Comitan >>> San Cristobal
In Comitan, the Collectivo bus Terminal is about 5 blocks from the Central Park, on the corner of the Boulevard Dr. Belisario Dominguez and 2nd Calle Sur Poniente. Minivans leave about every 15-30minutes, and ticket prices just went up in January 2013 to P$55 ($4.23 USD)
The journey is about an hour and a half,and you’ll be dropped off near the main bus terminal, on the Pan American Highway (de las Americas)/ Blvd Juan Sabines. The station is on the corner with Av. Insurgentes, which will be the first street to your right when you leave the station. Walk about 7 blocks, and you’ll be at Central Park, or Plaza 31 de Marzo.
San Cristobal >>> Palenque
The ride from San Cristobal to Palenque is at least 5 hours. And the road is a windy one. You can easily book a direct bus to get you to Palenque. Tickets for the OCC, ADO, and UNO direct bus lines are sold, conveniently, in the center of town, at “Ticket Bus” on Rio de Guadalupe, before Diego Dugelay. Prices for second class start at around P$120, and first class can cost closer to P$180. Also, you might check at your hostal, as some sell tickets as well. Considering colectivos cost P$100, and require a transfer in Ocosingo, if you can purchase a P$120 ticket, it’s a good option. The colectivos aren’t necessarily slower, but they wait until they fill up before departing. This is what can take some time. And if you would happen to run out of gas, this is another delay as well (personal experience. I’m sure it doesn’t happen all the time…)
However, if you are set on saving the P$20 for your first cerveza in Palenque…. catching colectivos is simple. Turn left at Pan American, and someone will inevitably be yelling out “Ocosingo!” A couple of hours later, in Ocosingo, you will arrive at the terminal for Palenque. Once the van fills up, you’re on your way…
3 hours later, you’re there!
All of the bus stations in San Cristobal will be at the corner of the Pan American Hwy and Insurgentes. Insurgentes leads into the main Zocolo (park). If you are walking to the park from Real de Guadalupe, turn Left as soon as you get to the Plaza, and follow that street back until you reach the highway. Turn Left here, and the stations will be lining the street on your left.
ALSO— there are tours that leave from San Cristobal, visit both Agua Azul and Misol Ha, and drop you off in Palenque, after a full day, for P$355 ($27.30 USD). After you add the cost of your trip to Palenque, then back and forth to Agua Azul (which at the low end, both trips would total around P$200). And after making the drive once, you may not want to backtrack for the falls…. Ask around and you may be able to find a better price, and find out if the tour includes meals.
San Cristobal >>> Guatemala
The tourist Agencies in San Cristobal, as well as some hotels and hostals, offer shuttle services into Guatemala. The closest destination is Quetzaltenango (commonly known as Xela). The ride should be 8 hours, though we’ve heard of trips taking eleven or twelve. But, ask ahead, and you should be able to be dropped off at your hostel, making life easy.
The cost is P$345 ($26.50 USD).
An hour further away, shuttles also go to Panajachel, at Lake Atitlan, for the same price.
Finally, to Antigua, Guatemala, shuttles cost P$485 (around $37 USD) and the ride is quoted at 11 hours.
And for a much more economical adventure, you can head to Guatemala on your own, via a series of collectivos and (once in Guatemala), Chicken Buses.
See the Getting // Going : Xela page to view the reverse route from Xela, Guatemala to Comitan, Mexico.
From San Cristobal: Catch a colectivo to Comitan, and another to La Frontera, or the border with Guatemala. The border town on the Guatemala side is La Mesilla. From here the closest big city is Huehuetenango, and you can move onward easily from there.
GETTING // GOING • SLEEPING • EATING • DOING