Unique Chiapas

We will meet you at Tuxtla Gutiérrez Airport. In route to San Cristobal de las Casas, we’ll stop by the Grijalva River for a boat ride through the Sumidero Canyon. Keep your eyes open or crocodiles on the river bank. Afterwards, we´ll continue our transfer to San Cristobal de las Casas where you’ll get settled in the trendy and yet beautiful Hotel Bo. Free afternoon and dinner on your own.

After breakfast we’ll visit San Juan Chamula, a ceremonial center of the Tzotzil people dating from the 16th century. You’ll be able to go into the temple where taking photographs is strictly forbidden, however the experience is mind blowing as one can witness how the Catholic and Christian religious rituals and traditions are perfectly synchronized with the pre-hispanic Chamula and Tzotzil traditions.

Afterwards, we’ll transfer to the neighboring town of Zinacantan where skilled women create the most amazing clothing, rugs, and tablecloths. We´ll then return to San Cristobal de las Casas, where you’ll enjoy a relaxed afternoon and dinner on your own.

After an early breakfast, we’ll leave San Cristobal and head towards the Chiflon waterfall where you’ll hike uphill to admire the mighty waterfall and the small ponds that the river San Vicente leaves as it runs towards the center of the Chiapas State. Afterwards, we ́ll visit the colonial town of Comitán where you will have lunch.

Tonight you’ll stay at the Parador Santa María, a XIX century hacienda which has been maintained in its original state. We will get a glimpse of the past and what life was like during the coffee, sugar and henequen bonanza of the early 1900’s, which made this region (and still is) world famous. Enjoy a nice swim in the pool before dinner.

After an early breakfast, we’ll go to Montebello Lagoons National Park, where we’ll take a short trek around these mystic lakes which are famous for their original and unique coloration, they vary from turquoise blue to jade green to dark black, we well as for the wide variety of endemic species belonging to this region of Chiapas.

We’ll also visit the charming Mayan site of Chincultik or “Stepped Sinkhole” which had a strategic position that allowed its ancient Mayan inhabitants to oversee the lands below and especially the colorful lagoons scattered around it.

For lunch, we’ll have the typical quesadillas with delicious Chiapanec cheese and hand made tortillas. After lunch, we’ll head back to the beautiful Parador Santa Maria hotel to chill out and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

After breakfast, will head into the heart of the Lacandon Jungle and Mexico’s southern border and through some of the most spectacular rain forest in the region. Once by the spectacular Lacantún River, our river staff will be awaiting us to board a motorboat, which will take us cruising downriver to start exploring this amazing natural reserve.

Be ready for a 1.5 hour hike, a luncheon in a perfect spot and a relaxing sunset kayak paddle downstream up to your home in the jungle… the Lacandonia Lodge, a six cabaña gem in the heart of the jungle.

The setting is almost like something out of Robinson Crusoe — the lodge is surrounded by the incredible beauty of the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, with its more than 760,000 acres of virgin jungle. This lodge is built from tropical woods, palm trees, and bamboo.

Each of the six rooms is mounted on an elevated structure with an incredible view of the aqua-blue Río Lacantún, so you can enjoy the magical sunsets and landscapes only this jungle can offer.

After breakfast, we’ll navigate by motorboat into the heart of the Montes Azules reserve along the astonishing Río Tzendales, home to various fauna including tapir and jaguar. After lunch, we can take a self-float down the river with the aid of a lifejacket.

At dusk we’ll begin our moonlight journey back to Lacandonia where you can take a nap, chill out and later have dinner. But the fun doesn’t stop there — after dinner, we’ll embark on a nocturnal boat ride in search of crocodiles.

The Lacandonia team, once part of Chajul’s endemic crocodile research and conservation program, will tell you how they used to catch, weight and tag crocodiles to make sure they were healthy and thriving. This activity is totally optional!

After an early breakfast we will head to the village of Frontera Corozal by the Río Usumacinta, were we’ll board a typical cayuco (local boat) and start navigating this astonishing river that hides so many secrets of the Mayan world. And it will reveal some of them to us—after 30 minutes by boat we arrive at the breathtaking Mayan ruins of Yaxchilán, close to the Guatemala frontier. The entrance maze to the ruins is right out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which eventually leads into the huge courtyard.

In the time of the Maya, invaders taking a wrong turn in this maze would be met with warriors wielding spears! Once inside, the elaborate designs of “Temple 33” and “The Four Doors Temple” are astonishing, and you can also see spider and howler monkeys swinging from branches above the ruins.

There is also a large stone crocodile next to one of the monuments, so you can pay it some respect, especially if your previous night adventure had paid off and you have come up close and personal with some Chiapanec crocs. After our visit, we’ll have a well deserved lunch in Frontera Corozal right before continuing our journey to Palenque.

Today we’ll spend the day at the archaeological site of Palenque, considered one of the most important Mayan cities in the world, whose various temples and buildings have been explored since the 19th century. Some of the more important are “The Palace,” distinguished for its amazing and distinctive tower, the “Temple of the Sun,” “Temple of the Cross,” and the peculiar “Temple of Inscriptions.”

Within the “Temple of Inscriptions” is the tomb of Pakal, discovered in 1952. Pakal was an ancient ruler of this city, and his identity was confirmed by an amazingly carved sarcophagus and funeral wardrobe. Next, we will return to the hotel to spend a well-deserved relaxed afternoon by the pool.

Breakfast and relaxed morning at your hotel before departing to the airport in time to catch your flight home.