If you’re planning a trip around the Yucatán in Mexico, chances are you’ll want to visit a handful of Mayan sites to discover the ancient architecture and civilisation. Chances are also you don’t know where to start. Indeed, there are nearly 200 Mayan sites in the Yucatán peninsula that are open to visitors. Some are big ticket tourist attractions, some are hidden in the jungle and almost impossible to reach. And then there’s everything in between.
On our road trip around the Yucatán, we visited a good number of Mayan sites. We mixed it up with hikes, historic town centres and nature reserves to avoid a “ruins overload”. Check out the itinerary for our road trip around the Yucatán if you’re looking for inspiration. If you’re looking to select the best archaeological sites to add to your trip, simply keep on reading as I’ve listed my personal favourites.
Ek Balam – a well-restored jaguar temple
Ek Balam (the Mayan name translates as “Black Jaguar”) is the less popular sister of nearby Chitzén Itzá. In every way, it was my personal favourite and by no means inferior to the big tourist attraction.
We got there super early. This meant we found the car park empty and we had the site to ourselves for the first hour. Even then, only a handful of families arrived. Ek Balam only really gets busy in the afternoon, when the tour buses returning from Chitzén Itzá call at Ek Balam as a little bonus. As soon as we entered the site, we walked to the back and ascended the 30m high main pyramid. El Trono, A great decision as we could enjoy the 360˚ view in all peace and quiet. One other couple arrived at the top a good 15 minutes later (handy for taking each other’s photo). On the way down, we took the time to look at the well-preserved masks and carvings. We then spent another 2 – 3 hours looking at all the other structures in a lot of detail.
Visiting Ek Balam makes an easy day trip from Valladolid and can be combined with visiting cenotes in the area. There is even one onsite – cenote X’Canche (separate entry fee). We walked one kilometre to the cenote and decided to picknick nearby. I chickened out from swimming, since the water was pretty cold. Later that day, we stopped at a couple of other nearby cenotes and I took the plunge.
Edzná – the vastest grounds
We visited Edzná as a day trip from the coastal town Campeche. Edzná scores high on my list of favourite Mayan sites in the Yucatán. The grounds are vast, visitors are few and you can see a combination of both nicely restored buildings and wilder structures hidden away in the jungle. The drive to Edzná will take you through Mennonite villages which adds an unusual cultural perspective to this day.
In its hayday, Edzná was a metropole in the province of Campeche. Even though it is much less visited than big sisters Chitzé Itzá or Palenque, is it equally impressive. In some ways I even found it more impressive. The large and extensively decorated religious, administrative and residential buildings are a clear sign of the former richness. Moreover, some interesting technological features are present on the site, such as an innovative irrigation system that allowed residents to cultivate the land.
Uxmal – Puuc architecture at its best
Uxmal sits on the scenic Ruta Puuc – the Road of the Hills. “Hills” is a big word for the slightly undulating landscape, but compared to mostly flat plains on this side of the Yucatán it is indeed fitting. The most majestic of the Ruta Puuc sites is Uxmal. We started here early in the morning, to beat the crowds visiting from Mérida and Cancún. The four other sites (Labna, Xlapak, Sayil and Kabah) are smaller, but all have unique features. Some say “save the best for the last” and finish at Uxmal, but we were keen to see that site during a quiet spell. The other sites do not attract many visitors anyway. When visiting the sites along the Ruta Puuc, you will spot traces of “sacbés” – ancient Mayan roads – showing how each smaller site connected to Uxmal.
Uxmal is an excellent example of the style that is known as Puuc architectures. It consists of mostly plain buildings with soft, rounded corners and small, hidden entrances. The buildings are crowned by an extensively decorated top floor. Uxmal is a tribute to the Mayan rain god Chaac. This is not surprising as water was (and is) a scarce commodity in this part of the Yucatán where nor the ocean or a cenote network is present.
A fun addition to the day was the Choco-Story museum opposite the Uxmal ruins. When I first heard about it, I rolled my eyes as it has all the obvious characteristics of a tourist trap. However, after several recommendations, we decided to give it a go. The museum is very well setup and fun to experience. It covers not only the discovery of cocoa and the production of chocolate, but also many aspects of the Mayan civilisation.
Calakmul sites & biosphere reserve
The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is a collection of several Mayan sites to visit. The village of Xpujil is the best place to stay. It is the only significant town on the road from Escárcega to Chetumal and has accommodation options of all kinds. We stayed in a guesthouse outside of town, which was pretty and comfortable, but the staff were weird and unhelpful.
We spent three days exploring the Calakmul Biosphere reserve and visited most sites. The main challenge was to bring some structure in our plans. We stopped at the tourist office in Xpujil and to our pleasant surprise the staff were extremely. They gave us a map of the biosphere and explained all about the sites and local handicrafts. Make this your first stop so you can make a plan before hitting the sites!
The main site, Calakmul, is without any doubt the most impressive one. It takes a full day to visit. This includes a 2 hours’ drive from the turn-off on the main road, on a rickety road through dense jungle, to reach the entrance. Visiting the ruins took us close to 5 hours. It is easy to lose your bearings in the labyrinth of the old city. Your best bet is to pick a pre-defined route and follow the (more or less logical) arrows around the site. There are three routes of varying lengths that you can chose from.
