Palenque: the obvious first base, and still the right one
Most waterfall itineraries in Chiapas begin in Palenque, and for good reason. The town sits on Highway 199 beside the ruins, with the ADO terminal on Avenida Juárez and colectivos to the archaeological zone leaving from the corner near the market. From here, Misol-Há is about 20 km south on the paved road to Ocosingo, roughly 30 minutes by car, and Agua Azul is a further 45 km, around 70 minutes on a road that twists but stays sealed. Both are day trips, not overnight stops, unless you want the falls at dawn.
Book in Palenque town rather than the zona arqueológica if you want walkable dinners and laundry; the hotel strip by the ruins is quiet after 7pm and prices sit higher for what you get. Expect simple air-conditioned rooms with a pool in the 900–1,600 peso band, and cabañas on the road to the ruins from about 600. The wettest, fullest waterfalls run June to October, but Agua Azul turns milk-blue and can close after heavy rain, so build in a spare morning.
Ocosingo and the Toniná road
Ocosingo is the market town halfway between Palenque and San Cristóbal, and it is underrated as a waterfall base. The road from Palenque crosses the Misol-Há and Agua Azul turnoffs before climbing to Ocosingo, so you can do both falls in a morning and sleep here instead of doubling back. The town has a cluster of practical hotels around the central plaza and the Mercado Municipal, generally 500–900 pesos for a clean double with hot water and parking — useful if you are driving.
I would use Ocosingo for one night, not three. It is a working town, not a resort: good for cochinita and early starts, thin on evening atmosphere. From here the Toniná ruins are 13 km east on a signed paved road, and the Cascadas de Chulja and the pools near San Jacinto are short local excursions that rarely appear in guidebooks. Fill the tank before leaving; the Pemex stations between here and Palenque are spaced out and not always open late.
San Cristóbal de las Casas as a loop hub
San Cristóbal is the comfortable end of the circuit and the best place to recover. The ADO station on Insurgentes connects to Palenque in about five hours and to Tuxtla Gutiérrez in 90 minutes, and the town's grid of cobbled streets around the Zócalo and the Andador Real de Guadalupe is walkable and cool at 2,100 m. You are not next to the falls here — Palenque is 220 km north, Agua Azul roughly 250 — but you get the best food and beds in the region at every price.
For a waterfall route I would split it: two nights Palenque, one night Ocosingo or the Lacandón, two nights San Cristóbal. Rooms in restored colonial houses run 1,200–2,500 pesos; hostels and family guesthouses around Guadalupe and La Merced start near 400 per person. Skip the agencies selling one-day Agua Azul tours that leave at 4am and return at 10pm — you spend eight hours in a minibus. Book a private driver instead.
The Lacandón jungle: Nueva Palestina and beyond
If you want the quieter cascade country, push east from Palenque on Highway 199 toward Chancalá and Nueva Palestina, where the Lacandón communities hold land around a string of falls and river pools. This is genuine dirt-road territory: the last stretches to places like the Cascadas de Roberto Barrios are unpaved and rutted, passable in a saloon car in dry season (November to April) but not after rain. There are simple cabañas and community camps here, usually 300–700 pesos per person, often with meals included and no card machine.
Cell coverage is patchy and ATMs do not exist past Palenque, so carry cash. I would not book this blindly online; arrange the last night through your Palenque hotel, which will know current road conditions. For families or anyone with a tight schedule, I would skip the deep jungle and stay in Palenque — the difference in comfort is large and the falls are just as good. Forfit travellers in the dry months, two nights out here is the best part of the trip.
Getting around and choosing your base
A car changes everything on this route. Without one you are dependent on colectivos to Misol-Há and tours to Agua Azul, and you will not reach Roberto Barrios or Chulja at all. Rental cars in Palenque start around 700–1,200 pesos a day for a compact with insurance; check that the policy covers the Ocosingo road, and photograph the vehicle before leaving. Fuel is cheap by European standards. Driving is straightforward outside the misty early mornings on the mountain section.
When to go
Aim for December to April if you want reliable roads and swimmable water. May is hot but the falls are still good. The trade-off is real: in the dry season Agua Azul is beautiful but narrower; in the wet, it is spectacular and sometimes closed. September and October bring the heaviest rain and the highest risk of landslides on Highway 199. If your dates are flexible, late November is the sweet spot — full rivers, drying roads, and rooms available without booking far ahead. Reserve the Palenque and San Cristóbal nights in advance; the rest can wait.
Which town I would book
For a first waterfall trip, I would book Palenque town for two nights, then San Cristóbal for two, with one night in Ocosingo between if driving. That covers Misol-Há, Agua Azul and Chulja without long transfers every day. If you have four days and no car, base only in Palenque and take colectivos to the nearest two falls; skip Agua Azul rather than endure a 12-hour tour. Choose San Cristóbal last so the cool climate and good restaurants finish the trip on a high note.