Palenque Site, swim Agua Azul & Misol-Ha waterfalls from Palenque





Description
Take in the beauty of the mountain landscapes around Palenque on a day trip to Cascadas de Agua Azul and Misol-Ha. You'll descend on foot to the stunning waterfalls, with time for swimming in a deep pool at the base of jungle-covered cliffs (if the weather allows). Travel on an air-conditioned vehicle round-trip or opt for our drop-off option in San Cristobal. Enjoy this half-day tour or upgrade for a full-day tour that includes the archaeological ruins of Palenque.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After pickup from your hotel in Palenque city, you will travel to the Archaeological site of Palenque. Located in the middle of lush vegetation, the UNESCO World Heritage site served as one of the most important ceremonial centers of the Maya culture during the Classic period. Almost 200 years before the pre-Columbian ruins were discovered in the 18th century, the nearby city was named by the Spanish — a literal translation of the Ch’ol word otulún, which means fenced or fortified place.
Misol Ha has over 35 meters high, the sunning “sweeping water” empties into a deep calm pool at the base of jungle-covered cliffs. Guide not included
Enjoy the beauty of the mountain landscapes and the wonderful Agua Azul Falls. This place consists of many waterfalls following one after another. The larger waterfall may be as high as 6 meters (20 feet). The perfect place to make beautiful photos. If the weather allows, you will have time for swimming in the crystal falls water. You will have time to taste the food of any restaurant on your own. Guide not included
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up in any hotel located in Palenque Downtown. If you choose to end in San Cristobal de las Casas the drop off is around 22:00 hrs
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please keep in mind this tour may finish in Palenque or San Cristobal (depending on the option you selected), due to this, at the end of the tour, the whole group will wait around 30 minutes to be transferred to another unit that will continue to the ending point.
- The transfers and waterfalls are without guiding assistance
- Guide is only included in Palenque Archaeological site
Reviews(16)
Do not book with this tour operator! First they only picked us up for half the tour, once that was clarified, they left us stranded in the middle of the jungle with no working internet waiting for a new transportation for the second part of the tour. The phone number for the tour opetator answered but spoke only spanish. Their only comment was that they could not help us! So we had to figure it out by ouselves as we luckily speak spanish. Horrible experience though! The sites are lovely and worth visiting, but not with this tour operator.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience was not as expected. Your comments regarding transportation and communication have been shared with the local supplier for review, as coordination and guest support are key priorities for us. We appreciate you recognizing the beauty of the sites visited and regret that the service provided did not reflect the standard we strive to offer.
Homero was a great guide He was very professional , carried a conversation with the group and he very professional as a driver.. Best driver/guide we’ve had
Thank you for your kind review! We’re very happy to hear that Homero provided a great experience and that you found him professional, engaging with the group, and reliable as a driver. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again on another tour soon!
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.
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🌟 We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience at the ruins and that your guide helped bring the fascinating history of the Mayans to life. Our team takes great pride in sharing not just facts, but meaningful context to make every visit truly enriching. We’re also glad you had the chance to enjoy the natural beauty of Misol-Ha and Agua Azul — they really are breathtaking! And yes, a swim in Agua Azul is the perfect way to cool off. 😄 Thanks again for traveling with us — we hope to welcome you on another adventure soon!
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.
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re happy you enjoyed the jungle walk, the ruins, and the waterfalls. We appreciate your suggestions and will work on improving communication for future trips. Hope to see you soon!
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.
Thank you for your feedback! We're thrilled that you found the tour and its attractions unforgettable. We truly appreciate your patience regarding the pickup after visiting Palenque. While delays can occasionally happen, we understand how challenging it can be when there’s a language barrier. Your suggestion about keeping the driver’s contact information in advance is a great one, and we’ll make sure to improve communication for a smoother experience. We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon! 🚀✨
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.
Hello Jeffrey_G We are very happy you enjoyed this tour with us! we really appreciate all your comments! I sent your comments to Jose >D We hope to see you again soon All best
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!
Dear Lise, Thank you so much for taking the time to share all your experience with us! I apologize for the air-conditioned van, I will verify this situation with our operator to avoid this situation in the future. Hope to see you back soon! Muchas gracias!
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.
Hello Emma_B, Thank you for your comments, In agua Azul usually is 2.30 hours so I will verify why it takes 30 more minutes. I will verify on my side what happened, your opinion is very important for us! I´m sorry for the inconveniences All best!
Of all the archaeological sites it is the most beautiful I have seen on our road trip from Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Tabasco and Chiapas. Very exciting to go in there and see the ruins eaten by the jungle. You can only understand it live, in photos you can not understand.
Hello Journey, Thank you for your comments, we love having been part of your tour of Mexico and knowing that you enjoyed this tour! We hope to see you soon!
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.
Dear Diana, I really appreciate all your comments, and I will follow up especially on the mask using in the van due to this is 100% required and the driver should do something about it for the safety of everyone, about your luggage I am sorry, we never received your question, only 1 day before, we knew you were ending in another Hotel. Besides all this, I´m glad you enjoyed your tour of the waterfalls, we will do our best to improve our service and be more specific on the points you mentioned.



