you wanted to break up the trip, you could stop in Orizaba, and visit Cordoba too. Orizaba's Cerro De Borrego can be hiked, but also has a teleferico that you can take either up or down, or both. Spectacular views. There's also the 500 escalones down to some falls on the Rio Manzinga, not really a hike I guess, but good exercise. The river walk in Orizaba is pleasant and is some 3km right in the city, though the 'zoo' areas might not appeal to everyone. Orizaba was recently voted Mexico's number one Pueblo Mexico by readers of Mexico Desconocido, which by the way, is a great resource for trip ideas. Veracruz is not on the typical tourist trail, that's why I was so wordy.
From there, Oaxaca, where you could easily spend up to a week, sounds like you've done research there already, so I won't elaborate. If you're thinking of entering Guatemala via land, then you could visit Chiapas on the way. Waterfalls of El Chiflon, Agua Azul, Misol Ha. Palenque ruins.
Anyway, given your interests, that's the part of Mexico I'd focus on.

I will elaborate more but I more or less agree with Baldone's tips. But how much time do you want to devote to Mexico? I would do about 5-6 full days in Mexico City, try to have one of these a Sunday. I wrote a small food report on a trip I took about three years ago..we spent a week in DF and then took bus to Puebla and then on to Oaxaca for one week or so...

I would consider the Colonial Highlands, maybe Guanajuato, and/or Michoacan for the area in and around Lake Patzcuaro. Lots of indigenous people in this area and I will give more tips if you decide to go. The town of Patzcuaro is a gem; I was there two years ago in March for about 5 days, coming from Morelia.

I've not been to Veracruz in years and years; not sure I'd recommend but that depends on total time allotted to Mexico.

Oaxaca is a "must." A week is not too long if you and wife love handcrafts; easy to visit the indigenous villages outside the city by car or taxi. (Please see recent NYTimes article on the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle) Market, for example, in Tlacolula is fabulous, fabulous. Also main Abastos Saturday market in Oaxaca city. Yes, food is excellent but it is in just about every area I've been to in the country (some areas you need to seek out non-touristy places), and I've been to most areas over the years. Very varied from region to region, which makes is so fascinating. The Pacific area of Oaxaca is interesting but they just had a bad earthquake near Juchitan so not sure of the situation and again, my days of traveling around that area and on to Guate were so long ago.

Easy to access the coast from there but I doubt if there is great diving in the Pacific region of the state.

In Chiapas San Cristobal de las Casas was once superb but I've not been there in decades. Easy to go on by road from there to the border with Guatemala. I've done this by bus but unfortunately, I have not visited Guatemala since the 80s and things appear to have changed a lot since then, not always for the good. Read about the highland villages and the weaving and gorgeous Colonial architecture in places like Chichicastenango, Huehuetenango, Solola, etc. But again, I know nothing about what it's like now. Antigua de Guatemala, near the capital, is lovely but might be very touristy by now. I also loved Flores, the gateway to Tikal..very different in this area than in the highlands....
Lake Atitlan has become a major tourist destination but might be still worthwhile...the natural beauty must be the same....

I've never been to Nicaragua or El Salvador, or Costa Rica, for that matter.

Sorry to be sketchy here..wanted to respond asap and to thank you for the Bogota info.. Food is my big interest so maybe I can offer some tips in that area, especially.

Just ask and I am happy to help..many thanks for the Bogota info; you've given me confidence for that..

Our only México trips have been to the Yucatán Peninsula and to Chiapas. We have a place on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala now, having visited since the 80s. We visit 2 or 3 times/year and generally end up on the water in either Belize or Honduras. I think Guatemala is the cultural gem of Central America. Belize has a huge diversity of cultures, great caving, wonderful blue water options. In Honduras we're repeats customers of Copán Ruinas, the mountains near La Ceiba (Omega Lodge) and the Bay Islands: Utila, Roatán, and Guanaja, loved them all for different reasons. You'll find the diving on Utila and Roatán to be the best bargain, much cheaper than Belize.


