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Vanessa

Aug 3, 2010, 1:41 PM

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How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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We'd like to go to Chiapas in December for at least two weeks and would appreciate your suggestions as to places that would make good home bases from which to make day trips. Does anyone know if Chiapas is a calm place for tourists to travel safely both by bus and by car? If anyone has suggestions about places to stay, to eat, or people to contact for tours, I'd be very appreciative.

Are there beaches on the Pacific Coast where we could stay? If so, which ones? Where would be the best place to spend the Christmas/New Year's week? We like to take part in the local festivities and prefer to be in a town rather than in a big city. Thanks, again, for your help.

Vanessa

mexliving

Aug 3, 2010, 4:09 PM

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Re: [Vanessa] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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you must visit lakes of montebello!!!!!!!!!!! if you dont, its like going to italy and visiting the vatican.... simply amazing.... horse back trails, log boat rides around lagoons.

raferguson

Aug 3, 2010, 9:24 PM

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Re: [Vanessa] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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As far as I know, Chiapas is not known for its beaches.

Like you, we went to Chiapas in December for two weeks, I recall in 1998.

If you fly, you are likely to fly to Tuxtla Gutierez. Some people skip it, but we spent a couple of days there and enjoyed it. A unique zoo, a visit to Chiapa de Corzo, a boat ride in Sumidero Canyon and a restaurant known for folkloric dancing all come to mind as worth the time.

Certainly San Cristobal de los casas is a good base, lots of indian villages to visit, shop, or just hang out. I recall we stayed a week there. Realize that it can be surprisingly cold in December. Be sure your hotel room has heat, and bring some sweaters, in addition to rain gear. One person told me before we left that she had never been so cold in her life as she had been in San Cristobal! When I saw her after the trip I had to agree that it had been cold.

I don't remember a lot of special events for Christmas, maybe some fireworks.

Lagunas de Montebello are nice, but not one of the highlights of our trip.

The ruins of Palenque are certainly well worth going out of your way to see. If you are in Palenque, don't skip the day trip to Agua Azul, amazing waterfalls, bring your swimsuit.

Listen for the marimba music, it still makes me smile.

I can't comment on the current security situation, other than to say that you should make local inquiry before getting off the beaten path. Some of the villages are not welcoming to strangers.

Dawg lives in San Cristobal part of the year, so his opinions have worth. Of course, he speaks in an "interesting" way, just don't overreact or totally disregard his views.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

Hound Dog

Aug 4, 2010, 12:01 PM

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Re: [Vanessa] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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Christmas and New Years are the busiest times of the year in San Cristobal so reserve early if you want a nice place. Make sure they have a fireplace, it will be cold especially at night and early in the morning. It can be cold and brisk with a beautiful blue sky or cold and misty, foggy which is pretty unpleasant. Mid-day temperatures can be fresh and invigorating unless it´s cloudy but the winter is the dry season so you may have crystal clear days with temperatures in the mid-70s Fahrenheit.

The town is hopping with lots of music and festivities in December around Christmas, Estudiantinos walk the street and participate in processions. It is a fun time of the year to be there.

From San Cristobal you can explore Indian villages around. We do not find the villages very interesting but the countryside around them is stunning.

A nice trip to take if you have a car is to go to the waterfall called El Chifflon and then go to the Montebello lakes via Comitan, The Parador Santa Maria and Chinkultic then on to Las Nubes and further to La Guacayamas ; Benito Las Americas, Bonampak or Frontera Corrazol and Yaxchilan staying at or one of the Lancandon camps, take excursions in the jungle, return via Palenque and Toniná (at Ocosingo). This is a long trip but well worth it. Agua Azul is an incredible place where nature is stunning but with lots of tacky crap from the ejidos around.

There are accomodation at International Lake, El Chifflon, Las Nubes, Las Guacamayas and around Frontera Corrazol as well as Benito Las Americas. There is gas at Benito and at Frontera Corrazol so fill up every time you see a gas station.
The whole place is safe as long as you do not go by yourself in isolated areas and get out on the roads after 5pm. There are periodical flare ups between the ejidos and the Zapatistas at Agua Azul and all over the jungle but you should not be in danger as long as you mind your own business.

You can check with the office of tourism before you take a trip and ask them if everything is quiet. Problems usually start around election time or you will find a spot or two where the locals have some disagreements. The roads are sometimes blocked for one reason or another but it is all for show. The local tv station sends a reporter, the locals voice their demands and it is usually over. Sometimes you will be asked for a few pesos to help an ejido but nothing really serious (for you as a tourist). If San Cristobal is cold, the jungle, low lands and of course Tuxtla and the coast are hot as hell.

The better beaches are in Oaxaca, Huatulco, Puerto Escondido etc.. they will be busy at that time of the year. The ´Pacific beach nearest Tuxtla Gutierrez is Puerto Arista which is a two hours drive from Tuxtla. The Chiapas beaches are rustic, too rustic for many tourist´s taste and they are also packed for Christmas New Year.

There are some interesting mangrove to visit if you do not mind mosquitoes. We like the Chiapas coast because it is not developped but many people avoid it for the same reason.

