For many years, the Lacandón village of Lacanjá Chansayab was once a true off-the-beaten-path destination—an adventuresome jaunt into the selva Lacandona (Lacandón jungle) that was occasionally added to still-nascent tours of Yaxchilán and Bonampak. How things have changed.

Today, Lacanjá Chansayab more closely resembles a summer camp than it does an indigenous village, with virtually every family engaged in tourism, mainly in the form of cookie-cutter campamentos (rustic lodging) and overpriced tours along well-worn forest trails. Competition seems to have quickly overpowered most sense of community spirit among local residents.

A visit to Lacanjá Chansayab can still be rewarding—the rainforest remains impressive, and local residents and families, when they let their guard down, often reveal fascinating experiences and perspectives—but it’s not the sublime ecological and cultural encounter many expect.

Getting to Lacanjá Chansayab

By Combi: Although Lacanjá Chansayab is 12 kilometers (7 miles) off the Palenque–Frontera Corozal highway, combis operated by Autotransporte Chamoan (in Palenque, Av. Miguel Hidalgo btwn. Calles 1a Pte. and Allende) are supposed to drive passengers all the way into the village, provided you inform the driver in advance. If for some reason you are dropped in San Javier, on the highway, a taxi to the village costs US$1–2.

By Car: The well-marked turnoff to Lacanjá Chansayab is at the roadside town of San Javier, about 130 kilometers from Palenque. Bear right there, and again at a second intersection about a kilometer later. Continue for eight kilometers to the village center.