My photos with blog, travelogue, and review links on the main page of each collection (except the two 2017 trips - I'm behind!) are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there. Happy trails!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Like hopefulist, my only time in Mexico has been in the Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas. If you decide to spend any time in those areas, or if you are interested in the Mayan ruins of the area, speak up and I'll tell you want I can!

I second ekscrunchy's recommendation of San Cristobal de las Casas, and if you go there, I agree that it's easy to reach the amazing ruins at Palenque and the waterfalls in between -- Aqua Azul and Misol Ha.

Wow, Crellston, 3-4 months in Mexico and Central America. Sounds wonderful. Besides wonderful Oaxaca city, we loved Oaxaca coast when we finally got there. Another place to look into in addition to above is the mountain town of Cuetzalan. Very interesting culture/area. In Nicaragua you two intrepid travelers might enjoy long passenger boat trip across Lake Nicaragua to Los Guatuzos. No interest in Panama where we’re now enjoying our third trip. Lots of diversity here: Beach city, mountains. Canal is way more interesting to see than many people might think. We enjoyed our time at Lake Atitlan.
we stayed on the new age island, name of which eludes me at moment. Not because that interests us but because of lodging and husband has high school friend who lives there. We met a nice guide Luis Cholotio who took us over to his island SaN Juan Labuan, which looked interesting....

Sorry, bad typing . San Juan Laguna. And meant to make a question: do you not have any interest in Panama? Now that we’ve been to Costa Rica 3 times and Panama 3 Times, you might skip CR and go to Panama. CR is of course beautiful, but Panama has similar nature but ALSO interesting vibrant capital city and canal. More diverse population also.

There have been reports in the Mexican media of increased violence in the Cuetzalan area, including against tourist transport vehicles, and the assault and murder of a family from Mexico City visiting a cave popular with tourists. Their guide escaped.
I agree Patzcuaro is a beautiful town, but for hiking in Michoacan in general, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to inquire about what areas to avoid. Who that'd be, I dunno.
The reasons I mentioned Veracruz was the ease of making the loop from CDMX and going down to Oaxaca, safety of hiking, diving, and lack of tourists. I should add that Pinocateca Diego Rivera in Xalapa has the widest collection of his work in the country, if that's your thing. If one did opt for Veracruz, a trip south of the city to the Tuxtlas and Tlacotalpan might be rewarding, though hot.
Another interesting itinerary starting from CDMX might be the Grutas De Tolantongo, then on to the mountain/mining towns of Mineral Del Chico (with it's national park for hiking), Mineral Del Monte, Huasca De Ocampo. Nearby are some old haciendas converted into hotels (San Miguel Regla and Santa Maria Regla) and the Prismas Basalticas. From there, we went on to Veracruz, again, (hey I just like Veracruz, can ya tell?) and on to the ruins of El Tajin, visited easily from Papantla.
Near Puebla at Huamantla, one can hike the Volcan Malinche. Too much for me, however. Between Puebla and Xalapa is the Cofre De Perote for more hiking. Both are generally regarded as safe.
I should also add that the fall is still part of the rainy season, in Mexico as well as Central America, and hurricanes can even affect inland locations. Last season some roads in Veracruz and Puebla's sierra were washed out.

WOW! Thanks all for your responses. This is all incredibly helpful and will take some time to digest. I was fortunate enough to find a current copy of the Lonely Planet guide for Mexico in a local charity shop so will now be busy using all this info to cover the book with sticky labels!

baldone - Veracruz sound like our sort of place ( and the title of a great Santana song!) so I will have a good look at that and your other recs. Thanks for all your suggestions I need to plot these on a google map.

Ekscrunchy - thanks for your insights. I am sure I will come back to you for your food recs. My wife blogs a fair bit on food matters - I just eat it! Not sure how we will split our time between Mexico and elsewhere. Baldone’s comments re the hurricane season may well cause me to review our time in the region as we probably need to be back in the UK by early Jan so leaving in say early oct would give us three months/13 weeks, so maybe 8wks Mexico and 5 elsewhere. BTW your are welcome re Colombia we loved it there and if I am not mistaken it was largely due to Glovers comments that we included it on our last visit to the continent.

