San Cristóbal to Panajachel: Our Mexico-Guatemala Border Crossing

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Are you planning a trip from San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, to Panajachel in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala? 

After traveling this route via shuttle bus from Mexico to Guatemala, I wanted to share my experience and a few helpful tips to make the process smoother for those embarking on the same journey.

Crossing the Mexico-Guatemala border by land involves a few different steps.

But don’t worry — it’s not as hard or as scary as some people lead you to believe. Overall, our journey went well, and we always felt safe.

That said, here is exactly what you need and what to prepare for crossing the Mexico-Guatemala border by land (and with our adventure cat, no less!)

In this guide, I’ll share our best tips for the long, 12-hour journey from San Cristobal to Panajachel.

Crossing the Mexico-Guatemala Border from San Cristóbal, Chiapas to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan

If you’re like us, you’ll plan to stay in one of the colorful towns along Lake Atitlan.

From the backpacking mecca of San Pedro La Laguna or the meditation mecca of San Marcos La Laguna, you’ll find rich culture, a spectrum of rainbow buildings, and an endless list of things to do!

You’ll want to go ahead and book a hotel for your first night in Panajachel.

We stayed at Hospedaje El Viajero (highly recommended for a no-fuss, easy stay).

You can find more recommendations in my guide for where to stay in Lake Atitlán.

The trip from San Cristobal to Guatemala takes the entire day, and you’ll arrive too late at night to take the ferry across the lake.

That said, the easiest way to go from San Cristobal to Panajachel is with a tour agency that offers a shuttle service from start to finish.

Several agencies are on the Andador de Guadalupe, a pedestrian path in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

I don’t recommend crossing the Mexico-Guatemala border on your own unless you are familiar with such trips.

This isn’t because I don’t think it’s safe — it is — but because it adds SO much more of a headache to your day.

You’ll need to organize your transport from San Cris to the border and hop on a public chicken bus and smaller colectivos from there to Panajachel.

For the sake of simplicity, I’d highly recommend reserving your journey with a tour agency that takes you directly from San Cristobal to your final destination in Guatemala.

How to Book the Mexico-Guatemala Trip with a Tour Agency

We booked our journey with Viajes y Hoteles in San Cristobal.

Although I’m unsure if this company is still operating now, several others, including Adrenalina Tours, Gekko Explorer, and Selina Atitlan, make the journey between San Cristobal and Panajachel.

Also, note that Guatemala’s departure times and destinations will vary per agency.

The three most popular shuttle routes that go direct from San Cristobal are:

• Panajachel (Lake Atitlan)
• Quetzaltenango
• Huehuetenango

Right now, the agency we booked with — Viajes y Hoteles — departs from San Cristobal to Panajachel every Tuesday and Friday at 8 AM (unless you have an unfortunate early wake-up call as we did).

To reserve your trip, you can walk in and ask or contact them via their WhatsApp number (+52 967 135 8529).

The shuttle service from San Cristobal to Panajachel costs an average of $1160 MXN pesos per person, or about $65 USD per person. If you are traveling with a pet, the price is the same. As we discovered, you pay for an extra seat (even if you don’t get one).

What You Need to Cross the Mexico-Guatemala Border By Land

Once you reserve your spot in the tourist shuttle, you’ll need to take care of a few more things while you’re still in San Cris.

Remember that you’ll need an FMM — a Visitor’s Permit — to cross the Mexico-Guatemala border. You typically fill out this document upon entering Mexico.

Note: Make sure this little slip of paper is not ripped or damaged. The immigration officer at the La Mesilla border crossing made Paul pay $500 pesos because it was slightly ripped on the corner! If yours is ripped, try to tape it back together as best you can before you get there.

Additionally, if you are traveling with a cat or dog, you will need a signed Veterinary Health Certificate to show at the border. Again, they didn’t even ask to see our cat’s papers, which was a little ridiculous (more on this below).

Do you need to pay an exit tourism fee?

In preparation for our trip, many blogs mentioned paying an ‘exit tourism fee’ at immigration. That was not the case for us. We didn’t even get asked about it!

Just in case, we printed our flight receipts from American Airlines, which show that we already paid the tourism tax upon entering.

You can find this on your flight receipt under “Your Receipts” on AA.com or with your airline company. We downloaded these and printed them at a local shop in San Cris for just 2 pesos. This is a pretty cheap way to (potentially) save having to pay $25 USD or approximately $500 MXN at the border if asked about it.

What to Expect & How to Prepare for the 12-Hour Journey from Mexico to Guatemala

I won’t sugarcoat it! The journey from San Cristobal, Mexico to Panajachel, Guatemala is long.

Overall, you are traveling for about 12 hours. About 9 hours of that is just the time you sit in the shuttle van.

The other 2-3 hours include time to cross the Mexico-Guatemala border (depending on waiting times/queues) and breaks.

Due to a roadblock on the highway, we were picked up at around 6:30 AM instead of the scheduled 8 AM pick-up time. The shuttle will come by your hotel/Airbnb, and depending on whether you’re the first or last to be picked up, you may not have much choice for seating.

Our van was packed full – with about 16-18 people in a 20-seater van.

The route from San Cristobal to the border follows Highway 190 – the same route you would take if you were going on a day trip to see the El Chiflón Waterfalls or Lagos de Montebello.

In Comítan, you will have your first break.

