If you’re visiting Chiapas [1] for the first time and want to be sure to hit all the must-sees, this is the tour for you. It covers a little of everything—Maya ruins, indigenous villages, colonial cities, and some jaw-dropping natural attractions—all in just over two weeks.
You won’t need a rental car for most of this trip; with the exception of Aguacero [2] and Sima de las Cotorras [3] (west of Tuxtla Gutiérrez) everything is easily accessible by public transportation or organized tour.
Stretch your legs with a stroll through the town of Palenque [4], ending up at the zocalo (central park), where there’s occasionally live marimba music. Enjoy dinner at Las Tinajas [5].
Spend the day visiting the Palenque Archaeological Zone [6] and museum [7]. It’s not a big site, but many travelers find themselves lingering over it, and the museum is terrific. Have lunch at Mayabell or Café Restaurante Don Mucho [8] in El Panchán, near the entrance to the ruins. That evening, set up tomorrow’s tour of Agua Azul and Misol-Há.
Take a tour of the Parque Nacional de Agua Azul [9] and Cascada de Misol-Há [10] waterfalls. You’ll be back by mid-afternoon, leaving time to relax and make arrangements for a tour of Yaxchilán and Bonampak archaeological sites tomorrow.
Take an all-day round-trip tour of Yaxchilán [11] and Bonampak Archaeological Zones [12]. It’s a long day, leaving Palenque at 6 a.m. and returning just before dark, but the tour typically includes stops for breakfast and lunch.
Catch a bus to San Cristóbal de las Casas [13]. If you enjoy ancient ruins, consider stopping off in Ocosingo [14] to visit Toniná Archaeological Zone [15], an excellent but little-visited site with a first-rate museum. Stay the night in Ocosingo, or simply stow your bags at the bus station while you see the ruins, then catch a later bus onward to San Cristóbal.
Spend the day in San Cristóbal. Favorite sights include La Catedral de San Cristóbal [16] and El Zócalo [17] (the central plaza). Browse the artesanía market at Templo y Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán [18], admire the amber collection at Museo del Ámbar de Chiapas [19], and discover Maya medical practices at the Museo de la Medicina Maya [20].
Take a regional tour of the Maya villages of San Juan Chamula [21], Chiapas’s largest indigenous town, and nearby Zinacantán [22]. You’ll be back in San Cristóbal around 2 p.m., in time for a late lunch and coffee.
Catch an early combi to Chiapa de Corzo [23] for a tour of stunning Cañón del Sumidero [24], one of Chiapas’s most impressive natural wonders. Plan to eat lunch in town, and spend a few hours in the afternoon visiting the colonial structure of La Pila [25], the Museo de Laca [26] (a lacquerware museum), and other sights before returning to San Cristóbal. Consider heading into Tuxtla Gutiérrez [27] to pick up a rental car.
Spend another day touring around San Cristóbal. With a rental car, explore outlying indigenous villages like El Romerillo [28] or Tenejapa [29].
Drive or take a bus to the friendly city of Comitán [30]. Visit the sights around town, including two excellent museums: Museo Arqueológico de Comitán [31] (archaeology) and Museo de Arte Hermila Domínguez de Castellanos [32] (modern art). If you don’t have a car, arrange a tour to Lagunas de Montebello and Tenam Puente the next day.
Visit Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello [33], a colorful array of lakes, lagoons, and ponds. Stop to admire the ruins at the Tenam Puente Archaeological Zone [34], returning to Comitán by late afternoon. Enjoy the evening in town, where there’s usually live music in the zócalo (central plaza).
In the morning, visit Cascada El Chiflón [35], one of the highest and most powerful waterfalls in Chiapas. Make your way to Tuxtla Gutiérrez [27] by the afternoon and rent a car, if you haven’t done so already.
Drive to Aguacero [2] waterfall, then backtrack slightly to view the enormous caves and sinkholes at Sima de las Cotorras [3]. Definitely plan to be there between 4 and 5 p.m. so you can watch thousands of cotorras, or green parrots, return to their nests.
Get up at 5:30–6 a.m. to see the parrots again, then return to Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Time permitting, consider visiting the ZOOMAT [36], one of the best zoos in Latin America, or drive the rim of Cañón del Sumidero [24] before returning home.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/around-tuxtla-gutierrez/el-aguacero
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/around-tuxtla-gutierrez/sima-de-las-cotorras
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/palenque-town
[5] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/palenque-town/food/town
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/palenque-town/palenque-archaeological-zone
[7] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/palenque-town/museo-arqueologico-de-palenque
[8] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/palenque-town/food/near-the-ruins
[9] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/along-the-rio-tulija/parque-nacional-de-agua-azul
[10] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/along-the-rio-tulija/cascada-de-misol-ha
[11] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-rio-usumacinta-valley/yaxchilan-archaeological-zone/yaxchilan-ruins
[12] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-rio-usumacinta-valley/bonampak-archaeological-zone
[13] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas
[14] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/ocosingo
[15] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/palenque/ocosingo/tonina-archaeological-zone
[16] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/sights/churches/la-catedral-de-san-cristobal
[17] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/sights/landmarks/el-zocalo
[18] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/sights/churches/templo-de-santo-domingo-de-guzman
[19] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/sights/museums/museo-del-ambar-de-chiapas
[20] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/sights/museums/museo-de-la-medicina-maya
[21] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/villages-around-san-cristobal/san-juan-chamula
[22] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/villages-around-san-cristobal/zinacantan
[23] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/chiapa-de-corzo
[24] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/around-tuxtla-gutierrez/parque-nacional-canon-del-sumidero/canon-del-sumidero
[25] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/chiapa-de-corzo/sights/la-pila
[26] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/chiapa-de-corzo/sights/museo-de-laca
[27] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez
[28] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/villages-around-san-cristobal/el-romerillo
[29] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/san-cristobal-de-las-casas/villages-around-san-cristobal/tenejapa
[30] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-lakes-region/comitan
[31] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-lakes-region/comitan/sights/museo-arqueologico-de-comitan
[32] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-lakes-region/comitan/sights/museo-de-arte-hermila-dominguez-de-castellanos
[33] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-lakes-region/eastern-chiapas/parque-nacional-lagunas-de-montebello
[34] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-lakes-region/around-comitan/tenam-puente-archaeological-zone
[35] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/the-lakes-region/around-comitan/cascada-el-chiflon
[36] http://www.moon.com/destinations/chiapas/tuxtla-gutierrez/sights/zoomat