THE CHIAPAS HIGHLANDS
Mayan Traditions and Textiles

  • Chiapas Highlands

Tour at a Glance

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TRAVELIAN JOURNEYS  
  Limited to 10 guests                   9 Days / 8 Nights               
Physical demand: Level 2
 
     
TOUR DATES  
  May 17 - 25, 2022  
     
TAILOR-MADE JOURNEYS
 
 

Take full control your tour, and let us but do the hard work of researching and making special arrangements for you. Every one of our journeys can be suited to your preference and operated for you, your family, group of friends or institution.

Please contact us with your request at: info@travelian.com.mx

 

Tour Details

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Discover Chiapas, Mexico’s most indigenous and southern state! Enjoy marimba music, local cuisine, boating, and indigenous markets with a small group of similarly curious travelers and expert guides. Travel in comfort with excellent drivers and sleep in comfort at outstanding hotels.

The capital of Chiapas State, Tuxtla Gutierrez, with its half a million inhabitants offers us surprises!  Visit the 25 mile-long Sumidero River Canyon with cliffs over 3000 feet in height and abundant wildlife. Our private boat lands in the Pueblo Magico of Chiapa de Corzo, where our warm and knowledgeable guide will take us to a gourmet regional cuisine restaurant for lunch, then introduce us to one of Mexico’s Master Marimba makers as well as a visit to the fabulous Parachicos!

Next, we’ll travel up to San Cristobal de las Casas, situated at 7200 feet, in a high fertile valley surrounded by mountains. Chiapas is home to many indigenous groups descended from the Maya, two of the largest being the Tzotzils and Tzeltals, who inhabit villages surrounding San Cristobal. The indigenous people of Chiapas speak their own languages (often in addition to Spanish), practice their own unique customs, and can be identified by their traditional dress that varies by group/village. The markets are a buzz of symphonic sounds!

Founded in 1528, San Cristobal was designated a “Pueblo Magico” (Magic Town), and is one of Mexico’s best-preserved Spanish colonial towns. With its narrow streets, colorful one-storey houses, and tiled roofs that enclose lovely courtyards, it offers the visitor not only a journey back in time, but also a contemporary bohemian ambience of art galleries and sophisticated restaurants catering to an international crowd of travelers and residents. You’ll have the opportunity to visit its plethora of artisans’ markets, shops and museums, including the unsurpassed Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya with our expert local guide.

Several interesting day trips we’ll take from San Cristobal include visits to the outlying highland villages of San Juan Chamula, San Lorenzo Zinacantan, and Amatenango del Valle.  These towns offer a unique inside view into the traditions and customs of the region’s indigenous communities. We’ll be invited to visit homes and workshops of their master artisans. One of the largest autonomous indigenous communities in the world, San Juan Chamula (pop. 60,000), is just a few miles from San Cristobal, but in many ways a world apart. The church there has no pews, no altar, and the priest was expelled decades ago for meddling with local customs. Statues of the saints remain, but the nave is used for elaborate ceremonies involving candles, eggs, live chickens and — oddly — soft drinks. Our visit to Chamula on Sunday (Market Day), offers a unique window into Chiapas's rich Mayan heritage. 

Join Travelian’s knowledgeable guides for this journey to an extraordinary region of Mexico filled with adventure, master artisans, regional cuisine and natural wonders!



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Itinerary - 9 Days

DAY 1 - TRAVEL DAY TO CHIAPAS
Fly to Tuxtla Gutierrez ~ You will need to make your own air reservations. We recommend flying on either Interjet or Aeromexico. If you would like to share a van to the airport in Mexico City (we'll have lunch* at the airport) our guides will be departing at 9:00 am from San Miguel de Allende and will fly on Interjet flight 3601 at 3:50 pm to Tuxtla Gutierrez. Arrive in Tuxtla Gutierrez and a shuttle will take us to our hotel. Check into hotel. Leave for dinner* and marimba show at a regional restaurant.

A fee will be charged for van transportation each way: San Miguel to Mexico City airport / Mexico City airport to San Miguel.

DAY 2 - SUMIDERO CANYON NATIONAL PARK AND CHIAPA DE CORZO
Drive to Chiapa de Corzo. Take a private boat tour of Sumidero Canyon. Have lunch* in town. Return to hotel, meet and leave for dinner*.

DAY 3 - SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS WALKING TOUR
8:00 A.M. Breakfast at our hotel. Check out - Drive to San Cristobal and check into hotel. Meet our guide for orientation and maps. Walk with guide and visit Santo Domingo, Regional Museum, and the Textile Museum. Have lunch* and time to go to the market, and explore town on your own. Meet for dinner.