Glover - have been following your exploits in Panama and yes, I think we would probably include Panama in preference to CR as the latter does seem expensive and possibly a little too developed. BTW I am pretty sure it was you that suggested Madidi for one of our previous trips - I have now finally got teh photos across this week to our new blog https://accidentalnomads.com/category/bolivia/

kja - interesting to hear your comments re the Yucatan and esp. Palenque. We met and American couple in Saigon on our last trip. the husband was a Vietnam vet of Mexican origin and we got chatting about travel and they invited us to join them on a trip to Palenque. their second time there and they were raving about it. I am thinking that we should be able to make it there if we base ourselves in Oaxaca for a while ( or maybe I am underestimating the distances involved?).

hopefulist - I guess there can be no better recommendation for a place than to buy a property there! Coincidentally my wife just sent me some stuff on apartment in Lake Atitlán! it looks wonderful. thanks also for the diving recs. we haven’t dived for a couple of years and have been getting withdrawal symptoms lately. it seemed to have gotten very expensive on our last trip was in Asia. Thanks for the links, I will have a look at your blog. I sympathise with being behind with posting - we still have two missing months in New Zealand to catch up on form sept last year!

Many thanks to all of your for the detail. it is very much appreciated!

You've had some real experts weigh in. I've visited Mexico many times, and will be going back to Merida in a week's time (3 times in the last 3 years). It's been years since we visited Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas, but I loved both cities. (Actually we've been to Oaxaca twice.) Food is excellent for sure and I loved the textiles. San Cristobal, in some ways, is similar to Antigua in Guatemala. I'd love to spend some more time in Mexico City - so much to see and do there. We've also been to many other places in Mexico over the years. I know that some of them have changed a lot (e.g., Playa del Carmen) but others are probably less affected by tourism. I really love Mexico. Merida has caught our fancy lately - we've met people there, it's not expensive and it's very easy for us to get to from Toronto.

In terms of central America, we've been to Costa Rica, Belize, Roatan off the coast of Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama. Again, some of these we visited many years ago. I'd definitely like to go back to Guatemala again. I've also been thinking of a visit to Nicaragua, although I don't think it'll be this year unless I can persuade my husband otherwise :)

Whether Palenque is within reach of you from Oaxaca would, I think, depend on specifics, but I can’t imagine recommending it as a day trip, if that’s what you were thinking. The ruins themselves can easily take a full day; maybe a bit more to see the exquisite artifacts at the small museum attached to the site. There’s a bus between Palenque and San Cristobal de las Casas that takes the better part of a day, with stops at 2 waterfalls – Misol Ha briefly and Aqua Azul for a few hours (which makes sense, because those falls are travertines spanning a long stretch of a river, and it can be very nice to stroll along the river’s edge, seeing the stunning – if sadly damaged – travertine formations while watching people swimming and picnicking on one side and bartering for local crafts at the over-priced market on the other side). The bus also stops briefly at a pretty, quiet place where one can cross a very clear and narrow stream – the Aqua Clara – by either suspension bridge or locally rowed (poled? I forget!) boat. I thought San Cristobal itself a gem – beautiful setting, an incredibly vibrant crafts market, some wonderful Spanish colonial buildings, etc. AND one can visit some of the outlying semi-independent (and fascinating) Mayan communities (San Juan Chamula and Zinacuntan) quite easily by tour, perhaps one that includes a guide who will tell you about those communities.

BTW, I thought the Lonely Planet very good for the places I visited in Mexico. I thought the Moon Guide exceptional, so if you see a copy, you might want to snag it!