Typically, breaks are around 25 minutes, but I think because we were ahead of schedule, ours lasted 45 minutes. This gave us plenty of time to use the restroom (bring $5 pesos coins) and stock up on snacks – though we had already done this prior to our trip.

From there, it’s about another 1.5 hours to reach the border.

What Happens at the Mexico-Guatemala Land Border Crossing & Immigration

Nearing the border at La Mesilla, you will pass by the Ciudad Cuauhtemoc.

You’ll hop out of the van to return your Visitor’s Permit (FMM) to immigration. This is so you can be “stamped out” of Mexico.

Once that’s done, it’s another 10 minutes to reach the La Mesilla border crossing. Everyone will get out, collect their bags, and then walk with their bags through the bustling border town to reach the Guatemalan border.

You will cross over the border by foot just below the big blue “Bienvenidos a Guatemala / Welcome to Guatemala” sign.

You’ll then file through immigration and hand over your passport. After getting your Guatemala stamp, you’ll board another shuttle van to your final destination. 

Our big group was split up into separate vans going to different destinations. About half went to Panajachel and the other half to Antigua.

From the border crossing, it takes about 5.5 more hours to reach Panajachel, including one more 25-minute break.

We arrived around 8 PM and our van dropped us off right in front of our hotel for the night — Hospedaje El Viajero (highly recommended for a no-fuss, easy stay).

That night, we ate at an Italian restaurant and paid by card. In the morning, we exchanged our remaining pesos for quetzals and grabbed our first cup of Guatemalan coffee at Crossroads Cafe.

Overall, I’d say the trip went fairly smoothly. Aside from some disrespectful fellow travelers and having to pay a stupid $500 MXN fee for a ripped FMM, we were pretty happy with the experience!

Crossing Mexico-Guatemala Border with a Cat

We couldn’t find any information about traveling with a cat across the Mexico-Guatemala border ahead of time. 

I wrote to several embassies, who all sent back this attachment stating that, essentially, the animal needs to be free of rabies, vaccinated with x, y, and z, and have a Veterinary Health Certificate signed and dated no more than seven days before the trip.

These are the same steps we take when traveling with our cat by plane.

The only difference this time is that:

1. The vet in San Cristobal actually didn’t give Yoda a physical exam (like they’re supposed to) and still signed and dated that he was healthy. The exam, with the certificate, only costs $200 MXN pesos.
2. The Guatemalan or Mexican immigration didn’t ask or even care that we were traveling overland with our cat. And yet, he was right in front of their eyeballs as I was wearing his backpack in front of me!

If you are traveling with a dog, you likely won’t pass “incognito” as we were able to (although not on purpose!).

In any case, I hope this information helps anyone seeking how to cross the Mexico-Guatemalan border with a cat or pet! the Mexico-Guatemalan border with a cat or pet!

Last Tips for Traveling From San Cristobal to Lake Atitlan

To wrap this up, here are a few final tips about traveling from San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico, to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

Luggage Allowance

Your luggage allowance in the shuttle isn’t exactly limited, but try to reduce it as much as possible. We had four backpacks (two big and two small), a guitar, a miscellaneous bag, and Yoda inside his cat backpack.

Carry your electronics and valuables (i.e., documents, money, passports) in a small bag inside the shuttle. The rest will be buried under everyone’s bags in the back.

Breaks

You don’t need to stock up on snacks and drinks before the trip, as you will have breaks at gas stations (once en route before the border and once after).

Note that if you don’t have quetzals, you won’t be able to buy anything at the gas stations after the border.

Bring small change as well, like $5 peso coins, to use the restroom on the Mexican side as the OXXO there doesn’t have an free public bathroom.

What to Wear

San Cristobal is fairly chilly, especially in the morning. However, the air will become much warmer and humid once you head south to the border. Try to wear easily removed layers and ditch the heavy jackets and bulky clothes so you don’t have to carry them over your arms. 

Check out my packing guide to Mexico and download my free checklist!

Backpacks VS. Suitcases

Though most travelers crossing the Mexico-Guatemalan border are backpackers in the traditional sense, some take suitcases. Note that the staff will not offer to help you with your bags, so travel as lightly as possible. You must lug everything on foot across the border, including up the hill!

Book a Hotel in Panajachel

To avoid any travel mishaps and upsets, don’t try to take the ferry at night after you arrive in Panajachel. Instead, go ahead and spend a night or two in a hotel to rest before crossing over to San Pedro or San Marcos. We stayed at Hospedaje El Viajero , which was budget-friendly and clean!

Taking the Boat Across Lake Atitlan

You can take either a public or private boat across Lake Atitlan to any of the lakeside villages.

The public boat from Panajachel costs from 10-30 Q and takes 30 minutes to reach San Pedro. It stops along the way (in order) at Santa Cruz, Jaibalito, Tzununa, and San Marcos before finally reaching San Pedro.

Our kitty Yoda is happy to travel on planes, bikes, cars, and vans, but he said the boat ride across the lake is too much! It is loud, extremely bumpy, and windy. Let’s say we were happy to arrive in San Pedro finally, lol.

Now that you’ve arrived in your lakeside town in Lake Atitlan, enjoy! And maybe see you around!

I hope this guide to crossing the border from San Cristobal to Panajachel helped you plan your trip from Mexico to Guatemala. Was this guide helpful? Drop questions in the comments below.

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