DAY 4 - AMATENANGO DEL VALLE
8:00 A.M. Breakfast at our hotel. Leave for the village of Amatenango del Valle. Visit two workshops of Artisan Maestros. Return for lunch* in San Cristobal. Have time to visit markets, shops, museums or other pints of interest recommended by our guide. Meet for dinner* at our hotel.

DAY 5 - ORCHID MUSEUM - TRAJES REGIONALES MUSEUM
8:00 A. M. Breakfast at our hotel. Leave for Moxviquil Orchid Museum (Early birding available at the site) for a private tour. Leave for lunch*. Visit Museo de Trajes Regionales for a private tour. Return to hotel. Meet for dinner.

DAY 6 - SAN JUAN CHAMULA AND ZINACANTAN
8:00 A. M. Breakfast at our hotel. Leave for Chamula Sunday Market and tour of town and church with our guide. Leave for the village of Zinacantan and visit master weaver at her home/workshop. Return to San Cristobal for lunch and have free time. Meet that evening for dinner.

DAY 7 - FREE DAY
8:00 A.M. Free day to wander, explore, shop, or relax on your own.

DAY 8 - TRAVEL DAY TO TUXTLA GUTIERREZ
Fly 8:00 A.M. Breakfast at our hotel. Free morning for last minute exploring or shopping. Check out of hotel. Have lunch* in town. Drive to Tuxtla Gutierrez and stay at hotel near airport. Enjoy dinner at our hotel.

Travelers joining the Chiapas Lowlands tour will have an opportunity to go birdwatching that morning at the Huitepec reserve with our birdguide, and join the other travelers that afternoon at our hotel.

DAY 9 - TRAVEL DAY
Fly Return to San Miguel You may wish to stay longer in Chiapas or leave directly for the US or Canada. If you wish to return to San Miguel with our guides, we will leave for the airport at 10:00 am We’ll fly on Interjet airflight 2600 at 12:50 pm. (We'll have lunch* at the Tuxtla Gutierrez airport) A van will pick us in Mexico City and take us to San Miguel de Allende.

A fee will be charged for van transportation each way: San Miguel to Mexico City airport / Mexico City airport to San Miguel.

* Meals marked with an asterisk are not included in the tour's fee.
This itinerary is subject to changes without prior notification.

 
 

WHAT TO TAKE

 
     
  Official ID your current Passport, Mexican residency ID (copies are fine)
  Original INAPAM ID (if you have one)
  Credit Cards, Debit Card, Cash in Pesos (No cash machines are available)
  Water Bottle
  Binoculars
  Camera
  Flashlight 
  Hat
  Sunblock
  Sunglasses
  Umbrella and rain gear 
  Hiking sticks
  Insect repellent
  Day Pack
  Light-weight walking/hiking shoes
  A fleece garment can be useful in case of chilly mornings 
  Pack your binoculars, toiletries and travel documents in your day pack, a supply of resealable plastic storage bags can be handy for storing food items from the breakfast, to be used as mid-morning snacks 
  Be sure to bring your own Kleenex and small change for bathroom fees
  Money belt
  Personal prescription drugs
  First-aid kit (should contain lip salve, Aspirin, Band Aids, anti-histamine, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, re-hydration powder)
 


     
 

Further details about this tour

 
 
 
.   Travel Physical Demands
.   Reservations
.   Payment Options
.   Cancellations
.   Trip Insurance
     
 

Travelian Tour Leader

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Rodrigo Lopez
Photo of Rodrigo López Rodrigo is the founder of Travelian Tours and is deeply committed to his vision of helping groups, individuals and organizations discover and experience the natural and cultural heritage of Mexico. He holds degrees in Business Administration from the prestigious Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico City, and Creative Marketing from Texas A & M (Mexico City Program).
Learn more
 

 

Tour Map

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Tour Cost

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  We'll be publishing our prices soon, if you'd like to be notified when ready, please send us a message by using the blue button below:
 

 

 

 
     
 
INCLUDES:
  Accommodations (8 nights)
  Breakfast daily, two lunches
  Private sightseeing (including all entrance fees) as outlined in the itinerary
  Comfortable private transportation with driver
  Tips for maids, waiters, bell boys, and drivers
  Professional local guides
  Travelian Tour leaders
  Small group experience: 10 travelers maximum
     
 

Physical Demand

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    LEVEL 2
    Includes Level 1 plus: Walking or hiking modest uphill/downhill in town or on improved (paved or gravel) trails for a period of up to four hours at a time. Or walking in urban settings with stair-climbs.

Click here for a description of all activity levels.