Did you just say that your wife blogs about food? I had been wondering whether I should start a thread on eating in Peru, and had been telling myself not to bother, as I have lots of notes from various guidebooks and internet resources -- including your blogs -- but if there are additional tips to be had, maybe I'll start one after all! Consider yourself warned -- and responsible. ;)

I would definitely start another thread. I have a few favourite places, especially in Lima and Cusco and I know mlgb does. My wife does blog about food. I know she has done a lot about food in Vietnam not sure about Peru. I will ask.

When I say visiting from Oaxaca I am more thinking about renting a place for a few weeks and then spending a couple of nights here and there. We have found that in many places the additional cost of renting for say a month over two weeks can be very cost effective - we did that in Peru a couple of times.

Thanks for your comments Susan. You have just given me and idea!! We spent a long weekend in Toronto years ago and loved it and have always been talking about a return visit. Flights from London are usually cheap so I may look at routing with a stopover in Toronto en route.

The places you mention have abeen added to my ever increasing list of possibles!

In that case, take fair warning: I’ll start a thread on dining in Peru in another month or so!

If the idea is to have an extended base in Oaxaca and then a few days here and there elsewhere, you could do worse than San Cristobal de las Casas. And even though it’s been an age since I’ve been there, you might want to look at Bela’s B&B, which still gets some outstanding ratings.
Bela's Bed and Breakfast ? Best Pet Friendly Acomodation at San Cristóbal de las Casas (Chiapas)

Kja, wow, Bela's is where we stayed way back when. We loved it - very nice breakfasts, and the property was charming.

How cool! I'll add that Bela and her husband were charming, too. :)

I am now looking again at timings for or foray into Mexico and Central America, partly because of new house and pet sitting gigs, but also due to Baldone’s comment

"I should also add that the fall is still part of the rainy season, in Mexico as well as Central America, and hurricanes can even affect inland locations. "

We seem to have a knack of turning up at places in time for volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes etc. So far so good but don’t want to tempt fate! Fall/Autumn means different things in different parts of the world. is there an increased probably of issue in October? Does this carry on into November? I appreciate that I these days of global warming etc. that nothing is certain but I am just wondering if it would be better to defer Mexico and CA until say mid Feb next year? I am trying to get a sense of how to balance the likelihood of hurricane issues in Oct/Nov with increased crowds and prices in Feb-April?

Any thought would be apprececiated

October-November, as you've probably figured out, is on the cusp of the rainy/dry season. February-April will definitely be drier, and April, at least in Mexico, tends to be much warmer. The end of November in Mexico's highlands can actually get quite chilly, with lows sometimes around freezing. Semana Santa will bring more crowds and higher rents to touristy areas and beaches, for sure. And even if it doesn't rain, skies can be kinda overcast. I'm rambling, aren't I? If it were me, (and it isn't) I'd probably hold off until February-April, when you're pretty much guaranteed good weather. Again, I'm talking Mexico primarily, although I've been in Guatemala and Costa Rica in both seasons, and found the weather patterns similar to Mexico's.

Islands? Do you mean villages (San Marcos and San Juan La Laguna)?

I probably should add, crellston, that if part of your Mexico itinerary might include La Huasteca Potosina or some of the falls in Chiapas, during the rainy season, the water may be more cafe than the normal turquoise due to runoff even if it hasn't rained for a week.

Thanks for correction, Hopefulist. Villages of course! Guess I had Islands in my head because of boating from one village to another.

Re: weather. We have always enjoyed Mexico in January and February, though one year we experienced some colder wetter temps than norm. A couple years ago Jan/Feb was great in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras. Sunny, dry and warm/hot, depending on location. (In fact they were in drought conditions): Hot and dry in most places in Panama now this Jan/Feb. But in Western Panama (mountainous) you can expect spring like temps, a lot of wind, and sometimes an interesting blowing mist called bahareque by locals.

Crellston, if you are interested in seeing the magnificent quetzal bird, that can happen in Jan/Feb, though the odds improve toward March April when nesting gets going.

