Trip report from my experience of crossing the Guatemala-Mexico Border at El Ceibo, travelling from Flores in Guatemala to Palenque in Mexico using public transport.
Travelling by public transportation doesn’t always go smoothly, and if you are a travel newbie, you might want to consider reading how to book a minivan from Flores to Palenque.
My time in Guatemala comes to an end. Time to cross another border, this time the Guatemala-Mexico border at the El Ceibo.
Flores is the most popular town for travellers to base themselves when visiting the ruins of Tikal, where the temples rise majestically out of the jungle. I spent a day exploring the Tikal National Park in true Nomadic Backpacker style:
From Flores, you need to walk back across the causeway to the Santa Elena bus station, which takes about 20 minutes, or just be a lazy ass and take a tuk-tuk. And from there, find the colectivo which will take you to the El Ceibo, and the Guatemala-Mexico Border.
The colectivos stop 200m before the Guatemalan immigration. Journey time was 4 hours and 30 minutes. Cost was 60Q.
Crossing the Guatemala-Mexico Border
Leaving Guatemala: VERY EASY!
Entering Mexico: LONG AND DRAWN OUT. Go to one office for COVID questions. Go to another office and get asked about the length of your stay.
The rules are, if staying longer than 7 days, you pay the 594 MXN entry tax. So if this applies to you, you go off to the bank and pay. Yes, you get a receipt. They even take credit cards.
Then it’s back to the immigration officer who then stamps up your immigration card and passport. This takes about an hour. And Mexico is 1 hour ahead.
Passport stamps:
Once across the border:
Colectivos from El Ceibo to Tenosique can normally be found a 10-minute walk from Mexican immigration.
I say normally because the day I was travelling, there were none.
Why? One of life’s little mysteries, I guess.
El Ceibo is a nothing town. There are just a few shops and not much else. No ATMs. So change your leftover quetzales in Flores or at the border on the Guatemalan side.
I was travelling with 4 French travellers.
So in the absence of regular public transport, we stopped a 4×4 pickup and hitched a ride in the back for 50 MXN:
We arrived in the centre of Tenosique, from where it’s a 30-minute walk to get the colectivo to Palenque on the outskirts of town. They run half-hourly and go via Zapata (which adds about an hour to the journey. The fare is 90 MXN and the trip takes 2 hours or so.
Total costs using public transportation in 2021: 60Q + 50P + 90P (8 USD + 2.50 USD + 4.50 USD) = 17 USD or 127Q. The cost of the tourist shuttle in 2021 was 230Q.
Verdict: the journey was long and very hot, but just another day at the office. 13 hours door to door in tropical weather.