Chiapas Road Safety (San Cristobal de las casas to Palenque to Comitlan
 

Has anyone ridden the roads in chiapas, specifically from San Cristobal de las casas to Palenque and then to comitlan, that can comment on their experience or the experience of friends? My friend and I have heard the road can be dangerous and some locals have said it’s totally fine, others have said to go around. Going around would mean doing about 5 extra days of really boring roads with no interesting stops so we are inclined to just do the direct route and pay any “tolls” we may run into.

Please only comment if you have personally ridden that road, or heard from friends experiences.

Thank you in advance!

My wife and I rode from San Cristobal to Palenque in 2018 on 2 bikes - don't know how its changed since. Like you we were aware of all the warnings (particularly on iOverlander) and wondered whether to do the long detour route instead. Eventually we decided that the detour was arguably more remote/less travelled and might not be any more secure.

We encountered numerous road blocks, all (except one) in the places where iOverlander predicted. Some iOverlander locations didn't have any roadblock. Each roadblock acted as a toll/donation collection! Everybody seemed to pay, including locals - varied small amounts in peso, maybe $3-5 equivalent each time. Some roadblocks had wooden planks studded with nails, or a rope, across the road - these were pulled to one side once we had paid.

Overall most roadblocks seemed "routine" and non-threatening, except the surprise one that wasn't noted on iOverlander. This was in a small village maybe 1hr before Palenque. There was the usual nail-studded plank across the road but we found either side of the road lined with 30-40 men, many with machetes. It was late in the day and light was fading. It did not feel friendly and some men looked drunk. We paid and were allowed to pass, but we felt very vulnerable. We had no Plan B if they had asked for a lot of money, or passports or bikes etc.

Would we do the same route again? Subject to reading all the latest security updates, we reckon we would. The detour is very long. Doing it again, we would depart San Cristobal very early in the day. You do not want to encounter an unexpected road block late in the day when daylight is fading....... and being on the mountain overnight isn't a good option. Carry lots of small denomination pesos and pay what's asked with good humour. Definitely no photos or videos - that's where problems might start.

We also rode from the Guatemala border at La Mesilla to San Cristobal via Comitlan. It all went well but the villages didn't seem friendly (highly unusual for Mexico).

It's a beautiful part of a beautiful country - enjoy!

I have not done that route , Mex 199 , in the last three years , but I would have no qualms about riding it now .

What I take exception to is your statement ."".Going around would mean doing about 5 extra days of really boring roads with no interesting stops so we are inclined to just do the direct route and pay any “tolls” we may run into."" Please explain your over long routing . Are you going via the DF ?

Goodness , where are you riding to that it would require FIVE DAYS !?
And " really boring roads " do not exist in Chiapas, according to my experience .

From Palenque to S Cristobal can be done easily in two days , with sightseeing included , if you follow Mex 307 from Palenque southeast along the Rio Usumacinta , then turn the corner west to La Trinitaria and turn north west on Mex 190 to S Cristobal .
Along the way you can visit the Mayan ruins (ZA) sites of BONAMPAK and do the half day boat tour to YAXCHILAN . Overnght in Benemerito de las Americas and on the westward leg visit Tziscao in the Lagunas de Montebello and see the CHINKULTIC ZA and sightsee in Comitan de Domiguez

An equally quick route would be to take Mex 186 to Villahermosa and then south acroos the mountains to Mex 190 then the 190 to S Cristobal . Marvelous scenery and a great paved road .

IT seems Ostrich and I were composing a post at same time and he sent it first .

So what was the chosen “ long detour “? , road numbers please.

Putting it as “up on the mountain” , singular. , sort of gives a n impression that there is only one mountain , when in fact it consists of a varied set of mountains with valleys ,. The road blockers asking money in Chiapas differ from the blockades by the cartels up north - Indigenes vs professional crooks . In Chiapas the mountainous area between Mex 190 and Palenque contains a Mayan population which is rather devoted to tradition and followers of semi political groups espousing native self determination and governance and land and property rights and proper education . Invasive evangelical cults inadvertently perhaps may be driving such affirmative actions but their cult status hinders a full science based education which causes the problems to continue .Not much is heard from or about “ Comandante Marcos “ anymore .The money they ask for in Chiapas is more of a tax to support their community when government programs fail to fulfill their promises .
The “ cartel“ violent groups are more professional drug criminals in action drawing gullible types and whole families seeking a quick way to make money without actual serious “labour “ being involved .
The Chiapas blockading is concentrated in that area along Mex 199 , that heavily traditional Mayan redoubt . There were never any such blockades on Mex 307, or 187 or 195 in the many times I have used those highways . Your experience may vary .

I did it fine two or three weeks ago
 

I was also quite concerned with reports of safety on this road, and other traveller tales/warnings (and all the assaults/missing people earlier this year). I asked local people and the police and the general consensus was that it was fine, as long as done during daylight hours. As this is a very poor region of Mexico my understanding is that sometimes things get better or worse depending on conflicts with the government, and the peoples reaction to it.

I rode it two or three weeks ago solo (San Cristobal to Palenque, hwy 199) and had exactly zero issues. I stopped in Ocosingo (?) where there were some bad reports, and shared my lunch snack with a friendly guy trying to sell me coffee. I saw a few of the ropes on the ground with people ready to block the road/collect a toll, but did not pay any tolls or have any trouble myself. There are a lot of hand written "no stopping" signs along the side of the road, which indicated to me they are not overly fond of outsiders gawking (maybe don't stop to take pictures)

That being said, stuff does happen. I had friends who did it on a bus, and on the way back it was dark and they had a police escort. So I am sure the warnings are there for a reason. I would say leave early in the morning, have a little spare cash separated in case you do get stopped for a "toll", and enjoy the ride!

It took me about 5 hours San Cristobal to Palenque, there are sections that are quite fun

My experience
 

Thanks for the reply and in depth explanation! It helped me and my friend do the same!

From our experience in December of 2022, we didn’t see any roadblocks that stopped us, but I did see a few ropes across the road with some old grandmas or small children around. None of these were raised though and no one attempted to stop us along the whole route.

I’d recommend the route to anyone considering it. From what we heard there haven’t been any roadblocks around recently and the road was in great condition for the vast majority of the journey.