Thanks for the input. It helps a lot in the decision making process. We are booked with house/pet sitting projects through until Oct so may look at autumn in Japan, South Korea or Taiwan for a month or so (supposed to be a great time) and defer Mexico, Guatemala and possibly Panama until mid Feb when the weather is more clement!

Glover - I googled the quetzal. It is indeed magnificent. May have to seek it out!

Well after much vacillating and changing of plans, British airways made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I have now booked tickets from LHR to Mexico City, out on 7 Nov and back on 10 Dec. just over a month thistle but we plan to return early next year to explore more of Mexico and some of Central America

I created a first draft of an itinerary which looks something like this:

Mexico City 4
Puebla/Cholula 3
Oaxaca 6
San Cristóbal de las Casas 4
Palenque 3 (Yaxchilan)
Campeche 1
Merida 5 (explore Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Ruta Puuc etc.)
SPARE 5 (maybe Cozumel for diving, Tulum??)
Mexico City 2

The numbers are all nights in each location on the basis that 2 nights = 1 full day.

The SPARE 5 days at the end could be spent diving possibly from Cozumel. Although from what I read, I am pretty sure we are not going to like Cancun or Playa del Carmen which seem to be all about big AI resorts and an wondering whether Cozumel is similar. Other thoughts include a brief foray into Guatemala, extending our time in the Yucatan (perhaps Tulum).

To save time and backtracking, I think we would fly back to Mexico City from wherever we end up

Any thoughts, suggestions (or a reality check on) the time spent and the route would be much appreciated as would any suggestions for accommodation (circa $50 pn), food (from street food to places with tablecloths!) and especially, not to be missed favourite sights and general tips.

Thanks in advance. The suggestions and advice you guys have provided so far has been so helpful and really appreciated

I recently decided to spend several months in Mexico beginning mid-Oct. My plan consists so far of a OW ticket and 2 weeks accommodation booked in San Cristobal so I may very well still be there when you arrive, Crellston, if you're meetup-with-a-stranger sort of people.

Random thoughts.
The highway between San Cris and Palenque has had its share of problems lately, so some caution is in order. Many tourists that travel to Palenque from San Cris theses days do it via Tuxtla. Which is too bad as the falls at Misol-ha and Agua Azul are worthy of a visit.
Speaking of falls, El Chiflon near Comitan is well worth a visit if you're into waterfalls.
You'll probably figure it out, but the only flights (at least right now) between Oaxaca and Tuxtla routes through MEX. If you were considering flying that rather long leg.

My 2 cents is that 6 days is too much for Oaxaca unless you plan to go to every single craft village in the surrounding area. I think 4 nights is plenty there.

And I think you can easily spend 10-12 days in Mexico City and not run out of things to do, especially if you go to Teotihuacan or other places within two hours away as day trips. I've gone twice in the last two years, total of ten days, and still haven't managed to do everything that we wanted to. It's one of the world's great cities. And the food, I could go on and on about the dining scene.

The Merida and surrounds could pick up another day to do places like Ixmal. Not sure if you're planning to do all from Merida. Some of the sites are quite a ways away. And don't miss Ek Balam. Different from the other ruins and not crowded, at least 10 years ago when I went.

Have a great trip.

You might consider adding Valladolid, perhaps shifting some time from Merida to that city. Valladolid is absolutely charming, IMO, and at least when I was there, less touristed. Valladolid is a great base for Chichen Itza, Ek’ Balam (with its extraordinary frieze), and the beautiful Cenotes Dzitnup (Samula and Xkeken). If you spend a few nights in Valladolid, you might consider El Meson del Marques – it might more expensive than you hope, but it is a lovely place.

And note that Uxmal and the Rutu Puuc are a bit much for a day trip from Merida. You might consider an overnight in / near Santa Elena. I enjoyed the Flycatcher Inn, which still gets great reviews; the Pickled Onion is another alternative.

I’ve already mentioned Bela’s for San Cristobal de las Casas (outstanding!). In Palenque, the Hotel Xibalba worked for me, and I liked staying in that part of town (La Canada).

