No clickety-clack. No rocking from side to side. The Maya Train is so smooth it feels like riding on a cloud.
Over seven days, my friend Colleen and I crossed five Mexican states and visited three Pueblos Mágicos (magic towns).
We saw bright colonial towns, thick jungle, ancient Maya ruins, rolling farmland, and one of the bluest lakes I’ve ever seen.
And not once did I spill my beer or ruin a sketch.
I keep a travel journal and sketch with ballpoint pens. One good bump can send a line straight across the page. On this train, I could sketch, write, sip a beer, and watch Mexico roll by.
At the end of the trip, Colleen summed it up perfectly. “I feel like I’ve seen Mexico, and it’s beautiful!”
It was her first trip to Mexico. Like many Americans, much of what she knew about the country came from a news cycle filled with stories about crime and danger.
The Mexico she saw was very different. She felt safe. People were warm and welcoming. And each new town seemed more beautiful than the last.
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The Best View Was From Our Seats
Some of our favorite moments were spent doing nothing at all.
We just stared out the window.
The Maya Train runs through five states: Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas. Along the way, the landscape changes again and again.
Thick tropical jungle gives way to open forest and bright white limestone roads. Then come green fields, rolling hills, and pastures filled with fat, happy cattle.
At one point, huge pink trumpet trees were blooming across the countryside. Their bright flowers seemed to float above the green fields.
“Giant cherry blossoms,” Colleen said. It looked nothing like the dry, dusty Mexico we so often see in movies. This was green, lush, and full of life.
And the train gave us a front-row seat.
Our first stop destination was west from Cancun Airport, toward Izamal, the famous yellow city of Yucatán. We arrived just after dusk and took a short taxi ride into town.
As we entered the center, the whole place seemed to glow gold. Colleen gasped. “It’s gorgeous. I had no idea.”
That was exactly the reaction I’d hoped for.
The next morning was even better. Bright yellow buildings with crisp white trim shone in the sun. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clopped along the quiet streets. It was cheerful, calm, and almost impossibly pretty. Izamal was the perfect first stop.
By mid-morning, we were back on the train.
Colorful Campeche
A few hours later, we arrived in Campeche.
This colorful colonial city sits on the Gulf of Mexico. You can smell the sea in the air, and cormorants seem to perch on every other lamppost.
Its historic center is a rainbow of Spanish colonial buildings. One street might be pink and blue, the next yellow, green, and orange. We spent the next day exploring on foot.
One of the surprises was dinner at an Italian restaurant. It turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip, with a wonderful bottle of wine to match. Then it was time for our longest journey yet. We boarded the train and headed through Campeche and Tabasco toward Chiapas. Our destination was Palenque.
The Magic of Palenque
Palenque got under my skin. I already know I’ll go back. The modern town is surrounded by thick green jungle and is proud of its Maya roots. We stayed for two nights in a lovely boutique hotel.
It wasn’t enough. The great draw is the ancient Maya city hidden in the rainforest nearby. There is something special about this place. Huge old trees tower above you, their branches covered in bromeliads.
Maya temples rise from the jungle. Stone steps lead high above the forest floor.
Climb to the top of one ruin and you find yourself near the jungle canopy. Look across the sea of green and another ancient temple appears through the trees.
It’s hard not to stop and stare. People lived, worshipped, ruled, and built here more than a thousand years ago.
Now the jungle is slowly wrapping itself around their city again. Palenque was easily one of the highlights of the trip. But we still had one long train ride ahead of us.
Five States in One Day
From Palenque, we turned east toward Bacalar. This was the longest leg of our journey. In one day, we passed through all five states served by the route. And we loved it.
We had snacks. We had music. We had cold drinks. Mostly, though, we had that giant window. There was no airport rush. No long security lines. No hours spent watching traffic on a highway. We sat back and watched Mexico change outside.
Even the National Guard personnel walking through the train greeted us with sweet smiles. Hours passed, but the trip never felt like a chore. That may be the real joy of train travel. The journey becomes part of the holiday.
Then came Bacalar. What a place to end a trip. Bacalar is a sleepy town beside the famous Lagoon of Seven Colors. The name makes sense as soon as you see it.
The water shifts from pale sky blue to bright turquoise, cobalt, and deep sapphire. Underwater cenotes create dark blue circles that seem almost unreal from above. Colleen called it one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. I couldn’t argue.
We woke to brilliant blue water outside and quickly slipped into Bacalar’s easy pace. About 20 minutes from town, we spent an afternoon floating along gentle natural rapids. The current did the work. We just floated.
The Maya believe these waters are healing. I believe them.
Aches seem to fade. Worries drift away. Your shoulders drop. After a week of travel, it was exactly what we needed.
Slow Travel Done Right
Seven days. Five states. Three Pueblos Mágicos. We saw golden Izamal, rainbow-colored Campeche, the ancient temples of Palenque, and the seven shades of blue in Bacalar.
Between them were jungles, farms, tiny towns, pink flowering trees, and miles of countryside we would have missed from 30,000 feet. That’s what made the Maya Train special.
It wasn’t just a way to get from one place to another. It was part of the adventure. My favorite moments were often the simplest: Colleen beside me, a cold beer on the table, my travel journal open, and southern Mexico sliding past the window.
At the end of the trip, Colleen said, “I feel like I’ve seen Mexico.” We hadn’t, of course. But we’d seen enough to want to come back.
Learn more about an affordable retirement in Mexico
Learn more about an affordable retirement in Mexico
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