We also visited four small sites, dotted around close to Xpújil (Becan, Xpújil, Chicanna and Hormiguero). They all have unique features, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping any! You need one, maximum two hours on each site. If you can withstand the heat, you can even opt to cycle from one site to another.
Palenque – home to a crazy count
Palenque is an extremely popular Mayan site in the Yucatán and all of Mexico. Getting up early and getting to the gates at opening time is important if you want to peacefully wander around. Getting from the car park into the site was an ordeal as we were approached by touts and vendor at every step. I quickly lost the will to friendlily decline their offers and just marched on sporting my best resting b*tch face. Thankfully entering the site was like entering a different world and for the first hour everything was very peaceful (until tour buses arrived).
If you like to explore sites in a lot of detail (like me), Palenque can take the best part of a day. Apart from the ruins, there are nice jungle trails taking you to waterfalls and an excellent museum displaying a replica of King Pakal’s tomb. Watch the Ancient Aliens episode about Palenque before visiting and do a bit of reading about the legends associated with some of the structures.
My favourite legend tells the story of Count Waldeck, a self-declared aristocrat who travelled from Europe to Mexico in search of richness in the ancient Mayan cities. There are multiple accounts of Waldeck’s stay at Palenque. The most common one claims that he lived at the site for a good two years, playing house with his Mayan bride in the structure now known as the Templo de Conde – the Count’s Temple. He spent his time drawing his fantasy interpretation of the Mayan civilisations and spread the stories upon his return to Europe, long before fake news became a thing.
Yaxchilán & Bonampak – enigma in the Lacandón jungle
A boat is the only way to complete the journey to the enigmatic site of Yaxchilán. Nearby Bonampak is famous for its colourful ancient murals. The drive to the sites takes about three hours one-way from Palenque. The sites are in Chiapas, which is core Zapatista territory. We didn’t find any recent reports about uprisings and road blocks. Despite precautions and returning early, we did hit a Zapatista roadblock on the way back…
The trip to the Mayan sites of Yaxchilán and Bonampak is a long, full day, but worthwhile. We organised a tour via our hotel. This meant we got a better deal compared to booking online with a tour company (we paid around $50 each with meals, transport and entry fees included). The day started at 0700 and we returned to the hotel by 1800. Make sure to take your passport for this tour! The boat trip to Yaxchilán departs from the same jetty as the ferry to Guatemala and strictly speaking you are crossing the border by entering the river. Since illegal immigration and cross-border poaching are issues in the area, controls are tight.
Yaxchilán was a powerful Mayan city in constant rivalry with nearby Palenque and Piedras Negras. Although few of the ancient structures have been uncovered, the stone carvings, paint and sheer size of the city are reminiscent of its glory.
Bonampak is not like any other Mayan site. There is just one temple which is nothing special. However, upon climbing the temple, visitors gain access to three rooms which contain the best-preserved Mayan murals. These murals are truly unique and each room is different. The scenes represent celebrations of the ruler, battles and ceremonies of victory.
Chitzén Itzá – the tourist trap
Chitzén Itzá is one of the most famous and most visited Mayan sites in the Yucatán and Mexico. Many people describe it as a highlight of their trip. I disagree. The main pyramid, El Castillo, and the gigantic ballcourt are impressive and unique. They are the reason for adding Chitzén Itzá to the list. However, the other structures don’t stand out compared to the many other sites we visited. Additionally, entry fees are steep and given the number of areas that were closed off and the poor state of many paths, it is difficult to see where that money is going to. You also get a lot of hassle from touts as they’re allowed to sell their good on the site (on most other sites, they are confined to the car park).
That said, we spend a good half day looking around Chitzén Itzá, arriving at opening time (varies throughout the season) and leaving around 1300. The site is large and it takes a while to walk around. Plus we were determined to get the most out of the expensive ticket and see every corner and every stone! Coming early is the best thing we did. Even in the morning a queue was forming at the ticket desk. We had to queue for just 10 minutes and could enjoy a quiet half hour on the site before the crowds started to come in. When we left after lunch, the queue was immense.
Interesting fact: Il Castillo only looks picture perfect when seen from the specific angle that is captured in every photo. The other two sides of the pyramid have not been restored and are a massive contrast with the classic photos.
Bonus: Tikal & Yaxhá (Guatemala)
If you’re visiting Mayan sites in the part of the Yucatán that is close to the Mexico – Guatemala border it would be a pity not to hop over to Guatemala. We spent a few days around Lake Petén and enjoyed it a lot. The Mayan heritage sites we saw, Tikal and Yaxhá, are beautiful. But most of all I felt very at easy in Guatemala, after the ever so slight, but constant hostility experienced in Mexico.
Even though we only had a couple of days, we managed to go to world-famous Tikal and the more offbeat site of Yaxhá. We had to go through quite some paperwork to take the rental car across the border. If you want to avoid that and are finding public transport complex to organise, finding an organised tour departing from Palenque is easy and affordable.
Need more inspiration to travel the Yucatán?
My 2 weeks’ itinerary around the Yucatán in Mexico takes in all these Mayan sites and several other place of interest!
The Yucatán is packed with excellent yet affordable places to stay. We opted for small guesthouses and B&Bs. Take a look at the options:
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