Tuxtla to Xpujil Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 13 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Tuxtla to Xpujil is 394 miles (634 km), about 9 h 14 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Chiapas — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Tabasco — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Campeche — Level 1, Exercise Normal PrecautionsAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Campeche is the Mexican state that contains Xpujil. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
La Pila fountainChiapa de CorzoSelva El OcoteAgua AzulMisol HáTemple of the InscriptionsPalenque National ParkBalamkuCalakmul Biosphere ReserveTuxtlaXpujil
Route from Tuxtla to Xpujil with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Total distance394 mi (634 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops9 h 14 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190 → MEX-190D → MEX-199 → MEX-186
Mexican states on the routeChiapas, Tabasco, Campeche
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-190D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 15.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

The Tuxtla–Xpujil drive in a few lines

MEX-186 (209 mi) and MEX-199 (141 mi) carry about 89% of the 394 miles. It runs through 3 states: Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-190D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Tuxtla to Xpujil: the road sequence

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–11Chiapas
MEX-1901–76Chiapas
MEX-190D7–3629Chiapas
MEX-19036–437Chiapas
MEX-19943–184141Chiapas
MEX-186184–393209Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche
local roads393–3941Campeche
  • Mile 204 of this route: Chiapas → Tabasco (state line)
  • Mile 212 of this route: Tabasco → Campeche (state line)

Stops between Tuxtla and Xpujil

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Misol Há (mile 155)
  • Nature and outdoors: Selva El Ocote (mile 16), Agua Azul (mile 130), Misol Há (mile 155), Palenque National Park (mile 167), Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (mile 383)
  • Museums and history: La Pila fountain (mile 8), Chiapa de Corzo (mile 9)

La Pila fountain

Mile 8 · Monument · 2 mi from the route

Built of brick in a diamond shape in 1562, La Pila fountain in the square of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, is an example of Mudéjar-Renaissance style.

Chiapa de Corzo

Mile 9 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Near the town of Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas lies a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the same name that grew into a regional center around 700–500 BCE, during the Middle Formative period.

Selva El Ocote

Mile 16 · Biosphere reserve · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve covers about 101,288 hectares of Chiapas, protecting tall evergreen rain forest on karst terrain, a landscape also known for its extensive caverns.

Agua Azul

Mile 130 · Waterfall · 1 mi from the route

The Agua Azul cascades are a series of waterfalls on the Xanil River in Chiapas, in Tumbalá municipality about 69 km from Palenque, near Federal Highway 199.

Misol Há

Mile 155 · Waterfall · 0.7 mi from the route

About 20 km from Palenque on the road to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Misol-Há is a single 35-meter waterfall dropping into a nearly round pool amid tropical vegetation.

Temple of the Inscriptions

Mile 167 · Step pyramid · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

At the Maya site of Palenque, the Temple of the Inscriptions is a stepped pyramid built as the funerary monument of Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal, who ruled the city in the 7th century.

Palenque National Park

Mile 167 · National park · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Palenque National Park protects about 1,772 hectares around the Palenque archaeological zone in Chiapas. It was established by presidential decree in July 1981.

Balamku

Mile 357 · Maya site · 1 mi from the route

Balamku is a small Maya archaeological site in Campeche, known for elaborate plaster facades from the Early Classic period.

Calakmul Biosphere Reserve

Mile 383 · Biosphere reserve · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Bordering Guatemala's Petén department, the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve covers 7,231 square kilometers of southern Campeche, more than 14 percent of the state; it was established in 1989.

In Xpujil itself

Becan

Archaeological site · in Xpujil

Becan is a Maya archaeological site near the center of the Yucatán Peninsula in Campeche, about 150 km north of Tikal.

Xpuhil

Archaeological site · in Xpujil

Near the town of Xpujil in Campeche, Xpuhil is a Maya archaeological site along Federal Highway 186, in an area with other Maya sites such as Becan, Chicanná and Calakmul.

More drives to Xpujil

From Tuxtla to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Tuxtla to Xpujil?

About 9 h 14 min of driving without stops, over 394 miles.

What is the driving distance from Tuxtla to Xpujil?

About 394 miles (634 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Tuxtla to Xpujil?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Tuxtla to Xpujil?

The U.S. State Department rates Chiapas Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Tabasco Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Campeche Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Tuxtla to Xpujil use?

In order: MEX-190, MEX-190D, MEX-199 and MEX-186. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Tuxtla and Xpujil?

Closest to the road: Agua Azul (waterfall, mile 130, 1 mi from the route); Misol Há (waterfall, mile 155, 0.7 mi from the route); Balamku (maya site, mile 357, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.