Border crossing: Mexico to Guatemala
We were really dragging our feet leaving Mexico. Yes, we were still full of excitement thinking of all the places and adventures that lie ahead, but we fell for Mexico. As we say to each other, we're dating a bunch of different cities and towns around Latin America. But Mexico, we were ready to propose.
With a promise that this was not goodbye, we knew it was time to venture on from our beloved Mexico. And with that realization, some questions appeared. We had both only done land border crossings between Canada, the US, and Mexico, and throughout Europe, and tales we read online about the Mexico-Guatemala border gave us some pause. Extortion fees, crazy bus drivers, and 10-mile stretches of unpaved road that took hours to cover left us scratching our heads about how best to travel from San Cristóbal de las Casas to Panajachel. But we're glad to say it was a breeze! Hopefully, the info below will easy your worries and you, too, will cross this border problem-free.
Public bus or private shuttle?
Public option: Take a OCC bus from San Cristóbal to the Mexican border town of Cuauhtémoc ($166 pesos, $8.30 USD). You alternatively can take a colectivo from San Cristóbal to Comitán ($60 pesos, $3 USD) and then from Comitán to Cuauhtémoc ($50 pesos, $2.50 USD). You'll then need to take a taxi to the official border crossing (~$10 pesos, $0.50 USD) and walk across. Once in the Guatemalan border town of La Mesilla, you can take a chicken bus to Quetzaltenango (Q40, $5.70 USD), and from Quetzaltenango to Panajachel (Q25, $3.60 USD). If you're going to another destination on Lake Atitlán, you can catch a lancha down at the dock, but you may have to stay overnight in Panajachel because the last lanchas leave at 7 pm.
Total cost: $18.10 USD (option taking OCC bus from San Cristóbal to Cuauhtémoc) or $15.30 USD (option taking colectivos)
Private shuttle: All over San Cristóbal tour agencies offer direct shuttles to Panajachel (as well as to Quetzaltenango and Antigua). The shuttle will pick you up in the morning at your hotel/hostel/Airbnb, take you to the border where you will walk across, and another shuttle will be on the other side to take you to Panajachel. These shuttles vary in price, so shop around to get the best deal. We found the best price to be through Tierra Maya on Calle Francisco I. Madero ($350 pesos, $17.50 USD).
Total cost: $17.50 USD
Given that the private shuttle cost about the same as the public bus, we opted for the shuttle. It addition to paying about the same price, we also had the peace of mind of making it to Panajachel in one day. The drive took nearly 13 hours, and if we'd had to navigate multiple transfers, we probably would have just stayed the night in Quetzaltenango and continued to Panajachel the following day. But our tired feet were weary, and a home where we could unpack and crawl into a warm bed sounded too nice to pass up.
Border fees
While preparing for our first land border crossing on this trip, we had read that many people were asked by Mexican border officials to pay a fee. We were planning on spending our last pesos in Mexico during our final day there, but wondered if we needed the extra $500 pesos per person ($26 USD) in the event that we had to pay this fee. Because we didn't want to be left with $1000 pesos and because we weren't eager to hand over that much money at the border, we did some research. Hopefully, this will clarify what has caused a lot of confusion across travel blogs and trip forums.
Does Mexico have an exit fee?
No, Mexico does not have an exit fee. What they do have is a tourist tax for people who stay in Mexico for more than seven days. This here seems to be the confusion for most travelers leaving Mexico by land.
If you flew into Mexico, the airline likely charged you the tourist tax as part of your airline ticket price. If you look at the detailed receipt for your airline ticket, you should see a charged for about $25 USD labeled as "Mexico - Tourism Tax (Derecho No Inmigrante)". This is your proof that you already paid the tourism tax and you will not have to pay again when leaving Mexico. Print this detailed receipt and carry it with you while crossing the border.
If, however, you arrived in Mexico by land, you will need to pay the tourist tax when you leave Mexico.
When our shuttle driver picked us up in San Cristóbal in the morning, he told me we each needed $500 pesos for the border. I explained in Spanish that we had arrived by air and had printed, detailed receipts of our airline tickets. He said that would be fine, and we had no problem exiting Mexico without paying the tourism tax again.
So no, Mexico is not scamming people into paying an exit fee. There is an official tourism tax for visiting the country for more than seven days, and so long as you follow the instructions above, you should have no problem avoiding a double tax. And as always, it helps to speak Spanish and have your paperwork in order.
Avoid future border issues
Make sure you get an exit stamp from Mexico and an entry stamp from Guatemala in your passport. Not having these stamps will cause problems when you try to leave Guatemala or re-enter Mexico in the future.