Tulum can be nice, particularly if you want to spend any time in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. Another alternative to Cozumel: Puerto Morelos, although I must admit that 5 days there would be too much for me.

Here’s a link to my ancient report on the restaurants I patronized while in the Yucatan and Chiapas. If you find any ideas there, be sure to check them against more current commentaries!
https://www.fodors.com/community/mex...hiapas-757038/

I wonder if traveler318 meant Izamal?

Having been twice to Oaxaca, once 3 weeks then a month, you can anticipate my taking issue with that statement. There are different sorts of travelers as we all know, among them the list kind and the hanging out kind, I of the latter. So Oaxaca is for me an excellent place to linger for as long as one has the time. I recommend not cutting it short.

I echo mmeperdu's comments. Especially regarding the OP's comment that 2 nights=1 full day, so 6 nights in Oaxaca would be 4 full days. Oaxaca, after CDMX, I think is the #1 destination in all of Mexico.

Agree with some of the others that there’s no such thing as too long in Oaxaca. Such a walkable City. Nice museums. Concerts. Great food. Why not go to every craft village? All are interesting. And intrepid Crellston May want to do some of hiking avalable in nearby mts. Those trips can be arranged in town. Stay in indigenous villages up there, hike with guide, etc. we enjoyed one of those. We have stayed in several areas of Oaxaca over years, but our fav is the Jalatlaco neighborhood. Stayed often at the cheap and friendly Casa Arnel, though am wondering if it hasn’t gone downhill looking at recent reviews. Old part of city, cobblestone streets. Beautiful old church there with festivals going on. Some nice little cafes there now.

yes! Why not venture into Guatemala? We loved it. Agree you wouldn’t like Cancun/Playa. Merida is wonderful.

Speaking of hiking, given good timing, there’s a group called Hoofing It in Oaxaca that organizes group hikes for the cost of transportation in small buses into the mountains & around the craft villages during the winter season. Some are overnights, some, those in which I participated, are day trips. It was fun, a congenial group and I recommend them, well organized and designed for a variety of fitness levels. Read more here: Hoofing It In Oaxaca | Weekly Hikes for Adventurous Folks

Many, many thanks for all your comments and suggestions? Your help is really appreciated.

MmePerdu - we are most definitely "meetup-with-a-stranger sort of people" and have met up with quite a few Fodors members over the years. It would be great to meet up if our dates coincide. I well send you a pm when our dates are finalised.
Hoofing it in Oaxaca sounds interesting. I will check it out.

Traveler138 - I get your point but to put it into context, we travel more or less permanently, usually on 6 month plus trips. To say that we travel slow is a major understatement and like to stay the odd week or even month in one place, every so often just to chill and reorganise. Our original plan was to stay a month as part of a longer trip. This one is is just a taster for next year. Your comments re time in Mexico City are noted. I may well add a few more days at teh end of this trip.

KJA - as always, your attention to detail is exceptionally helpful. I do like the look of Vallalodid and may well change plans for the Yucatán province. Many thanks for the food and accomodation suggestions. We are considering not diving on this trip so may redirect the $200 per day savIng into nicer accommodation. Still unsure re Tulum but would like a little time at the beach, if only for the seafood.

GLOVER - would have a hard time persuading my wife not to visit every single craft village. She is already talking of Christmas shopping there. I fear our resolve to travel with carryon only may well fly out the window on this trip. Anyone know what the postal service I’d like in Mexico?? I am hoping to do a lot of hiking around Oaxaca and overnight Homestays is something that had not occurred to me, so thanks for the idea.

Baldone - your on the ground experience an knowledge is invaluable. Thanks for the heads up on travel between Oaxaca and San Christobal. Any suggestions as to how to best achieve this safely? Bus company recommendations

Whilst we fully intend to travel by public transport most places, I am wondering whether a rental car might be a viable option for the Yucatan? I have heard conflict reports. Some highly recommending it, others point out, hassles with police, traffic laws and insurance issues. Any thoughts or experiences?