There are no big cities in Chiapas except Tuxtla Gutierrez which is a boom town with around 1,000,000 population. Tapachula is the second largest city in the state with around 300,000 people and it is considered the regional capital of teh Soconusco coastal plain. Comitan is a nice little town . Ocosingo is another town of some importance. Not pretty but famous for the Zapatista rebellion, it is close to the ruins of Toniná and there are hotels where you can spend the night if you decide to explore the ruins and the area.

Palenque is 4 to 5 hours of curvy road from San Cristobal and Ocosingo is about 2 hours from San Cristobal.
In Palenque there are plenty of accommodations from luxury to simple cabins in the jungle near the ruins. The town itself is pretty ugly amd extremely hot and humid.

Vichil (Not Hound Dog)

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Aug 5, 2010, 9:20 PM)

Vanessa

Aug 5, 2010, 11:50 AM

Post #5 of 11 (6087 views)

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Re: [mexliving] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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Muchas gracias for your suggestion not to miss the lakes.

Vanessa

Vanessa

Aug 5, 2010, 12:03 PM

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Re: [Hound Dog] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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I deeply appreciate your suggestions about Chiapas. Thank you for taking the time to help us make good choices. You've helped us in the past and I trust your judgement. We're nature and culture lovers so we especially liked the alternatives to what the average tourists like.

Muchisimas gracias.

Vanessa

John Shrall

Aug 6, 2010, 2:05 PM

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Re: [Vanessa] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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I highly recommend taking a trip to El Chiflon to see the falls. It's an interesting drive not all that far from San Cristobal. The walk up the river to the site of the falls is scenic and the falls are spectacular. Amazingly enough the water is extremely cold.

Note the little people standing on the platform below the falls.

(This post was edited by John Shrall on Aug 6, 2010, 2:10 PM)

hack

Aug 6, 2010, 7:40 PM

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Re: [John Shrall] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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The best beach is Zacapulco, which has next to no facilities and cannot be reached by car, but by boat through mangrove. Utterly delightful for the isolation, but very low on services if that is a factor. Bring your own food if allergic to seafood -- I had to for that reason. Well worth it tho -- not often you get a little strip of coastal paradise to yourself, which you almost certainly will if you go on a weekday. I did not do beaches in Oaxaca or other places, but suspect the advice above is correct. If you don't want to be the only one there, I'd say there's not much point in coming down to the Pacific coast of Chiapas, since everything else is north of the mountains and crossing them isn't a quick thing to do.

The driving is slow going most of the way anywhere though, to places like Palenque and the lakes region etc., but well worth it. As for the culture, IMO it's easy as pie. We are in Mexico City now after spending 2 months in Chiapas and a week in Oaxaca. Many Chiapanecans think that central Mexicans are a bit snooty. It seems a bit of a stereotype, but after getting more of a taste of these other places, I can see why it exists. Chiapas is a delight, and the posts above highlight its best. Forgive me if I missed it in there, but Canyon Sumidero is also a great trip to make.

Hound Dog

Aug 7, 2010, 8:23 AM

Post #9 of 11 (5944 views)

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Re: [Vanessa] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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We'd like to go to Chiapas in December for at least two weeks and would appreciate your suggestions as to places that would make good home bases from which to make day trips.

Vanessa:

Check out the Southern Mexico Forum for more information on day trips and other excursions from San Cristóbal. There is some information you may find of interest there.

A poster there asks about visiting the Pacific Coast of Chiapas while down there and that is a fine idea but keep a couple of things in mind:

* The Chiapas coast is, for the most part quite primitive and deserted of tourists during the work week and these characteristics are its primary charm. The coast is mostly poor fishing villages, deserted, often hard to reach beaches, mangrove swamps and mysterious lagoons. There are some magnificent beaches with wild surf in beach towns such as Puerto Arista and the rustic fishing villages in the area are picturesque and charming.

* No matter how much you would like to visit this area, much of what you will want to see is not easily accessible so you need a great deal of time to do this right. If your time is limited you are better off heading west to Huatulco and the Oaxaca coast which is beautiful and more developed but still isolated.

* Trips to the Gulf and Caribbean are also alternatives from San Cristóbal and there are many great adventures to be had there, especially if you happen to be in Palenque or Tuxtla.

Have a nice trip in what we consider one of Mexico´s most beautiful states.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Aug 7, 2010, 8:24 AM)

Vichil

Aug 9, 2010, 8:13 AM

Post #10 of 11 (5830 views)

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Re: [Vanessa] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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There is still a place I would like to go but haven´t been able to as some of the locals told me it was best to go with a tour. It is Lake Miramar in the Biosphere of Montes Azules.
I was told it is possible to drive but that it was best to fly part of the way and may also be cheaper as the ejidos along the way hit you for money,.
There are two companies I know of who go down there, they are both located on C. Real De Guadalupe. If you want to go you need to put your name down the day you arrive and they call you when they have 7 or 8 people. I tried to go when I was remodelling down there and never was able to go but I am sure that if you go during high tourist season like December or July it is no problem-

Vanessa

Aug 9, 2010, 9:08 AM

Post #11 of 11 (5820 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] How to make the most of a trip to Chiapas

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Hello -- Your advice and suggestions are much appreciated. I've arranged to be on the beach in Puerto Escondido instead of Chiapas. Thank you Hound Dog. Take care.

Vanessa