Traversing the Border Highway

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Traversing the Border Highway

The Southern Border Highway follows the border between Guatemala and Mexico's southernmost state, Chiapas. It's a 262-mile adventure marked by Maya ruins and army checkpoints, mountain lakes and humble villages. If you want to see it all, you'll need patience, flexibility and a healthy sense of adventure.

Independent travelers will rely on vans and microbuses called combis, which have fairly regular schedules and may be caught at terminals in major towns. Alternatively, wave the combis down anywhere along the road; fares depend on how far you travel, though foreigners may wind up paying slightly inflated prices. We spent about $20 per person on combi fares to travel the length of the highway. Be aware that combi service generally stops by mid- or late afternoon.

Unfortunately, all of the Border Highway's attractions are down side roads. The Palenque ruins have their own access highway, with plenty of transport options. For Bonampak and Lacanja Chansayab, get off at Crucero San Javier (San Javier Junction). For Frontera Corozal, disembark at Crucero Corozal (Corozal Junction). Marked access roads lead to the lakes of Lagos de Montebello National Park. Passing combis will take you between these turnoffs for small fees.

Except at Lagos de Montebello, I had no trouble finding cabs at highway junctions. But getting back to the highway sometimes meant walking or making friends with people with cars. Many drivers also pick up passengers, often for a small fee. While this is a fairly common way for locals to travel, tourists -- and especially women traveling alone -- should use caution.

To get to the ruins of Yaxchilan, take a small boat, or lancha, from Frontera Corozal's main dock. For one to three people, the round trip costs about $56. Two hours at the ruins is standard, but you can negotiate for more. Per-person prices also drop as the number of passengers rises, up to a capacity of about 10, and you may be able to bargain at off-peak times (such as early morning).

Don't want to do it all yourself? Scads of Palenque travel agencies offer packages that include Bonampak, Yaxchilan and/or a jungle hike from Lacanja Chansayab. Viajes Misol-Ha (148 Juarez Ave., 011-52-916-345-2271, http://www.palenquemx.com/viajesmisolha), for example, charges about $51 for a one-day trip to Bonampak and Yaxchilan, and $93 to $102 for a two-day journey that includes lodging in Lacanja Chansayab and a jungle trek.

-- Ben Brazil

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