Finally, i am assuming that, unless we venture into Guatemala for a few days, that Merida is the most logical place from where to return to Mexico City?

I spent 3 weeks in the Yucatan and Chiapas, and happily used public transportation for all of my travels with the exception of 3 days when I had a car rental. My route: Puerto Morelos, Tulum, Valladolid, Izamal, Merida, the Ruta Puuc, Celestun, Campeche, Calakmul, Palenque, San Cristobal de las Casas, and Tuxtla Guttierez. The main reason I used a rental for a few days was because I wanted to be able to see the Ruta Puuc more thoroughly than was then possible with public transportation. As noted above, it's hard to see in a single day and -- at least at that time -- the only option that didn't involve a rental car was a one-day bus tour with a group out of Merida. IIRC, the rate I had was for a minimum of 3 days, so I also used the car to go to Celestun. That worked very well for me. If you do decide to rent a car for any part of your time there, definitely do your research on the insurance issues and traffic laws!

To return to Mexico City: Merida or Cancun.

ADO is the bus line you'll want from Oaxaca to San Cristobal. Overnight routes only. It's about 11 hours. Generally regarded as safe.
For your return trip to CDMX, check fares with Interjet and Volaris. I think I recently saw a MID/MEX fare for under $50 US.

Thanks for the info baldone. I will check out the schedules for ADO. Is it ok to book just a few days out or do I need to allow more time than that? I will book the flight as soon as I have nailed my general route.-

KJA I see what you mean about the insurance issues on rental cars. CDW & PL cost twice the rental rate! Might be cheaper to hire a taxi as and when..

My itinerary is finally coming together but I am struggling with the Chiapas/Yucatan section in the middle. The itinerary so far is:
6nts Mexico City
3 nts Puebla
7 nts Oaxaca
11 nights ??????
3 nts Guanajuato
2 nts Mexico City

I had originally planned to visit San Cristóbal, Palenque and Merida / Valladolid in those spare 11 nights, but as that would involve two overnight bus journeys, I feel that would be pushing it. I am now thinking of dropping Palenque and splitting the time 5 nights Merida/Valladolid and 4 San Cristóbal, (we would likely have two half days extra in the latter because of bus times).

Does this make sense, or am I missing a trick?The only direct flight I can find to Guanajuato is from Merida so we would need to stay there on our last night in the Yucatan.

Is this the right balance of time between SC and the Yucatan?

Should I try to squeeze in Palenque for 2 nights/ 1 full day en route?

Merida or Valladolid as a base for Yucatan or split our time between the two?

We do travel slower than most and will likely return to Mexico next year.

Any thoughts or opinions would be most welcome.

To each his/her own, of course, but FWIW:

I thought the ruins of Palenque among the most stunning I saw in the area, and thought a very full day just barely sufficient to see its highlights. And -- as a lover of waterfalls -- I'm very glad I gave myself a day for them, too.

Merida is grander and, at least when I was there, much more touristed, than Valladolid. Think (very roughly) of Merida as more like Lima, and Valladolid more like Ayacucho or Arequipa (if with much less extremes differences between them). I enjoyed Merida, but with the exception of its magnificent (but very small) archeological museum, I enjoyed it more for it's weekend festivities than for the city itself. (Which isn't to say that I didn't find things to enjoy there -- I did!) And Merida is the gateway to the magnificent Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc, which I personally far preferred to Chichen Itza. JMO. Valladolid had a much more authentic feel to me, at least when I was there (2008). There wasn't much to see in the city itself, although I found more than enough to keep me happily engaged for a day. Valladolid is -- as I think i already mentioned -- a great base for Ek' Balam (which has friezes unlike any you are likely to see in any of the other places you plan to visit), Chichen Itza, and the some of the most beautiful cenotes in the Yucatan (and BTW, the Yucatan is not a particularly scenic area -- much of it is flat arid area occasionally adorned by scrub palms).

