Chiapas: Southern Mexico

Hola amigo and welcome to the southernmost state in Mexico. Make your first moments easy with an optional transfer from Tuxtla Gutiérrez airport (TGZ) to your hotel. Check in, settle in and get ready for your first taste of Chiapas – quite literally – with a welcome dinner at Las Pichanchas, a superb restaurant and guardian of Chiapan culture. Local food and a traditional musical performance will bring the group together and make you feel like a true Chiapaneco from your first night.

Get those calories in at the hotel breakfast, today’s going to be action-packed. It starts with a boat ride through the Sumidero Canyon, where the croc-infested Río Grijalva cuts through cliffs taller than the Burj Khalifa. Then hit dry land for a cultural ramble from Chamula to Zinacantan, both home to a predominantly indigenous Tzotzil-Maya population. Finish the day with an exploration of San Cristóbal, an enchanting town of jaw-dropping churches and colonial casas. 

Today is yours to spend as you wish. Go on a self-led cultural treasure hunt around San Cristóbal, if you’d like, and don’t forget to stop for Chiapan coffee – it’s among the best in Mexico. Alternatively, bring your swimsuit and join our optional tour to Las Tres Tzimoleras, a triumvirate of spectacular waterfalls with a different adventure at each. At the first and smallest, you can leap 7m (23ft) from the top into a small pool below. At the second, brave a peek over the edge to see the 45m (150ft) high plunge. It ends with a spectacular 60m (200ft) cascade, best admired in all its glory. 

You’re a time traveler today – no DeLorean needed – with an exploration of two pre-Columbian sites. The first stop is the rarely visited Toniná, a lesser-known (but extraordinary) archeological site, where a once-powerful city built grand, stepped pyramids. How it has stayed off the tourist radar is difficult to understand. It’s home to one of the tallest pyramids in Mexico, a ball court and well-preserved carvings. You’ll then swing by the jungle ruins of Palenque – the best-known ancient Maya site in Chiapas. Explore magnificent temples and story-telling hieroglyphs, all soundtracked by the ghostly call of howler monkeys.

The final day is upon you. Enjoy your last breakfast of the vacation, swap numbers with your new buddies and check out by midday. A transfer will take you to Villahermosa Airport (VSA), or you could stay and explore this chili-shaped land some more. There’s lots to see.