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Travel guide
Chiapas
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: November to April
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Welcome
Chiapas, in a few days
Chiapas means San Cristóbal de las Casas at 2,200 metres, with its Tzotzil markets and the pine-strewn church of Chamula, then 190 km of bends down to the jungle of Palenque and the tomb of King Pakal. In between lie the 1,000-metre walls of the Sumidero Canyon and the turquoise falls of Agua Azul.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · San Cristóbal de las Casas free · half a dayA colonial town founded in 1528, with low tiled houses in ochre, red and blue, and a Tzotzil and Tzeltal textile market by Santo Domingo.
- Afternoon · San Juan Chamula · 2 to 3 hA Tzotzil town 10 km from San Cristóbal with its own rules, whose priestless church has pine needles for a floor and hundreds of candles.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Sombra del Agua€80 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sumidero Canyon · 2 to 3 hBoats leave Chiapa de Corzo and run up the Grijalva between sheer walls up to 1,000 metres high as far as the Chicoasén dam.
- Afternoon · Agua Azul waterfalls · half a dayDozens of falls and stepped pools over more than a kilometre, 60 km south of Palenque, milky blue from dissolved limestone; swim only where signposted.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Casavieja€60 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Palenque · half a dayA jungle-bound Maya city at its height under King Pakal, whose tomb beneath the Temple of the Inscriptions was found in 1952.
- Afternoon · Yaxchilán and Bonampak · a full dayTwo Maya cities in the Lacandon forest; Yaxchilán is reached only by boat, 45 minutes along the Usumacinta, with Guatemala on the far bank.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Jardines del Centro€55 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Montebello Lakes · a full dayA national park on the Guatemalan border: 59 sinkhole lakes in pine and oak forest, each its own colour, ten or so reachable by road.
- Afternoon · El Chiflón waterfalls · 2 to 3 hFive falls down a limestone gorge near Comitán; the highest, Velo de Novia, drops 120 metres, reached by a 1.2 km path with 600 steps.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Villa Mercedes€75 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Tacos al pastor: pork marinated and carved off a vertical spit, with pineapple and coriander.
- Mole: a sauce of chillies and chocolate, built from twenty ingredients or more.
- Guacamole and antojitos: avocado, quesadillas and the wide Oaxacan tlayuda.
- Tamales: corn dough with a filling, steamed inside a leaf.
- Mezcal and tequila: sipped slowly, not thrown back.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Drink bottled water only, ice included once you leave the hotels.
- Check which areas are advised against before you go, and use Uber or a registered taxi.
- Keep valuables out of sight and carry little cash.
- Haggle in the markets, but not down to nothing: the weaving took days.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyMexican peso (MXN)
BudgetAbout €55 a day, mid-range
Best seasonNovember to April
PlugA/B · 127V
Tap waterBottled only
Tipping10 to 15%, expected
Emergency911
EntryNo visa for stays of up to 180 days with a passport, for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. An officer writes the number of days granted on entry, so check it.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria is limited to a few lowland areas and there is none on the Yucatán coast. Dengue is present: use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/chiapas
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.