I had 3 nights -- almost 3 days -- in San Cristobal de las Casas, and saw everything I wanted to see in that time, but only by keeping very busy. I think you know that I travel hard, so you'll have to decide whether the extra time is worth it given what you want to see/experience while there. Do consider a full day tour of the surrounding villages. If you are there for market day, give it a chunk of time -- and do consider timing your visit to allow time at its weekly market! A full day would, IMO, be sufficient for the rest of the city's major sites -- but maybe things have changed since I visited.

If you are sure you will return, then you might shortchange any of the places with airports, as those are the ones most easily revisited -- but I'm sure you know that. ;)

Hope that helps!

MAJOR clarification!

I didn't mean to suggest that Merida has anything that approaches Lima's wealth of museums or other sties of interest! Nor does Merida approach the cosmopolitan character of Lima. I was thinking of a sense of one-time wealth, and completely overgeneralized. :( So sorry! Maybe think of Trujillo, but with lots of tourism-oriented activities?

Thanks very much for the detail kja. After much vacillating, I have dedicided not to make a decision (if that makes any sort of sense!). As this is a short trip for us I wanted to plan everything in advance, but that is not really how we are comfortable travelling.

I have decided to keep the first part our trip as is: México city, Puebla, Oaxaca. Add 3-4 days to Guanajuato at the end which should leave us with 11-12 days free in the middle.

I have decided to exclude Yucatán on this trip as I realised that BA fly to Cancun so that would be a more logical/ easy route for us to travel down through Central America early next year.

Options I have shortlisted for that 11 days are to:

1. Spend more time around Oaxaca hiking and staying around some of the villages out of town.
2. Continue on to San Cristobal and Palenque spending a few days apiece and fly back to MC and add San Miguel de Allende to that area.
3. Follow baldone’s suggestion for travel via Veracruz/Oaxaca but in reverse.

It is slowly coming together. All I need now is for Carlos Santana to announce a gig in Mexico City on our last night and we are set!

PS We are flying with BA and just found out that I booked the flights 12 hours before the hackers got into their systems to steal the data of 440k passenger. Good news - my card is safe! Bad news - they are paying out piles compensation so I am guessing the chance of an upgrade is close to zero ..

MmePerdu - would love to meet up if we do make it to San Cristobal. It looks like we would likely be there around 23/4 November for 3-4 days. If that fits in with your time there. I could pm you nearer the time once we know our plans

Deferring the Yucatan makes a lot of sense to me -- you were, IMO, trying to do too much (don't we all try to do that?) and so making a clear cut with an eye to the future can be a healthy choice.

I'm sure you'll have a great trip! And if you opt for #2, I'll continue to comment -- I haven't yet visited the other places your are considering (but hope to do so one day).

After much vacillating I have now finalised our itinerary. Arriving in Mexico City on 7 Nov we will spend our time as follows:

Mexico City 6nts
Zacatecas 3
Guanajuato 3
Puebla 5
San Cristóbal de Los Casas 7
Oaxaca 7
Mexico City 1

With the exception of flying from MEX to SCDLC we will travel everywhere by bus.


Our extended time in Oaxaca and San Cristóbal will enable us to explore out into the surrounding villages and maybe even include a trip to Palenque. Although that may wait until next year when we return to cover the Yucatán.

As we will likely have friends with us for part of that trip we will also probably include Morelia and Pátzcuaro in Michoacan, Veracruz as well as a return to MEX which I am confident we are shortchanging!

MmePerdu, if you happen to read this, our dates in SCDLC will be 24 Nov to 1 Dec would love meet up if our dates coincide. I will try and work out how to message you.

Thanks everyone for your help. This is a short trip for us and planning has been a lot more difficult than our usual method of making it up as we go. It has certainly concentrated the mind on the detail!

I have already noted the suggestions you have made, but if anyone has any more suggestions on places to eat, things to do, not to miss sights etc. at any of the locations we are visiting, I would love to hear them.