What I learned from traveling on the Maya Train

It was a joyousness to thrust the rails and implicit the full way of the Maya Train successful the process of penning this guide. And yes, I’m talking the full enchilada, from apical to bottm. From my authorities of Quintana Roo successful the east, each the mode crossed the Yucatán Peninsula and confederate Mexico, crossing 5 states to Chiapas successful the west. And backmost again, of course. 

We saw everything from the aureate metropolis of Izamal to Bacalar’s Lagoon of Seven Colors. Add the stunning rainforests and ruins of Palenque and we explored a full of 3 Pueblos Mágicos. I got to scratch them disconnected my Pueblos Mágicos scratch map, which is inactive the most amusive mode I’ve recovered to research Mexico. 

The comfy interior of the Maya Train.

I emotion that the Maya Train has included stops to oregon adjacent truthful galore Pueblos Mágicos and fixed america a luxurious mode to get there. 

So, what bash you request to cognize earlier you go? Here’s what I learned. 

Get tickets early

The ruins astatine Palenque, whose obstruction presumption is the occidental terminus of the Maya Train.

Ticket lines tin beryllium rather long, truthful program connected getting to the presumption an hr aboriginal if you privation a bully seat. This volition assistance due to the fact that buying a summons takes a while. It’s not arsenic elemental arsenic buying a autobus ticket, wherever you authorities your destination past pay: it took america astir 10 minutes to get 2 modular tickets.

The summons bureau workers instrumentality down a batch of information, truthful person your email code and telephone fig ready. This volition prevention clip and, if you don’t talk Spanish, immoderate miscommunication: we recovered that astir of the time, summons bureau workers didn’t talk immoderate English. Don’t interest though, the presumption managers often do, truthful there’s usually idiosyncratic adjacent to assistance retired successful a pinch. 

Alternatively, you tin buy your tickets online connected the Maya Train website oregon download the railroad’s app to get tickets earlier you go. 

Check the timetable earlier you go

At galore stations, the Maya Train leaves conscionable erstwhile a day, truthful beryllium definite to cheque the docket earlier heading out.

If you’re leaving from a fashionable tourer destination similar Bacalar, get tickets successful the morning: they’re apt to merchantability out. There, the bid lone leaves erstwhile a time astatine 5 p.m. and it fills up fast. But the bully quality is that if you bash miss the train, ADO buses permission astir each fractional hour, truthful you won’t beryllium stranded (but it’s overmuch little fun). 

Take the Maya Train bus

The Maya Train has an authoritative associated autobus line.

We started retired escapade astatine Cancún airport, due to the fact that a beloved person flew down from the United States to articulation maine connected this adventure. Here, a taxi tried charging america 500 pesos to spell to the station. The railroad’s authoritative autobus arrived wrong 10 minutes, and it was 35 pesos; little than US $2, truthful don’t hazard getting scammed.  

Luckily, on the remainder of the route, connected each of our stops, the taxis were lovely. If determination is nary shuttle, autobus oregon different signifier of transport, don’t beryllium acrophobic astir being overcharged. There is simply a acceptable terms and a batch of stations person a taxi booth that volition telephone for you and archer you the terms up front.

It’s truly safe

Izamal is the past halt connected the Maya Train’s 3rd conception and the archetypal connected its fourth.

My person was precise impressed with the trip’s safety. Coming down from the United States and being utilized to immoderate of the unfriendliness of the U.S. quality cycle, she felt precise safe. More than once, she mentioned the friendliness of the guards connected the route.

It’s true. Each clip we arrived astatine a station, National Guard (GN) agents were determination on the platforms to greet us, ever polite and smiling. When we near a station, they would often question goodbye.

On the bid itself, we noticed determination were ever a mates of GN agents traveling aboard, smiling erstwhile passing you successful the aisles. The Maya Train feels similar a precise harmless mode to question astir confederate Mexico. 

The bathrooms are awesome

Compliments for nationalist bathrooms are not thing you perceive each day. But the cleaners connected the Maya Train bash an astonishing job. 

The bathrooms adjacent smelled good. If you’re similar me, past you astir apt lone usage nationalist bathrooms erstwhile you can’t clasp it immoderate longer. It’s not thing I look guardant to, ever. But the cleaners question connected the bid with you and are perpetually cleaning some the floors and the bathrooms.

It’s good to instrumentality snacks

Beer and different beverages are disposable for acquisition aboard the Maya Train.

We traveled connected the bid for agelong periods. There’s a eating car with a large menu, but we ever had a large meal disconnected the train. Aboard, we conscionable wanted snacky things, similar erstwhile you spell connected a roadworthy trip. 

So, we had our snacks but — ohio no! — that produced a batch of crumbs. If you’re a snacker, you cognize what I’m talking about. Everything was okay: wrong 5 minutes of america finishing our snacks, the crumbs were swept distant by the cleaners and our seats were backmost to being pristine.

The Maya Train is simply a creaseless ride

The thrust connected the bid is creaseless capable for accident-free sketching.

If you get question sickness, arsenic my person does, you’re successful for a treat. We traveled for implicit 10 hours connected the bid 1 time and she didn’t erstwhile request her Dramamine. 

Best of all, I could sketch successful my question diary from spot to place. Using a pen. Without mistakes oregon a rattling bid causing boo-boos. That successful itself, is astonishing to me. 

Overall, it was a fantastic travel connected the Maya Train. I sincerely anticipation you instrumentality the accidental to research immoderate of the Pueblos Mágicos and different sites on the route. It’s a fantastic mode to get astir Mexico.