Maya Palenque & Chiapas Waterfalls: Breathtaking Journey

My guide at the ruins was very knowledgeable. She had many facts memorized. But more than that, when I asked questions about details of the history of the Mayans, she had intelligent pertinent answers. This made that part of the trip much more interesting. Misol-Ha and Agua Azul were both spectacularly beautiful, each in their own way. I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit them. Swimming at Aqua Azul was a delightful way to beat the heat.

We paid to upgrade on the day, directly with our guide, Sebastian to include an hr jungle walk which was amazing. We got to hear and see howling monkeys before heading in to the impressive ruins. Sebastian was knowledgeable about both with great English. We waited for the driver to return and pick us, and another party up, to head to the falls. The driver only spoke Spanish which unfortunately we don't so trying to find out what time we had to meet at the future return points was tricky and we had to rely on other passengers, I appreciate we hadn't learnt the language but a simple clock to illustrate the collection times might have been useful. The drive to the waterfalls is long, very bendy, with lots of potholes and speed bumps. Glad we didn't have to navigate the roads ourselves but it is a journey you need to be prepared for!! The falls were beautiful and loads of vendors at Agua Azul for food or shopping opportunities.

Great tour, every attraction is unforgettable. The only issue is that after visiting the Palenque site in the morning, our English tour guide told us to wait for the driver at the entrance of the site, where we got off, at 12 o'clock. There may be a 15 minutes delay, but we haven't seen the driver by 12:30 yet. Because we don't speak Spanish, we can only contact the agent through WhatsApp. The local staffs at the entrance also tried to help us contact the driver, fortunately the driver arrived soon. It is recommended that passengers who do not speak Spanish keep the driver's phone number in advance.

I enjoyed the rapidly cascading waters with quieter pools along the bank for swimming at Agua Azul. Driver was courteous and efficient at keeping group together and timely. Misol-Ha also beautiful. Moderate hiking at both sites. The vendor’s tour guide at Palenque, Jose, was very knowledgeable and gifted at fleshing out the history with the ruins.

The bus on the way to the waterfalls was extremely hot, they promised an airconditioned van, but the airconditioning didn’t work. We were a bit delayed because we had to wait for two people. This was a bummer, because we had only 30 minutes at Misol-Ha. This was way to short.. The way back was perfect though!

Great guide but largely over priced - you can get cheaper through sorting in town once you arrive. Stayed almost three hours at aqua azul and didn’t get back until gone 7.30pm.

Beautiful waterfalls, both Agua Azul and Misol-Ha. The driver was kind, and although he spoke no English and we speak little Spanish, he was still helpful about places to eat and where to change into bathing suits. Also, the tour agency was very good about answering our questions promptly, especially when we thought we had made a mistake and booked the wrong tour. The only important thing they did not respond to was our question about bringing two small pieces of luggage. I gave this review only three stars because we were assured before we booked that everyone would be required to wear a mask in the van, when, in fact, no one was wearing a mask except us. Secondly, the other two people on the tour didn't want to go back to the starting point in Palenque but instead wanted to continue on to San Cristobal de las Casas. That would have been fine except that they needed to meet up with another van in order to do this, and we had to wait on the side of the road for 45 minutes until the other van came. We were never told in advance that this would be happening. Also, we were in a small passenger van that only seats 5 people besides the driver, not a standard tour van. My husband and I were in the two back seats (we hd to put luggage in the one remaining front seat), and it was so cramped that our knees had to be bent sideways or in a "V" shape and we could not sit normally, and it is not a short distance to these waterfalls. We were the last to be picked up so we did not have a chance to select different seats. All things said and done, if I had known these things in advance, I would have chosen a different tour where we could have been more comfortable.. We have booked a number of Viator tours previously and have always been pleased, but this was not up to par with the other Viator tours we have taken. After this, I will probably think twice before I book another Viator tour or ask a lot more questions and make sure I get answers before I book.

PALENQUE was absolutely incredible and made even more amazing because of our guide Joice, who took us through history and helped navigate the perilous stairways. I thought I would have the same guide all day, so I was crushed when he hoped out of the van before I could tip him. The itinerary was completely different than what I received. The guide for Misol-Ha and Aguas Azules would not speak about anything in english, not even instructions. I would ask what he told the group after he spoke with then for several paragraphs and he would respond with something like "you can eat here" or "meet here at 5". I learned nothing about where I was, how to get there or what to expect. There was no chance to swim as promised and I was unable to visit Misol-Ha or see much of Aguas Azules because there was no one to help me with the limestone descents in the rain, so I was mostly left sitting alone near a tienda. It was absolutely heartbreaking for me and I ended up alone and crying for the second half of the tour. Even more so because I had to purchase two tickets to even be allowed on this this.

Agua Azul is fabulous. It’s waterfall after waterfall and so expansive. There are multiple places to swim as well as a rope swing that we used to jump in. Lots of vendors and food. You can easily spend the day at the falls.

Some context to understand where I'm coming from. I love the outdoors and hiking. On trips I look for natural wonders to experience in as much of a natural state as can be found. Going with guides in as small a party as possible. On this trip we had a tourist van packed with 20 people. The seats in the van are made for people who are small to average size. Forget being comfortable if you're taller than 5'7" and not slender. Misol-Ha Falls was our first stop, 30 minutes is all we had to walk to the falls get through the throngs of people and get back. Disappointing to say the least. Essentially this is just a park and the commercialization diminishes the waterfall. Next stop Agua Azul Spectacular waterfall surrounded by vendors upon vendors upon vendors. Again I was hoping to hike a trail and come upon this wonder. So commercialized it's just been turned into a park. We had more time here, 2 hours, but, the experience was just not what I had hoped for. I would not recommend this tour. For the price you get to ride in an uncomfortable van, are rushed around and in my opinion you're just hanging out at markets set up by waterfalls.